Horrible experience! This was supposed to be the highlight and last stop of our Chicago weekend, but it was AWFUL. First, we were two families traveling with a total of 5 kids and we couldn't get 3 seats together unless we sat in the back of the boat, despite arriving early and standing in a line in the heat for 30 minutes. This meant very limited views, loud engine noise, terrible smell of gas fumes and two speakers blaring right next to you with a guide that NEVER stopped speaking for 2.5 hours -- she even spoke about random stuff like stand up comedians, her career, and homeless people (more on the extended length of this excruciating experience below...). But that wasn't the worse of it. They don't tell you about the "Lock" between the lake and river you have to go through. We spent 1 Hour sitting in the Lock, in the heat, engines idling and gas fumes making us all feel queasy, because the harbor police had to tend to a sick lady on a recreational boat behind us. I called the main number from the boat to ask what their protocol was when the boat was stuck for an hour -- would they shorten the trip or turn around? I explained we had a flight to catch and if we returned an hour late, we would miss it. There were 2 doctors in our party and it would be disastrous to miss our flight so I had to figure out alternative plans in that event. They told us they understood and to speak to the Captain to explain our situation and see what she said. Accordingly, we requested the sole crew member (also a kid) to ask the captain to come speak with us when she had a moment. "Captain Princess Jamie" -- a twenty something, thick, immature girl -- comes down from her deck a few minutes later, guns blazing and before I can utter a single word, starts SCREAMING at me in front of my children and other passengers, causing a total scene, condescendingly yelling that "there is a medical emergency on another boat, so we are in a holding pattern, 'who do I think I am to be asking about the delay, have some consideration!' etc etc...completely berating me for asking to speak to her! I finally get a word in and ask her to calm down, tell her that the main line told us to talk to her (she interjects that "those people are just in a call center and don't know anything") and that I needed to understand what they would do so I could plan accordingly. She continued in her disgusting tone that she "didn't know how to handle something like this, it was new to her, but she was going to keep on the tour even if they were stuck for 2 hours, that she wouldn't shorten it, or drop us off, that we'd come back 2 hours late then and "we can call whoever we need to, do whatever to change our flights, book a hotel, whatever..." She "didn't care!" "We would get back whenever we get back." An equally rude female customer behind us then joined in the yelling party at me and told me to "shut up and be worried about the lady on the boat who was dying." The child captain then started talking to her about how cool it was to witness EMT responding to a situation like this (completely condoning the other passenger's attack of me and discussing the "coolness" of the delay.) What?!!! By the way, it was a case of heat exhaustion on the other boat -- they took the lady off and sat her in a wheelchair and were giving her water; we would know, as there were 2 doctors in our party. No one was dying, but our "child of a captain" put everyone in a panic while completely berating me for being concerned about our missing our flight if the trip was delayed any more than an hour, which it was and was what happened . Anyway, after about one hour, we began moving again; unfortunately, not only were we so stressed about missing our flights, we were completely humiliated on top of having a generally miserable experience with the heat, gas fumes, constant blazing narration. No one in our party enjoyed the trip at all. We were all on edge, and I was holding back tears after being mistreated that way. And an hour into it, we were feeling ill from the idling gas fumes, but couldn't even move seats or ask for more water given how were treated. Then, at the end of the 2.5 hour trip (instead of 75 min) where we sat in the Lock for 1 hr 20 min total (20 on the return due to heavy boat congestion), the Child-captain announces on the speaker that she "chose not to speed up the tour at all even though she could have." WHAT?!! Did this child just add insult to injury, making clear that she had NO consideration for the predicament that put us in? Unbelievable. It truly felt racially motivated at that point. (I am a woman of Indian-origin). This is singularly the most awful experience we have ever dealt with. We felt like third class passengers by the petulant teenager ship captain and all we did was exactly what the main office told us to do. This child-captain Jamie should be FIRED, in addition to the full refund of all of our tickets for both of our families read more

This review is for the 75 min architectural tour and speedboat ride. Everyone who's ever been to Chicago raves about and insists that you take an architectural boat tour. I was definitely on board because I thought it would be very educational. My partner chose this company because it was one of the highest rated on trip advisor. It's a solid tour, but not what I was expecting. I thought it would be led by an expert who could provide deep architectural insights. It tended to be more like a Disney ride... somewhere between it's a small world and a thrill ride. The tour guide did know a lot, but it was not deep knowledge. In addition, he was like an over the top Disney character. They would blast pop music through tinny speakers during the tour...a little much. And the ride on Lake Michigan, instead of focusing on the city skyline, was all about going fast and getting wet. Long story short, this tour was too over the top. Was it fun? Sure. If you are looking for a true architectural tour, choose a different company. However, if you are looking for more of a thrill ride with some information about buildings, especially if you have children, this one might be for you. read more

This was our second time doing the Seadog architecture tour - the first four years ago, this time with our teenage daugher and a friend. I went to book it ahead of our visit to Chicago a couple of weeks ago and found that there happened to be a Groupon which was definitely a bonus but we hadn't minded paying full price the first time around. The ride is 75 minutes and does go extremely quickly - we had time for the little zip around out on Lake Michigan both before and after going up the river this time - but it is just the right balance of entertaining and educational that we enjoyed it the second time around AND the girls really enjoyed it too. Definitely a great way to learn a little more about the city and its skyline, get some great pictures and enjoy a little time on the water! read more

our first time we celebrate my son 12 th bday all good great view of the lake front our guide was awesome he make us bark to get litle faster one less start the lady in the counter when we buy out tikets was rude and no polite all other and that was great !!!!! we definally enjoy the ride read more

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We did the express speed boat tour and it was definitely worth the money! If you don't mind getting wet and enjoy roller coasters this is your tour. Bring only what is really needed because you will get wet! The further back you sit in the boat the more wet you will be. You can't beat the views of the skyline out in the lake! The guides are super friendly and will take photos with your phones after the tour is finished. The photos they snap at the beginning are $20 if you'd like to pick them up after the tour. Nothing special about them though. read more

Seadog Cruises - The view was amazing. - Boat Charters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Loved this ride it was relaxing and fun! We had a great speaker/host named Griffin and the captain Chopper. Griffin was hilarious and we loved listening to the history of Chicago. Would do this again. read more

Really a fun tour and Andy is a great tour guide! He is so knowledgeable and funny. Oh! A plus is you can bring your own alcohol on the boat but try to keep it to beer cans/bottles. Anything else might be too tricky to pour. read more

The sea dog cruises were amazing! Absolutely one of the highlights of my covid trip. The staff was very friendly and the captain was amazing. Great humor and thrilling turns and twists were one of the amazing parts of this extreme ride! We did get soaked but it was very fun! The music even matched the ride also! I heard if I make a review, the staff gets a cookie! This is for the staff on the 12:30 PM extreme cruise! Woohoo, fantastic and great. The covid protocols were good also, 6 feet apart was not really a factor but masks were required. Also that the high 40-60 MPH winds were blowing our breathes away. Great job again, recommend a ton! read more

GREAT Time!! Patrick was our tour guide and he was funny and very informative! Would definitely recommend and go again!

A friend and I went on a ride on 6/15/19, and the weather was awful. It was raining the entire day and foggy, yet our ride did not get cancelled, so be aware that you will most likely go rain or shine. We went on the 3:30 pm Extreme Thrill Ride. The ride probably would have been really great had the weather been normal, or even just not raining. Once the boat started going fast, it was impossible to keep your eyes open as the rain was hitting your face so hard, it actually hurt. Good luck looking at the skyline while your eyes are closed and you're getting pelted with 40 mph raindrops :( The ride itself was fun, with some twists and turns, but the weather kept I think almost everyone on board from actually enjoying it. We were out on the water for maybe 15 minutes before it was deemed too dangerous (the boat instructor used the word "dangerous" himself) and we were sent back in. They ended up cancelling the rest of the tours for that day, and stated "we were lucky" since ours was the last tour. Right. Lucky. You'd think maybe they would offer refunds, partial refunds, or even a discount voucher for your next ride to make up for it. Nope. All they said as I got off the boat was, "Sorry about that, hope you enjoyed." To be fair, the people working on the boat were very nice, but the weather conditions were just so bad that I can't expect how they would think people would be enjoying the ride. The tickets are not cheap either, so it was an extreme disappointment. The ride should have been cancelled due to the inclement weather. We trusted them with going anyway because we thought they would have warned us if the conditions were rough. They didn't. So overall, it was very disappointing and very hard to enjoy, not to mention painful and uncomfortable. Maybe we should have asked if we could have rescheduled our ticket day, but again, we trusted Sea Dog's judgement that going out would be okay and enjoyable. I don't see anywhere in their FAQ about getting a refund unless there has been a cancelled ride, which our ride was not. So please, please be aware if it is raining, DON'T take the Extreme Thrill Ride. And if you do have to go, bring goggles and a ski mask. Seriously. read more

Enjoyed a fun Seadog Cruise tour of Chicago recently on the weekend! We used a Groupon and were able to walk right up and use the tickets purchased online with our Groupon. They had tours available every hour during the day. The weather was gorgeous for our 75 minute Architecture boat tour! It was even more fun than we imagined it would be. We had Captain Kat (Katherine), First man Kevin and Maui as our tour guide. Maui had great energy, was a fun guide with lots of info/stories to share about the city. He put his own spin on things. The music playing in the beginning of the boat ride as we speed along waves of the lake/ocean was really good too. If you're interested in touring Chicago definitely check it out by boat and consider Seadog Cruises! read more

Yesterday we were able to take a tour on the Seadog skyline tour. Our guide was Named Lushes. He was amazing and real funny. We enjoyed his Dad jokes and the interesting facts he explained to us on certain building. I left that tour with excitement and new knowledge!! Definitely recommend taking another one as him the tour guide read more

I had a really good time on the architecture cruise. The cruise guide Sarah was knowledgeable and had a lot of funny stories to share. She was knowledgeable about the skyscrapers and told us about the architects, and how the city was rebuilt after the great fire if 1812. I purchased this cruise for 3 of my friends through groupon. The vouchers were eady to use. All my friends enjoyed the cruise. The weather was perfect, and we had a celebrity sighting of the red carpet "Transformer's" on our cruise. Overall a fun and informative cruise. read more

From MN! Had a group of seven. I would recommend getting there early if you want to sit together. We weren't all sitting together, but we were still close! The music choice was great, the whole crew was awesome and fun. Our tour guide Hulk made it an amazing experience. Would def return and recommend. read more

Seadog Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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so much fun!! our tour guide was so informative and made the history of chicago so interesting. i would recommend this for all ages

I've done a river boat architectural tour of Chicago a couple years ago, but this time chose the Seadog architectural and speedboat tour. All in all, it was interesting and fun. Our tour guide was humorous and gave interesting anecdotes of bits of info pertaining to the various buildings that are seen from the Chicago River. Although the speedboat portion of the cruise was scenic, I was expecting the Seadog to go a lot faster than it did. The cool breeze felt good on that hot summer day, but splash, like soaking splash, would have been really nice! Maybe the sole speedboat tour gives you a faster boat ride on the lake than the combo tour. I'll have to find out next time I'm in Chicago! read more

Absolute MUST if your visiting Chicago! I went to visit my dad and his girlfriend is a local and she even loved this cruise! I think that says a lot being that she has been here her whole life. This cruise is NOT gimmicky or "touristy". I believe we did the architecture cruise and the first ten minutes was a pretty intense ride with the wind and water blowing at you and the music blaring. Just a little tip, don't sit on the end closest to the water! It then settled down to a relaxing, river cruise through the beautiful city of Chicago. Our tour guide, Michael was awesome! He gave us A LOT of information on the many beautiful skyscrapers. Overall, this was one of the highlights of my trip so I definitely recommend it! read more

Seadog Cruises - Enjoying the waves :) - Boat Charters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Parking at navy pier $24 Tickets for the speedboat tour $11 (thank you goldstar) Turn to see your gf's windblown hair all messed up... priceless! There is nothing like the cool breeze of the lake air against your face, great music playing, and a tour guide that is hysterical. This is exactly what you get on the 30 min speedboat tour named Seadog @ Navy Pier. It was fun, relaxing, and just like a roller coaster ride. You want to do again and again. Check it out!! RRRrrrruff (You'll understand when you go) read more

I went for a Seadog ride with a group of colleagues before a dinner meeting at Harry Caray's. The boat was only about half full, but trying to find a seat that wasn't wet was both trying and frightening. Seemed like every seat on the boat was wet, although they said the sides and back where were you would get wet. We picked our seats carefully, got all ready to (maybe) get wet, buckled our seat belts and off we went. The tour guide was funny and full of energy. We went south first, she pointed out a couple buildings on the horizon, then back up north to about Oak St, pointed out a few other buildings, then back to Navy Pier. No one got wet, it was actually a little boring. Perhaps this particular Seadog cruise was boring due to the demographic (99% adults) or maybe they are all this boring. Judging by the cruise we went on I cannot imagine how anyone gets wet. It was ok, but just ok. I have a groupon so I'll go back for another cruise, but had I already been before seeing the groupon I wouldn't have bought it. read more

I recommend their lake and river cruise for anyone wanting to enjoy an hour or so relaxing and enjoying the views of the city. The crew is very nice and knowledgeable about the different buildings, the history of Chicago and the locking system that controls the entrance to the Chicago River from Lake Michigan. I had been on another architecture tour before but I still learned a lot of new, interesting information from this tour. read more

Seadog Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

hair and wind and everything in face. outside of the pier. fantastic. This was a one of a kind experience that I thoroughly enjoyed and wish it was longer. I took the Seadog Cruise speed boat around Lake Michigan for about half an hour - 45 minutes to enjoy the sights of Chicago from afar on the water. It was pricey but worth every penny because the view from the water is breathtaking! I did not get very wet from the speedboat and it was definitely touristy but also a must visit and a must do while in Chicago. read more

Definitely a touristy thing to do, but I still had a blast. Expect to get a little wet (especially if you sit in the back, and/or close to the sides.) Expect to hear your guide bark. A lot. As someone who lives in Chicago I felt like it was a little overpriced for a 30 min. ride, but it's something that I would recommend for tourists to do and I would take someone visiting from out of town. read more

We loved our tour! We went on the architectural tour and had a wonderful experience. They took us on a boat ride around Lake Michigan while we waited to get on the river, and once on the river I learned so much even though I had lived here my whole life. There are no bad seats and I felt that this was very worth the money. You are allowed to bring drinks aboard too! I called with a question beforehand and costumer service was amazing. This is the tour we will be recommending to friends in town. read more

Hello, 31. It was the year that celebrating on an architectural boat tour seemed much more appealing than slamming shots of Jameo. Oh, how the times have changed. The ride starts off with a little taste of one of the fast rides. It was fun, but it was super chilly that night and I did not dress appropriately. After that, the guide starts his commentary and provides all these really interesting tidbits on the city, its history and the architecture. He was informative yet really entertaining. Our tour didn't have that many people on it, so it was pretty interactive. The photo opps are awesome and plentiful, so be sure to have your cameras/phones charged and ready to go. Have you seen Chicago at night? Amazing! These tours depart right from Navy Pier, by the steps leading up to the Ferris Wheel. Also, the employees at the ticket booth were friendly and helped us decided which option was better for us. Helpful Hint - Have some cash handy to tip the guide! We didn't have any on us [shocker] and it really didn't dawn on us that we should have some for tips. Next time! read more

I love the architecture & lake tour! I've been twice and had the same guide, Brian, who every time teaches me something new about the city. You can tell that he has a passion for what he does and he makes everyone feel welcome and wanting to have a good time. You would think your typical architecture tour would be boring, but no way. Brian tells you interesting facts about the buildings you really care about and lets you know when there's going to be a good photo opportunity. Some of his jokes were hilarious, example: "is anyone here on a match.com date? we want to make sure you guys are having a good time." hahaha. I went with my parents and we had a blast. Not only do you go through the river but you're also going on Lake Michigan for a bit (I wish this bit was longer!). I definitely want to try the extreme thrill ride- that's next! read more

A boat tour on lake Michigan off of Navy Pier?? Who would have thunk it!!!! It seems like you can find an aquatic tour or cruise for every taste out there. I was not really expecting much at all however I was dead wrong. You like speed? Take the speedboat tour as I did. You will like this tour. It has the bare minimum of the guided tour element to make your ride interesting and educational but the main point is speed and going fast on the lake - end of story. It is not all that expensive so come on down and give the speed boat a whirl! read more

We thought that the lake and river speedboat architecture tour was a really fun way to learn about Chicago's buildings and history! Our tour guide was knowledgeable and super entertaining. My only complaint is that even though we purchased tickets weeks in advance and arrived more than 30 minutes early, we still had to wait in the extremely long ticket line (with lots of confused folks asking questions and purchasing day-of tickets) just to pick them up. By the time we got in line to board, the was mostly full and we got, possibly, the worst seats. That said, we were still able to see most of the buildings throughout the tour, albeit with a little more twisting, turning, and craning our necks than there would been if we had been closer to the middle or front. Tips: don't forget to bring cash to tip the crew, wear sunscreen, sit in the front half of the boat if you can, and accept the water provided mid-way through the trip (even if you don't want it then, you'll want it by the end - I promise you that!) read more

I recently had the pleasure of experiencing their extreme thrill ride. I'd originally purchased tickets thinking a good friend and I could use them on a bro-manza guy outing, but.. that guy pansy'd out of going. Instead I took a different friend and we had a great time, even though I used it during a very cold time. Have to remember that whatever the temperature is inland, on the water it's 10 degrees less. It also didn't help that I forgot to bring a jacket / pullover. I sat in an area where I was told doesn't get the most water and still got pretty damn wet. So, you should bring something if going in cold or bad weather. Also note that in the case you don't make it on time or need to reschedule, there is a $5 per person fee. Best to get there as early as possible; at least 30-45 minutes ahead. It's not easy getting to the Pier in rush hour. Loud music and a boat bashing through waves, hell yeah! Having this experience under my belt I'm looking forward to trying it on a tourist trip in the future, maybe when I'm in SF the next time. read more

We had a Groupon for $22/person for the 75 minute architectural tour. Grant, our tour guide, was awesome! This was more like a little party boat with interesting tidbits about the beautiful city of Chi-Town. There were non-stop laughs, music, and dancing--by Grant (we had to keep our seat belts on). I recommend going at around sunset and requesting Grant's tour. read more

So me and my husband took a trip to Chicago. Of course we wanted to do navy pier. We did everything there!! By far the best part Was our speedboat tour on Lake Michigan! We had an absolute blast! Warning to all females, u will get soaked. But it gave me a great excuse to go buy another cute summer dress. For More of a historical perspective we did the regular boat tour which was great as well. But nothing is as fun as the speedboat!! Looked like a hot mess afterwards, but it was well Worth it. Husband loved it as well!' Don't miss out! read more

Our reward for suffering through an annoying, unfunny and, at times, inaccurate tour of Chicago's architectural wonders was a 20 minute blast round the shore of Lake Michigan. The last bit was really fun and nearly made us forget how bad the standup-comedian-style tour was earlier. If you are seeking architectural edification, this is not the trip for you. read more

My favorite part of my trip to Chicago! Seadog Cruises offers a couple different options. I really love architecture, so of course I chose that tour! The guy at the ticket booth wasn't very helpful. He told us to come back 5 min before our departure time to wait in line.....when the line was already super long!! Plus he didn't know where I could find a good chocolate covered banana nearby. There is a reason why he is not giving any Chicago tours. But I digress, the real tour guide was awesomely funny and entertaining. He was very interactive and had some interesting tidbits of info for each major building. I also went during sunset, which made the photo ops beautiful. The only down side of going on the last tour out was when they went all fast at the end in Lake Michigan and everyone got wet. Water was splashing up and with the sun setting, it got cold quick. But at least we weren't on the last Extreme Thrill Ride. Everyone on that boat was soaked to the bone wet and it didn't look very fun being wet at night. Maybe save that one for a hot sunny day. I definitely recommend the architecture tour for anyone who hasn't gone yet! read more

Sooooo much fun!!! Victoria was an awesome guide & music was kickass and super fun spins!

Great experience well educated explained everything in detail made the tour fun will recommend

Paid for two tickets. Boarded the Speedboat. Sat down. Noticed enormous spiders. Switched seats. Same thing. Realized the boat was infested. Got off the boat. Got a refund. Super sad. Really wanted to go on the tour. But in no way wanted to get bit. =/ read more

Seadog Cruises - Captured this picture while we were sitting in the boat as everyone else boarded. - Boat Charters Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

AMAZING! We did the 75 minute architectural tour and it might be the most fun we had during our visit to Chicago. I love the dog friendly atmosphere they create, starting with the discount tickets if you ride with your dog. They welcome all of the dogs on board and make you feel welcome with your pets. The last part of the 75 minute tour had the extreme speedboat in Lake Michigan and the guides were coming by and taking pictures of people with the skyline behind them. Overall I recommend this to anyone who is looking to do a fun and different activity. read more

These people have a sense of humor and know their stuff! My family purchased the Groupon that was available earlier in the year for Seadog's Lakefront/River tour (75 minutes) for my birthhday, we were not disappointed! We arrived 30 minutes early for our cruise, which was perfect because that way we got seats near the front since the back is more likely to get wet. Waiting in line we were even having fun with the employees, one of which was Grant who was our guide on our tour. We got on the ship with ease, took our seats and buckled up and from moment one until we finished we were having a great time! Grant, our tour guide, was hilarious. He could take a joke and give them back with ease. He knew his Chicago trivia and informed me on a lot of things I did not know or even knew I cared to know about Chicago. Between him and the rest of the crew we were laughing and pleasently amused the whole trip. I would most definitely recommend taking a trip with Seadog, and if you are lucky to get Grant, be prepared to laugh! read more

These cruises are so fun! They've got an awesome architectural tour along the lakefront and they've got specialty cruises for the fireworks display. All throughout the month of October now they have haunted speedboat rides! Its an awesome thing to do with a group of friends and they are actually very reasonably priced, you can ride for over an hour for less than $30! read more

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The crew on the Seadog were pretty funny. A lot of young people work the boats, and the crowds. We did the 30 minute speed boat cruise with our guests from out of town. I didn't realize we'd get a mini lesson in the city's architecture. We sat near the back and it was really hard to hear what the guide was saying about the buildings. I was disappointed because I really wanted to hear what he was saying. We were also surprised that the boat didn't go faster. I love speedboats and I really wanted to rock out on the water. I guess for safety reasons they can't go THAT fast, tho they claim to be the fastest boat on the water. Overall it was fun and we had a good time. AROOF! read more

First of all-I would never pay the actual price to do this tour. I bought a groupon which made the tour half-off. $16 is more to my liking. Other than that, this was a great way to cool off and see the main tourist places of Chicago. I took the Speedboat Lake Shore Tour, which was 30 minutes long and showed the north side of Lake Shore Drive (LSD) and the south, pointing out the major buildings ie: museums, Soldier Field, Hancock, etc. The wind felt great in the 95 degree weather and the guy telling us about the buildings, etc was pretty cool. Watch out for the constant barking like a "seadog", which can get a little annoying. Also, I wish they would have played more music especially when we were cruising. read more