Private Sunset Charter on a Vintage Lobster Boat with Drinks
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Portland, USA
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Looking for a romantic way to watch the sunset while in Maine? How about chartering a vintage lobster boat and heading out to Casco Bay, where you'll take in great views of the sea and coastline. Your captain and guide will be on board to point out lighthouses, historic forts, and natural features. A round of drinks is included to toast the sunset with, but more beverages are available to purchase onboard.
- Private charter with a knowledgeable captain-guide leading the way
- Purchase craft beer, hard seltzers, and wine on board after your first included drink
- Sail into the sunset with this romantic private charter
- An eco-friendly composting toilet on board keeps this excursion comfortable
What's Included
- Licensed Captain
- Bottled water
- Cooler, glassware, plates, & utensils for guest use
- Restroom on board
- All Fees and Taxes
- Alcoholic BeveragesEnjoy a local Portland, Maine beer or a glass of wine on us!
- Soda/PopNon-alcoholic beverages are available for kids or anyone who prefers an alternative
- Private Charter for up to 6 guests (cost is a flat rate)
- Local Guide
- Parking in Portland's Old Port
- Gratuity for your Guide
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Gilberts Chowder House92 Commercial St, Portland, ME 04101, USA
Meet at the back of the parking lot between Gilbert’s Chowder House and Dry Dock in Portland’s Old Port. Arrive 20 mins early to find parking. Wait at the top of the boat ramp next to Boone’s Fish House & The Porthole deck. Your deckhand will meet you at the ramp just before tour time
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Casco Bay (Pass By)
Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse (Pass By)
Bug Light Park (Pass By)
Portland Head Light (Pass By)
Fort Gorges (Pass By)
Peaks Island (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Jason_H
Our favorite part of the honeymoon! You must take this tour! Captain Nick and Tristen were the best! Super comfortable tour with drinks and plenty of Portland history! I cannot recommend this tour enough! So worth it! We would like to come back and take it again!
Reviews
4.9
based on 40 reviews
Michael_M, Aug 2025
It was an outstanding tour! First mate and Captain were the best. Very scenic tour and relaxing. Highly recommend it. Score big points with your date.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thanks so much, Michael! We’re thrilled to hear the cruise was a hit — and love that it earned you some extra points with your date! Scenic, relaxing evenings on Casco Bay are hard to beat, and our crew will be glad to know they helped make it memorable. We appreciate the recommendation and hope to see you back aboard soon!
Mercedes_B, Oct 2024
Best way to see the coastline and lighthouses in Portland! It was nice having the tour all to ourselves. Our guide was very informative and knowledgeable. The boat was nice and clean, and they provided a speaker for us to play our music and blankets. A great experience, definitely recommend!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you, Mercedes! We’re so glad you enjoyed the sunset cruise and had the boat all to yourselves — it’s one of the best ways to take in Portland’s coastline and lighthouses. We love adding those thoughtful touches like music and blankets to make it extra comfortable. Thanks for the recommendation — we’d love to welcome you back aboard!
Jason_H, Oct 2024
Our favorite part of the honeymoon! You must take this tour! Captain Nick and Tristen were the best! Super comfortable tour with drinks and plenty of Portland history! I cannot recommend this tour enough! So worth it! We would like to come back and take it again!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Jason, we’re honored to have been a highlight of your honeymoon — that means the world to us! Captain Nick and Tristan had a great time with you both, and it’s wonderful to hear the tour struck the right balance of comfort, local flavor, and Portland history. Thanks for the glowing recommendation — we’d love to have you back aboard anytime!
James_G, Oct 2024
This experience was amazing! We just got married and this was the first time where we just got to sit back and relax since the wedding. Captain Zach and Deckhand Lauren were incredible! They showed us all the lighthouses and were knowledgeable! They answered all our questions. We really enjoyed our time with each other and the crew on the boat!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Congratulations, James — and thank you for spending such a special post-wedding moment with us! We’re so glad you and your partner could kick back, relax, and take in the beauty of Casco Bay with Capt. Zack and Lauren. They’ll be so happy to hear your kind words. Wishing you both all the best in your new chapter — we’d love to welcome you back for an anniversary cruise someday!
Denise_K, Oct 2021
Mike and Nick did a great job of safely taking us around the Bay. It started out as a completely cloudy afternoon but the clouds broke open as we were at Cape Elizabeth. They were informative and answered all of our questions. We had pre-ordered food and it was a relaxing and beautiful evening seeing all of the Bay, the islands, the lighthouses, and the sunset from the water. I would highly recommend this experience for a romantic getaway or for a family experience like ours.
Shelley_K, Oct 2020
We had a fabulous experience during our sunset cruise. Our guides name was Matt who is a recent college grad and has lived in Portland his whole life. He had an abundance of information about every landmark, lighthouse, island, and old boats we passed. We were happy they had beverages on board so we could enjoy a beer too.
Response from Host, Oct 2020
Thank you for joining us! We are thrilled you had a great time and will pass your comments along to Matt.
Brenda_D, May 2019
We had an awesome time on our sunset charter. Nick & Mathew where very friendly and very knowledgeable of the history & current happenings of the area as well as the wildlife. The boat was extremely clean. We highly recommend this charter if you want to see and learn about the bay and islands from the water perspective.
Response from Host, May 2019
Thanks for joining us, guys! Loved having you on board.
Terry S, Aug 2017
I booked this trip online after reading reviews. I was still apprehensive because one never knows. I am going to tell you - STOP WORRYING about this personal tour! The rebuilt boat is spotless and beautiful. The bench is comfortable and could seat 3-4. Folding chairs are perfectly comfortable for the tour. We brought snacks with us but were too excited by the beauty around us to eat. We asked many questions of our guide that were easily answered. It was a cloudy evening, so try as we might, the sunset didn't cooperate, but other spectacular sights did. The private tour was more than I hoped it would be for our family. The guide and the captain were personable and intuitive. They wanted us to enjoy our evening out. We walked away that evening with a better sense of thr islands, wildlife, and waters around Portland. Do not hesitate to take this quiet tour and make it what YOU want!
Jae S, Aug 2017
Our charter was at the end of July 2017, a group of four including myself. Our pick-up point was the Water Taxi pick-up/drop-off, which is located right behind the big, red buoy in the Bell Buoy Park and next to the Casco Bay Terminal parking garage off Commercial St. The pickup point is shared by different water taxi boats, with lots of customers, so you might be a bit anxious waiting for the right boat. But just look for the ship's name MONHEGAN, and ignore the rest!
The Monhegan arrived as expected, and on time. The pilot John? and the guide Matthew warmly welcomed us onboard with helping hands, and provided us with comfortable, dry seating. Excellent! Matthew sat down with us with a map and gave us an overview of our trip, which was great. I really appreciated the personal attention from our guide, who actively gave us information and insights on the different locations we were passing by lighthouses, big ships, various sights around us.
Upon entering open waters outside the harbor, the boat got caught up for a few minutes in rough waters. I started to get queazy, and let the crew know. Matthew made a snap decision to skip the open waters, and head back towards the islands for calmer cruising. He offered me cold seltzer water to see if it'd help, and also asked John to drive the boat to avoid rolling as much as possible I felt he made a noticeable effort to do so. All of this was helpful in my seasickness going away, and I was able to enjoy the rest of the charter without further problems.
In lieu of the open waters, we stayed longer around the islands. This gave us a chance to tour the summer homes on the islands, as well as to look for ospreys and bald eagles. We were lucky enough to find 2 bald eagles sitting by their nest. On the way back, we also encountered a group of seals perched on a tiny rock island! And all the while, we had an amazing sunset and very colorful clouds all the overcast gray had magically disappeared once we cast off. What exuberance!
Some tips for this trip:
1 Park at Casco Bay Terminal Parking Garage, which is right next to the pick-up/drop-off point. If that garage is full, park at DiMillo's Restaurant parking lot open to public it's the next closest lot available. Prices are about the same. Just forget about street parking on the opposite side of Commercial St -- it's impossible to find a spot.
For those that might experience sea-sickness, 2 Eat well before the cruise, and 3 take a dose of Dramamine when you eat. And though there are lots of restaurants on Commercial St, they are pretty much all packed solid, so do leave plenty of time for it.
4 Bring a light jacket or sweater, because it will get chilly heading back into the harbor, even in the dead of summer. That's Maine for you!
5 Sunglasses are a must.
Conclusion:
The tour description says folks could bring their own food and drinks, but I found it to be nearly impossible to eat, not only because I was a little seasick but that there was no time to focus on food. We were relatively busy listening to the guide and looking at different sights, that it would have been difficult or very impractical to have a meal.
About the Monhegan: The boat was clean and orderly, and the engine running quietly and smoothly. Matthew made sure we were seated comfortably in dry seats 3 to a bench at the rear of the boat, plus 1 folding chair. The Monhegan does have clear plastics that can be rolled down and zipped together tight to keep out the winds. Matthew did exactly that on one side of the boat while heading back in. Engine fumes are directed away completely so you won't smell anything that might make you sick if you're sensitive to exhaust fumes. No complaints at all, the boat was impeccable!
This trip was memorable, and it's sure to become a part of our family lore and storytelling. The skies turned out absolutely beautiful that evening, and we were enthralled by the whole experience. Although we rolled a little in the rough waves in that one instance, I felt the pilot and the guide took firm measures to keep the rest of our trip a success. The personal attention and detailed guiding are very much appreciated, my hats off to Matthew! And for the effort on John's part to keep the ride as smooth as possible, thanks! If one had the option to request specific individuals on the charter cruise, I'd say, request Matthew and John most definitely! This rates as one of the most memorable boat outings of my life, and I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone visiting Portland, Maine.
From $407.40
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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