My family and I went on the Black Raven Pirate Ship for the Rum Runners show last Saturday night. We were aware that it was going to be a more adult scene but we were unaware of how crude the humor would be. There were F bombs dropped every other word and no actual pirate acting or show. We were very disappointed with how the cruise turned out. It was very underwhelming pirate wise, and very overwhelming language wise. read more

The show was entertaining and drinks were not bad and were quick. An overall nice experience.

My husband and I went on this ship for the New Year Eve's 2023 celebration. This event was a total waste of our time and money. If you're looking to party/dance, this is not the event for you. It was by far the lamest NYE celebration I've attended. The music was horrible for an event like this. The entire ship basically rode on a taxi ride around the river, had drinks (no buzz for me) and ate a little food. At midnight we had a glass of champagne. My friend didn't even have a glass, because they ran out. The staff on the ship made sure they had a glass of champagne to bring in the New Year. Not happy we spent $75 to be bored on NYE. read more

I brought my children to see this show on Thursday June 22 and was severely disappointed... This show was not up to the caliber I was expecting... Whoever is in charge of the talent for this company must hate their job, it was that bad. The lady pirate sang a completely inappropriate song about having threesomes and a different lover in each town... I felt insulted and disgusted and I don't understand how she could be comfortable saying those words in front of children.... "I can have a man in every town" "I take those lads two at a time" ... What kind of business sends that message to children??!! One of the pirates said he's been there for two months but he performed like it was his first day on the job... He was visibly nervous and looked completely lost the whole time. The show had an overall inappropriate, uncoordinated and amateur feeling to it... I'd give 0 stars if I could leave a review with that. I hope this isn't what this experience is supposed to be...​ read more

My husband Jason and I are relatively new to the St. Augustine area (we recently moved to be closer to family) and are always in search of a novel good time. We found it on 10/19/19! We set sail on the Black Raven for the first time this last Saturday, and had such a wonderful experience that we will be making this a fun date night from now on. Where else in the world can you dress up like a pirate (I mean, only if you want to, it's definitely pretty casual--no costume required!), throw back a few delicious mixed drinks, and enjoy the show? I was honestly surprised by how well-priced the drinks were--they could have charged an arm and a leg, as you're a captive audience, (I mean, they are pirates after all!), but they don't! Their drinks are tropical, varied, and our party tried several different ones. We laughed, we drank, we cheered, we sang. When other passengers made poor choices, they handled them professionally and the show went on. I was shocked at how steady and even the ship was! We had bad weather the day before and it even rained that morning, but the ship was pretty darn steady. And I'd know--I tend to get sea sick, but I didn't even come close. If you love bawdy pirate humor, rum, the sea, cheer, charm, and good fun (and maybe want to dress like a pirate yourself!) you should absolutely consider visiting the Black Raven. read more

If I could give more stars, I would. The staff is super friendly from check in, to the boat, and the bartender. The staff is amazing. This sorta thing is about having fun, and audience participation. The more you participate, the more fun you WILL have. They offer 21+ cruises for those looking to get away from kids in the area. The 21+ cruise has more adult humor/fun. They have traded to face painting to "anywhere you want anatomically correct painting". Hahahahaha! It's so much fun, we came back the next day to go again! Can't wait to come back next year for the pirate invasion. read more

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Let me start out by saying that I'm not one to do reviews on businesses, I like to think that the public can make up there own mind, but, on 10/19/2019 my wife and I were in St Augustine finishing up on our 25th wedding anniversary, my wife ask if we could do the adult pirate cruise which I agreed to. We started the evening with dinner at Harry's restaurant, then we went to the local shop that sold tickets for different adventures, we ask if the ship was still taking own new passengers or was it sold out, the employee there told me he would have to check with the ship because we had bad weather the day before and the morning of the 19th, he called and spoke with a man by the name of G, I guess that is a pirate name who knows. The ship was sailing so we bought tickets. As I mention, we boarded the ship with about 20 to 25 guest and 6 crew members, we were half way into the cruise and one of the employees ask the guest who was celebrating birthday's or anniversary's tonight, I raised my hand, she went on and joked / made fun of different things about birthdays, then she looked at me and asked how many years we are celebrating? I replied 25years, some people clapped and I got up to high five the guests around the center of the boat, while I was cutting across the center of the deck to reach the people on the other side I accidently step on the foot of an employee as I passed by, I seen her in my peripheral vision falling backwards after she lost her balance, my protective instinct was to reach my right arm out to stop the fall or help her not to fall. When she stood back up, I continued with the high fiving of the guest, then I sat back down next to my wife and continued to watch the show. I looked to my left and seen the young lady standing there and I felt compelled to apologize for stepping on her foot and I ask if she was ok, she replied that she was fine and its ok. My wife and I then continued with our conversation, a short time after the captain of the ship ask to speak with me, my first thought is he wants to make fun of our anniversary so I complied to follow him to the upper deck, we were alone on this deck with all of the passengers on the main deck watching the show, he ask me what was my version of what happen, I looked confused and replied what are you taking about, he said with the girl down below, I said Oh, nothing at all I just stepped on her foot and she lost her balance so I attempted to stop her from falling, his reply to me was *that is not how it looked to me,* I said *excuse me* she fell and I was trying to help her so she would not hit her head on the steal steps, he replied the same comment again to me, I replied back and said this conversation is over so have a nice night, then I returned to my wife on the main deck and told her what he said, she was obviously was confused why he would ask such a question. The captain then returned to me and requested that I sit alone on the upper deck, at this point he was just making me and my wife upset, I asked why it is required that I sit on the upper deck, he said it was for crew safety, now I'm really offended, we/I am not a threat to anyone, I was just trying to catch the employee before she hit the steal railing, the captain stated that he would not move the boat until I was on the upper deck, my wife and I did not want to make scene so we followed his instruction and proceeded to the upper deck. When the ship docked I requested to speak with the captain and he ask if we good speak on the dock, so my wife and I proceeded to the dock, low and behold as I stepped on the dock we were greeted by 2 police officers, I started explaining again to the captain what happen and he refused to listen, the police ask us to just leave so we again complied, after walking down the dock the 2 policemen ran up to us and one of them put his hand on my chest and requested my ID, I explained that we did nothing wrong and ID was not warranted he threatened us with jail if we did not comply. This is something I will take up with that department, for now my wife and I will file complaints, reviews and reverse the credit card charges for this trip. read more

We booked the nights of lights tour. Family of five drove an hour and a half in traffic we were arriving at check in time when they called telling us it was canceled for short cuts. Not very friendly not very nice told me to call my third-party booking to get a refund nothing else they're gonna do too bad pretty much. I understand things happening but your call at check-in time as we're driving into the parking lot after an hour and a half drive and you're not going to compensate at all anything or even apologize? She was actually pretty short with me over the phone and didn't seem to care too much. Oh well read more

Don't waist your money! My husband and I went on the adult evening cruise on our last day of our stay in st augustine celebrating 25 years of marriage. They treated us terribly, drinks were over priced. I ordered a michelob ultra and was given a warm can beer. The adult humor was vulgar and disgusting, not even in good taste. read more

Amazing! My son was thrilled to see a "real pirate ship." The staff was friendly, knowledgeable (the interesting kind), and entertaining. This is definitely geared towards children and I loved it! Don't let this post make you think that an adult couldn't enjoy it. They made jokes that entertained the children and jokes that only the adults would get. This was a perfect afternoon that my son enjoyed, and he couldn't stop talking about it. Upfront I thought it was pricey, but now that I've done it, I'll say that it was worth every penny and then some. read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - Bars Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

I think this is a great experience for kids but a bit rough for adults. The singing non stop can be a bit much. I would highly recommend they add a background soundtrack so the singers don't have to sing the entire trip. It was a bit hard to understand what they were saying half the time too. Also, there should be complimentary water on a hot ship in FL. $2 a bottle is ridiculous. Only the kids get cupcakes too so don't bring your appetite. It's definitely a fun kids experience like I said, but they could at least make it somewhat enjoyable for the adults too. read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - Bars Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

Went there with the family and Had an amazing time , the kids loved it . Will definitely recommend as a family activity

I give it five stars because my kids loved it. Don't go if you don't have kids then it's way too hokey. For adults they sell some fun drinks and they had pretty bartender. They use two ships and kids liked the little prize they got. Kids prepared for fights with rubber swords, Kind of funny. read more

We just finished the Treasure Hunt tour- the pirates half-assed their playing parts and the one male pirate was making crude jokes with many young kids on board and said to excuse him because he had been drinking since 8am- WOW! The "show" was lame and the only kids having fun were the ones that bought swords ahead of the tour and were sword fighting- glad someone found some fun! Only saving grace was it was a beautiful night on the water. Don't waste your money on this! read more

Are you tired of all those "other" pirate ships who help you out with your pirate music video projects? C'mon. You know what I'm talking about, right? You spend hours each day e-mailing pirate ships, asking them to help out with a pirate rap video and all you get are questions like "why would pirates rap?" You've had this problem too, right? Right?! Well, my friend, your search ends at the Black Raven Pirate Ship. Not only did they agree to help out with my pirate rap video, they provided me with a large number of scurvy extras to fill the frame up. They were friendly and an absolute joy to work with. The ship is pretty darn big and cuts through the waters of St. Augustine with grace. Purists will argue that it isn't a legit pirate ship because it has an engine. They are right but I do not give a damn because I've got music videos to film and can't be waiting on mother nature to send me wind. Thanks for a great time, Black Raven. read more

If you've ever wanted to be a pirate, then set sail on the Black Raven. If you're craving something more authentic, you'd have to invent a time machine...good luck. read more

I've been wanting to take my 6 year old son on this pirate ship so with my step daughter in town it was the perfect opportunity. It was a jolly good time, the pirates were interactive & engaging with the children, a full bar in the ship is an added bonus for the grown ups. The price initially seemed steep, $112 for 2 adults & 2 children, but with the little face painting, treasure chest gifting & the length of the tour it felt justified once we left the ship. Note: there are online deals for this but you have to call & schedule 2 weeks ahead so DO NOT buy that day anticipating using the voucher. We almost made that dire mistake but luckily (and for the first time in my life) I read the small print. read more

Great experience with a good price. Drinks onboard for parents and the kids had a great time and so did we! Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to get on the water with some entertainment! read more

We all had such a blast on the Black Raven Pirate Ship excursion. Remains to be one of those childhood memories my kids continue to reference. The staff was energetic and entertaining and really captured everyone's imagination. My kids still randomly repeat some of the same silly jokes they heard that day without even consciously realizing the origination. We were able to move around along the journey to different seats and viewpoints from the ship and try out different vantage points along the way. I can't share all the special moments and secrets for fear that Captain Jack or Dred Roberts might come kidnap me and force me to walk the plank. But one of the unexpected highlights was encountering our costumed pirate crusaders in a local eating and drinking establishment following the adventure and getting to interact with them in a casual environment. From the mom perspective it was hilarious seeing my sons fully embrace these pirate characters and become like their first mates; adopting various qualities and quirks and pirate phrases while giggling the whole time. I've done lots of fun things with my kids over the years but this was among our favorites. Safe to say every moment of this experience was a Jolly Roger good time! Highly recommend! If there was ever a mom moment in time I could go back to and relive this day would surely be in the top ten! read more

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HORRIBALE CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! I booked the treasure hunt adventure with the Black Raven online for my 5 year old grandson during his spring break. We drove 45 minutes from Jacksonville FL just to do this one thing. When we went to check in the woman behind the desk told us it was cancelled because there were not enough people. Nobody called to inform us of the cancellation. She acted like she didn't even know we had scheduled this online. So, we showed up there for nothing. There was no; I'm so sorry, what can we do to make you happy, can we rebook you...nothing!!! She could have cared less. She did inform me that if we wanted a private cruise it would cost $3,000.00. We left with my grandson in tears. I should have read the other yelp reviews for I booked, it would have saved our family a lot of grief. read more

We took our 6 year old on this ship as a special treat on vacation. The pirates were funny and some of the jokes were geared to the adults. They were great with kids and even sang to her for her birthday. The kids each got a treasure chest to take home. There is a full bar for the adults. All in all it was a nice change of pace than just going to the beach. We even saw a pod of dolphins while we were out. read more

Black Raven Pirate Ship - Bars Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

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Cheesy to the max. Bartender was slow. Took forever to get drinks. We tried to tip the pirates to pull our bachelorette friend on stage and embarrass her only to be told "this isn't about you" Note: there were not 1 but 2 bachelorette parties on board so about Half the ship was there for this type of bachelorette fun. read more

Great experience. Since Covid it seems they have blended the two excursions together so until in open waters it's a little child play with a skit that goes on until the open bar is opened. Once opened it's free for all to explore the deck and the ship. Beautiful ship and the actors are amazing. Great drinks and snacks and good conversations. Definitely a fantastic experience. read more

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICES! Rescheduled on us two days in a row for our booked reservations, called only two hours before. not a easy thing to explain to a excited 5 year old on vacation. employee showed zero empathy and seemed bothered when I asked questions. DO NOT COUNT ON THIS EXPERIENCE FOR YOUR VACATION! read more

We went on the cruise with our 10 year old son. Unlike a lot of the reviewers who found it cheesy we enjoyed the entertainment. The pirates were funny and sang amusing songs. Most of the kids were given instruments to participate. You just have to go with an open mind. Our son loved the sword fight. They do have a bar on board, just don't plan on using your American Express even though that's how you can pay online for tickets. All of the kids on board seemed to enjoy the face painting. I would have given this 4 stars however the 2nd boat was out of commission so there was no pirate battle at sea. If that's what is being advertised then that's what the price should be for. If a big part of the show isn't working then there should be a discount. read more

Not sure what I was expecting, but it definitely wasnt this. Small boat for over 100 people on new years, they missed 12:00 AM by 3 minutes, the food was awful and something you serve at an elementary school barbeque. The jokes were significantly unfunny. The speakers sucked and hurt my ears. The bartender actually made fun of me because I didnt like her drink when she filled my entire cup up with nothing but rum. It was stated that party gear would be handed out but nothing was handed out until 11:59 PM. All you did was wait in the line for the bar if you wanted a crap drink. THEY HAD NO TABLES TO EAT AT????? This was probably worth $15. It was $65 for wannabe pirates attempting to be funny. The website did not say to dress appropriately meaning the whole thing was outside and it was unusually cold for florida weather. Many people were not satisfied and actually praised when the boat docked and they were able to get off. Do better. read more

Don't go if you're over 10 years old, I feel like they should warn you before your group of adults pays a couple hundred dollars that this really is just for children. You just end up in the galley paying double price for Corona cans just waiting for it to end. read more

Great fun for my kids , if they have fun then we're happy. We heard that there is an adult only version of the trip this might be worth a try read more

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! My son and husband were set to go to a morning cruise one weekend and it got cancelled because there were not enough people. Nobody called to unform us of this change so they had showed up there for nothing. They rescheduled. We had a prior commitment that ran much longer than expected so my husband called to see if he could cancel and reschedule and they pretty much told him no his cc would be charged. Sooo after rushing and barely making it there they were told that the other ship was not running. That means NO pirate battle which was what my son was most excited about. But again if you cancel you still get charged so your forced to go or loose out on money. They went on the cruise and all they got was a terrible show of singing pirates. Complete disappointment and waste of money! If you want to watch singing pirates turn on your TV to Jake and the Never land pirates and you'll get a better show. read more

A total waste of good money! The staff was rude, the food made us sick, and unlike a bad restaurant or club that you can walk out of when it sucks, here you are stuck! read more

Thieves. And, not in a good way. They agreed to give me the web rate and knew exacxtly what I was talking about over the phone when they took my credit card info. When I arrived with family in tow, the ugly witch from Philadelphia said she screwed up and denied me the family web rate. These people really are thieves and ruined our day. Don't trust them. read more

I was so excited about this experience. From the moment I walked in the door to pick up my ticket I knew it was going to be a rough night. The store was very busy and people were excited and talking to friends. We were immediately told that we had to be quite because she could not hear. I had a friend with a cup with her and she was told she was going to make them lose their license if their was alcohol in it. She was asked and yelled at by the same person at least 5x. Our boat was delayed by almost 30 min. We were not told ahead of time and had no idea we would be stuck waiting. An email of delay would have been nice. Once aboard there is 1 bar and 1 bar tender for 120 people. You do the math....If drinks were free I would understand but they are NOT. I had a friend order a drink and ask for orange juice instead of soda and she was charged a $2 up charge without being asked first. The speakers on the ship are as old as the boat itself. They are muffled and very unclear. You can barely hear anything.If they were new and nice it would way enhance the experience. I thought it was supposed to be interactive. I asked to get up and sing and dance with them and was told to "sit down and shut up." The food was horrible. Overall it was a huge waste of money not something I would do again or recommend to anyone! read more

We enjoyed the ride on the pirate ship, the singing, the magic tricks & the entertainment. We have 3 kids & loves the family special. The kids favorite part was the sword fighting & tattoos. The Picture was $12.50, pretty reasonable & turned out great. The only downside was there wasn't as much time to relax & enjoy the views, because I felt like I had to watch the entertainment. read more

Try your luck booking over the phone. You might be left with 2 crying kids 15 minutes before departure. We were taking a vacation for spring break and I called Monday 3/14 at 9:45am and spoke with Kathy who made our reservation for Thursday 3/17, 6:15pm sailing. She took the reservation (along with my credit card info to hold the spot) and told me we were all set up in the computer. I asked her for a confirmation number and she said "No need I have you in the computer, we don't charge the card until you check in. Fast forward to 6:00 pm on Thursday and we are told by the "manager" that there is no way to get on the boat as it has been booked for a private tour by some company for awhile now. I told her that we had reservations and she didn't see anything in the computer. Checked her notebook and phone log and sure enough there was a note that I called and a hand written reservation. I was told that Kathy was only 3 weeks at the job and she made a mistake. No real apology just a shrug of the shoulders and a "sorry can't help you, maybe the next tour". My wife and I were just floored at the lack of empathy on this person's behalf as our daughters just cried. We felt as though she had no interest in rectifying the situation or trying to figure out the mix up; she proceeded to tell us she knew nothing of the issue as she's been out of the country. We asked to speak with a manager or someone else in a higher position and was told it's "nope, he's not here, it's just me Nothing can be done" Just beware when making reservations as they may not exist and you might be left standing at the ramp!!!! read more

We had a great time on the Black Raven for my son's birthday party! I'm a native, here, so I was prepared for parking issues. We had a great time practicing sword fighting with the pirates! There was also face painting, and lots of sing alongs! The interaction with the other boat, the cast/crew and the kids was unforgettable. All the kids said it was the best party they had ever been to. read more

Got to do it once . Get in a boat ride and a show. The kids love it. The ship is very cool. They sale cold beer too. That always makes it better. read more

My kids absolutely loved this!!! My son is 4 and a half and my daughter is 7. They both keep asking to go back and ride the pirate ship again! My husband and I, and my mom were surprised at how entertaining it was, even for us. It was so much to watch the kids interact with the Pirates and get theirs faces painted, etc. The best though was seeing their faces when Hook showed up on the horizon in his ship, circled our ship, and then jumped on board! Wow, what a fun experience for them! My parents live in St. Augustine, so we will definitely be back next time we come to visit from Texas. read more

Ok, my experience was partly my fault for not looking into this more. As a couple on their honeymoon without kids, this was not the sunset booze cruise I thought it would be. Hence the 2 star review. Had I known what I was getting into, it would be a 1 star review. First, the singing. They sing about EVERYTHING. Maybe that's the idea to get you to go to the bar, which leads me to my next point: your wallet with be plundered and your booty taken at $9 per underpoured drink. I watched as the guy ahead of me was shorted 2/3 of the alcohol he should have received because the bottle ran out and she made no attempt to fix it. The boat never makes it more than 1/2 mile from the bridge, so don't expect to sea much! read more

This has the potential to be a really fun experience, but fell short for multiple reasons. We scheduled the last cruise of the night, which was the 21 and over cruise. As we got on the ship, everybody began to form a line for the bar, naturally. Only bad thing, there was ONE bartender. So with a ship that had 30 or so people on it, all wanting drinks, that was a flawed system. It took quite a long time to get through the line and get the drinks. The one positive, they did have quite a large drink menu and the drinks were really good. Once we were underway and the show started, it was disappointing. Half of the speakers did not work, so we could not hear nor understand a single thing the performers were saying. By the looks on everybody's faces, they also had no idea what was going on. We were sitting right next to two speakers, neither of which were rather turned on or they were broken. So we spend two hours on a boat that was supposed to have live entertainment, just to hear loud mumbling and random musical noises. I cannot tell you a single thing about the show, because we were not able to hear it. I think if they fix the sound system and realize that they need to make adjustments because the sound of the boat engine really drowns out most noises, it could improve the show greatly. For $30, I wouldn't recommend this unless they make some serious upgrades. read more

We did the birthday package for our 5yr old daughter Lexi and we had a blast!! The Pirates were absolutely hilarious, and the show they put on was awesome. For around $85 they made my daughter "Captain" for the day, she was included in the show, got to steer the ship with the captain, raise and lower the pirate flag as well as keep the flag, and she got a chest full of pirate themed gifts. I can't think of one negative thing to say about the entire trip. If you haven't been, GO! read more