Pirate Ship At John’s Pass

By far the best time I, and my son, had the entire stay at Treasure Island. Even Parasailing didn’t come close. Thanks for the great time, conversation memories and laughs. All this and I don’t even drink alcohol !

Great fun if you want to take a cruise, have a drink, and have your children entertained. Only go if you have kids with you. FYI It’s crowded. And… wear something pirate!

This wasn’t a great choice on our part. The ship was dirty and not attractive otherwise, kind of a feeble effort I thought, particularly for the $ 35 ticket. We did see lots of dolphins, but then you can see them from the boardwalk too. Can’t really recommend

Everyone had so much fun on this boat, kids and adults. How could we not? Kids were entertained the entire two hours while adults enjoyed a boat ride on the beautiful bay with unlimited beer, wine, and soda!
The entertaining pirates take the kids in the back for the majority of the time for storytelling and whatever else they do to keep them entertained, but watch out, they will come charging with water pistols. One little punk shot me in the eye. It was all done in fun though. If you have an aversion to water being shot at you by a dozen little kids, I suggest you go to the upper deck where children aren’t permitted.
Smoking is also not permitted on the entire boat, which I read was a hindrance for some previous 1 star reviewers, but they should be happy to know they can return to a smoke-​free ride. No one abused the unlimited beverages, and I don’t recommend it considering the bathroom shut down towards the end of the trip.
The boat is clean though, and the staff was great. The pirate seemed genuine in his interactions with the children and played his role well while still engaged with the adults. We all walked off happy and would recommend this to anyone wanting a fun event for the kids and a relaxing ride for the parents. Make sure to call ahead for reservations. They sell out weeks in advance some days.

If you have kids 10 and under, this is a must! This attraction is NOT geared towards adults and anyone reading the description on their website and brochure can see this. The ship stays in the Bay, which is also very clearly stated on the website and brochures.
However, if you are vacationing with young children, this attraction is most certainly worth the money! We had 4 kids, 3 of whom were under 10. The oldest is 17 — and YES, even he had fun! Some of the sillier adults got involved in activities, such as the water pistol fight, which just added to the fun for the kids. As a parent, the joy in the childrens’ experience was what made it worthwhile for me and my husband. Plus, the photo opportunities! They were priceless.
The crew was upbeat and fantastic, something I find amazing since they do this 3 times a day everyday. They got things going with the kids, and drew them out of their shells. One of our kids is autistic, and they were amazing with him. The kids loved having their own pistols, and racing around having water gun fights with others on board. Adults who did not want to get wet stayed on the upper deck and watched from there. There were stories, and an «attack» from Peg Legged Pete, who was no match for the young pirates! A treasure hunt, where even the youngest child could find golden coins, took place and the kids were able to trade their coins in for pirate booty from a treasure chest. The kids really enjoyed the limbo and dancing — and it was a blast to watch as well!
Dolphin sighting is not the main attraction, but it is common to spot them and the crew will announce over a speaker when dolphins make an appearance so everyone can enjoy them playing in the wake.
If you are an adult couple wanting something more grownup, this is not for you. If you have mainly teenagers in your family, it is probably not for you. If you have kids under 10, this is a great attraction worth every penny for the two hours spent on the water. The kids will definitely enjoy it! Ours did!

This cruise was fantastic! The crew was fun and enthusiastic. Many activities for the kids and free drinks for the adults. Two hours is the perfect amount of time to be out. Didn’t see any dolphins but can’t say enough about the rest of the trip. If you have kids, especially boys, this is a must-​do!

Had a great time with the kids. Best kid sitting service ever while adults drink a beer or 2. Skipper was awesome, good conversation and very informative about the local area and weather. The cruise was fun for the kids as well and they really got into the play.
We stopped 2 times to look at dolphins, so that was a bonus.
Very recommended for parents who want fun cruise for the kids and a little break from their kids.
When we were there in mid june 2015 smoking was not allowed whatsoever, so I guess their policy changed regarding that.

My family & I were on the 6p Pirate Cruise. I was very disappointed to learn that cigarette smoking is allowed on the cruise. The cruise is billed as kid-​oriented & family friendly, I think that patrons of such a cruise should understand that they cannot smoke for the 2 hours they are on the ship. During last night’s cruise there were several people that stood at the bar and chain smoked the entire cruise. The smoke filled the back cabin where the kids were sitting listening to stories. It was so bad at points that my child complained of here eyes burning.
It seemed that the majority of the smoke came from 4 people that were friends with the crew. The crew was clearly more interested in hanging out with their friends and looking at their cell phones than the rest of the paying customers on the cruise.
Until they make it a non-​smoking cruise, we will not be returning.

Check the Captain for his license. Given that they regularly violate maritime laws one has to believe the Captain is not licensed which makes operation of this boat an illegal activity. And if he is licensed than he is violating the law and it is only a matter of time before he is stopped and ticketed. I would not go on this cruise.

Although there website claims they have a sunset departure time when I called they told me they had no such departure. I then asked them about their 6pm dolphin quest departure time (also on their website) and was told they didn’t do that either. I then tried to ask another question and was told they had nothing available and then hung up on! I don’t know how the boat trip was and I will never know because I will never give them my business in the future.

Although we had a great time I have to give a one star review due to the smoking. We brought our son here for the ride and they allow smoking on the deck despite the 14 kids on board. My son is asthmatic so he was having a hard time breathing because of all the cigarette smoke. I would not go back until their smoking policy changes.

We went in the cruise this afternoon. Our boys are 4 and 8, and loved it. It was nice that the adults had some time to relax while the pirates took the kids for story time, etc. the crew was funny and helpful, and our kids smiled the whole time. Of course the beer and soda were nice too since they were included in the price. We also saw dolphins which rocked! The only reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is because it seemed a little low budget at times, and the seating on the side benches was terribly uncomfortable. We are glad we did it, but don’t think it’s something to do multiple times. One time was great though.

Not great if you don’t have kids. Wine is the cheap and gross! Cruise is only about a hour if you are lucky. The «pirates» sucked for entertainment. The Captain wont even speak to you. Overall crap and a waste!

We took a sail on the Pirate Ship this past April with our two boys ages four and six. I was so impressed with the staff and activities created and played out for our children. The storytelling and water gun fight and scavenger hunt — they kept them entertained in a fun and engaging way, from start to finish. I really was so impressed as we do so many activities with our kids. This trip and staff really stand out. We feel this is an activity we’d readily recommend to folks with younger children — maybe 12 and under, and their families. We’ll likely go again — just too much fun!

This is a must do if you are visiting the area with children ages 3 to 10. We took our 3 year old daughter and her grandpa. We chose the mid afternoon cruise to avoid the late showers. Our best laid plans were foiled by the unpredictable weather. Thirty minutes into our voyage dark clouds loomed. Our captain took quick action and returned us to the dock just before a short but violent squall came through. We stayed on board in the dock and the crew did a great job of staying in character and finishing off the pirate experience with the kids. They did a great job with the stories, games and treasure hunt even with the foul weather. Although we did not get the full 2 hour boat cruise our daughter didn’t realize the difference. She had a gear time anyway. The captain and the crew are not only astute entertainers, they are also true maritime professionals who make sure your family has a fun and safe adventure.

We went last weekend with our 2 year old son, my mother, and grandmother. This was such a fun family adventure! There was something for everyone. We all enjoyed watching Charlie participating in the different activites and becoming an honorary pirate! There was nonstop action and the crew is amazing at what they do! My husband and I also enjoyed the unlimited beverages!!! We will absolutly be doing this again the next time we go back down to Florida!

We went on the Pirate Ship last Friday and we had a good time. This pirate ship is more geared towards the kids than the adults. We don’t have kids yet. Luckily, we had fun just watching the kids and interacting with them. You receive unlimited drinks with your admission (various soda, Bud, Bud Light and wine). The kids also come away with quite a few «treasures» and faces painted up like pirates.
We also lucked out and had a lot of dolphins playing with our ship. There were about 5 – 6 different groups of dolphins that popped up. One pair was jumping full out of the water two feet away from the ship. I actually saw more dolphins on this ship than I have any of the dolphin tours in the area I have been on (I have been on about 4 – 5 different ones).
Overall I had a fun time and would do it again. I definitely want to do this ship again after I have kids and they are in the 4−7yr old range. My only disappointment was that we asked for the «sunset» time and that was at 4:30pm. I was expecting more of a dancing, drunken, dark adult environment from what I had seen on the Pirate Ship in Clearwater… that is not the case for this ship. All the same; I will be back when I have kids.
I would also like to note that we had a Groupon and we were not treated poorly or different at all from the people paying full price. The staff were all very friendly and professional… for pirates. Garrh. :)

Just went yesterday evening for the 4:30 sunset cruise and had an absolute blast! The two guys running the ship (one was Nick) did a fantastic job staying in character and just overall creating a really fun experience and getting everyone to participate in their shenanigans. If you have kids, they will have a blast. They do a lot of activities with the kids. If you don’t have kids, you’ll still have fun watching them and plus it’s all you can drink beer and wine. You can escape to the top deck for some great views of the water. It was a beautiful trip, amazing weather, and just overall so much fun. Would definitely recommend this to others.

Excellent adventure on the high seas of Boca Ciega Bay. Well worth the $ 35 (unlimited beer, wine and soda) and lots of activities to keep the big and little pirates entertained. Excellent, high energy crew.

We love the ship and just discovered their little grill. The coconut shrimp, grouper sandwiches and fries were awesome. I’d venture to say their grouper sandwiches are better than Dockside Dave’s.