What a wonderful experience! From booking our tickets with the kindest lady to going on our…read moreadventure with the kindest men/captains of the boat. I didn't catch his name but one man was kind enough to talk to us about the horses, the island, and answer all our questions. He gave clear directions about where to go to find shells and the best spot to see the horses. The boat ride over itself does get faster then I expected so plan ahead for that. We had two small children with us, one being a baby and they enjoyed the boat ride too. The staff was very helpful getting out stroller on and off board. everyone was so kind and helpful and we had a beautiful day!

Overall good experience wait times were a little bit longer than expected but peak season …read more Everyone was helpful

Always giving you the star treatment great family fun and memories. Thank you again.read more

This was a great experience out to the lighthouse. We were able to catch the ferry and the driver…read morewas friendly, and gave a little informal lessons about the area. Overall it was great. Just make sure you don't miss the last ferry ride. 2025-07 #558

Randal and Crysta were amazing! So nice and helpful. I would recommend this outfit anytime!! In…read morefact, I want to work with them!! Lol Doreen B.

Short Version: There's a strong trend in the reviews for this vendor. Many people get their boats…read moreand have a good time. But Crystal coast Boat Charters has a problem with communication, and if anything at all goes wrong, you'll find yourself wondering what just happened and be left without a boat. We booked a boat for rental on Friday, May 28, for our family coming in to town for Memorial Day weekend. We had a couple calls with Krista over the next couple weeks, up until two days before the rental. During that call she told me the person who was bringing the boat (I think she said her husband, but not sure if I remember that right) had a broken phone, but that she promised to get me "some phone number so you could reach him." Not exactly confidence inspiring, but stuff happens, so I rolled with it. I went back to other reviews after the crash and burn and found this broken phone thing was a common issue that they still haven't fixed. The day of the rental came and I finally received a phone call about an hour before our rental time. The gentleman who called me was bewildering at best. Instead of clearly telling me what was broken and whether it could be fixed soon, I got a bizarre set of contradictions ranging from, "I have a guy in Swansboro hooking me up" (With what? A new boat? A part?), to "I'm trying to just delay an hour" and then ending with, "I'm shootin for the stars, man, I just dunno. I'm a nice guy, though, I'm an owner operator." It was difficult to get further details out of him. As we got closer to delivery time, I texted. No response. Then I called at the time he was supposed to deliver the boat. "Sorry man, I'm not 1000% sure it's going to happen today." I said "ok, if it isn't, then do you know anyone else that rents boats?" Instead of responding to the question, he said "Gimme a few minutes man, I'll call you back." When he called me back, he said, "We got it and we'll be at X launch point in 30 minutes." When I told him, "We ordered it for Y launch point," he replied, "Well that's news to me!" But we expected to meet him there in 30 minutes. 30 minutes later, I received a vague text message, "The hub is done sorry I will call you." I tried calling him and he stopped picking up the phone. Not knowing exactly what that text message meant, I texted Krista indicating what a stunning failure this had been and received a text full of excuses. Mechanical issues are out of people's hands. I get that. But communication is fully in the business's hands. Bottom line: this company is a slap dash operation who won't take responsibility for their failures, and will just stop talking to you when everything founders.

This was our 3rd time here. First time was absolutely amazing. Great customer service, very clean…read moreand tidy bathrooms and camping site. Second time going down hill a little. Not as clean in the bathrooms, wifi consistently not working properly. This third time on our visit bathrooms very dirty with trash cans over flowing with trash, usually only cold water in showers and AC on too cold. Wifi not working and my spouse couldn't connect for work, so we had to use wifi elsewhere. I don't know if we will be back for a 4th time. This is ridiculous how bad it's going. Bathrooms shouldn't be this dirty and not cleaned on a daily or every other day basis. Especially for what we pay. Also, hardly ever any warm or hot water. Then the AC is on high. It's freezing and very uncomfortable to enjoy the facilities.

Just happened to go back to comped for lunch. Smelled something burning and saw smoke coming from…read morethe breaker box. Called front desk twice and left messages for which no one has returned a call. Drive to front desk to have them send an electrician to the site to check the box. Electrician changed out the burnt breaker and stated that we would need a new cord. Went to office to see how they were going to help with what was their breaker box that caused the issue. The manager stated that we would just have to deal with our insurance company for any compensation. So sad how the reputation of this compound has deteriorated over the past year.

Beautiful location and the atmosphere is very fresh, clean & inviting. Loved our stay there for a…read more3 day get away. Few issues with dining at the 34 degree restaurant but the staff Was very quick to rectify. Valet parking service was poorly managed ( there was an empty energy drink can on the car console , when I handed it to the valet attendant, he said " that's not mine ".....I replied, well it's nothing that we drink )

I'm honestly surprised by some of the negative reviews because our experience was nothing short of…read moreexcellent. From the moment we arrived, everything went smoothly. Check-in was quick and easy, and valet parking was incredibly convenient, especially at only $15 per day, which is totally worth it. Our room was clean, modern, and well maintained, with a beautiful view of the water. It was exactly what we were hoping for. We also ate at the hotel restaurant and were impressed with both the quality of the food and the atmosphere. Overall, this hotel was a highlight of our trip. The staff, accommodations, and location all exceeded our expectations. We enjoyed our stay so much that we've already decided this will be part of our annual trip. We look forward to coming back year after year!

Such an enjoyable experience! The owners are the kindest people, and they are very accommodating…read more Not to mention they have a great playlist they play during the cruise! It was an added bonus that we saw SO MANY dolphins. Highly recommend, best of Swansboro!

We had a wonderful sunset cruise tonight. Their was about 13 of us and we boarded at 6:30. The…read moreowners had bottled waters in a cooler for everyone. They were very nice and at one point they stopped and told us some history about Blackbeard. They also told us about Bear Island and showed us the Emerald aisle bridge. They went over safety regulations before hand and had life jackets for everyone on board if needed. The not had a bathroom and the seats were very comfy. This is a beautiful 90 minute cruise to see such beautiful landscape. I recommend this as a nice thing to do before a dinner on the water.

Great customer service! Personalized tour based on our interests! Guide was very informative and…read morecared about our safety!

If you are looking for the highest of quality when it comes to motels within minutes of beautiful…read moreAtlantic Beach, then look no further. The Buccaneer Motor Lodge has everything from plenty of parking to perfectly acceptable sleeping quarters. Whether you are staying for 1 night or 14, you will never get tired of consuming enough alcohol to kill a small horse at the Buccaneer Motor Lodge.