Friend: So my company is having our office party on a yacht this summer. Me: That's soooo cool. Friend: Yah I know. And I'm allowed to bring a guest and since I'm single I figured yo-- Me: YES! The Seaport Elite Yacht is charted by the same company as The Spirit of Boston - but this yacht is smaller so it works well for more intimate parties. So what goes on here? Let me tell you. *A young DJ plays some of the WORST music you could ever imagine-so bad you HAVE to love it. Thankfully he takes requests like Britney Spears' "Piece Of Me" to which my friend and I ended up horrifying a bunch of 40-somethings who work with her. But don't worry, they eventually got drunkies and embarrassed themselves to Earth, Wind, and Fire. *Unlimited appetizers followed by a lovely dinner below deck in their dining room (the food was better than average, I'd say 3 or 4 star worthy). *Gorgeous views of Boston Harbor and its surroundings--from skyscrapers to bridges, ships to islands. Check the attached photos. *Oh, and there was something else...oh yeah...FREE BOOZE! The staff on board was fantastic - polite, attentive, and quick to serve. Be sure to bring cash because although you're not buying anything on board, these people definitely deserve tips for their hard work. All in all, there's nothing quite like sipping a Corona with lime on the deck of a yacht on a gorgeous day in late May--probably one of my most memorable experiences as a Bostonian. If you ever have the opportunity to plan an event, I strongly recommend checking out this charter yacht. And if you're ever invited to an event and need a buddy, well, I'd be glad to be your boyfriend for the evening. Kissies on the poop deck, natch! read more

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My husband and I got married on the Seaport Elite this August. Everything was fabulous. Everyone is still talking about the wedding. Some said (not directly to us but we were told) it was the best wedding they had ever been to. The wedding coordinator/company was very thorough at making sure all the details were covered. There is a bridal suite on board, the staff was very helpful, the food was delicious and they even provided a DJ for a few extra hundred dollars. We went with the portside lunch menu which included all the appetizers and a buffet dinner with carved beef, salad, two pasta dishes (one with ample shrimp and mussels) and the appetizers were plentiful and scrumptious. With the portside menu the food is continuously replenished until everyone is done eating (which is great). Also included were chocolate covered strawberries served with dessert. Our cake from Kondeiter Meisters was amazing. We also chose to provide free beer and wine for our guests for the first hour and it was nice because the staff butlered beer and wine. Everyone was able to have a few in that first hour. After that the drinks were $6 to $8 each. The company offered us a $500 credit towards a drink package so it made the hour much more affordable. We had our ceremony on the rooftop overlooking the Boston skyline, which limited our guests to 70 people. My only complaint of the ceremony was that a microphone was needed and the set up of the chairs made it impossible for me to walk down a full aisle with my father. If the staff had spent more time pondering the setup it would have been possible. That was my only real disappointment. It was hard for the DJ to keep track of what was happening since the boat has 3 floors but everything went fine. The views were absolutely amazing. For a wedding I recommend 5 hours; we had 4 and it was too short. It is also not a handicap accesible boat, but the staff will help anyone who needs help walking or with stairs. You also need to consider the conditions that will affect your wedding once leaving the dock: waves, wind, rain, other boats, etc. We happened to have a windy day with 2 minutes of rain right during the ceremony. There were sailboats everywhere. We highly recommend a wedding on the Seaport Elite. The one downside is that the wedding coordinator who helps to plan your wedding may not be the one who is there on the day of and that can cause some small issues (ex. the chair and the aisle issue we had). You also are not expected to tip on top of the price for the wedding, although we did tip the food manager and the dj since everything was so great. read more

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I recently got married on a beautiful Spring day in May 2017. The Seaport Elite Yacht was with me every step of the way as they helped to plan the wedding of my dreams! From the moment my husband and I stepped on the boat we knew this would be the perfect place to host our special day. The Yacht offers private sailing around the Boston Harbor with amazing views, perfect for those romantic candid wedding photos. The Event Coordinator was extremely helpful from the beginning, helping to walk us through our options and ensuring that we had everything personalized down to the last detail. The food was delicious and we had a great variety. I especially appreciated how quick they were to accommodate any dietary redirections and made special arrangements for the children to have chicken fingers. I had around 90 guests and we were all blown away with the quality of the food and the service. It was abundantly clear the thought and consideration that went in to helping us plan this special day. Having our wedding on the Elite was such unique experience and we are positive it left a lasting impression with our guests. We played giant Jenga and Cornhole on the top deck as we enjoyed each others company while snacking on passed appetizers. The top deck is the ideal spot for us to take wedding photos as well as a perfect place for our guests to take their own photos of the Boston skylines. As if on cue, immediately after our dinner was served a rainbow glowed over the boat while a stunning sunset eased us into a night that we wished would never end. I would highly recommend choosing the Elite Yacht for your wedding venue if you want to have a wedding night that you and your guests will never forget! read more

So I got married on the seaport elite and all in all it was a great service. There are a couple of things to consider though when doing this. 1) If you end up not liking what comes with the package it is going to increase your costs immensely to get what you want. I found that the people that were coordinating with the elite seemed to try and talk us out of the customization that we did. (To be fair we were looking for a pretty fancy look). 2) The yacht is not HUGE like the Spirit of Boston so you are very quickly going to run out of spots for guests. 3) The DJ they arranged for us was pretty awesome and really helped keep us on schedule for the night. 4) The food is pretty plain, meaning that its not spectacular but its not bad. The hors d'eouvre options they give you are pretty sweet. I would definitely suggests purchasing individual platter as opposed to going with the packages because the options are better. (Note they change the offerings from time to time so that might not be the true anymore) 5) The Ceremony spot on the boat is just the upper deck so you may need to do some things to spruce it up. We actually added our own chairs to the mix. 6) Look at the chairs in the pictures they have. Not very wedding-y in my opinion. We also rented chairs from a separate vendor which added to the amount we paid. We loved the venue but we gave it three stars specifically for people considering using this place for a wedding because I have a feeling it won't be for everybody read more

We booked an August wedding with 32 guests in 2010. The venue was great and the staff were very helpful! There is a 40 person minimum, so we did end up paying for more, but that was ok with us. The day was perfect (but there is plenty of indoor space if it is not) and the captain was accommodating with our request to have the Boston skyline as the backdrop for our ceremony. My husband and I do not drink, so in addition to the traditional bar and beverages, they brought in diet Dr. Pepper and diet Mt. Dew, which made us very happy. The boat is small, as others pointed out, but was great for our group. I cannot imagine over 100 people on board, but I guess it happens sometimes. The benefit to the small boat, especially for a ceremony, is that you have more control over the the course and, since it has GPS, and you are the only client, you can have your ceremony on-board and end up with a GPS location as your wedding location. On the Spirit and Odyssey, you are sharing with others and cannot do this. The bathrooms are small, so don't expect to do anything more than relieving yourself there (no changing into a dress, really), but we did not have a problem with that. Our DJ was not my favorite person, but it was just a personal preference. I wanted control of the music and he said that guests would expect certain songs to be played. Even though I assured him that my guests were not fans of dance music and preferred oldies and alternative, he mostly played what he liked. When these songs came on, everyone just looked at each other and laughed. Also, since our ceremony was brief and small, we did not rent chairs. Instead, we turned some of the deck couches for those who needed to sit, and the remainder of our guests stood for the fifteen minutes or so. This save a lot of money. The food was great! We had filet mignon, something chicken (I never pay attention to chicken when filet is around), and a vegetable lasagna. What was most impressive is that all the food came out hot, at the same time, and cooked properly. This can be difficult with filet, but as I said, we only had 32 people. read more

The Seaport Elite II definitely surpasses the prior vessel in terms of quality and comfort. From the beginning of my wedding planning, I felt taken care of. The extra costs and upgrades were all well understood, but we were able to get everything we requested for a reasonable cost, including: 75 people (100 would be pushing it in terms of space and top deck for ceremony can hold no more than 70) Six hours Open bar for full duration Boarding glass of champagne Three hors d'oeuvres (delicious) Three premuim hors d'oeuvres (delicious) DJ Upgraded flowers custom table runners + napkins Officiant Guitarist for ceremony and cocktail hour Premium entree Late night snack menu of three items Cupcake station Boarding was prompt. The staff was attentive. Our pre-wedding planner was nice and attentive to detail and correcting any problem that arose. And our on-board planner (Paul) was both professional and organized and ensured all guests were taken care of. The only reason I did not give this five stars is because of the entrees we chose (Filet Mignon and prawns - and vegetarian). Despite delicious appetizers and late night snack menu, the filet was dry and tough and the prawns were bland - and only two small prawns per plate. The potato mash and brussel sprouts that came with it were well cooked and seasoned. Still, that is hardly the mark of a poor event. If anyone asked me where to have a combination wedding ceremony/reception, I would definitely recommend the Seaport Elite, simply given the fact that it is extremely effort-free when it comes to wedding planning, and right across the street from a beautiful mid-cost hotel with beautiful rooms, suites, and amenities. This wedding, for the minimal amount of planning involved, will be one that guests will remember forever. read more

My husband and I got married aboard the Seaport Elite II in October 2016. While the yacht pretty much sells itself there are a lot of caveats. They do not provide an itemized list of add-ons...like the dance floor being am additional $500. The centerpieces are flowers and you can't pick your own colors. Thankfully, I didn't want flowers and made our own ostrich feather centerpieces. The food was bland we chose filet with prawns, maple glazed tri color baby carrots and potatoes. It was disappointing that there was no flavor. The salad was ok. Now, the epic fails section. 1. No sound check before and we had no speakers up on the deck. Guests could not hear the music that was painstakingly chosen. No microphones for our officiants or us. Guests had no idea what was being said. I was assured several times prior to our wedding that we would have microphones and guests would hear everything clearly. 2. They forgot my cake stand that cost a couple hundred dollars...so I'll never have those pictures of my cake on that beautiful stand. 3. They forgot our favors! Also costing several hundred dollars...they put them out when we docked...no one handed them out and guests didn't realize that everyone was supposed to get one. I came home with more than half of our favors. To say I was and pretty much still am livid is an understatement. 4. After spending several hundred dollars on a fabulous cake, they didn't cut slices...they cut slivers...wtf? The cake was huge! Give the guests a friggen slice of cake!!!!! The bartender and waitstaff were amazing and if I could have only tipped them, I would have. I received a survey via email a day or two after and when I pointed out the major mess ups they never reached out to even apologize. That said, the Boston background is truly amazing and so beautiful. My wedding itself was spectacular because of our guests and we had a awesome d.j., Mario...highly recommend him. He was so on point and paid close attention to every detail. The venue is unique and certainly fit our 1920s vibe, but the wedding coordinator needs to brush up and maybe make a check list to make sure they don't forget super important details. I spent nearly 2 years planning and as perfect as some things were, its the mess up stuff that the elite ll staff that makes me cringe everytime I think about it. Which is everyday. read more

If you think of chartering a yacht as a luxury service this is not the company for you. This is a glorified booze cruise with an unorganized and unpleasant staff. I have worked in the service industry for over a decade and have seen it all and I was still taken aback by this company's complete lack of care for it's customer's needs. They left a bride, a wedding party, and all their guests waiting on the dock for over half an hour with no contact as they were late. Once we finally boarded the ship's crew were pleasant and professional but the service staff was abysmal. Don't spend your hard earned money on this terrible service. read more

We just had our wedding on the Seaport Elite ll this past weekend. Everything from the initial conversation through the end of the reception was fantastic! Our salesperson/coordinator, Meghan, bent over backwards to help me through the whole process. The food was fantastic! Our restaurant supervisor, Paul, and our servers, Joel and Ashley, were so attentive....no one wanted for anything at any point in time! Our bartender, Bobby, didn't even need to ask for your drink order....he remembered everyone's order and he was already making the drink for you as you walked up to the bar! Everyone loved the food, the drinks, the music, the views (sunset was gorgeous), the ship, and the day overall! Our guests tell us that it was the best wedding party ever! I can't say enough about everyone that worked our event.....thank you for making our day so special! read more

I chartered the Elite for an event for the Boston Irish Business Association back in June. Everyone and everything was perfect. The sales director MaryBeth was very accommodating, and helped guide me through the process of creating a great event for our organization. We coordinated with them and had live music, a cigar roller on deck, and we were able to pre-pay for tickets for the bar for our members. Needless to say, we will make this an annual cruise for BIBA. read more

I chartered the Seaport Elite for my company Christmas party. I must say from start to finish I was completely impressed by the service of the staff . The ship was beautiful and food was fantastic . Everyone enjoyed it so much . They went above and beyond all expectations . .Thank you Seaport Elite Amaral & Associates read more

We had a fairy tale wedding aboard the Seaport Elite! We just got married this past Memorial Day weekend and our day was absolutely perfect. The Seaport is a gorgeous boat and the views of the harbor are breathtaking. The wedding planning process was easy and stress free due to the help of the coordinator and staff ( Meghan was our Account Manager and Jordan our coordinator-both are awesome to work with!). They help with all the details and are very welcoming and responsive to questions and ensuring the event is everything you want it to be. This venue is so unique and the experience on it will be remembered by us and our guests for a lifetime. Everyone raved about the food, the drinks, the music, the decor, the views, the ship and the day overall! We have had many of our guests tell us it was the best wedding they have ever been! We could not agree more and are so lucky to have had exactly what we wanted and more, a beautiful, romantic location that offered a fun and different experience for all to celebrate and party the night away. read more

Our night of surprising my husband for his 60th birthday, was nothing less than spectacular! From beginning to end, it was an incredible and memorable experience. The Seaport Elite staff and crew cannot do enough for you. They are terrific in their planning and executing a remarkable night filled with a beautiful boat, delicious food and a gracious and attentive staff. Colleen and Raegan are delightful to work with. They have great advice and are easy to work with. Both of them have wonderful ideas about menus and logistics and were supportive of my ideas as well. The Seaport Elite experience is one you won't soon forget. From soup to nuts, they handle it all and do it extremely well! We had a gorgeous night on the water, despite overcast skies and a little drizzle. Our family and friends raved about everything and we are still on cloud 9. It was the most special of nights, made possible by the expert staff and crew of the Seaport Elite, and we cannot thank them enough for their hard work and efforts on our behalf! read more

Our company held a Kickoff meeting in Boston in mid-January. Probably the last place you would think to entertain a group of 75 from around the country would be a boat ride but that's what we did with the help of the team at Elite. We had a great time! The food was delicious and the staff was excellent. Everything went very smoothly from booking the event to setup to the event itself. I would highly recommend Seaport Elite . . . even in January! read more

I went to an event last night. The drinks and appetizers were fine but the food for dinner was inedible. I'm sure that our hosts paid top dollar for what everyone at our table of eight barely touched. Imagine no one being able to eat their lobster tails or filet mignons. I felt sorry for the payers. It was a rip-off. read more

I just went on a company outing on the seaport Elite 2. The boat was great and the food was delicious. Especially the chicken quesadillas. The servers we friendly and very professional. Kiel in particular. He went out of his way for our party to make the even great. I will definitely recommend this boat for our next one. read more