The sunset cruise was one of the highlights of my trip to McCall! I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but it ended up being such a unique way to experience the lake. We went on the Thursday evening cruise with live piano, and it was absolutely beautiful. Between the music, the mountain views, and watching the sun set over the water, it was such a relaxing and memorable experience. The staff was friendly, organized, and made everyone feel welcome from the moment we boarded. If you're visiting McCall, I highly recommend adding a cruise to your itinerary. Whether it's your first visit or you're returning after years away like I was, seeing the lake from the water gives you a whole new appreciation for how beautiful the area is. read more

Great cruise! The staff was incredibly friendly, the views were beautiful, and the drinks were delicious. We had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend it! read more

Captain Morgan and staff were absolutely amazing! Great boat ride, lots of information, history, spectacular views. This is a must do while in McCall!!! Great owners, great staff make for one enjoyable night! We didn't even see any "Dock runners". Cheers!! read more

We had a great sunset (even though we couldn't see the sun due to the overcast condition) cruise with live music. Our captain was entertaining & friendly. read more

Mccall Lake Cruises - View from the bow - Boat Charters Near Me - Mccall, Idaho

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We took the 1pm 90 minute boat tour with Cap Steve, Sean and Grace today - Wednesday. Enjoyable, great weather, 90 minutes seeing the lake for fair price. Ok but not outstanding as others have reviewed. Upper deck PA system lacking - could not understand most. Upper deck seating could be much more comfortable. No smoking, No outside drink or food allowed. Crew was friendly. read more

Mccall Lake Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Mccall, Idaho

First off, there's no evidence that Marilyn Monroe was photographed in that burlap potato sack from Long Produce in Twin Falls at J.R. Simplot's Payette Lake getaway. Yet, that's what Capt. Jerry said as we cruised by the potato king's vacation home on the west side of the lake during a cruise aboard the 62-foot vessel, The Idaho. The other passengers ate it up. I was skeptical because all of the famous Monroe shots were taken in a studio. Why would the starlet waste the breathtaking vista of Payette Lake to go inside to a studio if she had really come to Idaho in her potato sack? With the beauty of the lake and its surroundings, I'm not sure why Jerry felt the need to embellish a tall tale about Simplot and that dress. If Simplot was involved, then she would have been wearing one of his burlap bags. That said, my wife and I really enjoyed the two-hour trek around the lake. Thankfully, it didn't last three hours, since we all know what happened to the S.S. Minnow. The trip provided a great perspective on the lake and how large it is. It's difficult to get that perspective driving on roads away from the shore. The skies threatened rain all evening on an early summer night, so there were probably only a dozen guests on board. I think that made it more enjoyable for those of us who braved the weather that night. It was interesting to see the mix of old A-frame houses that had entertained owners and their guests for decades and newer structures built closer together. Some of the older places once had fabulous views out on the lake that were now obscured by trees that had grown up over time. Capt. Jerry provided commentary that except for the Marilyn tall tale was informative and interesting. The cost was reasonable and all of the staff members were friendly. read more

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We had a great time on the Idaho for a Sunday sunset cruise! We booked our reservations online and checked in super easily the day of. We sat on the front of the boat at the beginning of the cruise and then eventually moved over to the top and inside. The drinks are reasonable (full bar) and it was fun chatting with the others on the tour! Great experience! I would definitely recommend this! read more

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My wife and I were gifted a sunset cruise for our wedding anniversary. First time doing a cruise like this and we will definitely do another one in the future. Views were great, captain was great with the history of McCall and Payette Lake. We got to meet a great couple who sat with us at our table and had great talks along the whole 2 hour cruise, all while taking in the scenic views! All in all, it's worth it to do a day or sunset cruise of Payette Lake. We decided to use our sunset cruise on August 2, 2024. read more

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My girlfriends & I thoroughly enjoyed the 1.5hr cruise on a Sunday late AM. Online booking was easy (though credit card vs debit recommended, as my card info was stolen... but that's reflection of online risks, not the co). I really appreciated the ability to list the names of people in our party, & was able to get a bit of social distancing from others amongst our grp (as well as there was plenty of gentle airflow up top!) as well as I was able to bring on my own water (due to a medical condition that I notified them of prior to arrival.) A full bar is avail, along w/your basic non alcoholic drinks & basic snacks. The narrator was informative... but honestly I just "literally enjoyed the journey" w/my girlfriends. But for those history buffs- the volume was loud & clear & the facts were varied from frivolous to fascinating... I would do this cruise again! read more

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We had a lovely cocktail cruise around the Payette Lake thanks to McCall Lake Cruises. We ordered cocktails, and for non drinkers, there was also water and other soft drinks available. We sat on the upper deck where we had beautiful views of the lake and lakeside homes. The staff was attentive and made sure we were getting everything we needed. We had a great conversation with Brian, who we all enjoyed very much . And the sunset was beautiful which was close to 9pm as that is when the sun sets at this time of the year. This is a great way to end the day if you find yourself up in McCall, Idaho. read more

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Fun experience and good for all ages. Great to see the lake from a different perspective and to hear about the history. The crew was nice, friendly and professional. Highly recommend the experience. read more

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My husband and I were really looking forward to taking the 2 hour sunset cruise with McCall Lake Cruises. The boat appeared to be in great condition and was very clean. The captain and other staff members were very welcoming. The narration by the captain of what we were cruising past was informative and well presented over a speaker and when he wasn't speaking, pleasant music was playing. So why the three star rating? So we were amongst the first 5 people to board. We arrived 30 minutes early so that we could choose good seats but after meeting the captain, he informed us that we couldn't sit in the lower front section of the boat which had just a small grouping of tables and chairs with no view obstructions. The reason he gave us was that it was reserved for a bachelorette party. Even though that group didn't pay the extra $$ to charter the boat, they had priority seating. So it didn't really matter that we arrived early because evidently there is no guarantee early arriving passengers will get the seats they most desire. So we chose the upper exterior section instead and were crammed in like sardines. It just wasn't a great time sitting in very close quarters on hard plastic chairs, around small tables with strangers for 2 hours. I think the cruise time would be more fun at a faster speed for just one hour. Others seemed to be getting restless the second hour as well. Also, only those who were sitting on the port (left side) of the boat had a decent view. read more

Awesome views and nice relaxing ride. A little low budget on the music, but overall good bang for your buck. Worth doing if you've never been on Payette Lake. read more

Mccall Lake Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Mccall, Idaho

Great lake cruise and Larry was a fantastic captain. We appreciate all the staff being so kind. My son lost a tooth while we were checking in and they treated him like royalty. We appreciate your kindness and a great tour with lots of great knowledge. We abaoutely reccomend! read more

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Took the kids and grandparents on the sunset cruise and it was awesome. Super chill vibe with knowledgeable and friendly staff! There are "kids" snacks available for a small charge and hot cocoa, coffee, soda, and alcoholic beverages. We sat alone on the bow and it was perfect. Lots of seating on top. It gets chilly, so even if it's warm outside wear pants, bring a sweater, and even blankets. Highly recommend! read more

The tour around Payette Lake is calm, beautiful and relaxing. The boat operators (I forget their names, sorry!) were wonderful. All of 3 them were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. They narrate local history over the loudspeakers and chat with you in person. You find out so many things you'd never know about the area history, current events and even some local gossip. There is a cute little bar with drinks for the adults and snacks for kids. The best part was how far they went out of their way to assist my mother with disabilities. They didn't have to but they did. Thank you! read more

A slow relaxing cruise around Payette Lake. Our cruise was made available thru a reunion so we had a brunch and drinks available which is not the case on all cruises. I don't know what they charged because it was a group excursion. Seating is available upstairs in the sun/wind/rain as the weather in McCall changes by the minute! We left at 9:30 am and returned at 11:30. I think most cruises are 90 minutes. They had 2 later cruises available as the 9:30 was full. I set upstairs and nearly froze to death. Some blankets were handed out. The gal next to me had hat, gloves and down parka!! The downstairs was enclosed and housed the bathrooms, bar and limited seating. The views were spectacular! Beautiful homes. The captain gave a short narrative. On the return it was much warmer. My girlfriend went last year and told me to wear a hat and a lot of sunscreen as she hit a very hot day. My advice... be prepared for all kinds of weather!! It would be fun to bring a picnic aboard. I highly recommend this cruise. So much to see! read more

The folks onboard the Idaho were great. It was well worth the $25.00! Captain Brett was a gem with the kiddos on board! The bar service had nice premium cockails and delicious non alcoholic drinks for the kiddos also. read more

Well worth the time and money. It was a great day weather wise. The crew was friendly, helpful, and informative. If your in the area even just passing through take the time for this one. read more

We thoroughly enjoyed the evening cruise of Payette Lake. We had originally booked the afternoon cruise, but it was cancelled due to lack of interest. We were instead treated to the evening cruise at the day rate and given drink vouchers for our 'troubles.' The cruise was lovely (a nice mix of local history and music over the speakers) and the customer service was even better. read more

We bought 3 adult tickets and 1 infant ticket for the 4th of july boat cruise around lake mccall and for the fire works show this year. we bought them around july 19. They were bought directly from the website for mc call lake cruises. The money cleared our account and we received the confirmation email from the company. A couple hours later we received an email from the owner, Bret Armacost, advising us we had been charged incorrectly..Unfortunately for some reason when making your reservations, you were charge the wrong price; It should have come in at $55.00 per Adult & $10.00 for the infant. For some reason it came in at $25.00 per Adult & $5.00 for the infant. Does your receipt show a different amount? We respectively ask that prior to boarding that evening for our Fireworks Cruise that you pay the difference of $95.00. We went back to the web site, saw the same prices and took a screen shot for the owner to see. we responded by email with the image and asking what "went wrong?'' and he never answered. I called several days later and spoke with a nice lady who told me the prices for our tickets wouldn't be honored and I could speak with Bret if i wanted to. He called me back, leaving a message that said that the site was "manipulated" when we bought them and he wanted us to pay the full price. I spoke with him this morning and I asked several times that our original agreement be honored, as it was a mistake on their part. He insisted we had "manipulated his web site". He then stated that the company that handles online booking had corrected the error...admitting to me that it was the fault of the other company, but he still wouldn't honor our tickets. almost every time i spoke he stated he didn't "appreciate being interrupted", he stated I was trying to get "something for nothing", and he treated me like I was a criminal because of an error on his web site. He made condescending remarks, asking me if i knew how a web page worked and insulting my intelligence. after 20 minutes of being treated this way I told him we were going round and round and I didn't feel like he was seeing where I was coming from and that I felt like this was horrible customer service, I hung up on him. He called me back to tell me he cancelled our reservation and refunded our card. He then took it further by advising me that I had been "rude" and my sister in law "manipulative for booking the tickets on line in this way". He told me if I had handled it better he would have refunded our money, given the cruises for free for all the trouble and bought us a drink when we got there. I repeated..again..the order of events and asked what I did wrong and he never answered that question. we received terrible, rude, insulting customer service from this owner and I would not trust his site to sell tickets that he will honor. Watch out!! read more