Ben Franklin Yacht

this place is awlful overpriced, never gave me back my deposit. DO NOT GO HERE !!!

I’m not wasting no stars on this place. The customer service is poor. They ruined my birthday plans. Every person in the world knows how important it is to turn 30 well I had planned on having my party here. But because Christina the manager or who ever she is is very negligent in returning calls and emails my plans failed. She promised me I could see the boat but cancelled at the last minute not only that she never tried calling me back to reschedule another date. Not only that we discussed certain dates and times over the phone and she was suppose to email me the schedule dates so we could confirm but she never did not only that I have been calling emailing and leaving voice mails for the last 3 weeks and I haven’t heard anything back from here yet not to mention my birthday is next week. And all this time I been trying to contact her when I should of just found somewhere else to have my party. I will never in my life recommend them to anyone and I suggest you save your money as well

If I could give half stars, this would be 3.5. Like many on here, my experience was due to a Groupon deal that I bought several months ago. (Was originally going to use it w/​my mom when she came out for a visit in May, but that weekend they had booked a wedding – that had been planned two years in advance! Womp womp.) I ended up using it w/​a friend of mine. We had a good time. We were impressed w/​the food spread, and the drink menu was fairly reasonable in terms of prices. There were lots of places to sit and enjoy the view. I found the beginning «narration» to be somewhat informative, but a little cheesy, and ended up tuning it out after a few minutes. I also didn’t care for the loud music. I didn’t know that this was a «party boat» atmosphere… not really my thing, but if this is how folks want to spend a Sunday afternoon, by all means! :) I was thankful that there was good weather, so that made the trip very pleasurable. I do wish the ride had been longer. Also, they advertised it to be a 2 hour tour, but we left the dock at around 1:05 (after boarding at 12:20), and returned by 2:45-ish. So… not quite what they advertised. I would have been more disappointed if I had paid full price.
Overall, I’d consider going again, but only if there was some kind of special deal. Otherwise, I’d encourage folks to save their money.

My boyfriend and I used a $ 40 Groupon for a 120 minute harbor tour with complimentary appetizers. We arrived at about 3:15 as it was stated that boarding would begin at 3:30. We did not board until almost 4:00pm which was rather annoying.
The staff was very friendly, the tour guide had some interesting facts and the yacht was older but in pretty good shape. The free appetizers were a bonus as well. Overall it was a good value and experience.

My fiancé and I were considering having a party on the Ben Franklin Yacht. I suppose my first indicator that this was a bad idea, was that no one was returning my messages or emails, I pretty much had to keep calling until someone answered. Because the location was ideal for our event, I persisted. Eventually we were able to make an appointment to view the yacht. The boat itself was ok… nothing really fancy. I noticed holes in some chair covers as we sat to discuss details. I had spoken briefly with Christine, who is the operations manager, over the phone regarding pricing prior to our meeting. We were trying to keep a tight budget and were pleased that in person she seemed willing to work with us. In person she actually quoted us prices significantly less than what she had discussed over the phone.
Upon leaving, we were a bit concerned that in general, the operation seemed very unprofessional, but again, given the location and the pricing that we discussed in person, we were still willing to overlook our concerns. We left Christine and were to think it over and get back to her with a date. I promptly called a few days later. As I experienced at the beginning, my messages and e-​mails were not returned. I finally was able to have her answer only to have her be shocked that she would offer me such good prices. Now realize, I am very detail oriented and had taken notes during our in person meeting of prices and inclusions. She told me she would have to call me back after she checked the notes she had taken that day and discuss it with the captain. Naturally, she never called and I had to call several times before she answered and she still required additional time to talk to the captain because she had been busy. At least she called back this time as promised, only to come back with a price $ 15 more for a Sunday afternoon than the Friday night we had discussed. I was quite disappointed that I had wasted my time and she stated she must have been under the impression we were going to do a cash bar, to have such a price quoted. In reality this was impossible because when she made that suggestion at our meeting as a way to cut costs, I didn’t even want to consider that option.
On the positive, I am probably lucky not to have this disorganized outfit host my party as I’m sure that it would have lead to a lot of anxiety and disappointment based on the poor customer service I had already experienced. I could absolutely see this organization double booking which having since read some reviews, seems to have already happened.
Good luck to anyone who endeavors to have a special event on The Ben Franklin Yacht, you will need it!

My sister and I got the living social deal for the Ben Franklin Yacht for my dad as a father’s day gift this year and we all had a great time. We thought you could buy food on board and were pleasantly surprised that there was a compliantly free buffet. There was a good variety of food. However not knowing this some of us had eaten before hand. You did have to pay for beverages which were reasonably priced, soda, juice, bottle water and draft beer were all $ 2, bottled beer $ 4, mix drink $ 6.
On your way down the Delaware they give a tour. The information was great but it was a little choppy. Than on your way back up it turned into a dance party. The DJ was excellent however a little push on the karaōke, if no one want to sing than just drop it. If you were celebrating a birthday or anniversary and let them know you got a shout out and they honored the armed forces.
The staff over all was friendly and seemed laid back. They didn’t mind if you moved the furniture around. It would of been nice if there was more outdoor seating but than there would be no dance floor.
If your looking for a little midday party this is definitely the activity for you.

i bought a living social voucher for a sunset cruise aboard the ben franklin yacht for july 2 from 7 to 10pm. we’ve tried other boats in the delaware so we decided to give this one a shot.
the boat has three floors, each has a bar, the first and second floor have the majority of seating for eating and the top/​third floor is the «dance floor.» this cruise was a living social exclusive and it seemed like a lot of people had purchased them as the boat was very crowded. it didn’t bother us much except when it came time to eat and the buffet line was really long. i was holding our seats while my husband waited in line for over 20 minutes. the food was barbeque (hot dogs, chicken, burgers) for this cruise.
we stayed on the decks for the majority of the cruise as the views are really neat. since it was the week of fourth of july we even saw some fireworks!
the drink prices are awesome, about $ 3 for a beer, $ 4 for a wine, $ 4 mix drinks, and $ 1 jello shots. the bartenders were super nice as was the other staff on the boat.
i would do this again for the experience, but i would eat beforehand so i didn’t waste time fighting the lines and the people.

I cruised on the Ben Franklin Yacht for the Oktoberfest cruise. I totally agree with other Unilocalers that they definitely cram way too many people on this boat. The line for the food was ridiculous and there wasn’t a lot of spots for people to sit and eat (we ended up standing outside to eat). The food was average or slightly below but plentiful at least. Unfortunately the bar experience was different depending on what floor you were on though which caused some confusion. I did think that the dancing was fun though and overall the cruise was a good time but doubt I will return.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS «YACHT.» My parents and I planned my 25^th birthday to take place on the Ben Franklin Yacht. After attending a family members birthday the previous spring, we thought it would be a nice way to spend my birthday. We were WRONG. The staff could not have been more rude, the food was horrible (which they ran out of mid-​cruise) and incorrect from what we had ordered. The chairs and tablecloths provided by the Yacht were extremely stained and dirty. Some of my guests were sat at a broken table that was being held together by cardboard. It was extremely embarrassing for the amount of money my parents spent to ensure that I had a wonderful experience. We were charged for more guests than we had due to the fact that they overbooked the cruise and couldn’t keep track of which guests were with which party, and then accused us of not knowing how many guests we had. When the cruise was booked we booked the 2^nd floor and were told we would only be sharing the boat with one other party. That was a lie. There were 4 parties that evening, making the boat overcrowded and unenjoyable.
My parents had payed for open bar and my guests were being charged when they went to order their drinks. Once we had docked and were back, I helped my parents clean and take down our party supplies and my gifts, however the staff would not let me back on the boat to assist my mother with carrying my gifts, cake etc. They literally put their arm up and stopped me. How could one person carry an entire evening of cake, gifts, flowers in one trip to the car?. The staff was horrible! The entire event, staff, and «yacht» are completely unprofessional. This is not even the tip of the iceberg of the poor professionalism of this company, if you can even call them a company. In the days following the horrible event, myself and my mother called to rectify the situation and were called liars as we recounted the horrible service. I personally spoke with Captain «Lucky» who spoke inappropriately and unprofessionally to me, calling me a liar, among other derogatory names– however he was not even in attendance during the evening of my birthday.
My advice for those considering… take your money and run. Run far away from this scam of a business.
The only saving grace to the evening was being surrounded by my closest family and friends

Just not worth it. Dinner cruises and whatnot are cool experiences. But this was overpriced ($ 45) and bland.
The food was very lacking. I arrived around 6. The time that we were supposed to leave. We didn’t depart until 6:30 (and not because we were waiting for people). By the time I got there, half the items on the menu were no longer being served because there was no more. Shortly after departing, the food was put away. They advertise as all-​you-​can-​eat. Drinks were also not great.
The speakers for the music were blaring and place right at the buffet line. So if you wanted to get food, you had to risk having your ear drums blown out. Loud. Threshold of pain loud.
After going around the delaware (a sight to behold), we returned about 30 mins early.
This review is based purely on the yacht, facilities, and services. I still had a good time being with good company.

My boyfriend and I used a $ 30 Groupon for lunch and a 90 minute harbor tour. I was very satisfied with the experience despite a few annoyances. It was a very different way to spend a Sunday afternoon and the weather was beautiful.
One thing I did not love was that it was very crowded. The reason for that is the Groupon was expiring the following weekend and all of the procrastinators (myself included!) waited to make reservations. They said it was a larger crowd than usual. Also, the second level was closed for a private party, so that took away a lot of seating for the rest of us.
The first floor was enclosed and had the buffet set-​up, so it was very congested most of the time. The third floor was open, but covered by a canopy. I’m assuming the enclosed second floor is very similar to the first. I believe there is a bar on each level and I could not believe how cheap the drinks were! $ 2 draft beer, $ 4 bottles and wine. I was expecting much higher prices!
There was not nearly enough seating for everyone and the buffet line took FOREVER! Seriously, the slowest moving people on earth must have all been on this ship with us because I didn’t more for about the first 10 minutes I was in line.
When I did finally arrive at the food, I was very pleased the the spread. The description said «appetizers» would be served, so I was expecting some cheese, crackers and maybe some fruit. They had all of that and more. They had stuffed shells, pork tenderloin, mixed veggies, spinach dip, nacho dip, chicken salad wraps and more. I was very surprised that there was actually food left when the line died down. We actually went up for a second round before everything was cleared away.
One bummer was that they did not have nearly enough dessert for everyone. By the time I reached the front, they had some lemon water ice left. In their defense, as I walked away with my water ice, I did see a room full of people with plates piled high with brownies, cupcakes and cannoli. If people had taken 1 – 2 each, there probably would have been enough for everyone.
The actual tour was neat. The boat was docked just above the Ben Franklin Bridge and went south past the Walt Whitman Bridge. On the way down, they narrated the tour with information about the PA and NJ harbors. I learned some interesting facts and really enjoyed that part. On the way back, they played music which was a little too loud and a little too Top-​40 for my liking, but they were taking requests, so what can you do?
I see this as a very cool venue for a party. It would be very cool to have the whole boat to yourself and your guests. I’d definitely give it another try and hope that it wouldn’t be quite as crowded.

Went out on the Ben Franklin for a wine tasting cruise courtesy of Unilocal.It was a fun way to spend an afternoon. All of the wine and food was on the bottom floor which led to a lot of congestion. The tables and chairs were also way too close together. We ended up staying on the upper deck outside and buying a few margaritas. Eventually, a carafe of wine was brought up, so then we also drank from that. The staff was friendly, and they didn’t kick us off the boat when we docked. It was a fun and different afternoon especially with the nice weather we had, but I’m glad I didn’t pay for it.

We had a groupon so went in a group of 4 and it was quite fun! It was a short cruise (90 minutes) which was just the right amount of time. The captain did a really great job of explaining what we were passing as we were passing it on the river on the way there (on the way back, they had a DJ playing music and taking requests upstairs). If you’re looking for a family friendly way to be on the river, or even just a nice day activity to do and chill with your boyfriend/​girlfriend, this is it.. romantic night out, the Spirit of Philadelphia or Moshulu would be a better choice.

Just got back from the PA Mothers of Multiples Convention and one of our excursions was a «Booze Cruise» on this boat. We had a really great time. The food was pretty good –not gourmet or anything, but veggies, cheese and dip, salad, cheese steaks, hoagies. All was pretty good and attractively presented. Our cruise included wine and beer and they didn’t run out. There were tablecloths and seat covers making for an attractive presentation. The DJ was great — lots of great new and old dance music. I’m not a dancer but all my friends were having fun. There was dancing on both floors once the food was cleared. I was happy to note that the bathrooms were clean even 5 min before getting off the boat. The workers were all friendly and seemed to be having a great time as well.
I think this kind of cruise is great for an excursion like this where you have the entire boat booked for your party. Makes it so much more fun. I’m not sure it would have been as fun with just my husband and I. As others have noted, the Philly waterfront is not that spectacular, so you need to just be having fun being with your group.

Simply put. this was one of the worst experiences… it was small, overbooked, the rug was smelly, the food took forever and they kept running out. SMH

Like many of the other reviewers — we took a dinner cruise trip here on a Friday and felt for $ 25 it was a good value, at $ 50 we would have been disappointed.
I have taken dinner cruises in Baltimore and New York, and have to say out of the three Philly’s waterfront is probably the least attractive. That said, it was an interesting short cruise.
As others said, this boat is a little tired. That combined with tacky décor (fake flowers everywhere) gave a meh ambiance.
The food was adequate, nothing to write home about. Veggie and meat and cheese tray, mini burgers, fried fish, some ziti and chips topped it off. Brownie bites for dessert were tasty (though had completely unnecessary sprinkles and chocolate syrup all of over them — perhaps to dress them up??)
All in all I think I would skip this unless you have a good discount. They do have themed public parties on this ship that with a bunch of friends could be fun.

This experience was such a let down! The boat is GHETTO, the staff have no idea what they’re doing, the little bit of food was GOD AWFUL (I felt sick from the rubbery junk), the music put me to sleep, the boat was dirty & bland in ambiance, and the parking and drinks were insanely expensive. The boat left 30 minutes late & we nearly lost our dinner reservations after. A total waste of 50 bucks a pop! Never again.

I belong to a group who has worked with Ed for eight years. We hold an annual party with over 100 people. The Ben Franklin is a fantastic new ship. He really lets the customer cater the experience for your group. He is very flexible and responsive. His staff are always fun and the new menu is good. We have always had a great time at our annual party and wouldn’t dream of having it on any other ship.

I cannot believe I am the first to review this to be honest. This is the new boat which replaced the Captain Lucky, which enjoyed a pretty loyal following and hosted the Philly Pirate Cruise.
The BF Yacht is a much larger version of Captain Lucky. It’s a three deck yacht (2 air conditioned and enclosed, 1 top deck). All three decks have bars. The bottom deck hosts the buffet. The BF Yacht is docked on the pier directly across from Callowhill Ave, and right next to Cavannaugh’s Riverdeck.
I threw a birthday party on this boat for my husband, who really wanted to «be on a boat.» For $ 65 per person, we got an expansive buffet (including appetizers, 3 entrees, salad, rolls, fruit), an open bar with wine, beer, and liquor, the 3 hour cruise, and a DJ.
We booked our cruise from 6 – 9 pm. Because we were a small group (around 30), we shared the cruise with another group. Curiously, with a class of ’65 reunion. Seems an odd combination (the music choices became hilariously different). But after a while, it was an incredibly fun time.
The bartenders were fantastic and fun. Captain Ed was great, and the whole staff does a wonderful job. They even did a great setup for the cupcakes I brought. Our guests had a phenomenal time.
This is a great option for people who want to book a booze cruise or other event on a boat. Definitely check them out!

Captain Lucky uses his boat, the Captain Lucky, for party tours of the Delaware. We got the boat for a nighttime ‘party’ cruise and had a fantastic time.
You supply the music, people and $ 40 bucks a head, they provide the boat, beer and nautical know-​how. Apparently, they let you bring any kinda of music. As we brought a DJ and two bands. That’s right, we were rocking the river that night. Wow, we had a lot of fun.
We ran out of beer on the way back, of course, but they had a bar we could buy booze from. Very smart Captain Lucky.
So smart, the Captain is lined up to buy a new (bigger) boat. Don’t worry, he isn’t replacing the golden goose. Wish him the best.