Paid on the Night: the Fees a Miami Night Boat Trip Adds to the Fare

Why the fare is not the price

Every booking has a list of what the fare leaves out, and most of it is the usual: tips, parking, food. On a few Miami evenings that list holds a real charge, paid in person at the dock or the gate. It is not hidden; it is simply not in the number you see first. On a shared cruise it can add a fifth to the fare. On a private yacht it more than quadruples it.

We print each of these charges beside the fare wherever the tour appears, and call it "paid on the night". The table adds them up for two people, or for the group where the boat is priced as one.

Tips for the crew, drinks you buy and parking are extra on almost every boat, and are left out of the last column. The lowest fare here that buys a seat and nothing more to pay is Fiesta's twilight cruise from Bayside at $25.

The captain fee on a private boat

The private boat from the Miami River is the most-reviewed evening we list, and the one where the fee surprises people most. The fare is a per-person price that depends on your party and the boat: $52 a person is the price for two on the smallest one. Fuel, landing and facility fees are in it. The captain is not. U.S. Coast Guard rules require a captain on the charter, and the company charges US$70 per booking for the two hours.

That fee is paid on the night, and a tip for the captain is on top of it. One July traveller put it plainly in a review: be ready to pay and tip the captain on top of the rental. For two people on the smallest boat, $52 each becomes $174 before the tip. For a party of six, the same US$70 adds under $12 a head. The private boats and the yacht are compared side by side on private night boat tours.

The yacht: crew by the hour, marina and fuel

The private yacht night cruise is listed at $160 for a group of up to 13, for three hours. The booking's own exclusions then add the captain and crew at $100 an hour, a $100 marina fee and $100 for fuel. Over three hours that is $660 for the boat, not $160.

Split thirteen ways it is about $51 a head, close to a seat on the open-bar cruise. For four people it is $165 each. The yacht's marina is named on your ticket, not in the booking, and food and drinks are yours to bring. Ask before you book whether the crew fee runs for the full three hours or only the time under way.

The cash tip two sailings call required

Aqua Party Boat runs its sunset cruise and its karaoke cruise from Pier 3 at Venetian Marina. Both ask each guest for $10 in cash for the crew, and the booking calls it required, not optional. For two people that turns $47.20 a head into $114.40 for the pair, or $49 into $118. Bring small notes: the tip is cash, not card.

The company's true crime cruise, from the same pier, lists tips as excluded but names no figure. The Miami Aqua Tours cruises from Bayside list gratuity as extra too, with no amount. Tip what the evening deserved.

Bar, or bring your own

The other cost on the night is what you drink, and here the boats split three ways.

• The bar is in the fare. The open-bar night cruise from Bayside pours champagne, wine, beer and tinto de verano on the standard option; spirits need the premium one. The operator sets it at 21 and over.
• The bar sells drinks. The twilight, sunset, karaoke and skyline cruises sell drinks on board. Budget as you would for a bar.
• Bring your own. The private boat and the yacht let you bring drinks and food, with a cooler and ice waiting. So does the Wynwood pedal pub, with no glass.

Bringing your own is often the biggest saving on the night, and it is why the private boats work out cheaper than they look. What each evening includes is set out in what to expect on the night.

Not only the boats

Two evenings on land do the same thing. The farm-park ATV ride is listed at $15, and that is the park entrance only: the ride is $100 a person at the gate, plus a $100 cash deposit per ATV that you get back. What to know before the ATV rides covers that fare line by line. The club night's cheaper option leaves out the open bar and taxes, which are $50 at check-in.

How to compare two fares honestly

• Add the fees. Put the charge paid on the night next to the fare before you compare.
• Count your party. A fee per booking shrinks per head as the group grows.
• Price the drinks. An open bar or your own bottle can outweigh a cheaper fare.
• Carry cash. Tips and deposits on the night are cash.

The quick answers on refunds and fees are on the FAQs.

Boats where the night adds to the fare

2-Hour Miami Private Boat Tour: Skyline & Star Island

Your own boat and captain for two hours from a Miami River marina, at the hour you choose. Bring your own drinks; the cooler, ice and a Bluetooth radio are aboard.

From $52 per person + US$70 captain fee per booking, paid on the night

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Night Time: Yacht Experience through the Heart of Miami

Three hours at night on a private 50-foot yacht for up to 13, with LED lighting, a floating mat and your own music. Bring your own food and drinks.

Listed at $160 per group (up to 13) + crew $100 an hour, $100 marina fee and $100 fuel, paid on the night

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Miami: Karaoke Party Cruise with Drinks & Skyline Views

Two hours on Biscayne Bay from N Bayshore Drive with the microphones out, past the skyline and the homes of Millionaires Row, with a sound system and party lights.

From $49 per person + $10 cash tip a person, which the listing calls required

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