Established in 1991, Capital Cruises is the largest all-electric boat fleet on the Highland Lakes. Nestled on the shores of beautiful Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel (208 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX), we are proud to offer lunch and dinner cruises, wedding events, internationally famous bat-watching excursions, party boat services, and the ultimate alternative for group and corporate outings.
Capital Cruises offers an atmosphere suitable for families and participants of all ages. Beautiful sunsets and an exciting variety of flora and fauna create a unique backdrop to weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, and bachelor/bachelorette parties. Capital Cruises offers customized event planning, from unique locations to catering to live entertainment.
Capital Cruises offers an atmosphere suitable for families and participants of all ages. Beautiful sunsets and an exciting variety of flora and fauna create a unique backdrop to weddings, receptions, rehearsal dinners, and bachelor/bachelorette parties. Capital Cruises offers customized event planning, from unique locations to catering to live entertainment.
Services
Established in 1991, Capital Cruises is the largest all-electric boat fleet on the Highland Lakes. Nestled on the shores of beautiful Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) at the Hyatt Regency Hotel located on 208 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX, we are proud to offer lunch and dinner cruises, wedding events, internationally famous bat-watching excursions, party boat services, and the ultimate alternative for group and corporate outings.
The Hyatt Regency Hotel is the easiest and closest place to find parking. Parking in the garage is a short walk to our dock lakeside of the hotel and hotel staff can easily direct you to the dock. Passenger drop off can be done at the front door of the hotel if needed. Rates start at $7/hour at the hotel, but there are multiple pay parking spots in the area.
The flagship of Capital Cruises' fleet, the Pride and Joy II is a 75-foot 2012 Destination Yacht imbued with the versatility afforded you by the double-decked experience. The enclosed lower deck has central heating and air-conditioning and can seat parties of up to 80 passengers at tables at one time.
These guidelines are intended to ensure a safe and successful cruise for our customers and our boats. We want everyone to have a wonderful experience on the cruise, so please understand that these rules must be followed. We recommend that you go over this list with your party before the cruise to avoid any confusion.
Current CDC/local guidelines say that non-vaccinated individuals should wear a mask in public places. Public nightly bat watching tours depart approximately 30 minutes before sunset and lasts roughly one hour in length. Bat Watching Tours available March through early-November. Rates for the Sunset Bat Watching tour: $12.00 for adults, $9.00 for seniors & $7.00 for kids 3 to 12.
Reviews (28)
Taylor L.
Jan 07, 2022
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We did the bat tour, and it was lovely! A nice, long, educational tour of the city and the buildings from the river during sunset...ya can't beat it! Another person on the tour said she thought it'd last around a half hour, but we were on the boat for nearly 2 hours! Watching the bats was incredible. We went in early November, so we weren't sure how many bats would be left, and there were TONS! It's truly an experience I'll never forget. Thank you to the employees and captain!
Kristen R.
Jan 01, 2022
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Don't be fooled by their website page. There dock is ran down. Besides one donut boat everything else needs to be cleaned. They don't validate park but tell you to park at the Hyatt, which was a unexpected expense. I called the day before arriving with many questions and was told several incorrect answers, according to the employees at the table. I asked about the swan boats, specifically about the 4 seaters. I was told they had plenty but they were FCFS. We arrived the only 4 seater they have was broken. I also asked about the donut boats, "they go out every hour and you have to
Patrick Brejcha
Dec 27, 2021
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Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Value
Great tour company to go through for learning about Austin, but the evening Bat Tour was one of the highlights of our trip. We learned a lot about the area, bats, and got to see an amazing sunset flight of the bat colony under the Congress Ave Bridge. Highly recommended
Great tour company to go through for learning about Austin, but the evening Bat Tour was one of the highlights of our trip. We learned a lot about the area, bats, and got to see an amazing sunset flight of the bat colony under the Congress Ave Bridge. Highly recommended
Tracy B.
Dec 03, 2021
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I've been on a few of these cruises and every time we have so much fun! Staff are courteous and let your crew just hang out and have a fun time under the lights and stars of downtown while cruising town lake. It's especially fun during bat season! Highly recommend for bdays, wedding parties or client events.
Christina Samson
Nov 26, 2021
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Alexandra M.
Nov 20, 2021
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Eric G.
Nov 18, 2021
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My wife and I never take the time to write reviews but the superior level of service we got from Capital Cruises demands we do this. We decided to have the rehearsal dinner for our son's wedding on one of their boats and they were super responsive throughout the entire process from our original inquiry all the way through to the end. On the day of the event, they were there for us for whatever we needed which really helped calm our nerves. We were fortunate to have great weather and our guests were thrilled with the evening. We had 50 people attend and they were all thrilled with the evening
Mark H.
Nov 13, 2021
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We took the 6 pm sightseeing tour on a Saturday. This was a sunset tour in good weather. When we waited, there was free Wi-Fi from the nearby Hyatt. Great trip! We sat at the front for the best view. Quiet electric barge, no spray. Could not hear commentary; boat may need Bluetooth speakers at the front. Good views of downtown buildings! We saw two groups of egrets settling in for the night. We saw some bats flying out of the Congress Ave bridge! Not many bats because this was in November.
We missed a few bats because the boat returned to the dock to drop off some people who needed to use the
We missed a few bats because the boat returned to the dock to drop off some people who needed to use the
Phil Kershow
Nov 05, 2021
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Carrie Crayton
Oct 30, 2021
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Great boat tour! Our captain was funny and very informative. And the bats flying out of the bridge were really neat to see. Highly recommend!
The boat launch location is behind the hotel. Take the path past the fence covered in greenery, then go behind that. No one told us where to go, so I hope this helps.
Make sure you have plenty of time! Between getting there, finding a place to park, finding the boat launch, waiting for the boat to fill, and taking the tour itself, I'd say it took about 2 hours total.
The boat launch location is behind the hotel. Take the path past the fence covered in greenery, then go behind that. No one told us where to go, so I hope this helps.
Make sure you have plenty of time! Between getting there, finding a place to park, finding the boat launch, waiting for the boat to fill, and taking the tour itself, I'd say it took about 2 hours total.
Doug Gross
Oct 28, 2021
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We did the sunset/bat viewing tour on the first week of November. I was afraid there wouldn't be too many bats, but they did not disappoint whatsoever. The tour itself with the explanation about the buildings and graffiti was nice, but nothing special. But watching 1 million bats fly out from under the bridge was absolutely spectacular
Caroline H.
Oct 28, 2021
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Our tour guide Michael was informative and humorous. The tour left on time and we got a nice ride up and down the river with some Austin facts before the main event. And what a main event! What an amazing sight! Millions of bats streaming out from their roost in the Congress Street Bridge. Highly recommended.
Tom T.
Oct 26, 2021
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Jenny S.
Oct 03, 2021
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Great experience especially for the price. Lorrie our tour guide was knowledgeable and funny (and we had a bit of a weird situation with a passenger being disruptive which she and the other employees handled quickly and professionally). There was a neat
boat tour of some major buildings before getting a good spot and seeing/learning about the bats. Will definitely go again when I have visitors in town.
boat tour of some major buildings before getting a good spot and seeing/learning about the bats. Will definitely go again when I have visitors in town.
John K.
Sep 19, 2021
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Shannon L.
Sep 12, 2021
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My daughter was visiting and wanted to rent the swans parked at the Hyatt and easily found our way out to the dock was informed about rules and how to move the swan ride around the lake
What a fun time my daughter and I had. Was a bit hot in the sun but brought water sunblock and snacks such a good time can't wait to do this again ! Thank you agaIn !
What a fun time my daughter and I had. Was a bit hot in the sun but brought water sunblock and snacks such a good time can't wait to do this again ! Thank you agaIn !
Christina Boatman
Sep 02, 2021
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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.
Lettie Common
Sep 01, 2021
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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. Can't wait to do it again.
Linda Leang
Aug 22, 2021
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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
We actually came back the next day for kayaking on lady bird lake. Great
Jonathan D.
Jul 30, 2021
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I called Capital Cruises late afternoon a few days ago to inquire about the dinner cruises and spoke with Britney. She was very courteous and took the time to share more about the boats and pricing options, but proceeded to share with me that they weren't able to book me officially at the time because it was after hours. She shared that they only had one boat left for the date I requested but they would put a soft hold on it for me and I could call back to officially book with a credit card. No problem -- I completely understood that and was also very happy with her customer service orientation
Jane O.
Jul 30, 2021
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My family took the bat cruise and it was perfect. The tour included city views with running commentary followed by the bats flying out from under the bridge for a very long time. Our questions were addressed and we saw many unusual birds and other sights. It was a real highlight for me. My only concern was that my GPS took me to the bus entrance and I was almost late trying to find my way to the parking garage and then through the hotel to the boat dock. The rest of my family got there in plenty of time but they were more familiar with the area. I got a great video of the bats so it was totally
Tonya L.
Jul 29, 2021
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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 wasn't on the jogging bike path.
The guide provided historical and interesting trivia through the whole trip
Without his guidance and explanation I am sure we would have not enjoyed this as much
They processed guests orderly and efficiently.
It would be nice if their waiting line wasn't on the jogging bike path.
The guide provided historical and interesting trivia through the whole trip
Without his guidance and explanation I am sure we would have not enjoyed this as much
Claire L.
Jun 24, 2021
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Lyla A.
Apr 08, 2021
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Such a wonderful experience for our family! You cannot reserve their Swan boats (first come) but the day we went, the four man boat was available.
We spent about 45 minutes paddling around Ladybird lake and had a great time.
The people working at Capital Cruises wore masks and offered our children life jackets.
We will definitely return!
We spent about 45 minutes paddling around Ladybird lake and had a great time.
The people working at Capital Cruises wore masks and offered our children life jackets.
We will definitely return!
Anita Y.
Mar 21, 2021
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It's my second time visiting Austin and I found out my mom has never been on a pedal boat so I made a last minute decision to rent a swan boat. I'm glad I got there at the time I did because there was an even longer wait time for all the people who came after me. It was $18 total for us to rent a two-seater for up to an hour. Totally worth it. We saw Austin from a whole different perspective. Also, it was quite a workout - a nice one though.
Katie B.
Mar 01, 2021
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Not sure if this is a winter thing, but the two times I've been on a self-captained boat (it's electric) with them in the last couple months it's only been $75/hour. We've always had 6 folks, so it's a super economical outing and it's BYOB and snacks. They have a little thingie for you to plug your phone in for some tunes, too.
Very little interaction with staff beyond checking in, getting the quick lay of the land, errr, lake, and when they help you dock at the end, so super COVID safe, in that respect.
Very little interaction with staff beyond checking in, getting the quick lay of the land, errr, lake, and when they help you dock at the end, so super COVID safe, in that respect.
Kim T.
Nov 21, 2020
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Capital Cruise was a delight ! The tour guide of my tour was very knowledgeable and took his time to tell the stories about the different landmarks and Austin history along the tour. My cruise was the Sunset Bat Cruise. I highly recommend Capital Cruises to first time Austin Vistors as well as locals. The price is right for the cruise $10bucks! On the tour we were allowed to bring snacks and beverages.
Monique H.
Aug 26, 2020
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I have rented from Capital Cruises several times. Twice was for bat cruises and once for paddle boards. All of which were a great experience!
They are open right now and a friend of mine and I rented stand up paddlebords recently for an hour on the lake. We went mid morning (they opened at 10am on a Tuesday) and it was glorious. Hardly anyone was on the lake. The staff is super friendly. They have a tent outside and a touch less payment system. Prices are reasonable and their equipment is good too. They have some outside cubbies for your stuff should you choose to leave anything at the dock.
They are open right now and a friend of mine and I rented stand up paddlebords recently for an hour on the lake. We went mid morning (they opened at 10am on a Tuesday) and it was glorious. Hardly anyone was on the lake. The staff is super friendly. They have a tent outside and a touch less payment system. Prices are reasonable and their equipment is good too. They have some outside cubbies for your stuff should you choose to leave anything at the dock.