Gansett Cruises — Attraction in Newport

On 7/5/25 my wife, son & I had bought tickets for a 1:10pm cruise tour. Being on vacation from the Philadelphia area we were not familiar with traffic, etc. around 11:45 am we received a phone call from a Gansett employee just wanting to confirm we would be coming and advised to arrive by 12:45pm for check in. The employee mentioned to allow ourselves about 10-15 minutes as parking can sometimes be tricky. That struck me as strange as we assumed a company running a tour would surely have designated parking. We’d been on other cruise tours where that company had their own lots. To be safe we left our hotel around 12:10-12:15pm, the ride was maybe 8-10 minutes from our hotel. Too our surprise there was absolutely zero parking available, drove around for several minutes, getting worried that we were all going to miss the boat I dropped my wife & son off and continued to seek parking with no success. I ultimately ended up returning to the hotel to wait for their return to dock. My wife & son enjoyed the tour, but said those on board had loved ones who missed the boat because of the parking issues. One couple said they had been in the area over an hour early had had to park nearly 2 miles away and walk. It’s very frustrating to pay money for a cruise tour and not be able to experience because the company didn’t invest in having their on parking lot for their customers to assure everyone can enjoy their tours. My wife felt as enjoyable as the tour was it was exactly kid friendly in the sense the captain or employees didn’t engaged with the kids, etc. They also apparently served Del’s lemonade which my wife said hers had black bits floating in. I feel that Gansett would benefit from suggesting their paying patrons take an Uber to their dock as parking is incredibly difficult to find, especially when calling to confirm their cruise time...

Took the afternoon, narrated harbor cruise. Loved it! Nothing that you fear about “taking the tour” happens. You fear you can’t hear. Nope, we heard every word. You fear it’ll be boring. Nope, the narrator kept up a charming, amusing, and interesting patter. You fear you’ll just get the dates of when historic buildings were erected or destroyed. Nope, there are interesting anecdotes aplenty. (So THAT’S where JFK and Jackie were married!) You fear it’ll be over too soon, so why bother. Nope, you’ll get your money’s worth at 90 minutes.

The boat holds a couple dozen people easily — it is not one of those huge Steamboat Willie things, so you won’t feel crushed. Everyone gets a seat at the railing and can see everything. Because it’s not a huge boat, you’ll feel some waves. I barely noticed, and I am not one of those “can’t make me seasick” people. The harbor is pretty protected, so the swells don’t get too large. It’s always cooler and windier on the water than it is on land, so bring something to put on if you tend to get chilled. We caught a very warm day, so while it was, indeed, windier on the water, it felt great, and the pullover I brought stayed in my lap the whole time.

There are a few choices for complimentary beverages, and a few you can buy. Although it’s “cash bar” service, there is no bar — a crew member takes your request and brings your beverage. You stay put during the cruise (unless you want to stand briefly for that just-right photo angle). If you’re thinking mix-and-mingle booze cruise, this isn’t that kind of operation. I’m a one-and-done drinker, but I noted that the nice crew member returned several times to ask if anyone wanted anything.

I fear I have written one of those “the owners wrote that review” reviews because I’m being so positive. Really, it was great. I’m kicking myself for not having done this...

We did the afternoon sightseeing tour while we were in Newport. Our trip coincided with the International Boat Show so it was an added treat to see some of these mega-yachts and insane boats from the water. Our tour guide, Beau, quite literally had us laughing out loud at points. He was so informative and super entertaining. He also gave some recommendations for local things to do that we wouldn't have known about otherwise. We got lunch at the Lobster shack afterwards thanks to Beau, and my life is forever changed now that I have had lobster that fresh.

Overall it was a perfect afternoon and a really affordable way to see Newport from the water. The service was fast and friendly for drinks. We even made friends with the group sitting next to us, who ended up being the nicest people we have ever met - an added treat for an already spectacular day.

I would recommend this to anyone going to Newport and am excited to try one of their other charters when we...