I can't believe Yelp filtered my review! WTH. Here's the original review: The sunset sailing experience was great with Capt. Todd and Ensign. Boston Harbour was an amazing view and Hestia was a beautiful sailboat. Ensign was the cutest dog I've ever met. She's so quiet and friendly and she walked around on the boat just like a veteran sailor. It was fun to help pull up the sails and we learned a lot nautical terms -- lines (I used to call them "ropes" lol), port and starboard, the colors of the navigation lights (i.e. red on port/left side and green on starboard/right side) -- as well as some fun facts and histories about Boston Harbour and the islands. Capt. Todd seems to be a quiet type of person -- he's not like those typical tourist guides who keep talking and talking and talking (and trying to sell you stuff all the time) -- the entire tour was very relaxing and pleasant. But if you ask him questions about sailing, you'd realize that he is really knowledgeable and has some good stories to share (... oh definitely ask him if Ensign has ever fallen into the ocean!) The dock is at the back of Sargent's Wharf parking lot (which is full most of the time and is about $14 for two hours). It's 10-12 min walk (with great views) from Blue Line Aquarium T Station, so I'd suggest people take the T rather than drive -- it's insanely difficult (and expensive) to find a place to park in North End! And F* off Yelp! read more

See all

My wife and I booked using a Groupon deal for a evening sailing cruise from 5:30 to 7pm. Got there just in time (be sure to allow for a little extra traffic getting through the North End of Boston) and hit the waters with one other couple. It was a gorgeous day and the sailing was smooth. The captain had his cute, friendly dog on board. We were able to pop a bottle of wine for the trip and went out to dinner just a 5 minute walk away. A great way to kick off an evening on the town! read more

I actually had a pretty good experience with Hestia Cruises. I bought a voucher for two last summer through Travelzoo, and had no problems scheduling a cruise at my leisure, which was really good since I bought them in May and ended up not using them until August. But, like I said, I had no problems whatsoever booking a time online, and they were helpful when I called them, too, to confirm re: weather, locations, etc. They took off on time, and I very much enjoyed our 2 hour sunset cruise. We had a bowl of Legal's clam chowder and some seasonal hors d'oeuvres; we drank a martini on board (mine was chocolate!); and we even got to steer the boat a bit! Everything was clean, everyone was friendly, and, overall, it was a very pleasant way to spend the sunset hours. The boat itself has so much history and charm, and while it's not the most stunning, modern one out on the waters, it's certainly worth a sail. (Ended the night with dinner and drinks a la Legal Harbourside afterwards--highly recommended, especially since it's so close to the dock!) read more

Purchased one of the Groupon Deals awhile ago for a $99 afternoon/moonlight cruise for two. Had no issue with booking or anything like others are saying. I remember all the groupons I buy and know when they expire and it's all right on Groupon website as well. His website was easy to book the cruise through and had no issue finding a time spot. Enjoyed the cruise alot, a nice, sunny, windy day at sea and enjoyed helping crank the sails as well. I probably wouldn't have done a Boston Harbor cruise unless I had the Groupon because I don't love sailing so much but I am definitely glad I bought the Groupon. definitely a fun experience. Thanks Todd! read more

I had a great time on my sail with Todd and Ensin. While Todd was kind and explained what to do to help bring up another sail which made the trip even more fun to be involved in the sailing. I really enjoyed our sunset sail because it was relaxing, enjoyable and gorgeous. I have lived in Boston for 5 years now and it was fabulous to see the city from a different angle and perspective with the sun setting behind us and the financial district skyline at night. We were able to relax with hummus and wine and take it all in. I am giving this a 3-4 star rating because we truly enjoyed our evening but the cancellations and delays could be done in a more professional manner. See below for details. Our first reservation was cancelled an hour prior to departure and our second was delayed 30 minutes prior to departure. This was unprofessional since even though I live in the city I was already on my way and the first reservation was the focal point of a celebration evening so the last minute cancellation was frustrating. I would suggest Todd provide a number to call two or three hours prior to departure to check with him on weather conditions. This is especially true because I emailed him earlier in the day asking about weather and received no reply. Also, when I received the cancellation voicemail I was instructed to email the reservations person with questions and when I did I received no reply which was not helpful or professional. There was also only one available time online which was frustrating so I would suggest Todd place times and availability for the entire Groupon/Living Social time period prior to deals going live. read more

I had the same experience as the others who purchased the Groupon deal for Hestia Cruises - I thought it expired on 9/25 so when I went to book on 9/2 I was extremely disappointed to learn that I had to make my reservation by 9/1 in order to use my Groupon. I emailed Captain Todd and nicely asked if there was anything that could be done (i.e. adding additional cruises, allowing the groupon to be used for next year, or providing a refund) but received an email back rudely stating "NO there is nothing that can be done - the groupon is expired." So I'm now out $100. This is an awful business model - Capt. John shows no customer service and provided NO satsifaction. I emailed him back and told him what goes around comes around and that I would write him a negative review on every website possible. Hopefully the bad reviews given by me and others about Hestia Cruises will negatively impact his business in the future. What a jerk!!! read more

I went through the same Groupon debacle that many of the other reviewers mentioned. I tried to make my reservation well before the deadline but all the cruises were booked and the make-up dates either filled up in minutes or were during work hours. Additionally, I found Capt Todd to be very rude. Thankfully, Groupon gave me a full refund. read more

I bought a $100 Groupon for a sunset cruise. The expiration of this Groupon is 9/25, so I received an email from Groupon telling me to use it before it expires. So I called the company and they told me that you had to have made the reservation by 9/1- it's in the fine print. It was 9/1. Todd was abrupt and told me that's it, they're all booked now, the reservations are closed without even suggesting how i might get in on a reservation that might be canceled. I mean, yes I should have been more on the ball perhaps but I already bought a stake in the company!!! And it was 9/1! Seriously! Oh, and I can't use this voucher for next year. I'm very angry about this treatment. It should have had an expiration date of the actual expiration of reservations - that's just straight up misleading. read more

Mr. Todd Is now calling me a liar. I know what happened. I was disappointed, then and now in him. With all the boats out there, why not try someone else, is all I say. As a crap-shoot is a crap-shoot, but crap is just crap. read more

I was so excited to go on a yacht and have a romantic sail with my gf. I was also looking forward to sailing because the tour description said we would helping with the sailing process. We got to Sargent's Wharf in the North End and waited for the Hestia yacht to park and finish up the other tour. On the yacht representing Hestia tours was Captain Todd and a friendly dog named Ensign (I think that's how you spell it). Captain Todd was not friendly from the start. He wasn't inviting and he wasn't joking around - the dog was great - didn't bark just kept to himself. I compare Captain Todd attitude from the beginning to end to someone who just worked an overnight shift and didn't want to deal or see anybody - instead just wanted to get through it and get back home. The yacht "Hestia" was fine. It was definitely not used for the Jay-Z "Big Pimping" music video but it served its purpose. We didn't get a tour of the entire boat and only stayed up top. It was us two and another couple on the tour. The tour itself was horrible. We departed later then the time we were supposed to. During the tour there was no opportunity with learning or helping with the preparation of getting the boat into "sail" mode. Captain Todd just did everything himself and instead just told us "You can't sit there" "You can't do that" "You can't go there". I understand there are safety regulations involved but the way Captain Todd presented himself made us feel like refugees being sent out to Exile Island instead of clients looking to have an enjoying experience. We didn't go very far with the boat. We rode up to some of the islands and came back. Instead of teaching us about the boat Captain Todd kept plugging his Facebook account. He kept telling us to "like" the tour on Facebook and to put up pictures and comments on the site. I like writing nice comments and saying good things about different businesses but nothing irritates me more than when company agents bug the hell out of customers about giving them all perfect scores on surveys or "liking" them on Facebook instead of letting them to decide on their own. It was so unprofessional. His non facebook chatter came only after each one of us initiated the conversation by asking questions and the result was a couple of word answers. We got back at 6:30 - we did not get our full 1.5 hour tour as described. I understand this is not a crash course in sailing but I learned nothing about sailing from this tour - not even the very bare bone basics and that's because Captain Todd was not engaging. I'm giving this 2 stars because the yacht was nice and the dog on the boat was probably the best dog I have ever been around! If I came off rude in this review ...I apologize...but it was a terrible experience and I want everyone to be aware of what happened...sometimes the truth hurts! read more

Yes, unfortunately, many people who write a review for Yelp post because of a bad experience. I do also post for good experiences. Check my other reviews. However, my interaction with Hestia has not been an acceptable one by any means. We were booked to go on a 3:45 cruise out of the Seaport area to view the tall ships and such. By 4:30, the captain had yet to show up and the staff seemed to have no real idea if or when he was going to show up. At least they could have opened up the bar or something. Instead, when I complained that I had people visiting from out of town and an infant (that I also had to purchase a ticket for), they only offered a discount on the next cruise. Sorry, no, we can't wait around for that captain either. In the service industry, a little bit of respect for people's time and a willingness to go out of their way to make you happy (whether you take them up on it or not) goes a LONG way. Also, they had no loudspeaker system in order to tell people information about the yacht we were on or about the tall ships we would see on the tour. Spend your money elsewhere. Update: I was recently informed by the owner of Hestia Cruises that they are only in control of the boarding, reservations, ticketing, gate agent, and tour guide on the cruise. Apparently, Full Moon Classic Yacht Charters provides the Boat, Captain, and Crew. He also offered sincere apologies and a different cruise. Much appreciated. Thus the change from 1 to 3 stars. Perhaps if I do actually make it out on a cruise with them I can change it to 5 stars! read more

We've been on a couple of cruises now- we've done the sailboat cruise each time. We always take advantage of the groupon deal- $99 for two to cruise on boston harbor is a great deal. Todd is absolutely wonderful- informative, friendly, and interesting. Ensign, his pup, is just awesome. The cruise is intimate- something that you don't usually get on Boston harbor. We just love Hestia Cruises and will absolutely sail with Todd and Ensign again. :) :) :) read more

Ok I won't sum up what's been said but most of the 5 star reviews are definitely fake. The trip wasn't all that great to be worth 5 stars. Scheduling was a pain in the tail but again, if you pay attention to the expiration date, you can get a refund before it expires from Groupon. The ride was just OK and I'd be pissed if I had paid $130. read more

I booked a 1.5 hour afternoon tour with Hestia Cruises to kick off a bachelorette party. We sailed this past Saturday and had a wonderful time with Captain Todd! The parking lot and dock were very easy to find and Todd was very easy to contact by phone or email with any questions we had prior to sailing. We brought on two bottles of champagne and enjoyed the perfect weather out on the water! The sailboat had plenty of room for six people. I would definitely recommend Hestia Cruises for a fun afternoon or evening on the Boston Harbor! read more

Just wanted to compliment Capt. Steve on a very enjoyable RIB tour of the Tall Ships and harbor yesterday. He did a fantastic job and the weather was perfect. My 11 year old son and I had a wonderful time, as did my friend and her son. Steve was very friendly, highly professional and very knowledgable. Thanks for making one of my rare days off from work so enjoyable read more

I had a terrible experience with my cruises, since I was not able to take part in the reservation I made. When booking my trip I was not informed of the festival that was taking place the day of my reservation. If I had known of this festival I would have made other arrangements for travel and parking. The email sent to me prior to Sunday indicated that I should arrive 5 min prior to departure and park at the Commercial St. lot at Sargents Warf. I arrived 45 minutes early and the whole lot was full as were the other two lots near Sargents Warf. After driving around for 30 min, I called Todd to ask where I could park and he said he had no idea. At that time we did find a Parking Garage about a mile away but our truck did not fit. We called back to reschedule or be refunded and he refused to refund us and offered to rebook the reservation but charge us an extra 20$ per person. I think it is ridiculous that he couldn't even accommodate us to reschedule without a fee. If I am paying for a trip out of Sargents Warf I believe there should be some reserved spot for people with reservations to park in the lot indicated in the email. read more

Was given a Groupon as a gift. Had the same scheduling problems others have expressed; cruises full, openings only during work time, and little help from Todd. We finally managed to schedule our cruise, only to be totally disappointed. Captain Todd wasn't welcoming, informative or even friendly. He never left the inner harbor, although we could see there was good wind further out. It was late in his season, and he gave us the feeling he was just "getting it done." We generally love to sail, but we were relieved to get off this boat and we won't be back!. read more

I had a great time on my cruise with Hestia Cruises! I bought a voucher for two guests - about three years ago - and finally decided to cash it in this summer. I also went last Saturday, the day of the North End festival, but was able to find parking. I know that area is always packed so my friend and I left plenty of time and figured worse case scenario we could park in Fanueil Hall and walk over. We found parking in a lot close by so it was no problem. The weather was absolutely perfect for an evening cruise! We soaked in the sun, drank a nice bottle of wine, enjoyed Todd's narrative through the harbor and chatted with our cruise mates. Well worth the money...I'd definitely go again! read more

I have sailed with Todd for the last 3 years and plan to do so once a year on a prospective basis. Todd has a great reservation system which allows you to reschedule yourself. Todd gives a wild ride on the RIB boat and really knows his Boston Harbor history! His trip kicks ass!. His boat docks by two gigantic parking lots, although Boston's North End attracts thousands of people, esp during a festival on a sunnny Aug day. I highly recommend Hestia Cruises. read more

We had a great time using Hestia Cruises. The company called to confirm and make sure we were ok finding the location of departure. We took off from the Seaport WTC a little late, but once we got on the boat, we had a blast. We took the sunset yacht cruise with about 15 other people around the harbor. The boat was cozy, and the staff and owners were wonderful! We had great chats with them, and they were very responsive to anything we asked for. Great way to spend your first night in Boston on a long weekend. It is also an excellent boat for a date night. The views of the harbor were unbelievable, and there was an abundance of food and snacks. Bring cash for the bar and you'll be set! read more

I booked a Sunday football cruise for my room mate and I through amazon local. The coordinator was prompt with emailing me the details I would need, and they even helped me find the place over the phone while I was wandering lost through the wharf. So why the two stars you ask? Well once we were aboard, my room mate had nowhere to sit. The boat was packed full and there literally wasn't room to move. After about 45 minutes, some people got up and went up to the deck so he finally had a chance to sit. The view of the city was cool, but the boat smelled something awful and it was making me pretty nauseous. I know what you're thinking: "Oh it was probably just the water" but I'm telling you, it smelled like someone took a head first dive into a pile of poo. The bathroom was shockingly clean though. The game itself was not too hard to watch, TV sound was pretty decent but could have been louder. Also, bud lights and coronas for 5$? Kind of ridiculous. Overall it was a less than thrilling experience. I'd rather take a ferry to Nantucket for 15$. Also, the boat was so tiny I didn't think the whole ordeal was worth 100$ for two plus drinks. read more

If the nfl cruise cost $20 it would be worth it... Friends and I bought tickets for this through groupon, which we were happy about because if we had payed full price ($70) we would have been very upset... It's a GREAT concept but was not executed well. read more

We booked our "cruise" for July 5th, on what was described as a 75 minute informative tour viewing all the tall ships. What we got was a barely 1 hour tour given by a guy who was ex-Coast Guard and much for interested in describing the Coast Guard ships at anchor rather than the 4 tall ships he took us to see. I think this this company saw an opportunity to write up a glowing description of a tour that they couldn't deliver on - and I for one would not recommend them for any future trips. read more