WHERE TO BOOK BOOZE CRUISES OF ALL KINDS IN D.C.

This spring, D.C. docks are home to a surge of drinking vessels designed for every occasion, vibe, and price point. A returning line of retro motor boats are apparently the ticket to getting engaged, with seven proposals out on the water last year. Want to watch dolphins give birth on the Chesapeake this summer? One hotel offers an excursion for that. And a fancy sailboat manned by a fine-dining chef pairs tasting menus with French wines.

Soak up monumental views along the Potomac River, drink in tow, with this running list of bookable boats.

Sea Suite Cruises

Co-founders and Arlington natives Jack Walten and Jack Maher’s first BYOB paddle pub debuted in 2018. Six years later, their supersized fleet is made up of 13 boats bobbing around Mid-Atlantic waterways (in D.C., Baltimore, Annapolis, and Richmond), plus floating tiki bars. And a landlocked bar born in Clarendon is the muse for one of their hottest new bookings this season:

Whitlow’s on Water

Now the largest boat in Sea Suite Cruises’ fleet, the 48-passenger tiki boat is the product of a fun new partnership with Whitlow’s owner Jon Williams. His iconic Clarendon dive moved to Shaw, but its original tiki rooftop on Wilson is reincarnated as a floating bar. “Whitlow’s on Water has taken the [Potomac] by storm,” says Sea Suite’s Jack Walten, noting it’s pretty much sold out almost every Saturday through the summer. Diehard Whitlow’s regulars, which includes the “Jacks,” have a familiar face on board: the former bartender from its Clarendon days. Standard mixed drinks join beers, wines, High Noon seltzers, orange crushes, and rum punches. There’s also a selection of pub grub (sandwiches, wings, etc.) sourced from Whitlow’s.

Two TVs air “whatever people want to watch,” he says, which has included everything from March Madness to the Bachelorette (bachelorette parties are popular bookings, after all). As are corporate teams, birthdays, Whitlow’s fans, and even 50-year wedding anniversaries. Individual tickets are also available, to “mix and mingle like you would in a normal bar,” he says. Sea Suite caters to Washington Nationals fans with a traffic-free cruise from Georgetown to the Yards Marina, docking just in time to walk over for the first pitch. “Tailgating on a tiki boat, it doesn’t get better than that,” he says.

Price: Ticket tiers start at $24 and up for daily options that include individual or group sightseeing tours, tiki taxis, private charters, or “Nats Sailgate” (book online).

Where: Pick-ups and drop-offs in Georgetown in front of Fiola Mare (3100 K Street NW) and Yards Marina by District Winery (1492 4th Street SE)

Retro Boat Rentals

Vintage runabout boats from Sinatra’s time were retro-fitted with electric motors, so having a romantic or intimate conversation on the water is highly possible. It’s no wonder the there were a whopping seven proposals out on the water last year, reports Sea Suite. Each four-top fiberglass beauty sports a different color and name (think Gladys, Bonnie, and Violet).

Price: $175-$225 for 1.5-hour tours; BYO drinks and food

Where: Wharf to the Washington Channel

Potomac Tiki Club

D.C.’s “first tiki cruise” lets patrons buy booze on board, or opt for a $8 corkage fee for wine and Champagne. Bring your own food or buy small snacks.

Price: $45-$60 for parties of 8 to 18 out of Georgetown. An additional thatched-roof boat out of Navy Yard fits six and runs $350-$425. Both last 1.45 hours.

Paddle Club Cruises

Sea Suite Cruises’ fleet that started it all is a pontoon pedal boat outfitted with 10 cycle stations (or just let the motor power the party). BYOB (just no hard liquor) or purchase beverages on board like canned Cutwater ($4-$8.50).

Price: $35-$55 for groups of 8 to 16 for 1.45-hour tours

Where: Docks from the Wharf, Navy Yard, and Georgetown

Sea Table DC Aboard Cru Classé

Chef and sommelier Troy Knapp makes Michelin-level menus on his luxury sailboat Cru Classé. Back at the Wharf for its third year, the detail-oriented captain brings fine-dining to the dock with artfully plated courses, decadent floral arrangements, seafaring table settings, and French wines he pours himself. Knapp also mans other Wharf vessels for parties of six or more, partnering with Nautiste to offer dining excursions with his catering company Curated.

Choose from three different experiences this season (book via TOCK):

Cruise Experience (April through October): Set sail for up to three hours while enjoying four to six courses comprised of ingredients from local farms and fishermen. Complemented by prestigious wine pairings. Starting at $430 per guest
Dockside Experience (April, May, September, and October): Savor four to six courses with sommelier-selected wines while docked at the Wharf’s marina for up to two hours. Starting at $180 per guest
Oyster Sails (June, July, and August): Enjoy local bivalves, freshly shucked by an oyster expert on board, alongside specialty accompaniments. Paired with Champagne or prestige white wine. Starting at $225 per guest

Where: Docks at the Wharf (650 Wharf Street SW)

Pendry on the Potomac

The most baller option of the bunch by far, the Wharf’s luxe Pendry hotel offers guests a captain-chartered Aviara cruise that’s available the public for the first time. Parked in a slip right out front of the hotel, onboard food and beverage offerings like Champagne and caviar service are provided by Pendry’s culinary team. Bar selections, beer or wine, and appetizers can be customized, depending on the parties’ preference. Excursions near and far include round trips to Nationals home games and an all-day trip to the Chesapeake Bay to spot marine life. As it turns out, dolphins use the Potomac and Bay as a nursery to birth calfs — a rare sight that happens from mid-June to mid-August when the water is warmest. Kicking it up at full speed (35-40 knots), hat-holding patrons will jet downstream through Old Town, Fort Washington, and Mt. Vernon and hopefully see the annual occurrence.

Price: $3,600 (3 hours); $4,600 (4 hours); $6,000 (6 hours); $7,800 (7 hours); reserve here.

Where: Outside of the Pendry (655 Water Street SW) at the Wharf Marina

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