We booked the Crystal Coast Lady Cruises dinner cruise on July 2, 2026, from 7-9 p.m. for our…read morefamily and extended family, which included one toddler, four children, two teens, and six adults. My husband and I paid close to $800 for our group. Because we had several small children with us, I specifically chose tables close to the buffet, knowing that the adults would need to help make plates for the kids. Anyone who has done a buffet with little ones understands that it often takes multiple trips to get everyone settled and fed. I went through the line to get my food and food for my niece, then realized my sister was holding the toddler and also needed a plate, along with my other four-year-old niece. My husband was helping our other children at the time, and my family was still in the buffet line. I stepped beside my elderly parents, who were getting their food, and said, "Sorry, I forgot two more plates." At that point, the man serving yelled, "Ma'am, STOP!" His tone and behavior were completely unnecessary and embarrassing. I was not cutting in front of another party or trying to get extra food unfairly. I was simply helping feed the children in our group -- a group we had paid a significant amount of money for. The way I was treated was rude, humiliating, and completely unacceptable. It felt as though I was being scolded for trying to get food that we had already paid for. For a family dinner cruise, there should be some understanding that adults may need to assist young children at the buffet. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I would not recommend this dinner cruise for families with small children. If your children will need help getting food from the buffet, this is not a family-friendly experience. We left feeling disappointed and disrespected.

We had a wonderful time tonight. Good food, great music and beautiful scenery. We got to see wild…read morehorses and lots of dolphins. The sunset was spectacular. Our crew was super friendly and gave us lots of pointers about the area. Would definitely do it again!

Our last-minute date night with Lookout Cruises was absolutely incredible. The sunset was stunning…read moreand truly unforgettable, and the entire evening felt effortless from start to finish. Captain and crew--Mike and David--were professional, kind, and attentive. A special mention goes to the captain's mom, who has served as his assistant for the past 26 cruises--she is truly a treasure and adds such a warm, personal touch to the experience. All of the staff had genuinely jovial personalities, making the atmosphere even more enjoyable. One of the most thoughtful details was having crew members walk around and take photos of each couple throughout the evening, allowing everyone to simply be present while still capturing lasting memories. It was the perfect evening to take in the stunning coastal views, watch dolphins play, and see Fort Macon from the water. The boat was exceptionally clean, and safety was never a concern--it was clear we were in very capable hands. We were so impressed that we've already booked their 4th of July fireworks cruise and can't wait!

We did two trips last week. The sunset cruise and the Cape Lookout cruise. Both were excellent as…read morealways. I've been going on this catamaran for roughly 25 years. Each time the fun and food are unmatched.

This was what I needed getting out on the water was the highlight of my trip!…read more Thank you CA John for an awesome sunset tour it's a beautiful scene! Thank you so much!!! We brought a small cooler so we didn't get thirsty ... carry on carry off keep it clean! The tours are very reasonable $20-$25 a person on a smaller charming boat. I'd get advance tickets if you want to do this tour maybe holds 10-12 people, we had 7. I can't believe I didn't get a photo of the boat, ooops!

We were so exited to take the boat tour and see the wild horses. Unfortunately we didn't get to…read moresee any horses on this particular day. The tour guide said it was probably because it had been too hot and humid for the horses. We did get to see lots of birds. My only compliant about the tour was that it was very difficult to hear the tour guide over the sound of the boat engine. Waterbug Tours takes reservations and walk ups. I believe it was $18 a person for a 45-60 minute tour by boat that takes you out to the island and through the harbor. The inside of the boat was cleaned and sanitized between trips that took place every hour. I had a great time and learned a lot about Beaufort. I really wish we had been able to see some horses but that's not their fault. I'd totally take the tour again.

Great experience and beautiful scenery on our island tour with Captain Ron and Mrs. Kathy. They…read morewere great hosts and gave us so much information about the area and the animals along the route. We will definitely be back and hope to bring more family next time. Thank you Kathy and Captain Ron!

Great day with Captain Ron and Cathy . Highly recommend for an enjoyable and informative dayread more

Great location on the island. Nice staff and easy in and out. Kids loved the Jetski's. Jetski's all…read morein good condition. Prices are a little steep but they have to make a living.

We rented jet skis for our young adult children last week. They were very easy to work with and…read moreschedule. Everyone was friendly and helpful. They have a place where you can watch your family members on the jet skis. The area where they can ride is well marked and I was impressed with the safety demonstration.

Randal and Crysta were amazing! So nice and helpful. I would recommend this outfit anytime!! In…read morefact, I want to work with them!! Lol Doreen B.

Short Version: There's a strong trend in the reviews for this vendor. Many people get their boats…read moreand have a good time. But Crystal coast Boat Charters has a problem with communication, and if anything at all goes wrong, you'll find yourself wondering what just happened and be left without a boat. We booked a boat for rental on Friday, May 28, for our family coming in to town for Memorial Day weekend. We had a couple calls with Krista over the next couple weeks, up until two days before the rental. During that call she told me the person who was bringing the boat (I think she said her husband, but not sure if I remember that right) had a broken phone, but that she promised to get me "some phone number so you could reach him." Not exactly confidence inspiring, but stuff happens, so I rolled with it. I went back to other reviews after the crash and burn and found this broken phone thing was a common issue that they still haven't fixed. The day of the rental came and I finally received a phone call about an hour before our rental time. The gentleman who called me was bewildering at best. Instead of clearly telling me what was broken and whether it could be fixed soon, I got a bizarre set of contradictions ranging from, "I have a guy in Swansboro hooking me up" (With what? A new boat? A part?), to "I'm trying to just delay an hour" and then ending with, "I'm shootin for the stars, man, I just dunno. I'm a nice guy, though, I'm an owner operator." It was difficult to get further details out of him. As we got closer to delivery time, I texted. No response. Then I called at the time he was supposed to deliver the boat. "Sorry man, I'm not 1000% sure it's going to happen today." I said "ok, if it isn't, then do you know anyone else that rents boats?" Instead of responding to the question, he said "Gimme a few minutes man, I'll call you back." When he called me back, he said, "We got it and we'll be at X launch point in 30 minutes." When I told him, "We ordered it for Y launch point," he replied, "Well that's news to me!" But we expected to meet him there in 30 minutes. 30 minutes later, I received a vague text message, "The hub is done sorry I will call you." I tried calling him and he stopped picking up the phone. Not knowing exactly what that text message meant, I texted Krista indicating what a stunning failure this had been and received a text full of excuses. Mechanical issues are out of people's hands. I get that. But communication is fully in the business's hands. Bottom line: this company is a slap dash operation who won't take responsibility for their failures, and will just stop talking to you when everything founders.

I'm a big fan of the Cape Lookout area and have been several times. This would be a new one…read more Instead of the usual approach of driving to Harkers Island and then taking the ferry from Island Express over to the Cape, I thought let's do something different. Instead, I made a reservation with AB WaterSports to do their jet ski tour which departs from their dock on the Atlantic Beach causeway and goes out to the lighthouse. The setup here is very easy. Head to the website and click the below link. Choose the date, number of people and the time, pay and after filling out the necessary safety waiver, you're ready. link.areservation.com/event/abwatersport www.abwatersport.com/rental-services/jet-skis-tours Admittedly, I had a more unique experience in that it was just me going out with Noah, more on him later. The upside to that was, within reason, for two hours where did I want to go and what did I want to see? If you need help with that, AB has a large map of the area and Mike the owner can more than help you out with suggestions. I was easy and basically told Noah whatever he wanted to do and that I just wanted to head all the way to The Point on Cape Lookout, on a Google Map it would be Cape Lookout Shoals and on the way back I wanted to head close-ish to the Port of NC at Morehead City since they were busy with several ships loading at the time. No problem on either request. The ride in both directions is a hell of a lot of fun. Rippin' away dong 50-ish MPH while occasionally catching air from the wave of another passing boat or two...yeah, that's a hell of a lot of fun. Plenty of time at Cape Lookout, or if you want, Shackleford Banks or probably both for a bit to take some pictures, have water and enjoy the amazing weather. We got down to The Point, saw a pod of dolphins very close by and on the way back I got to see marine activity with two ships getting loaded at the same time. Regarding Noah...great dude. He knew all the best routes to see everything that could have been seen while always looking behind to make sure I was still there and checking up every now and again to make sure everything was going well. A+ Let me finish with this: Should you come to Atlantic Beach in general? Yes Should you come to AB Water Sports for any of their offerings ? Yes Will you have the time of your life? Resoundingly, Hell! Yes! I'll be back.

The guy on phone was extremely rude. They don't have many available times. I asked a question and…read morewas hung up on before I could receive a response. I would not recommend due to the lack of accommodation and customer service.

We had our windlass installed by Chris and Fonz. They were great to work with from the time I made…read moremy initial inquiry for estimate. They arrived on time, finished on time, gave us options / solutions when things came up unexpected, very professional and affordable. We would certainly hire them again and recommend Nautasea. Stephanie was also great to work with, she handles the appointment and payment. Thank you for the new windlass Nautasea. Can't wait to anchor out again.

From the owner: Marine Veteran owned and operated mobile marine electrician located along the Crystal Coast. Proud…read moreto serve surrounding areas as needed.

FAVORITE PLACE HERE. We spent hours finding the most amazing shells. The water is crystal clear and…read morethe wanes aren't bad at all. I would come back in a heart beat.

We had so much fun on Shackleford Island. We saw so many horses, found a lot of cool shells, and…read morethe beach was beautiful. It's about a 30 minute ferry ride from Beaufort. There is a restroom but NO amenities or food available for purchase. Bring everything you need with you. Once we arrived, there was a tour guide but it wasn't much of a tour. She walked us to the other side of the island to show us two horses on the beach and then walked all the way back to where we started to show us where to find the best shells. Her "tour" lasted about 30 minutes. We did most of the exploring on our own and that's when we found the majority of the horses. As long as you aren't looking for a super guided tour, this is a great day trip!

Fun for all! This is 100% geared towards kids, but Captain Spike definitely throws in some adult…read morehumor too. The trip is perfect amount of time for the kids to not get bored. Mrs Fettuccini was great and remembered every kids name. The treasure was icing on the cake - my kids loved it. Absolutely a must do when in the area.

This tour was amazing. Took the evening Ghost Float tour. It was fun exciting ghostly and had…read moregreat story's the staff was great. Definitely worth the visit.