Lone Star Riverboat — Local services in Austin

After going on the evening bat tour with both Capital Cruises and Lone Star Riverboats, Capital Cruises was a way better experience. Lone Star was disorganized, the quality of their tour guides was much lower, and they applied their own policies apparently randomly or according to who seemed most likely to throw a fit.

The difference in tour quality was laughable. This could partly be blamed on this trip being the first for one of the 2 tour guides on my trip. However, how they dealt with that inexperience and the degree of inexperience of the tour guide was unacceptable. I have worked as a tour guide and am generally very understanding, but this was ridiculous. We could barely hear the tour guide at all for the first half of the tour. The little I did hear was littered with uncertainty, straight up silence (rather than vague mumbling thanks to the low volume), and maybe 4 bare facts about the Austin sky line were covered at all. The Capital Cruises tour on the other hand included descriptions of recent development, local famous musicians, clips of their music, and many more descriptions of the buildings visible by the water. Again, I understand being nervous for your first tour (I’ve been there!), but easy access to a script or the more senior tour guide stepping in to add notes, reminders, the occasional joke, or just handing over their mike which was much louder would have made a huge difference. To be clear, it was obvious half the boat couldn’t hear the new tour guide very well at all, as the more senior guide made a small joke about it at the very begging but then did absolutely nothing to address the issue. The tour did improve significantly in quality once the senior guide took over in the second half, but a few of the facts were wrong, and the amount of information covered was less than on Capital Cruises.

Other issues with Lone Star largely arises from organization problems. Upon arrival, Lone Star asks guests to choose one of the boats with empty seats and sign a form before boarding. This is tricky considering you can’t actually see if seats are available on one of the three boats. Capital Cruises at least directed you to the boat by capacity and your group size and you didn’t have to worry about signing and crossing your name off waivers if the boat you board is full. This made finding a seat much more stressful than it had to be and made their single-level boats drastically unbalanced in the water. This wasn’t obvious while on the boat, but it was alarming to see on the company’s other boats.

Relatedly, their policies seem to only apply randomly. When I purchased tickets, they come with a copy of their policy that states seats are first come first serve, unoccupied seats will be sold to those on the waitlist 15 minutes before departure, and that masks are required for boarding. The mask policy is displayed on a large sign at the entrance gate, and while we were waiting to board, one of the crew members told the person ahead of us that they had to wait for their whole party to arrive if they wanted seats together as seats could not be saved. Half of the tourists did not wear masks for boarding. Similarly, when my party tried to find seats we ran into a group that was saving two rows of seats for guests who hadn’t arrived (the last open rows

An Unforgettable Family Experience on the Lone Star Riverboat! Our family recently enjoyed a truly fantastic time aboard the Lone Star Riverboat, and we can't recommend it enough! From start to finish, it was an engaging and memorable experience that offered so much more than just a boat ride. The tour provided fascinating insights into the buildings lining Lady Bird Lake, giving us a new appreciation for Austin's architecture and history. As the sun began to set, we were treated to a truly breathtaking display – one of the most beautiful sunsets we've ever seen, painting the sky with incredible colors. Of course, a highlight was witnessing the spectacular emergence of the bats from under the Congress Avenue Bridge. It's an iconic Austin experience, and seeing it from the unique vantage point of the river was absolutely magical. What truly elevated the experience were the knowledgeable guides. They shared a wealth of fun facts about the city, and we learned so much about the incredible bats that migrate all the way from Mexico to Austin, including their vital role in the city's ecosystem. Their commentary was engaging and made the entire tour feel both educational and entertaining. If you're looking for a unique and enjoyable way to experience Austin with your family, complete with stunning views, fascinating history, and an unforgettable natural phenomenon, the Lone Star Riverboat is an absolute must-do! We had a great time and made some wonderful...

We did the sunset bat viewing tour. We were a family of 5: 2 adults, 1 senior citizen, 1 toddler and 1 child. Literally a group of all ages. It was a great experience. The weather was amazing,the tour guide was funny, and friendly. I will say the tour isn’t exactly “historic” information but just humorous. Atleast our tour guide was. They say to get there 45 mins earlier to board but that was tough with little kids as they started to get bored really fast. If you’re traveling with young kids I’d suggest getting there closer to the time. The total time on tour was about an hour to 1 hour 15 mins. Some folks did find it a bit boring because the boat does go pretty slow but personally I had came in with that expectation so it went really well for us.

I would definitely do this sightseeing tour again. Maybe even multiple times. And maybe without the younger kids.

Bats: that was a different experience! There were SO many. One pooped on me LOL but it wasn’t a lot and not many ppl felt that. It was cool to see, there’s a huge population of them under the bridge. Idk if I care to see that bats again but the tour itself was great.

Overall 10/10 recommend. Whether you’re trying to have a mini romantic vibe, a good time with your parents, your family, Or even...