Lake Tahoe Bleu Wave — Local services in South Lake Tahoe

On the first full evening of our trip to Tahoe, our family of 8 embarked with Bleu Wave for a 2 hour cruise at sunset. The views were great, the crew was kind, the drinks were okay and snack situation was subpar with only small bags of Frito Lay chip options. We enjoyed our time together, snapped a bunch of photos, sang along to the oldie tunes blasting out of the speakers and the captain let my niece drive the ship for awhile (and like really steer not an autopilot child-fake-out!). It was a nice memory and a great way to start the trip.

But upon returning to the parking lot after sunset, we found that our car had been towed leaving 6 adults and 2 children stranded in an empty parking lot. Our main issue is with the Tahoe Keys Marina, Suntex who runs it and Lizette the Harbor Master as the zone we parked in was not clearly marked.

But Bleu Wave isn’t off the hook. Once we boarded, the captain apologized for the tough parking situation as a large portion of the lot was cordoned off for a funeral that afternoon for “one of their own.” We shrugged it off knowing we got one of the final spaces along a stretch that had 15-20 cars parallel parked on it (towing company said they were ordered to tow 15 cars).

This line of cars was no more than 20 yards away from the Bleu Wave attendant’s booth who checked us in and stood with us waiting for two in our party who were grabbing something from our car down that very lane. It would have been nice if she had been on high alert and warned that some of her customers may be in danger of a tow. In fact, two other gentlemen from the Bleu Wave cruise were towed along with us - and we drivers shared an Uber to retrieve them.

Two days later, my father and I returned to the marina to speak with Lacey of Bleu Wave, who was very kind and upset with the situation on our behalf but was unwilling to place adequate responsibility upon her ticket girl or the crew who could have warned us about the unique parking situation (which has not occurred in her 6 years there). But if it was such a unique situation shouldn’t that have made it easier to observe and protect your guests?

Since we have no relation to the Marina but were customers of Bleu Wave, we requested a reimbursement for the towing cost (over $500) which would essentially be a 50% discount on what we spent on Bleu Wave and hope they will advocate for us and for future guests of the marina. It has been one week since we met with Lacey and she assured us that she had relayed it to her supervisor and that the Harbor Master would be contacted but we have not been offered restitution.

I hope to come back soon to update this review with a situation that has been rectified because of improved parking signage installed and customers who have been reimbursed for their trouble. What began as a lovely memory continues to be bitterly discouraging.

Photos that are attached to this review show the gravel lane where parked cars blocked the No...

My husband and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary last Sunday aboard The Blue Wave during the sunset cruise. The boat had a full load of passengers and left on time from the dock. We were greeted by the crew and offered a drink right away on board. While there were more passengers on board than I was expecting, I was happy with the seats we selected on the bow. We enjoyed seeing the South Shore of Lake Tahoe from the water- it was our first time being on the water in this lake ever! I appreciated the information shared by the captain about the features along the shore as we went along. Emerald bay was gorgeous and so interesting to learn about. I've visited Vikingsholm castle twice before, but I was happy to learn more about it on the boat. On the way back, we were treated to an epic sunset- made spectacular by the dispersing storm clouds around the rim of the mountains surrounding the lake. The captain spun the boat around slowly during the sunset, so everyone could enjoy it no matter where they were sitting.

I think next time, I might enjoy a boat with a smaller group of passengers, but we enjoyed this...

I don’t even know where to start with our trip on Tahoe’s Bleu Wave - arguably the best charter experience I’ve ever had. Not only did Captain Augie make our family feel right at home, he made us feel special. He made sure to highlight that the original name of ‘Tahoe’ is ‘Da Ow Ga’ from the Washoe people. His first mate, Josh, was attentive, to both guest needs and safety. We got to break ice in Emerald Bay, and Captain Augie made it fun for everyone! Guests on board were having a great time, and Captain and Crew matched the vibe, changing the music to dance music when people were dancing - and doing another turn to allow photos. Josh was hyper attentive when a family would need a photo together, showing how customer focused they were. Drinks were poured exactly as each guest liked, fun facts given at request and plenty of time to soak up captain and crew’s knowledge of the lake. The boat is beautiful, with room on the bow, inside, at the bar and above. Two heads make it so there is never a long line to relieve yourself, and they are beautifully appointed. 10/10 Will be back...