Captain Zach was an amazing driver/ host and made our trip memorable for me and the birthday crew.

We booked this boat ride for a birthday, so it was meant to be a special experience. Overall, the scenery was beautiful and the ride itself was enjoyable, but there were several issues that took away from what should have been a smooth private charter experience. The communication beforehand was not great. The driver texted me the night before around 7:45 PM, and when I replied immediately with concerns about the weather and rain, I didn't receive a response until after 10 PM. The email also stated that the driver would contact us 15-30 minutes before the reservation time, but that never happened. Our reservation was from 9:00-11:00 AM. When we arrived at 9:00, no one was there, so I had to text the driver myself. He responded saying he was getting the boat ready and putting gas in it. In my opinion, those things should have been done ahead of time so guests are properly greeted and the ride can begin on time. When we boarded, the seats and boat were still wet from the rain. Since it was chilly outside, sitting in wet seats for a two-hour ride left our clothes damp and uncomfortable. To give credit where it's due, the driver was friendly and enjoyable to talk to during parts of the ride. However, he also took phone calls during the charter, which felt distracting during what was supposed to be a private birthday outing. The biggest disappointment came on the ride back. The driver stopped to assist another boat that had already said help was on the way. He tied their boat to ours and pulled them in, which significantly took away from the private experience we had paid for. While helping others is kind, it felt inappropriate during a paid private charter, especially one booked for a birthday celebration. Additionally, the trip ran later than scheduled, and there was never any communication about the delay. Our reservation was clearly scheduled for 9-11 AM, and it shouldn't be assumed guests are okay with going over time simply because the ride started late. People may have plans afterward, and communication would have gone a long way. Overall, the lake itself was beautiful and parts of the experience were enjoyable, but the lack of communication, late start, wet boat, interruptions, and detour during our private charter made the experience fall short of expectations. read more

I booked a private boat for sunset to celebrate a special occasion, and the experience was disappointing. We had to wait because the captain was late dropping off the previous party and cleaning up. Even after that, the boat was not properly cleaned. The seats had cuts that collected water, so when we sat down our outfits got wet -- not what you expect when spending $700, especially for a special celebration. The ride itself and the sunset view were nice, but it was overshadowed by the poor condition of the boat and the way scheduling was handled. There should be enough time between trips to properly clean and prepare the boat. read more

Austin Rental Boats - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

Yeah, we had so much fun on their boats at the Mozart light festival! Our guide was Chris G. And he was awesome. All of the lights on Lake Austin were beautiful and I highly recommend! read more

Austin Rental Boats - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Zack is the best driver. Can't beat it. Highly recommend. Especially for the price, I highly recommend. read more

Austin Rental Boats - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

DEFINITELY WORTH IT As a new Texan living near the lake this was a supreme way to spend an evening~ Our "PINK" boat was a floating oasis of FUN Everyone contributed treats to our GNO on the Austin Boat Rental pontoon cruiser, just lovely evening watching the sunset on Lake Austin. our captain (sorry I can't remember his name) was delightfu, non obtrusive and let us girls (of different ages) be girls ‍‍‍ with NO EYE ROLLS @ our playlist If you need a group, family or GNO make a plan & call Austin Boat Rentals you won't regret it read more

Captain Dillon was the best! The sunset cruise was a great way to end the night and my family enjoyed every bit of it. Highly recommend! read more

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Austin Rental Boats are quick to respond, communicative, professional and ensure you have a great time on the water! Our captain Sebastian was an excellent driver, guide and host. He ensured we had a great time while being in a fun and clean part of the lake. He was flexible in extending our time by an hour and picking us up at Hula Hut (with paid check to use dock). We rented the 22 pax party barge (with slide!!!), we had about 15 people on the boat. I think it would have been comfortable with 18-19 people but wouldn't recommend doing the full 22 unless you want to squeeze while boating. The slide was a 10/10. Will definitely be back and request Sebastian again! read more

Austin Rental Boats - 22 pax party barge - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great activity Easy to find the dock Captain of our ship was great Highly recommend to anyone who is visiting the area read more

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Captain Zach was amazing!!!!!! You have to book with this group! They were extremely safe and made us feel like we knew them forever. I have no words for the experience! We also got lucky because the weather was perfect!!! Thank you Captain Zach! read more

Austin Rental Boats - Captain Zach! - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

Decided to book a last minute light tour and it did not disappoint. If you've been to Mozart's you know they go all out with their Christmas lights, but now you can enjoy them from the water while also cruising on the lake and seeing other lighted floats and decked out boats. Captain John was nice and offered lots of titbits of which celebs own a house and other cool facts. The hot coco and a variety of good songs, not just Christmas music was nice as well. read more

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This review is specifically for the Christmas lights. I am sorry but I was hoping I would like this. The boat ride and Sebastian were good but the entire light display was disappointing. There was not much to look at. I was expecting much more and this was apparently double what they did last year. For the price of this ride it is not worth it just to get on a boat and see a handful of lights. read more

Captain Chris was fabulous! So chill and fun and helped us out when our jet ski needed a tow. Great experience.

Was invited to go on a boat ride May 24th. I paid $100. It was booked under the name Shannon and the boat was a pink party barge. The captain pulled off the dock at the Hula Hut and went straight out from the dock and anchored. I asked him, we're not going to cruise at all? He said, no too much traffic. There wasn't any traffic. He was just lazy. I could swim back to the dock we were so close. He later moved to the Mozart side of the river and anchored right there. Wasn't worth my money. Demanding my money back. They said they needed the person who booked it to call in, but the rest of my friends were fine with not boating anywhere so they didn't bother calling. I still want my $100 back. I also called the company because I left my hat and sunglasses onboard. It's now June 20th, almost 1 month and they've been telling me they'll have a manager check and get back to me. no call back. Kept calling and had to ask for a manger. Her names Shannon. She told me sorry for the delay, my hat is in the office on her desk. I drove from Steiner to Hula Hut and asked the guys at the dock to get it. They checked the office and said they didn't see it. This company's so lazy and unorganized. Today Shannon says I'll text you tomorrow. Ugh! read more

Capt Mueller was a great host. Hot cocoa clean soft warm blankets. Fun and entertaining! Great music! Very attentive added to the overall experience. read more

We had such a great time on the Lake Austin Lights boat ride. Hot chocolate was delicious and our Captain Sebastian "Sea Bass" was awesome. This is something we wil be doing every year. So much fun and the lights were beautiful. read more

Awesome experience! Will definitely do this again! Our captain, Dylan was very friendly, personable and knowledgeable. We learned a lot and had fun! 10 outta 10! Highly recommend!! read more

Had the best day out on the lake! Chris was amazing- will be doing this again and highly recommend!

We did the boat tour for the Mozart Light's and it was great! We booked the shared tour, it's kept small which was nice. Kyle was our captain and he was wonderful. He pointed out some fun facts about a few of the homes and answered any questions we had. Overall. It was a very nice and chill 90 minute boat ride with some great views of the lights. read more

Christian was a pleasure. we appreciated him as captain and enjoyed the calm ride sounds the lake watching the Christmas lights.

Captain Chris was great on the Christmas lights boat tour. The voyage was perfect, hot cocoa yummy and wonderful lights to view.

Came to Austin for a bachelorette trip and he was a great guide and very safe driver. read more

Austin Rental Boats - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

Fantastic sunset cruise ! Very comfortable pontoon boat and Captain Chris was very professional. Took us through "Little Italy" beautiful & even romantic. Great value! read more

Great experience! Captain Jared rocks and it was a nice boat, cozy, blankets and hot cocoa... don't miss this!!! Worth every penny read more

Austin Rental Boats - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON CHRISTMAS LIGHT TOUR!!! Let me start by saying the people were very nice and fun. However there is no "light tour".... The boats just goes out and does a couple circles. The light tunnel can be seen from land so there's nothing spectacular there. If your kids are younger and have never been on a boat then they might enjoy it. For us it was an absolute waste of time and money. read more

We enjoyed our ride around the Mozart lake area and appreciated captain Sebastian's humor and kindness. Fun evening! read more

The holiday lights were pretty . Boat ride was fun. It was very picture worthy . I think 20 per person for the 45 min would be a little less steep than 30 with the fees but it was nice. The captain was very nice and told us some good history of the area. I like the blankets and hot cocoa with marshmallows. That was a nice touch and he made sure everyone was comfortable. It would be nice if they didn't cram the boats in though. They made us 4 people have to cram together into one seat area . I thought this was not nice considering the money we paid. Sorry but for 30 dollars don't cram us in like that. Crammed in like sausages read more

Austin Rental Boats was great! The booking process was super simple and they have a bunch of great add-ons available if wanted. I added ice/water ready to go in the coolers and pizza, waiting for us when we arrived. I rented a pontoon on Lake Austin but we got upgraded to a double-decker with no added charge. Our captain, Mason, was very knowledgeable about the area and was super helpful during our rental time. Parking is fairly limited if you're planning on driving. I would suggest a rideshare or getting there early to make sure you have enough time to find a spot. There's also a $5, cash-only fee per person to enter the boat ramp. read more

Lived in Austin for 2 years, always a great time on Austin Boat rentals! Mason & Randy are the absolute best!!!!

Pick location wasn't easily accessible. Boat seats were tore up from the Sun. Captain was friendly enough.

Everything!! The music, the ride and the boat were all great!! Thank you Brandon! Awesome! Will book another day!!

My family and I had the pleasure of going on a sunset tour tonight with Austin Rentals. It was so relaxing and fun. Highly recommend, worth every penny. read more

Brandon the Captain was great! so fun, flexible, and easy to work with, our team had a great time!

Would highly recommend Austin Boat Rentals. They were very flexible on scheduling and the instructions were easy to follow. Riggs was a great captain and made the trip a blast. He knew the lake well and even held the boat in place so the kids could fish. Ice chest with ice was appreciated. read more

5/5 amazing service and super friendly we had a great time!!! He showed us all of Austin and we had so much fun in the boat

Rented a boat for my 24th Birthday with some gal pals and it was INCREDIBLE! Captain Riggs was awesome and showed us some really beautiful spots. Only regret was not renting for longer read more

Turnkey experience - Captain Reed took care of everything! Memorable family outing and can't beat lake Austin - thank you team!!!

Captain will is king. 10/10 would recommend. Nice boat and took us to the perfect spots read more

Austin Rental Boats - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

Brandon G, great captain, very patient with our group. We had the best time. It was all of ours first time seeing the Christmas lights by boat, I highly recommend it. It's BYOB, just be sure no glass bottles, we all brought our Yetti's and some little mini bottles of alcohol. You can order food and coffee or hot chocolate. Highly suggest the mini bottles of peppermint schnapps to add to your hot chocolate. Taste just like a Peppermint Pattie. The light show is gorgeous, and such a wonderful way to spend a night with you friends and get in that holiday spirit! Absolutely love our Capetian. Wonderful experience. read more

Austin Rental Boats - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

We took advantage of Austin Rental Boats Mozarts/holiday Christmas show and had a wonderful time! Brandon was our captain (for the white Christmas light boat) and was outstanding. He sent a text message (much preferred vs a phone call) a few hours before our reservation to make sure all of our questions were answered. Our reservation was for a 6:50 departure, so I was a bit worried based on other reviews about parking. We skipped the main Mozarts parking lot that is actually a bit farther to walk to the Walsh boat launch than the free lot more to the west. To my pleasant surprise, parking was fairly wide open. It was a nice, short walk (in the dark though as there's no lighting in the area) to the pick up spot. The boat was festive, fun and just the right size for our group including our dog. Dogs are welcome as long as you book the entire boat. The short boat ride to Mozarts was pleasant and was done together with a few other Austin Rental Boats that were also all lit up, which added to the fun. We enjoyed the Mozart's show, but we all decided the best part was the fun of all being together on the boat. Ordering food and drinks from Mozart was easy. I'd suggest skipping the pre-order, fixed options as ordering exactly what you want directly through the captain from Mozarts is easy. Delivery to the boat after we ordered was also surprisingly quick. Highly recommend Austin Boat Rentals. We need to figure out another opportunity to do this as even just dinner out on the boat for the fun of it with no Mozarts would be fun. Thank you Brandon! read more

Austin Rental Boats - Boat Charters Near Me - Austin, Texas

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