An excellent day on the water in Ft. Lauderdale, begins with a short (but not too short, 1 1/2 hrs) tour of the celebrity and billionaire mega cottages lining the rivers and canals, from old Ft. lauderdale to the ocean, in one of the sturdy and clean vessels operated by this touring company. The friendly staff begins your voyage with a photo op ($20 extra, offered before you depart), which I recommend for a fun and lasting piece of vacation memorabilia. The beer selection while limited is inexpensive ($4.50 for a Corona) enough to afford a couple libations before returning to the concrete or sand of other ventures thereafter. As stated in other reviews the captain is an excellent pilot navigating the seemingly impossible twists and turns of the rivers and canals easily whilst spouting fact upon fact into a mic held easily as he drove. We departed on the 1pm boat the weeks before Xmas, and found a half empty boat and more than enough seats and plenty of room to move about. I recommend skipping the topside deck, and using the lower deck bow area, just in front of the captain. The view is better, and the breeze is not so chilly, not to mention the proximity to the bar and inside area if one gets cold. I brought four children and found nothing but smiles and kindness from the captain and the crew even when my niece was standing directly if front of him using sign language to distract him. In short, it was very affordable, parking is validated if you use the appropriate garage (directly next to the anders st drawbridge) and a phenomenal value for someone whose never seen how the rich spend their money. read more

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Bought an Anticipation Dinner Cruise for my husband's birthday. Nightmare!!!!! 1. They told me I didn't need a confirmation of my reservation, but when I showed up they told me I didn't have a reservation and told us to stand aside while they boarded the other passengers (PS another couple had the same issue). I told my husband this was ridiculous and one of their staff interrupted and told us we should leave since we would not have a good time anyway due to our frustration. After waiting for the majority of passengers to be checked in they finally told us they would set up tables for us and the other couple and to board and we could buy a drink on the upper deck. 2. There was no announcement on the upper deck when dinner was served. When we went downstairs to find our table, they had set up a tiny coctail table that did not have room to hold 2 plates, utensils & glasses. When we told them this was unacceptable, they mysteriously had a vacant table that they offered. We had had it at this point and chose to just go up to the upper deck to enjoy the cruise. The rude staff member actually rammed my husband with his shoulder. 3. Location to board on their web site was inaccurate and we and at least two other groups were wandering around the riverfront trying to locate the ship. When we phoned their offices, no answer, even for the emergency number. We had to flag down a water taxi captain to find out where the ship was located. 4. Air conditioner in dining room did not work & ceiling was leaking water. 5. All passengers but my husband and I received boarding photos. Miserable night for my husband's birthday. Hungry, frustrated, and humiliated! Someone needs to teach Anticipation staff about customer service. read more

We have been going on this local gem for many years now, but hadn't been for awhile, and had some time to kill before dinner so thought we'd go again. We're never disappointed! We love the scenic views and relaxing 1 1/2 hour cruise along the New River and Intracoastal. The Narrator is always funny and informative and makes the experience so fun! She also doubles as the Bartender....where you can purchase beer for $5 or mixed drinks for $7. They also sell soft drinks, bottled water, ice cream novelties, snacks, etc.... Did I mention they also have your group pose for a picture prior to boarding and then offer it to you later in the cruise? Although we opted out of the picture idea (hey...we're locals). I highly recommend this and please don't be discouraged by all the construction going on at Riverfront! They are still docked there and you can still park at the parking garage on Andrews Ave by Briney's Irish Pub (which is still open and thriving and we ducked in there for a quick pre-cruise drink!). The cruise price is $24.00 pp but we got the AAA rate of $22.00 (show your card). There is a Groupon currently out but is not aval on weekend nights, which is when we went. Enjoy!! read more

Riverfront Cruises - Boating Near Me - Ft Lauderdale, Florida

The boat in the website is NOT the one pictured in the website. The actual Riverfront Cruise boat was ran aground over a month ago. There is no bathroom on the little watertaxi type boat that they will put you on. WARNING THIS IS A BAIT AND SWITCH SITUATION. read more

I have to say.. I was really looking forward to this cruise. We arrived 20 minutes before the departure time. The woman at the counter was friendly. We were excited. Especially when they said we wouldn't be taking the usual boat out since it was being cleaned but we would be going on their yacht. We walked the short distance to the yacht and goodness it was pretty. The first floor was set up nicely for what seemed like a private party and the second floor was furnished with a cream leather sectional with a bar and large windows, and of course a door leading to the outdoor seating. The first hour was alright. We got to see sprawling mansions and gawk at the ease other people enjoy. The captain of the boat derailed some numbers of how one house or another yacht costs. The yacht by the way is moving at 5 mph. By the end of the first 30 minutes, your free soft drink is done and your stuck in a boat with 45 other people. I hate to say it but we were falling asleep at hour number 1. With the soft couches, the slow speed, the cool AC.. and then by the end of the first hour the captain stopped announcing things over the microphone (I guess there wasn't really much more to say). We can't complain too much since we got the deal through Groupon and it brought us out of the house for two hours. (The cruise is only an hour and a half) But I wouldn't do it again. And I would have been pretty disappointed if I had to pay full price. read more

This was one of the best 'sightseeing' cruises I've been on in a long time. The guy at the ticket booth was so nice it was almost ridiculous! The staff on the boat was nice. We sailed the inter-coastal of Ft. Lauderdale while the captain pointed out the houses of famous people while sipping on free cocktails! Doesn't get better than that. The have an upstairs which is covered to stay out of the sun, but enjoy the weather. There is an air conditioned inside where you can sit at a table and you can go outside in the front and sit and enjoy the sun. The cruise was an hour and a half for $15(with coupon). If you are vacationing in Ft. Lauderdale, or live there, this is a great thing to do!!! read more

First off, this place is hard to find for someone who is not from around here. So come a little early to hunt around first. I came here with my friend on Saturday. It was a slightly cold day but still beautiful enough to go out on a boat. The boat reminds me of the Frying Pan in Manhattan - very open and casual. The photographer takes a picture of you and your party before you enter. There is a bar but we didn't imbibe. We simply wanted to get good seats to get a good view. We did snag seats upstairs with excellent views. The tour itself was nice. While it was a beautiful sight to see, I got a bit bored...? But it can be quite relaxing. The photographer comes by to sell the photographs he took earlier for ten bucks, complete with a frame. Overall, it's a good experience to do once. Not sure if I'll go back. Parking is at a nearby, broken down garage. read more

first river cruise ive ever taken. got a groupon deal... food was meh.... not so fancy... the hot appetizers were horrible... but the salad and cheese selection was good. i ordered a 6 ounce steak and the flavor was spot on... and cooked medium. love that! but the mash potatoes tastes boxed and grainy. me no likey! drinks are reasonably priced. bottles of house wine are $20.00 this is a great date place... something different to do. we had a blast because we met really awsome people.... would be fun to do with friends too. read more

I have taken friends and family on this cruise numerous times and always enjoyed it. But today was not the "usual". The boat we were on was a very small older boat - not the one shown in any photos on your website or the boat we were on previous times. Boarding the boat was very tricky ( dangerous) for my 87 year old mother and her friend, then exiting the boat (when the tide was lower) was even worse. If this is the "summer boat" you should let people know - I was very disappointed. The construction all around the old Riverfront area was expected, plus we took our chance with the August weather and it rained the entire trip - but the captain and Marcus were very pleasant and kept us entertained. Sorry to say this is my last cruise with this company. read more

Our cruise was delayed due to problems with the boat, however the crew went above and beyond to accommodate for the inconvenience. We cruised into the sunset while sipping wine with the wind blowing through our hair. It was a wonderful experience. read more

The woman Rudely treated me just because I asked why did she overcharged $17 more and ended up its her mistake and she even didn't apologize. This would bring any business down. If you do not know how to treat people nicely then please just do anything else other than dealing with people. Still I will enjoy my ride with my family. read more

This was one of the worst experience my family and I have had. First, we got a call explaining that the "larger" boat was broken? Meaning we had to go on the water trolley. While on the water trolley, the sound system was broken. We paid for a narrated tour of the beautiful waterfront homes and instead, the tour guide used a karaoke machine that distorted the sound and you couldn't understand what was being said. 30 minutes in, the boat broke down and we had to wait for Sea tow to pick us up. This is the worst boat ride I've ever been on and would honestly not recommend it to anyone. read more

Great time, glad we went, Captain knew his stuff, seen some amazing houses and yacht's and even a few manatee's swimming around, my wife and son really enjoyed it, would go again for sure read more

Beautiful 90min cruise!! You will get to see million and even billion dollars homes of famous people or people that own big businesses we consume daily. I will recommend to sit on top. It's hot and humid but while riding you get this nice breeze. They have snacks and drinks! We paid 22.50 each with AAA discount. read more

I liked the cruise. It was a pleasure to listen to the guide. He was quite entertaining at times. They have food and drinks on board I would suggest it for something to do. But go online to get tickets. Guy at the booth was rude. read more

Good way to see Fort Lauderdale and a fun thing to do when people come to town. Not too expensive and boat was nice.

We booked this cruise for our wedding on 11/11/11. Apparently the crew was never told that the private party was a wedding. Our guests were charged for drinks, even though it was stated the in the contract that my husband and I would be paying the bar bill. We had to sort all that out on the boat before we left the dock. At the end of the cruise, the captain got on the microphone and asked for tips. Needless to say, I was totally embarrassed. read more

Very nice staff with great info. If you're looking for some history/info on the homes around Fort Lauderdale this is your tour. Wish they had more food/snack options. read more

This tour was great! I made a reservation and missed it due to getting lost and arriving late. I called the company and they gave me no trouble with rescheduling. We recieved free drink vouchers to use on board the cruise. The bartender was friendly and all the staff were friendly and entertaining. The tour was also informative, interesting, and fun and the perfect amount of time. I would recommend this tour company for anyone looking for a boat tour in fort Lauderdale. read more

We took the river cruise for New Years and I have to say it was the worst experience I have ever had. The only thing good was two of the crew members marquis and Rhonda were very sweet. I am not sure if the captain was having a bad day but he was not accommodating. They only had one bartender for everyone on the boat. First of all, we left 40 mins late then had to turn around because he forgot a crew member that was untieing the boat so we had turn around. He engulfed us with fumes from turning around. We finally got out of the water and I wished he would turn around and take us back since he only had a playlist of 7 80s 90s songs of o had to hear hot hot hot or the lime in the coconut one more time I was going over board. The captain refused to change the music after several complaints from passengers. There was no count down for the new year. We had to do our own. Then when we finally were done with our misery they couldn't even dock the boat. It was an absolute horrible experience and start to the new year. read more

Took my parents on the boat and we all enjoyed it. Sometimes it was a bit hard to hear the tour guide from downstairs when others were talking. My dad used a wheelchair, so while the crew was very helpful pulling his chair up the bump onto the gangplank and over another threshold into the cabin, I wish it hadn't been that complicated. Coming with a heavy scooter or power chair is probably not a good idea. Overall, though, a pleasant trip. read more

The Riverfront cruise prices were excellent,the captain was informative yet funny. The crew were a lot of fun and very nice. The drinks were good and the tour was fun. I would definitely recommended this Cruise. Do not bother with water taxi they are rude and i can see why so many people posted negative reviews in regards to their customer service. read more

We've been on this tour a couple of times and it had been great. Had some family in town so we thought we'd treat them to this tour. But this time, not so good. The cashier was in a bad mood or something. It was hard to get any information out of her about why the boat was late (turns out they had to wait for a train!) and no help at all with discounts, etc. Not even a smile! The captain was okay but the ones we had before were MUCH better. More knowledgeable and quite funny. I felt like this guy was just putting in time to get to the end of the tour. Very disappointed. Quite pricey for what we received this time. Why pay so much for something iffy? Not sure I'll do this again. I'll find something else. read more

Nice sights, but bad tour. Would not go on this cruise again. The one star is for the only thing the cruise didn't do, which are the view/sights. As someone said earlier, you board from a deserted riverfront pavilion- we weren't sure we were in the right place because there was not a soul around. Apparently the riverfront was a nice spot some years ago- not so much anymore. Seeing all the famous peoples' houses was nice, the views were great, but the narration throughout the boat ride was just horrible... Firstly, all the narrator did was point out expensive houses, their worth, and who owned them. Nice and all, but tell me something about Ft Lauderdale... At some points he told us to google things! I'm here so you can tell me about them guy, not research it myself! Furthermore, he was completely obnoxious, belittling the owners of the homes in his dreary monotone, cynical voice saying how little time they actually spend in the home, and how he felt about what they did to earn their money. Who cares!? These rich people made it, they can do what they want with their money. He seemed overly burnt out and depressed, probably from seeing the same $50M houses every day 3-4 times. He needs to go. You're narrating a tour for people who have never seen these things before. Pretend to be interested and don't ruin the experience for them. The picture lady then tries to pressure you into buying a $10 picture that they already framed and wrapped for you that you didn't ask for, and on top of that the obnoxious narrator began to heckle people for tips coming off the boat, then making snarky comments when they didn't throw tips in the water jug! I was ready to throw a dollar or two in, but saved a few bucks when I heard him making rude comments to people ahead of me for not tipping. No thanks, didn't come here to deal with this guy and his attitude. Find a different boat cruise and save yourself $25/person, 1 1/2hrs and a headache. read more

It was great I had a ball the tour was nice the captain was hilarious and the employees were very helpfull if your in the area I highly recommend read more

Be careful booking a private charter with this company as they did not accommodate my need to have the yacht brought to a more convenient location even though I paid extra for it. They did not notify me in advance and we waited 30 minutes until someone came to tell us where the yacht was berthed. read more

A worthwhile, enjoyable time, but nothing remarkable. The staff were friendly. The boat is big and gives you a few options for viewing the sites from different vantage points. The river walk is beautiful but there are a ton of vacant shops on it, so don't expect to see much while in this part of town. If you're looking for food options, head east on Las Olas several blocks. read more

This was the worst boat ride ever! I honestly would never recommend this anyone. It all started out with us getting a call saying that the boat broke down and we would be moved to a smaller boat but in return got free drinks. Then we got there and saw the boat and automatically regretted buying the tickets. As my family and I walked in the boat I saw a girl throwing sodas in a cooler full of water, those were the complimentary drinks... 2 minutes in, there was a huge strike of lightning and an ear-rattling thunder. A little girl started crying on the boat but the driver kept going. The sound machine was broken, (and by sound machine I mean 7 year old karaoke machine) we then continued going on and all we got to hear was how much the houses cost. Then the bad part came in... the boat BROKE DOWN! Sea tow then came and got us after we floated onto a sandy area. Out of the whole tour there was about one good thing... it ended early. read more

What a bad service! We came to the ticket booth 4.15pm and it was not open, we went for a coffee 30 min and we came back to the ticket booth 4.45pm and still not open. There was other people who had bougt tickets for 5pm cruise from their website, the boat never came and it says clearly on the booth 364 days a year 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm, we called the number on the booth and there is a automated message that gives the same answer. So this was the the last time we use their service, our guest also where very dissapointed in this poor service. read more

I prepaid $53 for my wife and I to go on a cruise at 5pm. They texted me and said that due to high tide it was delayed by a half an hour. So we showed up 30 mins before departure and find out that it was cancelled due to the high tide. The captain said we could get another cruise the next day which we couldn't because we were flying out the next day. They said to call the phone number on the website which I did. There's no option to talk to an actual person so I emailed them. No response. Never again will I use them or any of their affiliates. $53 down the drain. Thanks read more

I honestly wouldn't recommend this to anyone this was the worst experience I have ever had. A few hours before we got on the boat we got a call stating that the larger boat broke down?? So we had to ride on the boat that looked like a hot dog?? Only about 2 minutes into the ride there was a huge clash of lightning. But at that point it was to late to turn back. We paid for a narrated tour of the beautiful water-front homes and we got a terrible tour with a distorted sound system that you couldn't hear. I heard the girls next to me say "The other boat broke, the sound system is terrible what's gonna break next the steering wheel??"Only about 20 minutes into the hour and a half long tour the boat broke down!!! At that point of the tour I wanted to call the manger!!! Then the driver wedges into this little space not thinking about whether or not we would fit (we didn't). Sea Tow eventually showed up and the driver finally realized that we didn't fit in that place... and finally got us out. The Seatow boat was a fourth of the size of the boat we were on. The entire boat was very angry. On the way back we almost hit a pontoon boat. I believe that this was a terrible experience and that you should not waste your money on this and save it for other FUN experiences. I hope I will never experience this again!!! read more

The cruise was fun. My only complaint is that they basically make you take a picture before boarding (even if you say no) and then they try to sell it to you. read more

Enjoyed a relaxing ride on Saturday. Staff was friendly, and informative. They have an indoor air conditioned deck, with bar and snack bar. Outside has a covered sundeck. Great for a relaxing; bring the kids, hot dogs are good! We met some folks who took the tour before heading back up north, back to the cool weather, they didn't want to leave this tropical paradise. read more

The boat was fine . The trip doesn't really give much variations, just lots of big homes and yachts. That said, the captain who commentated was very very very negative. Apparently anti-development. The theme got old after a while. read more

Reserved Boat for a wedding, service was slow , food was cold and the party killer was the Captain had an expired license to marry us . Had to cancel honeymoon and other plans. This short cruise cost me more embarrassment and monetary loss than could imagine! Their solution was to come to their office for a free drink of Champagne. Not a professional staff or company. Who know maybe the Captain was really not one? Walking the plank. Mark read more

The boat is standard, the staff is very rude. I've taken the same cruse a couple of years ago and it wasn't like that at all. First of all, they don't tell you what discounts they have there, we found out that there is a AAA discount only after we've already paid. Senior discount is 65 and older (in most places I've been it is after 60 or 62). The worst thing is the staff who take photos before boarding. They will not allow you on the boat without taking a picture (which is ok if it is a regulation, I guess, but weird, why not take pictures on the busses as well then) and if you ask not to, they will make sure to tell you that they will post it on youtube. Terrible experience, could not enjoy the trip at all after that! read more

I booked this tour for a group of 50 who were here for a weekend seminar. They all thoroughly enjoyed. Very relaxing and beautiful way to see the sights. read more

So I planned to do this cruise with my husband for his big 30. The young lady at the booth was to busy with her conversation on the phone to even pay me much attention. I asked her where should I wait she sent me lower down to a boarding area and said 4pm is the time it's leaving and continued her conversation on the phone. My husband and I went ate came back 10minutes before no boat. I went back to the young lady and she then told me 5pm is the leaving time and once again continued her conversation with a friend on FaceTime. She seemed more concerned with her blurry FaceTime connection then us paying customers. Needless to say me and my husband left rather disappointed and we did not do the cruise. It's extremely rude and unprofessional to be having personal conversation in the presents of paying customers. This young lady left me with a bad taste in my mouth and completely ruined my plans for my husbands birthday. So yea I will not return I'll rather do the drive to Miami and do the cruises there. Just ridiculous read more