Urban Pirates — Attraction in Baltimore

Be very cautious before giving money to Urban Pirates in Fells Point.

Last week I booked 9 tickets as a going away party for a co-worker for the cruise tomorrow at 7pm. They called me today to let me know that since the cruise didn't sell at least 15 tickets, that they are cancelling it, as it is their policy to not sail with less than 15. This is a real barnacle in your boot straps, as most people use this service for special occasions, so a last minute cancellation leaves you ship wrecked, but I'm guessing it cost more to operate the ship than what they would be making in tickets, so as a business, I get it. Still sucks for the customer.

At a minimum I was expecting a sincere apology for the inconvenience and a full refund ($249.50) for the boat ride you're refusing to give us around the Harbor, to sing us pirate songs and get us good and buzzed off of rum. Instead I found them (Kyle) to be rude, short, and only willing only offer a "raincheck" (ironic, because they sail rain or shine). But it's a going away party... for 9 people... going away. It's like herding cats, err parrots. There is no other day that works, but they refused to refund us the money.

Urban Pirates - I've done your cruise before and think it's a unique cool thing for the city, and I don't want it to be tarnished with this memory, or for you to turn away other customers with unfair practices. Also change your policy, if YOU cancel the trip, people deserve a refund.

P.S. If this is all an elaborate role play of stealing my treasure, and you plan to kidnap us tomorrow and take us on an epic quest to retrieve it, then I'm into it, and I take it all back. If not, REFUND ME MY MONEY FOR THE SERVICES YOU...

This was a pretty fun experience for my kids, 10 and 13. I booked this with a friend for our kids who are the same age. Afterwards we found out that the target age is 3-10...but we proceeded anyways. The big selling point for me was getting to shoot water cannons. You're never too old for those!

Our booking time was 10am and you arrive a few minutes earlier to check-in. The ship was having some technical difficulties so check-in was a bit delayed. That was ok. After checking in they gave out pirate names and temporary tattoos if you wanted one. At this point I noticed that most children were probably 3 or 4 years old.

A little while later they let you aboard. They introduce themselves and tell little stories. The pirates on board are fantastic, they stay in character the whole time. They tell great stories and play the part very well. My kids were pretty into it. They played games like hot potato, limbo, conga...my kids were still willing to do these and I was surprised.

Later when the "bad" pirate came, we shouted at him and ran back and forth across the ship a few times and then he surrendered. Very anti climactic. Later my friend told me that's when the water cannons were supposed to be used. But the staff didn't announce anything about the cannons being unavailable. We were VERY disappointed. The water cannons are all over the webpage description. It might have been nice to have been told that they are not going to be used. Is that a lesson in pirating?

I would recommend this for kids ages 3-8 that actually like pirates at...

We’ve gone on two family sailings, one last summer and one this summer. Both times, our time slot had to be rescheduled to another time on the same day. Knowing this was a possibility, I kept our day flexible when planning. I would recommend to others to do the same.

While last summer was a good experience, this summer was even better. The captain was great in making sure everyone knew the safety protocols and encouraging anyone to speak up if they were feeling unwell due to the heat. They had fans with ice that were really nice on board. They had water if needed and were also selling bottles at a cheap price around $2 (not like the $6 you might pay elsewhere). There are pirate themed items you can buy and, again, the prices are very reasonable.

The “pirates” were great with the kids. In particular, a man nicknamed Skully was wonderful with my son. He immediately picked up on my son’s vibe, who can be a little cautious and anxious at times, and connected with him. They encouraged him to participate in the games and immediately respected his decision if he wanted to just sit and watch instead. The way they interacted with him made him feel comfortable and by the end he was participating fully and having a great time.

The staff this time around was truly wonderful, we...