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Our 22 and 49 passenger max. Private Charters –
Riverwalk Boats Private Charters operate rain or shine. Riverwalk will only cancel our private charters in the event of prolonged severe weather/lightning storms in our area that our captain deems unsafe for our Private Charters to operate. Our Private Charters do operate in rain, as the vessels are fully covered and can be fully sided. The rivers in downtown Milwaukee are protected from wind due to the numerous buildings and the inner harbor of Lake Michigan is protected by the breakwater to prevent unsafe wave conditions. As our Private Charters are completely covered and can be fully sided, these Private Charters are not allowed to be cancelled or rescheduled by the customer for day of weather-related concerns. Only Riverwalk Boats/captain will determine what is unsafe and cancelable weather. Should Riverwalk Boats/captain deem it unsafe for our boats to operate and need to cancel your rental for a weather-related reason, we will reach out to you as soon as possible at the contact number provided to discuss whether you would prefer reimbursement in the form of a rebooking credit or refund (customer choice).
Our 10-passenger maximum Self-captained Pontoon Rentals –
Riverwalk Boats, on the Day of Rental and not before, will cancel and offer a full refund or booking credit, (customer choice), in the event that the weather on the Day of Rental and not before is clearly going to be raining for the duration of the rental. Rentals on days that the weather is forecasted to be raining intermittently throughout the day will not necessarily be cancelled…every day. time and situation is different. All rental pontoons have a bimini top covering the back half of the boat that may be pulled up in case of light rain. These rentals can operate in light to medium, intermittent showers. If a portion of a rental is cancelled due to lasting rain, a rental credit may be issued for a portion of a rental that was affected by bad weather, not a refund.
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Unless you have a registered service animal, you are unable to bring animals onboard.
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YES. We have lifejackets for people of all sizes, including children and babies. Ten adult lifejackets will already be in the boat when you board for your rental. Children and infants will need to be properly fitted for a lifejacket with a member of our dock staff prior to boarding to ensure their safety. All individuals ages thirteen and under must wear a US Coast Guard approved lifejacket at all times onboard the boat, per federal law.
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YES. You may bring any food, beverages, and alcohol onboard, but you will need to provide your own cooler. We ask that you limit the amount of glass containers you bring for safety reasons, so it would be greatly appreciated if you could opt to bring cans or plastic bottles/containers whenever possible. Also, please take all your garbage with you and do not dispose of it in Pere Marquette Park. We provide 2 tables (approximately 4×2 feet) onboard all Private Charters.
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NO. Captains are only available for our 22- and 49-passenger charters. A member of your party will be responsible for operating the boat. Please note that the driver must meet all of the following requirements in order to operate the boat: be 25 years old or over, agree not to consume alcohol while operating the boat, present a valid car driver’s license, and present a valid credit card in the driver’s name to authorize for a $500 security deposit upon arriving for the rental. Cash or a debit/bank card is NOT sufficient for this. Any driver born on or after January 1st of 1989 also needs to present proof of completion of the Wisconsin State Boater’s Safety Course, which is linked on our “Pontoon Rentals” page and can be completed online within a day.
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Swimming is not allowed off of any of our boats.
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Fishing is not allowed off of any of our boats.
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NO. There is not a grill onboard and we do not allow them to be brought onboard. The same goes for all types of open flames or fireworks.
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YES. Many restaurants along the river have docks for customers to use. Please Do not park at any restaurant, bar, or residence with denoted private docks.
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Metered street parking is an available option on State Street and other surrounding streets. There is a parking lot located on 1020 North 4th Street and a parking structure located on 130 East State Street, both of which are private lots with a parking cost.
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You can go up the Milwaukee River as well as a small part of the Menomonee and Kinnickinnic Rivers. You can also take the boat out into the part of the lake protected by the breakwall. Within the harbor, you can take the boat as far South as South Shore Park.
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Smoking of any kind is prohibited onboard all of our boats. Any renter found to be smoking on our private charters or public cruises, particularly illegal substances, may have their cruise immediately terminated with no eligibility for a refund.
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The complete list of insured docking locations for our boats includes Barnacle Bud’s, Lakefront Brewery, McKinley Marina, Pier Wisconsin (Discovery World), ALOFT, Paul Davis Restoration Southeast Wisconsin, Summerfest Lakeshore State Park, Southshore Yacht Club, and Twisted Fisherman.
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NO. We do recommend wearing layers, as it usually is cooler by the lake and warmer upriver.
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YES. We encourage (not require) you to tip the staff if you felt their work added to your cruise experience. Both captains and deckhands are allowed to accept tips.
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All payments must be made with a credit card in advance over the phone or online.
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NO. It must be a major credit card.
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YES. The bimini top, which covers the back half of the boat, will be down upon your arrival dockside and can be put back up once you reach the lake. Due to higher water levels, the bimini top is too tall for some of the bridges on the rivers and must be kept down until past all bridges.
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GENERALLY, NO. The awning on our private charters requires time and labor to remove. It is not an option if another rental is booked directly before or after the one in question, as there is not sufficient time to uncover/cover the boat without making at least one party late for their charter. Usually, the only circumstance that we remove the top is during Private Charter Fireworks Cruises several times a season.
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Please plan to be at the docks at least 15 minutes before the start of your scheduled rental time to fill out the required paperwork. Please allot yourself enough time for parking and navigating through the park to the docks.
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Boats are allowed to go up as far North as Lakefront Brewery on the Milwaukee River, to north 25th Street on the Menomonee River, as far south as Barnacle Buds on the Kinnickinnic River, and within the entire break wall in the harbor of Lake Michigan.
