Charleston Harbor Tours — Attraction in Charleston

Yesterday my husband and I took our second cruise aboard the Schooner Pride. We so enjoyed our sunset sail in 2016, and were eager and excited to try the afternoon dolphin cruise on this trip. We're on the coast in October - and we checked the weather reports. We knew there was a chance of rain and were prepared. Before we boarded the Captain told everyone that he had been monitoring the radar, that he thought we might be able to get our two hour sail in, but in the event of heavy rain, he'd turn around and bring us back in. We sailed out across the harbor and had a lovely time for nearly an hour. The crew was professional and pleasant, and it was interesting to watch them manage the sails. My husband took the offered opportunity to help raise one of the sails. His elderly dad did the same on our 2016 cruise, and now its an experience they can share! Eventually, the rains came. Captain and crew handled the change professionally, as one would expect. Other guests went below deck, but we stayed on deck with another couple, undeterred by the weather. It was all part of the adventure and we weren't about to miss out on any of it. I've spent plenty of time on the water in the sun, and I love it. But this was the first time I was on the water with a good, warm, soaking rain falling, and fog banks settling around - light enough that I could see the outline of buildings in the distance along the shore, but dense enough to make the water even more of a mystery. It was smooth sailing and a beautiful day. We even saw a pod of dolphins that surfaced to look at us just as much as we were looking at them. Overall, it was one of the grandest adventures of my life, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Many thanks to the captain and crew!

Notes: This is not a guided tour - it is a sail, and that is clearly stated in all the information we received about the tour. The crew were glad to answer questions from guests, but we didn't have to listen to an annoying spiel the entire time we were on the water.

All information clearly states to arrive 15 minutes early, and that the ship leaves on time. There are no benches/no seating available in the waiting area.

Beverages are available on board. One can always expect to pay a premium price for event beverages, so be prepared for that. That said, our drinks were comped because weather reduced our cruise time.

Be prepared to park and walk a long distance to reach the dock. The only available restrooms in the area are located in the Ft. Sumter visitor center, and that's quite an extra walk for someone with physical challenges. Give yourself plenty of time for parking/walking...

I don't usually give bad ratings as I am fully aware of the implications for the business and understand that one bad experience may not represent the company as a whole. Unfortunately, I am writing this as I feel that business practices of this company are not acceptable. My friends and I only had 1 full day in Charleston we are all mothers and taking time away is difficult for us. But since we live spread out across the country (Michigan, Illinois, and Texas) we try to plan an occasional trip together and unfortunately 1 full day was all we could manage as a group. So we planned our day out and packed it pretty full. We booked the harbor tour and the carriage ride combo Sunday morning for that same day. We booked the 3:30 boat ride which ended at 5 and we were planning on going straight to the carriage ride which the website stated ran from 9 am -6 pm. When I called to book the carriage tour I was told that the last carriage tour was at 5. Obviously, I was surprised since the website said 9-6 with no mention that the last booking was at 5. A 5 pm tour wouldn't work for us since our boat tour ended at 5. I was told I could book it for a different day and I explained that we were leaving at 6:30 am the next morning and today was the only day for the carriage tour. I asked if they could refund the carriage part of our tour because I felt like the website misrepresented the times available for the carriage ride and obviously I would have never booked something that day that I knew we couldn't make. I was told no and that I should have assumed that 9-6 meant that the last carriage would have to be back by 6. This to me is an unexceptionable response. How could I know that they stop tours an hour prior to what the website says. Needless to say we were unable to do the carriage tour and are just out of the money we spent for the tour. We did do the boat tour which I would have given 3 stars. The boat coming in before us had difficulty docking and getting the ramp on. Which meant by the time the previous passengers got off and we got on it was closer to 3:30 than 3, but we were still starting to dock the boat at 4:45 so the tour itself was substantially shorter than 90 minutes and felt rushed, though the information that was given was...

My husband booked the Eclipse Tour boatride as soon as he saw an ad for it last December. Good moves, because it sold out by late March. I had the pleasure of meeting the final ticketholder as she charged her phone and kindly my hubby's phone in the Marina laundry area while we waited to board this morning. The Internet had told her there was only 1 ticket left and she needed 2, as it was her anniversary present to her husband! So she called directly and the CSA on the phone made it happen and sold her 2, and our tour was full.

Our group on the boat was so fun and into it, our Captain Bobby had trivia for us with prizes and was a wealth of knowledge on the tour, but was mouth-agape with us at the totality of our eclipse. No one is an expert on that, until now.

Our skies were pretty blue and clear in the beginning, but clouded over a bit as we headed out to the Harbor. But we got there and hung out to see the beginning loud and crystal clear, glasses mandatory. Then as it moved towards totality, we had drifting clouds that sometimes obscured our view, making it possible to look with your regular eyes (I think I might have a burn), and then it was darkish and you didn't need the glasses and then you did as the sun returned. It was definitely a trip worth taking. Everyone from everywhere (though abundantly White, but from across the Nation - we met people from Montana and New York and Tennessee and all kinds of other places!) on a boat to experience The Eclipse.

We became united as brothers and sisters in this incredible moment. Many became Facebook "friends" and sweared to share pics. It was an amazing, bonding event facilitated by Charleston Harbor Tours, and the crew was 100% onboard the effort! Thanks, guys and gals, for a...