The Greatest Booze Cruises Round D.C.

This spring, D.C. docks are dwelling to a surge of consuming vessels designed for each event, vibe, and value level. A returning line of retro motor boats are apparently the ticket to getting engaged, with seven proposals out on the water final 12 months. Wish to watch dolphins give delivery on the Chesapeake this summer time? One resort affords an tour for that. And a elaborate sailboat manned by a high-quality eating chef pairs tasting menus with French wines.

Take in monumental views alongside the Potomac River, drink in tow, with this operating record of bookable boats for 2025.

Sea Suite Cruises

Co-founders and Arlington natives Jack Walten and Jack Maher’s first BYOB paddle pub debuted in 2018. Seven years later, their supersized fleet is made up of 18 boats bobbing round Mid-Atlantic waterways (in D.C., Annapolis, and Richmond), plus floating tiki bars and classic electrical Retro Boats. And a landlocked bar born in Clarendon is the muse for one in all their hottest new bookings this season:

Whitlow’s on Water

Now the biggest boat in Sea Suite Cruises’ fleet, the 47-passenger tiki tour is the product of a enjoyable new partnership with Whitlow’s proprietor Jon Williams. His iconic Clarendon dive moved to Shaw, however its authentic tiki rooftop on Wilson is reincarnated as a floating bar. “Whitlow’s on Water has taken the [Potomac] by storm,” says Sea Suite’s Jack Walten, noting it’s just about bought out nearly each Saturday via the summer time. Diehard Whitlow’s regulars, which incorporates the “Jacks,” have a well-known face on board: a former bartender from its Clarendon days handles the liquid lineup. Commonplace combined drinks be part of beers, wines, Excessive Midday seltzers, orange crushes, and rum punches. There’s additionally a number of pub grub (sandwiches, wings, and so on.) sourced from Whitlow’s.

Two TVs air “no matter folks need to watch,” he says, which has included all the things from March Insanity to the Bachelorette (bachelorette events are standard bookings, in spite of everything). As are company groups, birthdays, Whitlow’s followers, and even 50-year wedding ceremony anniversaries. Particular person tickets are additionally accessible, to “combine and mingle such as you would in a traditional bar,” he says. New in 2025, the vessel relocates from its authentic Navy Yard slip to the Wharf — which is proper out entrance of D.C.’s latest Whitlow’s location, which sits subsequent to music venue Anthem. That makes Whitlow’s on Water a primary new pregame possibility for concert events.

Value: Ticket tiers begin at $40 and up for each day choices that embody particular person tickets, sundown cruises, non-public charters, and company occasions (e-book on-line).

The place: Decide-ups and drop-offs from Market Pier on the Wharf proper between the Municipal Fish Market and the Anthem (101 Market Sq. SW)

Sea Suite Cruises

Retro Boat Leases

Classic runabout boats from Sinatra’s time had been retro-fitted with electrical motors, so having a romantic or intimate dialog is extremely attainable. It’s no marvel there have been a number of (seven) proposals out on the water final 12 months, experiences Sea Suite. Every four-top fiberglass magnificence sports activities a distinct colour and identify (Gladys, Bonnie, and Violet).

Value: $175-$225 for 1.5-hour excursions; BYO drinks and meals

The place: Wharf to the Washington Channel

Sea Suite Cruises

Potomac Tiki Membership

D.C.’s “first tiki cruise” lets patrons purchase booze on board, or go for an $8 corkage payment for wine and Champagne. BYO meals or buy small snacks.

Value: $50-$60 for events of 8 to 18 out of Georgetown. A smaller thatched-roof sibling, Tikito, out of Navy Yard suits as much as six and runs $375-$425. Each final 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Potomac Paddle Membership

Sea Suite Cruises’ fleet that began all of it are pontoon paddlewheel boats which have all been newly renovated in 2025. They had been beforehand outfitted with 10 cycle stations across the central bar so patrons might pedal in the event that they happy, however the cycle stations have all been changed with plush, swiveling barstools so these boats at the moment are all celebration and no pedals.

Value: $45-$55 per individual for teams of 8 to twenty for cruises that run 1 hour and 45 minutes; BYOB (simply no onerous liquor)

The place: Docks from the Wharf, Navy Yard, and Georgetown

Sea Desk

Chef and sommelier Troy Knapp makes Michelin-level menus on his luxurious sailboat Cru Classé. Again on the Wharf for its fourth 12 months, the detail-oriented captain brings high-quality eating to the dock with artfully plated programs, decadent floral preparations, seafaring desk settings, and French wines he pours himself. Knapp additionally mans different Wharf vessels for events of six or extra, partnering with Nautiste to supply eating excursions along with his catering firm Curated.

Sea Desk DC

In D.C., select from two totally different experiences this season from April via October (e-book by way of TOCK):

• Sundown Sail: Set sail for as much as three hours whereas having fun with a communal two-course menu or a personalised five-course possibility comprised of components from native farms and fishermen. Complemented by prestigious wine pairings. Beginning at $435 per visitor
• Champagne and Oyster Sails: Take pleasure in native bivalves, freshly shucked by an oyster professional on board, alongside specialty accompaniments. Paired with Champagne or status white wine. Beginning at $225 per visitor

The place: Docks on the Wharf (650 Wharf Avenue SW)

Becoming a member of the fleet for 2025, Sea Desk Annapolis units sail this season on the Chesapeake Bay aboard the brand new, contemporary-styled luxurious motor yacht Status 520. Ebook one in all two eating excursions by way of TOCK from April via October:

• Sundown Sail: Cruise for 4 hours alongside alongside native Annapolis waterways and select from a two-course communal unfold or a five-course tasting menu curated by an on-board chef. Complemented by prestigious wine pairings. Beginning at $643 per visitor
• Weekend brunch: This sunny, three-hour tour round Maryland’s picturesque state capital options the identical menu perks as above. Beginning at $543 per visitor

Add a Grasp of Champagne-led tasting to commemorate time on board. Oyster, seafood, and cheese-and-charcuterie pairings are additionally accessible.

The place: Docks in Annapolis (1 Dock Avenue)

Sea Desk

Nautiste

Nautiste

Boat captain and oyster aficionado Hannah Puckett leads a rising fleet of American-made yachts, with seafaring and dockside eating experiences for events as much as 30. The cruise-friendly delicacies is dealt with by Troy Knapp’s catering firm Curated by TPK. Nautiste’s beautiful portfolio of vessels consists of: the 72-foot, midcentury-era Patriot wrapped in polished mahogany; the New England-styled Independence, constructed within the Nineteen Seventies and newly restored in 2024; and the turquoise-toned American Pie — the latest addition to the Nautiste fleet, with room for six.

Baller choices — beginning at $2,875 and lasting two to 4 hours — embody: Golden Hour cruises, premium eating cruises, dockside receptions, and VIP itineraries.

The place: House ports on the Wharf (634 Wharf Avenue SW), with extra pick-up places in Navy Yard, Alexandria, Nationwide Harbor, and Mount Vernon.

Pendry on the Potomac

Pendry

The Wharf’s luxe Pendry resort affords company a captain-chartered Aviara cruise that’s accessible to the general public for the second 12 months. Parked in its personal slip proper out entrance of the Southwest Waterfront resort, onboard meals and beverage choices embody Champagne and caviar service equipped by Pendry’s culinary workforce. Bar choices, beer or wine, and appetizers may be personalized, relying on the events’ choice. Excursions close to and much embody spherical journeys to Nationals dwelling video games, sundown excursions, treks round Mt. Vernon and D.C. monuments, and an all-day journey to the Chesapeake Bay to identify marine life. Because it seems, dolphins use the Potomac and Bay as a nursery to delivery their calves — a uncommon occasion that occurs from mid-June to mid-August when the water is warmest. Kicking it up at full pace (35-40 knots), hat-holding patrons will jet downstream via Outdated City, Fort Washington, and Mt. Vernon and (hopefully) see the annual incidence.

Value: $2,000 (2 hours), $3,000 (3 hours); $4,600 (4 hours); $6,000 (6 hours); $7,000 (7 hours) for as much as six; reserve right here.

The place: Exterior of the Pendry (655 Water Avenue SW) on the Wharf Marina

Non-public Sizzling Tub Boat

Imagine it or not, it’s now attainable to delight in a effervescent scorching tub with 10 pals, be a DJ, and take in metropolis sights out on the water — . NYC-based Sea the Metropolis expanded its tricked-out celebration fleet on the Hudson all the way down to the Potomac for the primary time final spring. No meals is allowed, however 21-and-up passengers are permitted to convey alcohol (beer, wine, bubbly, or onerous seltzers solely) on board. The corporate supplies complimentary ice, coolers, cups, and water. As much as 20 can match on the boat directly, and the 10-person tub is outfitted with a Bluetooth-enabled sound system to create your personal set record.

There’s a personal room onboard for swimsuit costume modifications (together with a separate rest room). BYO towels or hire ones for $3-$6. Celebration favors embody personalized marquee boards, and the boat guarantees “attentive deckhands” on the prepared. There’s additionally VIP “Date Night time” experiences accessible. It’s no shock Netflix’s Love Is Blind filmed on the new tub boat in D.C.

The place: The Wharf Marina, 101 Market Sq. SW

Value: Beginning at $375 for a two-hour expertise