Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Waterways Cruises operates year-round, rain or shine! If inclement weather should make it unsafe for the passengers, crew, or captain, the captain may choose to alter the cruise route, return to port during a cruise, or remain dockside for the length of the event. 

Cruises are rarely canceled. Customers will be notified at least 12 hours prior to a cancellation, except in the case of unexpected, severe weather which results in cancellation of a cruise while a vessel is underway. 

If a cruise is canceled, customers will be allowed to reschedule to another cruise free of charge. 

Private Charters – your contact will reach out to you with this information. 

All our vessels and dock are non-smoking and non-vaping, including all outer decks, in line with Washington State law and U.S. Coast Guard regulations. 

Only animals clearly meeting the definition of a service animal under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are permitted onboard our vessels. All other animals will be denied passage. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at least 3 business days before the date of your cruise. 

The ADA defines a service animal as any dog individually trained to work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability, as defined by the ADA. The work done or tasks performed by the service animal must be directly related to the handler’s disability. A “comfort”, “emotional support” or “therapy animal” does NOT meet the definition of a service animal. If the animal is not individually trained to do work or perform a task in support of a person with a disability, it is considered a “pet” under the ADA. All “pets” will be denied passage on Waterways Cruises. 

Individual ticket prices include a Port Charge, Fuel Surcharge, and Washington State sales tax. Any additional enhancements should be purchased separately. These charges are paid at the time your reservation is booked. 

Gratuity is appreciated but not expected. Prices and schedules are subject to change. 

Waterways Cruises offers reduced rates for seniors over 65 years of age and members of the military on most of our public cruises with the exception of some specialty cruises. Please check each cruise description for specific information in this regard. 

 If you are a member of the military, please present your military ID upon boarding your cruise. 

The Port Charge offsets a wide range of costs unique to a maritime business operation such as Waterways Cruises. This charge includes the use of public and private facilities used to operate Waterways’ cruises: fees, licenses, regulatory, environmental, and maritime security costs imposed on Waterways by local, state and federal agencies for regulating the marine environment. 

Service Charges go toward Cruise items such as flatware, linens, tables, glassware, and layouts of the boats.  

Service Charge is NOT Gratuity. 

Your ticket price does NOT include a Gratuity. 

If you have enjoyed the cruise experience and purchased additional items onboard, gratuities for our hardworking staff are always greatly appreciated! 

A Gratuity in the range of 15% to 20% of the cost of your tickets and any onboard purchases is appropriate. Gratuities may be paid in cash, added to your credit card payment for onboard purchases, or paid at the time of making your reservation. 

Some customers prefer to pay their ticket gratuity in cash while on board. 

Waterways Cruises offers a cashless cruising experience. Only Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and debit cards can be used for onboard purchases.  

Some customers like to bring cash to tip, however, cash CANNOT be used for onboard purchases.  

The hope is to simplify the experience for our guests to avoid the need to carry cash and to reduce transaction time at the bar and at the end of each cruise. 

All purchases are final. All payments are non-refundable. 

The only possible way to receive a refund is through purchase of Ticket Assurance. Ticket Assurance is purchasable during booking – this ensures full refunds in the event that you need to cancel your cruise. Should you need to cancel, Waterways must be contacted at least 2 hours prior to the event time. 

Without Ticket Assurance, cruise reservations may be rescheduled by the purchaser with advance notice of at least five business days prior to the cruise date. If purchaser must reschedule within the five-day period prior to the cruise date, a reservation change fee of $25 per person will be incurred. 

All reservations for special events and holiday cruises are final and will not be refunded or rescheduled. 

Should Waterways cancel a cruise for any reason, the purchaser will be contacted by phone/email and can rebook the cruise on another date. In this event, a reservation change fee is not required to be paid at the time of rebooking. 

Ticket Assurance protects your financial investment of the tickets, including taxes and fees – should you not be able to attend for any reason. 

Purchasing Ticket Assurance is the only way to receive a refund on a Waterways Cruise.  

Ticket Assurance must be exercised at least 2 hours prior to your departure. 

Cruise reservations may be rescheduled by the purchaser with advance notice of at least five days prior to the cruise date, without a reservation change required. If the purchaser must reschedule within the five-day period prior to the cruise date, a reservation change fee of $25 per person will be incurred.  

All reservations for special events and holiday cruises are final and will not be refunded or rescheduled. 

You can purchase tickets online or by phone. Waterways’ office hours are limited during this time, but someone will be available to respond to emails Monday – Friday. Our email address is:  [email protected] or you may leave a voicemail by calling our office at 206-223-2060. 

Payment is required in full at the time of the reservation. Tickets may be purchased using Visa, MasterCard, Discover credit, debit cards or a Waterways Cruises gift card. 

Tickets must be purchased in advance and are required for all public dining cruises. We do not offer same-day ticket purchases. Tickets may not be purchased on premises. Some Specialty cruises may allow for purchase of tickets day-of-cruise. 

You will receive a confirmation emailed to the email address provided at the time of purchase. The confirmation will provide all cruise information including a map, the Departure Location, the Boarding Time, and Departure Time. 

Please be prepared to present your email confirmation upon boarding. 

Be sure and check your confirmation for the Departure Location and Boarding Time to assure that you arrive at the correct departure port on time for your cruise! 

There are no refunds or rescheduling options if you miss your cruise. Please arrive early for boarding and plan accordingly. 

We recommend business casual to dressy attire for our Dinner Cruises and Special Event Cruises, as many of our guests celebrate their special occasions onboard. 

Attire is at the discretion of the guest. 

As it may be breezy on the open-air decks, we recommend that you bring a light jacket or sweater on all cruises in the event you wish to enjoy the sights from the open-air decks. 

Waterways yachts are stable, gentle vessels. It is very rare for a guest to become sick, particularly since we cruise on the calm, interior waters of Lake Washington and Lake Union. 

If you are sensitive to motion sickness, we recommend that you take advantage of preventative measures that are available to you. 

Our boats are accessible to those with limited mobility but are not ADA compliant due to the unique nature of the marine environment. There are raised thresholds throughout the vessel that require guests to take a step or two. 

Staff will be on hand to help guests with limited mobility. We can accommodate guests in wheelchairs if they are portable and collapsible and guests are able to take a few assisted steps onto the vessel. However, the upper decks of some of our vessels may not be accessible for wheelchairs.  

Restrooms are located on the lower level on all vessels but are not certified ADA accessible.  

There is a decent sized walk and staircase from the parking lot to the dock. Please keep this distance in mind if you have any mobility issues. 

Please call 206-223-2060 during regular business hours if you have any questions. 

Children are welcome aboard our family-friendly cruises, such as our Weekend Brunch, Sunday Supper, and select Special Events cruises. There is a small fee of $2.00 for Children 4 and under as all passengers must have a boarding ticket and be accounted for. Please select ticket option Child (4 and under) when making your reservations.  Also, please request a highchair if needed when making a reservation. 

Our Dinner Cruises are designed for a more elegant experience and are restricted to guests who are 13 and older. 

Additionally, select cocktail and party cruises are restricted to guests who are 21 and over. 

Yes, you will be seated at your own private table, with location depending upon the size of your party. 

All standard public dining cruise tickets include a private table. There is pre-assigned table seating on all our dining cruises and some Special Event Cruises.  

Some Special Event Cruises offer limited cocktail-style seating rather than private tables. 

We assign seats based on customer needs, requests, and the capacity for each cruise. 

Each dining cruise has window seating and non-window seating. Window tables are first come first serve – purchasing a guaranteed window table ensures your party will receive one. Depending on cruise bookings and party sizes, some cruises will offer more window tables than others.  

You can guarantee placement of your party at a window table at the time you complete your reservation online by paying for a guaranteed window table upgrade. 

Yes. If you have multiple guests of your party booking separately, and would like to be seated together, please include a common party name in the “Party Name to be seated with” section while making your reservation. We will be sure to seat your guests together at your Private Table. 

Yes. Our vessels are regulated and certified by the U.S. Coast Guard. All crew are licensed and trained, as required by the USCG, to ensure everyone’s safety. Life preservers and all lifesaving equipment, including child-size life vests are onboard as required. 

The U.S. Coast Guard requires that all passengers over age 18 have valid photo identification. 

Waterways public dining cruises depart from Lake Union Piers on South Lake Union.  

901 Fairview Ave N., Seattle, 98109. 

Some special events may have a different departing location. Be sure and check your confirmation and ticket for the Departure Location and Boarding Time! 

Boarding Time is the earliest you and your guests may board the vessel. It is typically 30 minutes before Departure Time. 

Departure Time is the time of the cruise’s departure from the Departure Location. Passengers must board the vessel by departure time as the yacht will leave promptly at Departure Time. The yacht will not wait for passengers who have not boarded by Departure Time. There are no refunds for missing your cruise. 

You are free to board your cruise any time after the scheduled Boarding Time until Departure Time. We recommend allowing plenty of time for parking and getting to the vessel. Please plan accordingly. 

Your cruise leaves promptly at the listed Departure Time and passengers will not be able to board once the vessel is underway. 

A wide range of handcrafted cocktails, wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages are available for purchase during your cruise from our full-service bars.  

Please bring a valid ID if you would like to purchase alcoholic beverages onboard. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and debit.  

Gift cards and cash cannot be used toward the purchase of drinks on board. 

All Standard Cruises, as well as some Specialty Cruises, include food.  Menus can be found in your cruise description on the Waterways Website.  

Depending on cruise type, food can range from small bites to full coursed dinners. You can find this information in your cruise description on our website. 

You can change your dinner entree up to 2 business days prior to your cruise departure as we must communicate these changes to our kitchen staff. 

Please call our office at 206.223.2060 during normal business hours or email for assistance. 

If you have food allergies or dietary restrictions, please let us know in advance, and we will do our best to accommodate your requests. If booking online, please list any dietary restrictions or concern in the Dietary Restrictions section on the booking page.  

Please ensure any and all dietary restrictions and allergies are noted upon booking otherwise we may not be able to accommodate these restrictions due to maritime boat kitchen size.  

Yes. Vegetarian and vegan options are described on each menu. Please check menus on cruise description pages before booking. If you have questions, you may call 206.223.2060 during normal business hours or email for assistance. 

Waterways’ gift cards may be purchased online. Gift cards can be applied toward the purchase of tickets for any public Waterways cruise. 

You can redeem your gift card online or by phone. Our email address is [email protected] or you may leave a voicemail by calling our office at 206-223-2060. 

Gift cards are only valid for purchase of tickets and cannot be used for on-board purchases.  

Gift cards are NOT valid for on board service. Gift Cards may only be used toward purchase of tickets. 

Cakes that do not require refrigeration are allowed to be brought onboard. Your server will cut and serve the cake when you are ready. A cake cutting fee of $2.00 per person will be charged. The cake cutting fee for wedding or tiered cakes is $3.00 per person. 

Please call 206-223-2060 at least 72 hours prior to your cruise to make arrangements for this service. 

For cake purchases, we are happy to offer cake for your celebration! Cakes are available for purchase during ticket booking and serve up to 6 people. We offer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting or white cake with vanilla frosting. Orders must be placed at least 72 hours prior to your cruise departure time. 

Some cruises do not offer purchase of cakes and party packages. 

Waterways’ office hours are limited during this time, but someone will be available to respond to emails Monday – Friday. The best way to reach us outside of office hours is via our email address at [email protected] or you may leave a voice mail by calling our office at 206-223-2060. 

Typically, we depart from our homeport at 901 Fairview Ave N in South Lake Union. We also offer other departure locations that extend beyond this – if you have any questions or want more information, please contact your sales representative. 

You can find our departure locations here: https://waterwayscruises.com/departure-ports/  

No, gift cards are only available to use for public cruises. 

Your charter costs do NOT include a Gratuity. Gratuity of 18% or higher is recommended. You can discuss gratuity with your private sales contact as gratuity cannot be paid on board the vessel.  

Cakes that do not require refrigeration are allowed to be brought onboard. Your server will cut and serve the cake when you are ready. A cake cutting fee of $2.00 per person will be charged. The cake cutting fee for wedding or tiered cakes is $3.00 per person.

Please call 206-223-2060 at least 72 hours prior to your cruise to make arrangements for this service. 

Please send us an email at [email protected] or contact us at 206-223-2060 and leave a voice mail for answers to any additional questions. Waterways’ office hours are limited during this time, but someone will be available to respond to emails and voice mail messages Monday – Friday from 9:30 – 4:00 p.m.