FAQ
& More Information About Our Tiki Boat Tours
Tips on Enjoying Your Best Cruise with Cruisin' Tikis Beaufort
Learn about the most commonly sought information about our tiki cruises. Please also read the entire list of Frequently Asked Questions shared further below. If you still have questions, please give us or a call or send us a message. Your call is important to us however, we may be out on the water serving other customers and will call you back when we are able.
Per Person Cruises/Boat Charter
Our cruises last from 90 minutes (for Morning Mimosas and Beaufort Sightseeing) to 2.5 hours (for Carrot Island Swim Stop), and are priced to reflect time of day, demand, and length of cruise. You can book individual seats (with a minimum of 2) or book the entire boat. Generally, for 5 adults you are best booking the entire boat as it will save you money.
Longer Boat Cruises are available, so if interested please let us know.
Gratuities
Though not required in any way, our Captains work hard to make your trip memorable and gratuities are appreciated. There is no way currently for us to accept gratuities on credit card, so cash is the only way though we are considering Venmo as an option. 18%-25% is average. Thank you!
Booking fees
We charge your card when you make your reservation. Please plan how many people are in your group carefully. See our Cancellation notice below. Our booking provider also charges a small “convenience fee” – we see none of that money as it goes to them.
Cruising Areas
We cruise the channels, portions of the ICW, local marsh areas, and the Taylor Creek and Core Sounds areas of Beaufort. We can also cruise over to Morehead City, but due to the length of this particular route we insist on advanced notice. This is subject to maritime conditions and does entail an additional boat ferrying expense as it takes us an hour to get to Morehead City from Beaufort on the water. Depending on weather and cruise desired, we may also go to Bird Shoal and Carrot Island. As we are permitted to conduct activities at the Rachel Carson Reserve, we remind our guests that we need to be good neighbors to the horses and to other guests with behavior our mothers would approve.
Cruises are BYOB
You can bring your own drinks. We provide a certified boat captain, bottled water, a cooler, ice (for both the cooler and your drinks), cups, and Bluetooth stereo speaker so that you can link up to our stereo and play your own music.
No Show & Refunds
No shows will never be refunded. A “No Show” is defined as not being at your scheduled cruise within 15 minutes of departure. Our captains have to travel and get the boat set up for you, and if you fail to show the captain still is paid by Cruisin’ Tikis as he did his part – and you just failed to do yours.
Hours of Operation
9:00am – 9:00pm
Note: Closed 4th of July unless a special charter has been arranged.
January and February – Closed
March and April: Open Except Monday
May through August: We are Open Everyday!
September through October: Open Thursday – Sunday & By Request
November and December: Open By Request Only
Cancellation Policy
No refunds if canceled within 5 days, though we will provide the full value of your booking on a gift card that can be used on another date if you cancel 3 or more days in advance.
If canceled more than 5 days in advance 100% refund. We are also happy to try to reschedule your cruise.
Contact us by phone to cancel or inquire about cancellation. Call 252-228-1379
Cancellations will not be accepted by email.
Inclement Weather
We reserve the right to cancel any tour at any time due to weather, safety, mechanical or behavioral issues. If your tour is canceled, you will be given a rain check to re-book at another time (this excludes behavioral, along with alcohol-related cancellations – these circumstances will never be rescheduled or refunded). For weather-related issues, we may “wait out” a brief shower, reschedule for another day during your stay, or refund if unable to reschedule. “NO SHOWS” will NEVER be refunded or rescheduled!
Frequently Asked Questions about Cruisin' Tikis Beaufort cruises
Query not on the list?
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90 Minutes to 150 Minutes depending on the tour chosen.
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Dogs are allowed, provided you are booking the entire boat. The dog must be on a leash and wearing a life jacket. Dogs cannot be allowed if you are not booking the entire boat as we may be unaware of other guests’ allergies.
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Yes, children are allowed. Children under the age of 12 are required to wear a child-sized life jacket, which we do have on board. Please let us know if you plan to bring children so we can make appropriate accommodations for life jackets.
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Yes, there is a type 1 PFD for every passenger, along with all the coast guard requirements for the vessel including a first aid kit.
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The US Coast Guard regulations for our tiki boats is 6 people plus crew…. this includes children… NO EXCEPTIONS!
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Yes, all routes are subject to change due to weather or current conditions, docking, USCG restrictions or captains’ discretion.
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The tours are BYOB whether you bring your beverages from home or pick them up at a restaurant on the way. You may bring your own wine, beer, pop, soda, mixers, water or beverage of choice and snacks. Please remember sunscreen, sunglasses, bug spray, maybe a hat and extra water. A light jacket, long sleeve shirt or cover up might come in handy. We will have a cooler on the boat with ice, so you will not need to bring your own cooler.
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Our easiest location for parking is our new Gallant’s Channel one, where there is plentiful free parking. Parking for the Beaufort Hotel needs to be in locations set up by the hotel for visitor parking. For the Beaufort Yacht Basin location, parking is available but please limit to no more than 2 cars per boat.
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The tiki boat has a cruising speed at around 4 to 6 mph.
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All our Captains have been vetted and trained thru the U.S Coast Guard requirements. All captains have been chosen based on their experience with boating and knowledge of the area. Check out “Our Crew” page for Bios about our crew.
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We do operate in the rain as the tiki boats have a roof. However, the captain can decide at any time to cancel due to conditions (typically high winds or thunder storms). We operate under USCG’s rules. The USCG does not advise going out if wind speeds exceed 20 knots. If you are unable to reschedule and still want to go on one of our cruises, the captains may under certain conditions decide to cruise in calmer water which is protected by islands.
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Our Captains do work for tips, so gratuity is greatly appreciated. We suggest a 20% gratuity (on the regular price if using discount) for our captains… they are very experienced, knowledgeable, and work hard to ensure your safety and to provide an amazing tiki experience for our guests!
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Besides relaxing with a cold drink we can pretty much book anything you can imagine. From bachelorette and bachelor parties, corporate meetings, birthday parties, weddings… you name it and we will try to make it work. Give us a call for special requests or large group (over 6 persons) reservations. If you are having a wedding reception, corporate event, or other function we can do short trips of 15-20 minutes picking up from a convenient location so all your guests can enjoy!
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Our tikis are NOT equipped with restrooms. We strongly encourage you to use the restroom before leaving the dock. So please do NOT drink more than you are able to “hold” while on your tour!
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Yes, we do have bluetooth-capable speaker systems that can sync to your phone and choice of music.
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We do provide coolers with ice (for both drink storage and putting in drinks), cups, and bottled water. We do not serve any food or other drinks, however you may bring any snacks, food, or alcoholic beverages.