I've been with a group renting one of the boats from Great Lakes a couple of times now, and it's a…read morepretty fun experience. Full disclosure, I haven't been the captain or the one to make the reservation, so I can't speak to those parts of the experience. There's some public parking near the dock, and you go up to the little shack to sign your waiver. There isn't a bathroom at this dock, but you can walk down to where the big boats for the music cruise dock and there's a small restroom over there. Once your whole group is signed in, the boats are at a floating dock, and you can just hop on and go. We've done both the pontoon boat and the speed boat. The speed boat was definitely more fun, because it goes faster, but the pontoon is a little more roomy for a slow cruise, your choice. You can bring snacks and drinks along for the ride. There are usually a handful of staff launching boats and getting people loaded. They're friendly and fun. One slight drawback to the 2 hour cruise is that you are on the inside of the railway bridge, so if it's down, you're stuck on the river and have to wait for it to go back up, and sometimes it's a pretty narrow window. If you're on the lake side of the bridge, you risk getting stuck outside and running over your time. I believe the Captain has to do a little safety course prior to the activity, but otherwise, it's pretty easy! Definitely a fun activity, and a way to get yourself a boat day if you don't have an invitation.

10/10 recommend boating with GLWS! I've also been kayaking a dozen times. The staff is always super…read morefriendly and helpful Best summer outing!

We were visiting from California and wanted to see our hometown of cleveland in a new light…read more.. plus, the weather was hot, so obviously the best place to be is on the water!! We rented a Duffy boat that holds up to 12 people and we brought 9. It was simply awesome! The boat was easy to use and our night out on the water was perfect. We did a 7-9pm rental. Soooooo fun!! The staff was really nice too. Can't wait to incorporate this into every summer trip to cleveland from here on in!

A few weeks back we decided to celebrate my mother-in-law's 50th birthday. There wasn't a better…read moreway to do so then by BrewBoat CLE. It is the pedal wagon on water! The driver and co-captain were extremely polite, even though it was a hot afternoon. We were allowed to bring 3 beers or a total of 36 oz of drinks with us. There was a Bluetooth speaker on board which allowed up to all take turns playing our own music too. Overall, the ride lasted a little over 2 hours and it was smooth along the water. A few views that made the outing a memorable one were: downtown's skyline, the flats, and an opening of the lake. Typically the boat will seat about 10 people and we had just a few less. Regardless, it was not an issue as they were extremely accommodating. There is a small convenient store next to the boarding location if you forgot to purchase any beverages before the adventure.

Lady Caroline is a Cleveland cruise devoted to dining and celebrations. The cruise offers…read moreindividual tickets and private reservations. I joined a private cruise. I was expecting an elevated experience. Instead, I found my cruise severely lacking in service, dining, and overall experience. Amenities: The boat has newer interior than other local cruises, but a bit tacky casino vibes. Local skyline art and nautical carpet are nice touches. It is better and newer than other local no frills boats in terms of the decor. The boat is spacious - 3 floors, all with bars, indoor and outdoor sightseeing, and plenty of windows. I found that the second floor had the best views and many windows. During my cruise the third floor was DJ dance floor/VIP area. The first two floors were dedicated to dining guests. It was nice to have peace and quiet, dancing as needed. The boat well accommodated large amount of people leaving ample space for all. Cruise: The cruise is 2 to 3 hours. The sights are unmatched especially if you sail during the golden hour or sunset. Our private experience was 3 hours. The cruise goes into Lake Erie. It felt way too long. It would be great to have shorter options. Our cruise departed about 30 minutes late (perhaps due to the event policies). The boat was a very choppy experience even in mild weather. The experience is between $50-60 depending on whether you are have a private or regular cruise. Service: To be very straightforward the service is bad. Or at least it was bad during my cruise. While the tables are labeled, all food orders were confused, brought to wrong tables. This happened all night. Wait staff kept asking the same guests if the orders were theirs. That's despite all tables being clearly numbered. Ordering was available at the bars (one bar per level). Ticket check-in staff visibly checked out and commented on female guests' appearance in a disrespectful manner. One of the crew members approached me, asked if I'm cruising alone, inquired about my martial status, and was quite persistent. This is not the experience someone wants on a luxury cruise. It was the most disappointing and crude part of my planned peaceful experience. Food/Drinks: Our private cruise featured concession style food and no table-side service. I ordered chicken tenders ($11.50 for 6 pieces) and walking taco (Doritos bag with cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and salsa for $12.50). The chicken tenders were exceptionally dry. The walking taco lacking flavor. It definitely wasn't fine dining or even tasty concessions. All food choices were unexpectedly served in disposable plates and with disposable cutlery. The tables weren't cleared of plates. I cleaned my own table. Perhaps daytime food cruises have better dining options and dining services. There are plenty of complimentary non-alcoholic options such as water, iced tea, and coffee (decaf and caffeinated) that were available on the second level as self-serve. Other guests opted into alcoholic beverages, the menu looked extensive, and prices comparable to local restaurants. Parking: The boat is docked at the Nautica Pavilion. During events in the area it is virtually impossible to get to the venue. I waited in standstill traffic on the same street (less than a mile away from the Nautica Pavilion) for 30 minutes due to a concert, a large scale event, and two weddings. It was considerate of the Lady Caroline to post about possible traffic. Definitely check their site and any events at the Nautica Pavilion to plan your commute. Parking is available at the Nautica Pavilion. Be sure to notify them about your Lady Caroline cruise for a slight discount. Although the parking fees are unpredictable. I paid $6 for $25 event lot, nice discount. There are no set prices that you can plan for. Reservations: Reserve your cruise on the website - individual tickets or tours. I experienced just about every cruise, sailing, and boat experience in the city. This was not my favorite. Main reasons being food, service, and advances from the staff. To be frank, it's not worth the price. I hope that Lady Caroline can further improve, welcome Clevelanders and tourists to the marketed luxe experience.

For the second time there were mechanical issues preventing a cruise. Another time resulted in the…read moreinability of the ship to leave the dock. All three were disappointing. On the single trip where we actually ate, the food was virtually inedible. PLEASE do not waste your time booking a trip. You are unlikely to sail, or you will be given unpalatable food. It's a lose-lose situation.

We rented a pontoon at Dusty's we had an awesome time. Nathan was great help and the boat was…read morefantastic. Would definitely recommend

Dusty's Landing is a fantastic place to spend the day out on the water with family or friends it's…read morevery quiet and relaxing and enjoyable on a great sunny day and there's actually bars that serve food and you can dock your boat or pontoon and have a little lunch and a cocktail and then get back out on the lake and continue just relaxing or fishing or just enjoying the water and beautiful home surrounding the lake

Gotta love a Good Time ... and this was! We took 17 people…read moreon the boat and had a great time, young to old. It was a two hour cruise. The Great Lakes part was slightly unpleasant for my sea sick prone self, but the river portion was calm and fun. You see a lot of canoes and bars along the way and they are always happy to see the GT3. They offer food, ice cream treats and drinks on various levels. The first level is enclosed, the second is open air (but covered) and the third is totally open. The first floor bathrooms are a very pleasant surprise. The sinks have soap, water and dryer all built in and touchless. The mirrors even let you control the brightness. What a fun and pleasant surprise. I was a little nervous about taking my son to the restroom on a boat, but all good! Overall, such a great option - especially to add on to the rock and roll hall of fame or other downtown outings.

I went for the 4th of July 2025 celebration cruise - also had the dinner buffet - the food was…read morewonderful and there was a lot of people - saw the fireworks . Was a wonderful memorable night !

This boat club is amazing. Staff is super friendly, incredibly knowledgeable and really patient…read more Every boat has been clean, fully fueled, and every amenity is readily available to ensure a fun, relaxing and memorable experience. Can't wait until I'm out on the water again!

Reciprocals beware! The GM has implemented a new made-up rule at these 5 locations within the…read morefranchise making it impossible for anyone to be able to use a reciprocal reservation at there locations. If you plan on coming here, make sure you tell anyone associated to Freedom that you have been in Ohio for two weeks. Upon arriving at the marina from out of state, I was told by the dock master that the GM put a new rule in effect that reciprocals are required to quarantine for two weeks prior to using a Freedom boat. They stated that the rule was due to the governor making it mandatory to quarantine upon entering Ohio. This is not true. Upon reviewing this policy on the governors website, we found out this was an advisory to quarantine if out of state visitors feel sick, this is not a mandatory quarantine in Ohio. Upon making contact with Chris, the GM, and explaining the inaccuracies with the information he is providing members, Chris decided to change his policy from being a state ordinance to his own policy and would not allow us to use boats at this franchise without quarantining for two weeks. He said it was to limit any possible exposure to his dock hand. Mind you I spent an hour with his dock hands, in person, none of which were wearing masks, having to deal with this problem for no reason. Management must not be too concerned if they don't even have a policy requiring their dock employees to wear something as basic as a mask. Had they just let us utilize the boat, being that we followed all of the COVID procedures outlined in the reservation system when we booked the boat, then we would have spent all of 2 minutes with the dock master and been on our way off the dock in our boat. My home franchise is Tampa, I plan on sending a note our management requesting they enact the same rules for Ohio-based residents being that there is an abundance of Ohio reciprocals using boats at our locations. These people do not use common sense. All of the reciprocals I have been to over the past few months know how to operate, they have all enacted contactless reservations. You show up, the dock master preps the boats and calls you when its ready to disembark, he vacates the boat while you and your family board, he comes back and assists in taking off from the dock. Also beware, if they feel it is too choppy out at 8am when they open, they will close the marina for the day, whether the weather is supposed to clear or not. At 8am, there was a small craft advisory in effect and 2-4' waves. When we planned on coming to the marina at 11am, the weather was gorgeous and there was minimal chop on the water. Really the ideal weather for boating on Lake Erie. They refused to allow members on the water because they decided it was too choppy at the start of the day. Never heard of this policy. At every other location I have visited, if it is choppy early on, the dock masters put a message out that there will be a weather delay and if it subsides they will resume operations. Not here. All or nothing. If you have any plans to come to Ohio and go boating, your best off paying for a rental out of pocket like we had to do. I have never been treated so poorly by management at any other location. Thanks for ruining our trip.

Had a great time out on the water with Great Lakes Boat Charters for a bachelorette party. Booking…read morewas very easy and everyone was extremely nice. Captain Mike and first mate Scott were amazing, nothing but top notch service from them. I would 100% do this again! They made our day so special!

From the owner: Great Lakes Boat Charters is a Cleveland-based, family-owned private boat charter company offering…read morefun and unique destinations and activities for up to 6 passengers on Lake Erie. Renting a boat with a licensed captain means you no longer have to worry about who's driving, or having enough experience to operate the boat and navigate Lake Erie safely.

Scott was wonderful. We learned so much and my boys loved being "Captain". It was also beautiful…read moreand I could see it being incredibly relaxing and romantic if it were a date. It was a bit expensive for us but that's why we made it a Mother's Day treat. I loved it!

Captain Scott was calm and highly knowledgeable for our 1-hour cruise on Lake Erie. He went over…read morethe proper protocols for entering the boat as well as safety procedures before giving us an interesting brief lesson on sailing anatomy and physics. The trip was a perfect length and everyone had a wonderfully relaxing time aboard the Wabi Sabi!

Two hours of fantastic time spent on the water. Beautiful weather, brilliant sunshine, great waves,…read moreand perfect company. Highly recommend trying this alone or with others. The staff was friendly, attentive and engaging.

Cliffs and Cove Tour was easy to book online. Before entering the water, the guides went over the…read morebasic of how to paddle and safety procedures. While on the water, one of the 3 guides were always within sight and provided the direction in which we were to paddle. It was a fun morning on the lake and would highly recommend it.

Let me start with the good. The trip was great. The crew…read morewas wonderful. The music was fantastic. The views are beyond compare. The perfect way to spend a few hours on a hot summer afternoon. The experience was FIVE STARS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ But ... dealing with the sales office to get ON on the boat? ZERO STARS. We planned a 2-part surprise party - the first part was a ride on the Tiki Barge for 11 people early on Sunday afternoon, and the second part was a cookout after for another 16-18 people. We were told by the owners to make reservations in advance, which we did weeks ahead of time. Then we waited and waited and waited - but even though we had paid, we never got confirmation. I called the Monday before and was told that our trip had been cancelled because there weren't enough people (funny, that wasn't mentioned when we made the reservations). They said that they were planning on calling us "later in the week" to let us know. So, our early trip had been cancelled, but we were welcome to call off our 30-person cookout that afternoon and come on a trip later in the day. WHAT IN THE HELL WAS THE POINT OF MAKING RESERVATIONS?! So, we had less than a week to reschedule an entire event that had taken weeks to plan, because Tiki Barge apparently doesn't honor the reservations they tell you to make. If it had been up to me, I would have cancelled the whole trip and gone on the Goodtime III or something, but the birthday person had wanted to go on the boat for quite a while, so we went. The experience on the boat was FANTASTIC. I can't say enough good about the Captain, his Mate and the trip itself. But unless you buy out the entire boat, or if you're lucky and they don't cancel your reservation, it doesn't look like you can actually count on going. They offer "single ticket options" - but unless there are a lot of random strangers showing up at the same time, that doesn't seem likely. SO - It's basically a case of "Make a reservation and give us your money. You might be able to take the trip you paid for, but maybe not. If you can't, you're welcome to take a different trip that is totally inconvenient you, but it works better for us, so who cares? If we cancel, we'll probably let you know a few days in advance, but you should probably have a backup plan." TLDR: Great crew, great trip, great views, great value. FIVE STARS But the lousy way the sales office treats their customers drops the overall rating to TWO STARS

The Tiki Barge was fun. Twenty people were included. Three companies shared the cost since it was…read more$800, plus food and drinks. These companies brought in wraps, petite sandwiches, a cheese and sausage tray and chips, which weren't eaten. One host made a tropical drink mix ahead of time for all who wanted. He brought extra pineapple juice if the rum was too strong. There was also an IPA and water. The view of Cleveland from the lake was beautiful. There are four Tiki Barges of different sizes. Note that the smallest boat doesn't go out on the lake. The different building styles were nice to see. Then we cruised the Cuyahoga River, which was amazing with its turns. The barge people will help the disabled down the few stairs, even for a person in a wheelchair.