How Much Does a Party Boat Cost in Tampa?
A private party boat in Tampa is priced per boat, not per person: the price covers up to 6 guests, each guest over 6 is $35 and is added at checkout, and 12 is the maximum. Every Tampa Bay Boating Adventures charter follows that same rule, from the 3-hour Sunset Charter to the full 8-hour day on Adventure I, a deck boat over 26 feet (not a pontoon) with premium sound, color-changing lights, faux-leather seats and a swim platform. The captain is included on every trip.
The prices below are the live rates on our services page, where you can also book. If this post and the price cards ever disagree, the price cards win, because they are what checkout uses.
Tampa Party Boat Prices by Charter
Pick by how long you want to be on the water. Three hours covers sunset or a DJ night, four hours covers a skyline loop and one stop, six hours covers an island day with a bar stop, and eight hours is the full Tampa Bay tour.
Sunset Charter (3 hours)
Golden hour over the bay, the skyline lighting up, a toast on the way home. The Sunset Charter is the lowest-priced private charter we offer and the favorite for date nights, anniversaries and client entertaining.
$599 for up to 6 guests, plus $35 per additional guest. Maximum 12 guests.
4-Hour Private Charter
The most popular starting point. The 4-hour charter fits a downtown skyline cruise plus one main stop, either a sandbar swim or a waterfront bar on the Riverwalk or at Armature Works.
$899 for up to 6 guests, plus $35 per additional guest. Maximum 12 guests.
6-Hour Private Charter
Island day. The 6-hour charter gets you to Beer Can Island for a real swim, a bar stop on the way back, and sunset if you time it right. The go-to for birthdays and bachelor and bachelorette parties.
$1,299 for up to 6 guests, plus $35 per additional guest. Maximum 12 guests.
8-Hour Private Charter
The full Tampa Bay tour. The 8-hour charter covers two islands, a long lunch stop and a late sunset return. Best when the boat day is the main event of the weekend.
$1,799 for up to 6 guests, plus $35 per additional guest. Maximum 12 guests.
Wave Rave DJ night cruise (3 hours)
A live DJ aboard, color-changing lights and the lit skyline as the dance floor backdrop. The Wave Rave runs Thursday through Saturday nights and the DJ is included in the price.
$825 for up to 6 guests, plus $35 per additional guest. Maximum 12 guests.
Family-Friendly Charter (4 hours)
Calm water, shallow swim stops when conditions allow, and a captain who sets the pace for the youngest guest aboard. Same price as the standard 4-hour charter.
$899 for up to 6 guests, plus $35 per additional guest. Maximum 12 guests.
What Is Included in the Price of a Party Boat Charter?
The price covers the boat, the captain, fuel, ice, cooler space, bottled water, extra sunscreen, the sound system, the lights and the Coast Guard safety equipment. In other words, everything except your drinks, your food and the tip.
- A USCG licensed captain for the full charter. There is no mate, and nobody in your group drives.
- Adventure I for your group only, with iced cooler space under every seat and room for up to 12 passengers.
- Bottled water and extra sunscreen from the crew.
- Premium sound system (connect your phone) and color-changing lights for evening trips.
What is not included:
- Gratuity. Tipping the captain 15 to 20 percent is customary; our tipping guide covers the etiquette.
- Your drinks and food. Every charter is BYOB and we cannot sell alcohol, so there is no bar tab and no drink minimum. You bring what your group drinks at store prices.
- Optional add-ons such as a photographer, a DJ on a charter other than the Wave Rave, or bottle service. These are priced separately at booking.
How Much Does a Sunset Cruise in Tampa Cost?
A private sunset cruise in Tampa with Tampa Bay Boating Adventures is the 3-hour Sunset Charter: $599 for up to 6 guests, plus $35 per additional guest. Maximum 12 guests.
That is the whole boat, not a ticket. Most sunset cruise tampa prices you will see elsewhere are per person on a shared boat with a cash bar, a fixed route and whoever else bought a seat that night. Divide the private total by your group and you are usually in the same range per head, with your own playlist, your own cooler and nobody else on deck. For a couple, the Sunset Charter is a splurge; for six to twelve friends, it is often the cheapest way to get the best seat in Tampa.
What Changes the Price of a Party Boat in Tampa?
Four things move the number: charter length, headcount, add-ons and whether you need a second boat. Weekend afternoons and sunset slots sell out first, so book those early.
Charter length
Three hours is the floor and eight hours is the ceiling. The jump from 4 to 6 hours buys the island day, and the jump from 6 to 8 buys a second island and a long lunch stop.
Headcount: 6, 12 or somewhere between
Groups of 6 or fewer get the whole boat at the base price. Each guest over 6 is $35. Twelve is the maximum on Adventure I. Headcount is confirmed at checkout, so count carefully and build in the friend who always says yes at the last minute.
Add-ons
A photographer, a DJ or bottle service each add to the total and are listed at booking. The Wave Rave is the exception: the DJ is built into its price.
13 to 24 guests: the sister charter
Adventure I carries up to 12 passengers. Groups of 13 to 24 book a sister charter: two boats, two captains, same route, tied up together at every stop. It is priced as two charters at the normal rate, with no group surcharge: each boat follows the same rule as a single charter: the price covers up to 6 guests on that boat, plus $35 per additional guest, maximum 12 per boat.
How Does the Per-Person Math Work?
Take the base price for your charter, add $35 for each guest over 6, then divide by your headcount; that is what each person pays for a private boat, captain included, before tax, drinks and tip. For a 4-hour charter the per-person share lands well under what the same group would spend on a night of cover charges and bar tabs downtown, and the 6-hour island day is not far behind. Add a few dollars each for the BYOB run and the tip, and you have the real cost of the day. One organizer collects, one person books, and the whole group gets a boat instead of a bar line.
How Do You Pay for a Party Boat Charter in Tampa?
Book online and pay by card or Afterpay at checkout; Afterpay splits the charter into installments, which is handy when one person is fronting the boat for the group. We also take cash, PayPal and Venmo. Standard booking is at least 48 hours ahead, and inside 24 hours is sometimes possible if a captain is available.
- Cancellations: 7 or more days out, full refund; inside 7 days, 50 percent; inside 48 hours, non-refundable.
- Weather: if we cancel for weather you get a full refund. If the captain has to end the trip before the halfway point, you get a follow-up trip.
- Pickup: the Davis Island Boat Ramp, minutes from downtown and South Tampa, with pickup at the Armature Works dock or most public docks in downtown Tampa available on request. See our pickup locations page.
Party Boat Tampa Prices FAQs
How much does a party boat cost in Tampa for 12 people?
Take the base price for your charter length and add $35 for each of the 6 extra guests. For the 4-hour charter that is $899 for up to 6 guests, plus $35 per additional guest. Every charter length is on the services page.
Is the price per person or per boat?
Per boat. The price covers up to 6 guests, plus $35 per additional guest, up to a maximum of 12. The captain is included.
Are there hidden fees?
No. Fuel, the captain, ice, coolers and water are in the price. Gratuity is not included, your drinks and food are BYOB, and any add-ons you choose are shown at booking before you pay.
How much does a bachelorette party boat in Tampa cost?
The same as any other charter of that length, because every trip is private. Most bachelorette groups book the 6-hour island day: $1,299 for up to 6 guests, plus $35 per additional guest. Maximum 12 guests.
Can we split the payment?
Yes. Afterpay at checkout splits the charter into installments, and we also take card, cash, PayPal and Venmo. Most groups have one organizer book and collect from everyone else.
What does a party boat for 20 people cost?
Two boats at the normal rate with no group surcharge. Groups of 13 to 24 book a sister charter across two boats that cruise together; each boat is priced like a single charter of the same length: the price covers up to 6 guests on that boat, plus $35 per additional guest, maximum 12 per boat.
Book Your Party Boat in Tampa
Pick your charter length, count your crew, and check availability and book online, or contact us for sister charters, add-ons or custom timing. The price you see is the price you pay, and the boat is all yours. Every charter length is on our services page.
