Star of Saugatuck Boat Cruises

This cruise is NOT «good for kids» as the business overview states. The staff treats families with young children, even well-​behaved ones, like they’re involved in criminal activity.
This was our second summer taking our family on the cruise. Last year, the captain was rude to my kids before we even boarded, though they were politely and patiently waiting in line. The women working on board, though, complimented us as we finished the cruise on how good the kids were.
This year, the captain was very pleasant as we boarded (I believe it was a different man from the year before) but the two women working on board watched my kids like crazy and were clearly waiting for them to create havoc (which they did not). They were condescending and rude when dealing with our family. Based on this experience, we will not be sailing with them next summer.

Not our first ride with this company, but it will be our last. We brought our two year old grandson with us… Mistake! The ladies on deck watched him like a hawk, waiting for him or us to do anything they could correct. He never walked without holding our hands and most of the time he was carried or sat on our laps. He never hung over the railing, but as soon as he put his hands on it, we were corrected. We paid $ 95 to be constantly watched and harassed. If you choose to ride with them do not take small children.

NOT family friendly. Agree with other poster that if you have young active kids — DO NOT go on this boat!!! Spend your money elsewhere, especially if your children won’t sit for 9 minutes, let alone 90. INCREDIBLY rude staff. Very little content on the «tour» mostly a commercial for other local businesses. Couldn’t wait to get off. Live and learn!

Great experience!!! My suggestions: 1. Take the last trip at 7:45. The sunset is amazing. 2. Get there early to board so you can get a good spot on the top deck. 3. Bring a camera! 4. You can bring unopened drinks and food, so that’s much cheaper if you’re on a budget. 5. Still tip the staff and support them; they do a great job!

Don’t go on this boat if you have kids! I repeat DON’T BRING KIDS ON THIS BOAT! We went on this boat with 6 adults and 3 kids (between the ages of 12 and 10). They say that the kids have to be within arms length of the parent. I am all for controlling kids, but this was out of hand. My son was first in line with his cousin behind him. We waited in line and boarding began. After he handed the captain his ticket, he stepped forward in the line (didn’t run, jump, scream, etc). But the captain yelled «Hey, arms length from a parent!». Seriously, he was 3 ft in front of us standing in line waiting to board the boat. Later the same captain came over and sternly talked to my 10 yr old nephew for sitting on his foot in his chair.
I have taken similar boat rides in other cities that were much more fun (and reasonably priced). The staff running this boat ride were very unpleasant.
If you are a 40+ year old without children, this could be a fun boat ride. But my kids remember this as the WORST thing we did on vacation.
Take the dune buggy ride instead… It was much more fun!

Price is about right for what you get. A bit of history (not a ton) and you get to cruise out onto Lake Michigan. This would be beautiful at nighttime. Great thing to do if you’re looking for relief from shopping!

This boat cruise is awesome. The captain was very informational as well as funny. He tells you great information about Saugatuck and Douglas. The boat ride takes about an hour and a half. They offer snacks and drinks on the boat. On this tour you get to see some amazing homes and a great view of Oval Beach once you get out onto Lake Michigan. This is a must when you visit Saugatuck.

Great fun heading out into the water, only wish the captain were a little more enthusiastic about the tour. Maybe an off day, but he did deliver quite a bit of info I never knew about the area and the town. I’d do it again.

Thank you captian Nancy and Marilyn for a wonderful, relaxing, safe, informative cruise and conditions were perfect to hit the lake. Keep up the great job. Very clean boat and in excellent shape. Thank You!!!

Another must do when visiting Saugatuck for the first time!
I would highly recommend a late night cruise sitting on the upper deck of the Star.
Hopefully the weather is as near perfect for you as it was for us so you can branch out into Lake Michigan.
Even though we had a few clouds mucking things up, it, it still provided a relaxing and beautiful way to end an evening with my significant other.
Plenty of opportunities to take scenic pictures during sunset and of the surrounding area.
Some beautiful home off the Kalamazoo River too that i’d like to personally own :-)
Lastly, you may want to consider bringing a hoodie or sweater just in case as you might find it a bit on the chilly side when it get out into Lake Michigan.

An enjoyable tour of the Kalamazoo River and the mouth of the river as it opens to Lake Michigan.
We were not able to go out onto Lake Michigan as the water was quite rough! But the ride was still very nice — relaxing, informative, and a little exciting once we were closer to the Lake and could feel the larger waves!
Great for all ages, there is a lower level which is enclosed and has tables and chairs, a small concessions area (snacks, soda, hot drinks, beer, wine, cocktails, etc), and a small restroom. The upper deck is open, and has seating (according to pictures — we didn’t venture up there).
As we were on an organized bus trip, I don’t know for sure the price — I believe I saw it as $ 18, which may seem steep, but the ride is over an hour long, and full of interesting local facts, and beautiful scenery!

This was such a fun experience. The captain was awesome and very informative and the crew was extremely friendly. LOVED it

I’m a sucker for a good boat ride! I’ll take a river cruise wherever I can find them, and the Star of Saugatuck was no exception. My mom and I were here on Mother’s Day and we JUST made the boat. Huffing and puffing from our sprint from our car to the dock, we found seats on the upper deck and enjoyed a lovely, if a bit cold, cruise all the way out to Lake Michigan, out onto it for a few minutes, and back. The captain gave some great info about the sights we were passing as well. Be warned — if you are going in the spring like I did, don’t forget to bring a sweatshirt or jacket, the wind can really pick up when you get close to the lake!
Note — You get a dollar off if you pay with cash!

I love the Star of Saugatuck. I went for the sunset cruise with my family the first weekend it was open this summer. The people told us the boat would not leave unless they had 6 people who wanted to ride. Luckily there were 5 people in my group and others decided to go on the boat ride as well.
We bought our tickets before the trip, went to dinner and came back to the boat about 10 minutes before we were supposed to leave. If you’re taking the boat in the summer you need to be there 30 minutes before if you want to sit on the upper deck.
We were greeted by the Captain, who also took our tickets. I think that was a first, how many times does the ships Captain collect your tickets. We boarded the ship and sat on the upper deck. You get the best views.
After leaving the dock we went down the Kalamazoo River into Lake Kalamazoo. We were informed that the Canadian government wants the old steam ship back and they had been dredging the lake and part of the river over the winter because the water is pretty shallow.
After leaving Lake Kalamazoo and hearing about the founding of Saugatuck, we cruised down the rest of the Kalamazoo River into Lake Michigan. It was the perfect night to be out on the lake. Despite the cloud cover the views were pretty awesome.
I learned a lot about Saugatuck and the surrounding area on the boat ride. I’m looking forward to going back in the summer.

We drove down to Saugatuck from Holland late on a beautiful October afternoon with no plan and not much energy after a Friday night wedding. Star of Saugatuck was boarding, so we hopped on, and it was perfect. The boat was full, but not jammed, the cruise was peaceful, the fall colors were spectacular, and the captain/​tour guide provided just the right level of info and commentary.

The whole family enjoyed this cruise along the Kalamazoo river and out into Lake Michigan. The price was a little high, but the trip did take 1.5 hours and the captain was very informative announcing places of local interest.
Basic snacks are served aboard (for a fee).

Beautiful sunset cruise! I have never seen the sunset look so amazing. We got a quick tour of the area and then went on Lake Michigan to enjoy the red sun set behind the horizon. Unlike anything else!