My husband and I had our wedding ceremony and reception aboard the Pride and Joy II this past weekend. The staff was so incredible and went above and beyond to make our day special - even to the point of finding some stashed forks when we forgot them for our cake! We had an unforgettable experience and cannot thank the staff at Capital Cruises enough for all of their hard work.

I had hosted a mini family get together and bought tickets for the sunset bar tour. It’s an amazing experience. Our tour guide, Britney (i think) was fantastic! You can tell she loves what she does through her enthusiasm of her story telling. She’s extremely knowledgeable and did a good job telling us about downtown Austin and the bats all while steering a massive vehicle. The ride itself was scenic and smooth. I recommend coming early especially for a bigger group so you can pick your seats (first come first serve).We actually came back the next day for kayaking on lady bird lake. Great experience overall!

We had a great time on the sunset bat viewing cruise. Alex had so many stories about all the sights along the river & lake, and got the boat down to the bridge in perfect timing to see the bats come out. So much fun, glad we went! If we lived here I would probably go every month.

What a fantastic experience. I highly recommend this as it was the cheapest and most aweinspiring of our whole trip.They processed guests orderly and efficiently.It would be nice if their waiting line wasnt on the jogging bike path.The guide provided historical and interesting trivia through the whole tripWithout his guidance and explanation I am sure we would have not enjoyed this as much

Capital Cruises has experienced guides who are both professional and humorous - a terrific combination. In addition to seeing the bats up close as they came out from under the Congress Street Bridge, our guide took us to see the stream of bats at locations away from the crowded bridge. Loved our bat cruise. Cant wait to do it again.

Swan boats $40/ 2 hours for 4-person swan.Great service and overall awesome experience.We visited at almost 7pm and were able to enjoy the laid-back waters without too much of sun. Loved seeing the sunset. The breeze was warm and nice.

The crew at Capital Cruises are the best! This is the second time I’ve rented with them and they are always so friendly. Booking is easy, lots of available parking and the rates are great. If you got friends or family in town I suggest renting a donut boat, bring your booze and snacks and catch the sunset.

Highly recommend taking Capital Cruises to see the bats. The tour/boat guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. It is also a great way to see the beautiful skyline of Austin.

Easily booked reservatiin, economical, Knowledgeable captain and staff, great tour guides.

Beautiful scenery even though it was sprinkling. I highly recommend this tour.

This activity was tons of fun. The employees were very attentive and customer service oriented. The boat had a set of speakers and a mini disco ball to set the vibe. Don’t worry about your phone not being compatible. Their aux cord accommodates both Apple and Android phones.Only downside is that the electric engine on the boat gets a bit too hot but still a very pleasant experience.

We got in line for our tour, checked in, and were seated. The tour was a lot of fun and worked out perfectly. I would definitely recommend.

This was a great experience. We showed up and were able to get the electric boat and boy that was a blast! Nice little ride around on the river. The attendants were attentive, knowledgeable and polite. The only downside was that the engine got very hot on the boat, we wouldn’t have been able to do it much longer, but that’s not a reason to take away a star. I’ll be back for sure.

Fun cruise with knowledgeable and funny guide.

The experience was really cool, my groups captain was knowledgeable and let us view bats from not only the bridge but the tree line. Something, I did not see other touring groups doing.Make sure to wear bug repellent, to be comfortable, some areas on the lake have a lot of bugs.Also come early if you have a group larger than two and you want to sit together.

Since we were staying at the Hyatt Regency, Capital Cruises was right below the hotel to rent out Paddle Boards, Canoes and Kayaks.The staff is very friendly and helpful.For the ones who don’t know how to Kayak they do give you basic rowing and maneuvering tips/training. Also help you get on and off your kayak.Overall was a fantastic experience! Thank you for having us!

We enjoyed our second experience with Capital Cruises this weekend. We rented a duffy boat on Friday evening a long with one of the meals from the Hyatt Regency. The overall experience was just as wonderful this time as it was the last. The duffy boats drive almost like a golf cart and are very easy to handle when trying to have a relaxing evening. With just the two of us we had plenty of room to sit back and relax.The braised beef pasta we had for dinner was of a very nice quality. The only complaint if any was there was no bread with the pasta, but it really wasnt necessary. I would almost think this is purposeful so you dont feed the ducks on the lake, but I could be wrong. Overall the meal was great and very well flavored.If you get the evening cruise at sunset, then you can position yourself just east of the Congress bridge to see the bats fly out at sunset. Its a very interesting experience and well worth having a boat or a kayak out on the water to experience it.Definitely give Capital Cruises your business if youre looking for a nice evening in Austin or a nice afternoon if the sun isnt being a scorcher!

Crew was so friendly and the food was fantastic! Great time had by all! We were there for a wedding and the boat next to us for a birthday party. Great for any occasion!

Had our wedding on the nighthawk and it was everything I wanted! The driver and staff were wonderfully friendly and professional. The even let us stay on the water a little late to see the bats. They positioned better so we could get the skyline in our pictures and they helped us pack up our decorations in half the time it would have taken just us. If you are considering their boats for a wedding, do it. It is somuch cheaper than most venues anyway and they have catering options and everything. Its also just so pretty.

Peaceful an relaxing cruise .Beautiful view of downtown austin

Nice relaxing cruise on the lake. Good people and very nice to cruise with on Town Lake.

We rented kayaks only and had an absolute blast! The employee steered us away from the swan paddle boat because of the winds and his advice made our rentals that much more fun. Great location right next to the bat bridge, super cool employees!

I highly recommend Capital Cruises. The tour was much better than we originally thought. Our guide, Brittany was very informative and took extra time to ensure we were able to see the bats. Ask to be on Brittanys boat. You will not be disappointed. Thank you Brittany for the fantastic tour of the Colorado River, the Austin skyline, and the Congress Bridge Bats.

Im a total nerd!I absolutely love learning new things and Captain Lorrie taught me all about why the Congress Ave. Bridge attracts the bats. Im not gonna tell you. You need to take the tour.We walked up about 15 mins before tour departure and had no problem buying four tix. Its BYOB so they sent us up to the bar at the Hyatt for drinks and potty stops. We made it back to the boat just in time for the ride.

The nightly bat cruises shine red lights on the bats that make it extremely hard to see from any angle other than perhaps in the boat. I’ve recently gone twice to see the bats from the shore, but have had so much trouble seeing them when this company shines their red lights on the bridge. I’m not sure if they think the red light does not affect the bats, but the bats appear to stop emerging when they shine these lights on them. When they turn the lights off, a huge amount of bats begin to fly out, but it’s nearly impossible to see because of the way your eyes have adjusted to the red light. It’s plenty impressive to see the bats with just the light from the city. It’s completely unnecessary to ruin the experience for everyone else by shining these red lights every night.

I had my best friend visit from out of town and thought this would be something fun and unique to Austin. She absolutely loved it... and so did I! Our tour guide on the kayak tour was awesome and extremely knowledgeable about the area. I would highly recommend!!!

Ive lived in Austin area for 14 years and finally did a tour. Great bang for the buck and actually learned a few things. Highly recommend it!

We really enjoyed the Bat tour. The guide was very informative and made the trip very relaxing while waiting for the right time to see the bats. It was a fascinating tour. We will definitely be back.

Good trip for the money. Guide talked a little too much for me but others seemed entertained. Great view of the downtown skyline and the bats leaving the bridge was also worth it. Definitely better than standing on the bridge.

We caught the last tour of the season and it did not disappoint. The tour guide was informative about the buildings, history and nearby attractions. Overall a good experience. I would recommend it to anyone visiting Austin!

This was a pretty good experience all-around. It was no 3 day cruise, though I hear those dont often end well, but about an hour of entertainment that teaches tourists and fairly new residents about the city, both current and historic.

Nice and up close view of the under bridge area! The tour started with a lot of interesting information about Austin and the tour guide was excellent and very patient with the boisterous crowd on our boat talking over her. Thought the bats would “swarm” more, like in pictures online, but they can’t control that. :)

This was a a wonderful cruise. Our guide was very informative. Beautiful Austin skyline on one side and the park on the other side. Great to view bats under the bridge (unfortunately January is not month for Bat viewing since most of them fly to Mexico). Reservation highly recommended as tours can get full quickly.

Beck was an incredible tour guide, glad we got to experience that side of Austin with him as our guide, 10/10 would recommend to anyone thinking about seeing the bridge bats from a different point of view.

Couldnt have asked for a better evening! The staff was wonderful to work with and everyone had a great time! We booked the trip for a rehearsal dinner.

Please reserve online early!!!! They are located by some Hyatt hotel, which shares the parking garage and wall down to water. They stay SUPER busy!!!! Staff was nice...just be ready to wait if you did not reservation online.

Very nice time! Beck really took his time explaining things and making sure we got to see the bats up close. Check them out!

Really cool. Even if youve lived here for a while its still a great experience. The tour guide is informative and chill. You wont regret booking this. They take you to see the sunset, under several bridges, to a pic opportunity with the skyline in the bckg, then you get to see the bats. I bet you learn something even if youre a local!

Georgia is an Awesome Tour Guide! Went all the way down pass Mopac bridge and she described many of Austins buildings and history..The finale was seeing the bats come out from Congress Bridge! She knew exactly where to go and the perfect time!

Brittany was a phenomenal tour guide! Quick witted, knowledgeable, hilarious, and knew the spots to be at the perfect times. Thank you!!

Took the Bat Watching Cruise. It was great weather and the operator of our boat was informative and entertaining. I really enjoyed the whole cruise in Lady Bird Lake.

Watched multiple boats from this company run into kayakers at the SoCo bridge last night. One time was clearly intentional because the driver and kayakers were exchanging words before it happened. The second time the single driver/tour guide at the back of the boat was completely unaware she was running into a group of kayakers, hitting two or 3 before the rest had to scramble out of the way. Incredible reckless, all to get “a good spot” under the bridge.

We went on a capital cruise on a whim. It was a nice way to pass some time while enjoying the sites from Lady Bird Lake (or Towne Lake) the captain was informative, funny and safe with us on board. It was chilly, even chillier on the water so bundle up when its mid January.Beautiful views of the Austin sky line and information of the Colorado Dam system. I recommend this for visitors, entertaining guests and we plan to take a bat tour cruise this summer.

Captain Alec I believe was his name was both funny and informative. The spot he chose for the finally was just breath taking and really perfect view of all those bats. My entire family loved it and cant wait to go again. Thank you for the great time.

The workers so were so nice and helpful! We went during a rare super windy day and wanted to do the swan boats, but they advised against it because the wind would carry us away in the big boat and suggested a canoe or kayak instead. Im so glad we listened to them because that wind was brutal! Our guide gave us a quick little tutorial since my boyfriend had never canoed before and it went great. Very knowledgeable staff, we had a great time!

Unique way to see the city scape and the bats. Would highly recommend this company for the easy booking process, great value for the experience, and funny/friendly tour guide. It’s an hour on the water and BYOB, I’m so glad we did this while in town!

Amazing and romantic.

Good little get to know the real real of Austin! Thanks to our tour guide Georgia we got the ins and outs.. very cool ev tour! Will have to come back for the bats!

I liked the fact that the guide toured the river and gave facts about the city and bats 🦇, he did not stay just at the bridge like other boats. Amazing to see this natural event specially from the river

We LOVED this cruise. Beck, our guide, was informative and funny. We saw BATS, lots of them. You should definitely go. It’s sad that Covid is limiting the number of passengers but on the other hand, it was also nice having the elbow room. 😂

Best sunset cruise EVER!! The views were breathtaking and they kept us a few minutes longer to see more of the bats.

Great one time experience great conductor Brittany was her name you can take drinks and snacks

I worked an event on one of their cruises a few Sundays ago - SO MUCH FUN! Live DJ, and rooftop and cabin downstairs. Get quite a long cruise down the lake and back and got to see everyone paddleboarding and everyone enjoying the lake...was amazing and fun especially for me just working it! I cant wait to go after i purchase a ticket. Highly recommend! So much fun and worth it!

Brought relatives from Ohio to go kayaking and we had a blast, the tour guide was super friendly and cool will definitely do it again with more family

Excellent experience! Great tour guide, very insightful and entertaining! Thank you, Beck, for a great time!

*Covid review* Theyre open and taking reservations for several boats to rent. Wear a mask when boarding and docking, its not necessary when you on the lake. The team helps with instructions for a designated captain in your group. Easy to work with and book through. Website has great FAQs to help. We parked at the Hyatt, $10 until midnight. Lake was amazing to see the bats during sunset 🌇. Have fun, be safe, enjoy.

Friendly service and there are lockers for your valuables. Great views of the city when kayaking.

Had an amazing time watching the bats under the bridge on the boat the crew was very friendly they made us feel very comfortable were very funny and very informative I highly recommend this cruise.

Lovely cruise with wonderful host. Educates you on the city and bats!

Had a great time with my wife and children on this bat viewing excursion. We had fun, and yes, we saw bats, lots of them!Our tour guide Georgia was awesome. She shared so much info about the city, and her passion was authentic Austin, not some imitator looking for a pay check. She even suggested some local restaurants for us to try after the tour.I suggest you have reasonable expectations during this outing, the bats do what they want to do when they want to do it. There was one customer with the most sour of attitudes, first off she was about the size of the boat, and her poor husband looked ashamed of her obnoxiousness. Poor guy.We saw this swan before the sun went down. Had a great time.(Edit typo)

Or group did the bat seeing tour at dusk. It included a leisurely cruise up the river to take in a few sights. The tour guide provided a lot of great information about the city and specific points of interest. The Congress Bridge bats were quite a sight to behold, though a bit dark at this time of year to really get the best view. All around great experience.

Highly recommend the Duffy boat for a fun, relaxing cruise around the lake. Had such a great time on this boat and saw Austin in a new light. Missing one star because unfortunately the stereo to hook up your phone was not working!

I did one of the bat watching tours with my parents when they were visiting for a long weekend and we had a great time with Capt Raynard (this may or may not be how you spell his name).We left with plenty of sunlight still so he took us down the river and told us about the various downtown buildings. We even caught the sunset. At the end, we made it by the Congress St bridge where we saw the bats fly out. We had the best view of the bats from our boat! 🦇The docks are behind the Hyatt Downtown hotel. The hotel has parking, and you just walk around to the back.I have some friends visiting next month and will definitely do the tour with them again!

It was my first time on this cruise and I truly enjoyed it. A co-worker that works with me at KAZI 88.7 FM Joshua Hunt was getting married that day.

Such a fun evening activity to do !! The view of the city during sunset is breathtaking and the bats were a sight to behold. Definitely recommend this tour

Boat wasnt anything like the one shown. It was a small and mostly overcrowded 1 level boat not like whats shown in the pictures.

Very nice tour. Our guide was excellent and the bat show was even more incredible. We did it mid August which they said was peak season, so there were millions of bats. Im typically leery of bats but this was not overwhelming. I would do it again.

Friendly staff who got through a long kind of waiting customers fairly quickly. Did a good job of explaining their offerings and even gave us the option to swap from a canoe to one of their swan paddle boats if we wanted to. Very fun and relaxing (even though it is exercising paddling) with great city views everywhere.

Its a must see the bats run on their own schedule though be warned

Great tour. Our guide, Lorrie, was a lot of fun and very knowledgeable.

Very good tour and lots of good info on the tour didnt get to see many bats, but it was unseasonably cold. They warned us before we paid the chances of seeing bats, which was nice.

Best place to rent a drunk boat with no steering.. fun times!

No bats, just bat facts. We booked this cruise expecting to see bats but this is the beginning of their migratory season. The cruise itself was beautiful as the sunset on the Austin Skyline. The 4/5 stars is due to the cruise being labeled as a bat sightseeing trip and not a sunset cruise. If you’re looking to see Austin from the water I recommend you take the trip and give yourself plenty of time to get there during rush hour traffic.

Would paddle there again! They have a great kayak tour on the weekends - and unlike the others on the lake its not a 5 mile paddle back to the dock at night after the bats fly!

Very knowledgeable staff on a good night to see the bats...We had fun!

Great way to enjoy the Colorado River.

Decent food nice romantic catered pleasure cruise. Will definitely go again.

Canoe, kayak, and pedal boat rentals; great location; staff is kind; very reasonable rates.

This was the highlight of me and my daughters trip. We got there about 5 minutes before they closed and Chase, the Adventure Guide, was very cool and welcomed us to enjoy one of their experiences 😊 We took a twin Kayak out and it was my daughters first time kayaking. Chase made sure she was secure with a life jacket, and even though I didnt need one, encouraged me to have one as safety is always the best route. He pointed us in the proper direction of the Congress Bridge so that we can see the Austin bats fly at sunset. It was amazing ☺️👏My daughter cant stop talking about how cool it was that she got to Kayak and see Bats 🦇. Thank you capital cruises for making this a memory of a lifetime!

We were part of a cruise this last Thursday for the Travis County Medical Society. It was a beautiful and pleasant evening and the crew made for such an enjoyable experience. The bats were an amazing sight and the cruise before and after gave us great views of the Austin skyline. August and September are the best months to see the bats so dont miss out. One word of advice: dont bother with trying to find free parking. Just park in the Hyatt garage and budget for the $21 parking fee.

Our guide was fantastic, very knowledgeable about the bat colony and the history of Austin. The hour sunset and bat watching tour was a great value and the perfect way to see downtown and the bats. Parking is limited.

Great cruise. Learned a lot from the tour guide Brittany.

Awesome rental team, they will instruct how to properly use the board/ boats, DONT FORGET TO TIP THE GUYS

Very informative tour with very nice, professional, and helpful people. We enjoyed it so much!

Five stars goes to our tour guide Leah. She was absolutely amazing. Her humor was great and her knowledge was very informative. The problem I had was with the parking. We spent 15 mins finding parking where we then ended up having to pay $18 for parking in the Hyatt garage cause if we were late we would lose our spots and not get a refund. A little info about where you could park would be great to put in the website. When we tried to call on our way to the tour no one answered cause we couldn’t even find the location in the beginning either. There’s no signage. So great tour. Well worth it but maybe get all the info beforehand if you’ve never been. It can be a little confusing.

The cruise was beautiful..the bats were a bit anticlimactic.

I have been to Austin many times but this was my first experience watching the bats energe from the bridge. I am glad we decided to take the boat. It was affordable amd we got to go directly under the bridge to hear the bat and then right in front of the bridge to see them take off. It was a unique experience!

Very knowledgeable guide, more than just a bat tour.

Fun way to see Austin Texas, the bats or have a party.

Its a perfect date night, enjoyable & relaxing

Had a great time. The overall experience was great!

My room mate and i went on the sunset bat tore wich was wonderful experiance. We are both blind and vission impaired wich the tore guide gave a great description of everything on the tore. He was extremly friendly, helpful and energetic you can tell he love his job and wants guests to enjoy there experience. You can here the bats also wich is cool. Not a bad price if you something fun to do that normally cant do unless your in austin. If you visit you should take this tore

Captain Brittany was our guide for the bat-watching cruise. She was knowledgeable and energetic and made the cruise informative and fun. The cruise was totally worth the price and we were fortunate to be there during the Bat Festival.They let you bring beverages (and hats/umbrellas) on the boat and that would have been nice. Probably also some wet-wipes in case of stray guano. Actually, Brittany was super-skilled and kept us out of the path of most of the poop.

Your was great!! Brittany was awesome.

We had a great time. The kids working there are very helpful.

Captain Michael was the best! My husband and I booked this wanting to see the bats, and our experience was so much more than we thought it would be. Captain Mike explained some fun anecdotes, played wicked tunes, and the boat ride itself was super serene right at sunset. Definitely a must do when you’re visiting Austin - thanks for the great time!

Loved the ride and the customer service they provided

Capital Cruises boat ride in Austin, Texas at dusk watching the Mexican Freetail bats fly out from under the Congress St. bridge.

Well went 60 degrees it started misting. Wouldnt recommend in that temperature cool breeze. Tour was boring more of a bird tour. She was dull. Promised a light never came thru with it to see any bats that might be around. They migrate to Mexico at this time in January but we saw about 20. For 10 dollars and theres nothing to do I would recommend. But what I know now wouldnt have spent my money.

Alan the captain did excelente tour. Thanks 😊