The Savannah Cruise Company is dangerous and fails to meet any safety standards. I would caution anyone to book them. I booked a 3 hour anchor and swim cruise in May 2024. The booking and communication up to the cruise was great, as was the start of our cruise. A 30-second safety overview was given which consisted of the captain asking if there were any weak swimmers. We cruised up the river, dropped anchor, and two large flat floats were let off the back of the boat (Magnolia, a several ton boat with a hull 8-10 feet above the water), secured to the boat by ropes. We were encouraged to enjoy the water. All 16 of our party members spent an hour on the floats without issue, albeit there being a strong current. With no inciting event, both ropes securing the floats to the boat snapped and 14 of the 16 party members began to float away from the Magnolia. Nobody panicked, assuming our crew would be able to get us down river without issue. After we floated for about 200 yards, the boat turned around and headed for us, to our relief. However, relief turned to panic when the boat was driven directly into our group. We were able to push off the hull of the boat without injury, however we had to scream to the captain to cut his engine as he drove past/through the group without rescuing anybody, as the propeller was approaching. He did cut the engine, but during this time both our party and the boat began floating towards the river bank and docks. We began to yell to the crew that we were headed towards a dock, with our party between the boat and the dock. We asked for direction multiple times and received none. The boat then collided with a homeowner's dock (while they were on it), with half of our party between the large boat and the dock. Thankfully the party members in immediate danger were able to get onto the dock just before impact, but many of us sustained cuts from this impact and the getting onto the dock, as there was a lot of splintered wood that resulted.
The remainder of our party was still holding onto one of the floats and were alongside the boat, at which point a single life preserver tube was thrown to a group of 7 adults. We all did hold onto the tube, however the boat began to drift towards the next dock. I calmly but loudly called out several times to the captain and first mate asking for direction. We again received no advice or direction. One of our party members then came to the side and told us to let go and swim to the dock, as the crew seemed to be frozen in panic. We swam to the dock and safety, and our party was retrieved from 3 separate docks by the marine patrol and brought back to the boat. Once back on the boat, we saw that the first mate had been reduced to tears during this ordeal. In total, 5-6 members of our party sustained injuries that drew blood, one of which required a trip to the emergency room.
Once on shore, we had a conversation with the captain and first mate, informing them how serious that situation was, with the very real potential for fatality on multiple occasions. I let the staff know that we did not want to pursue any legal action, however also did not intend to pay for a cruise that resulted in multiple injuries. The captain and first mate both agreed that a full refund would be more than fair to the company, and gave me Captain Heather's (the Savannah Cruise Company owner) contact information to finalize the refund. Following the weekend, I called and spoke with Heather to ask how she could make the situation right. She informed me that she was not in the office, was unable to discuss the matter, and would call back. With no return call the next 3 days, I called back and found that my number had been blocked. I and my lawyer sent multiple emails with no response. Over 3 weeks since this incident, we have yet to hear from Heather, who still has the full fee paid. We wanted to resolve this without posting online, but feel forced to let the public know that when booking Savannah Cruise Company, you can't rely on them to keep you or your loved ones safe. read more