Private Miami Night boat tours give your party a boat and a captain of its own on Biscayne Bay after dark. You pick the hour and bring the drinks, and nobody else comes aboard. Each fare leaves out a charge paid on the night, and you see it here beside the price.
Priced per person but sold by the boat, from a Miami River marina: you choose the hour, the music and the drinks, and the captain chooses a safe route to Star Island. The $70 captain fee is extra.
From $52 per person + US$70 captain fee per booking, paid on the night
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
The yacht is yours for three hours after dark, with a sound system, a floating mat, champagne and room for 13. Budget for the crew by the hour, a marina fee and fuel on the night.
Listed at $160 per group (up to 13) + crew $100 an hour, $100 marina fee and $100 fuel, paid on the night
Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Your party, a licensed captain and the bay, from a marina on the Miami River. It costs $52 a person for two, plus a $70 captain fee per booking, with a cooler and ice for the drinks you bring.
See this tourIt is a boat and a captain for your party alone, for two or three hours after dark on Biscayne Bay. Nobody else boards. You choose the hour, bring your own drinks and play your own music, and the captain takes you past the skyline and the islands.
The private boat leaves from a marina on the Miami River, west of downtown. You spend 10 to 15 minutes in the river's no-wake zone, under the bridges, and then open out onto the bay. The yacht leaves from its operator's marina, named on your ticket, and the crew meets you at the entrance.
The fares look low next to a shared cruise, and that is the catch. Each is priced before a charge you pay on the night, so read the whole price before you compare.
The private boat's $52 is a price per person for two people on its smallest boat, and bigger boats cost more. The figure changes with your party and the boat you pick, so price it for your own group when you book. The yacht is $160 for up to 13 before its fees.
A shared cruise sails at its set time. On the private boat you pick the slot, so you can leave half an hour before sunset and come back in the dark. In June that means leaving around 7:45pm, and in December around 5pm.
The private boat has a Bluetooth radio and a cooler with ice. The yacht has a sound system, ice, water and a bottle of champagne. You bring everything else, which usually costs less than a bar on board.
Ask for Star Island, the port or a slow run along the skyline, and the captain plans it within the weather and the rules on the water. On the private boat the captain may anchor for about 20 minutes so you can swim, if conditions allow.
The fair comparison is the whole price for your group, on the night. Here it is for a couple.
| Private boat | Private yacht | Open-bar shared cruise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is aboard | Your party only, up to 10 | Your party only, up to 13 | Up to 150 strangers |
| The fare | $52 a person for two | $160 for the group | $50 a person |
| Paid on the night | $70 captain fee | Crew $100 an hour, marina $100, fuel $100 | Nothing but tips |
| Drinks | Bring your own | Bring your own; champagne aboard | Open bar |
| Length | 2 hours | 3 hours | A 2-hour booking, boarding included |
| When | You pick the hour | At night | After dark |
| A couple pays | $174 | $660 for the yacht | $100 |
For two people, the shared open-bar cruise costs less and pours the drinks. The private boat wins on freedom at any size, and for a bigger party its price per head moves with the boat you choose. See every shared option on the night boat tours page.
Our guide to what you pay on the night sets these totals beside every other night out, from the bus to the club.
Two hours from the Miami River with your own captain, rated 4.9 by 4,064 travellers. The detail page has the boat sizes, the times and what to bring.
See this tourPrice. The private boat's fare rises with the boat: $52 a person for two on the smallest, more on the 22-foot and 24-foot boats, and larger boats take up to 8 or 10. The yacht is one price for the group.
The paperwork. On the private boat the lead traveller signs a bareboat charter agreement and must be on board. The captain is chosen under U.S. Coast Guard rules.
Timing. Sunset is 8:14pm in mid-June and 5:32pm in mid-December. Leave half an hour before it for the light and the lit skyline in one trip. The sunset and weather by month has every month.
Getting there. The Miami River marina has no parking of its own; street parking is about two blocks away, so a rideshare is simpler. The yacht's marina is on your ticket. The meeting points map shows where the river marina sits.
Weather. The operators may cancel for bad weather and offer a new date or a full refund. Book with a spare evening in hand during hurricane season, from 1 June to 30 November.
Want to compare a shared seat as well? Every way to spend a Miami night is set out on Miami Night Tours.