Rum Runner II Excursion Tours

Great staff and service — highly recommended. We take all of our visiting family here for this unique Newport sailing experience.

Great sunset cruise! Thanks for the beautiful views, photo opportunities, and rum punch. Most of all we loved the fantastic customer service Mark and Nora provided. Very welcoming and personal. Couldn’t have a better way to end our trip to Rhode Island

Had a great time on the lighthouses and mimosas cruise! I learned a lot about Newport, saw many lighthouses, and, most notably, never had an empty cup. I would do the exact same cruise again in a heartbeat. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a fun and informative excursion.

Really enjoyed a great 75 minute tour around Newport with an expert captain and smart, funny tour guide. They pepper the cruise with interesting tidbits, pointing out history and providing fun facts throughout, without being cheesy or obnoxious. Complimentary bottled water and tea on board, as well as a bathroom if you need it. I was clearly very foolish and forgot sunscreen, thinking that for only 75 minutes I’d be ok, but got severely burned. There is a canopy area on the back of the boat if you’d like to sit in the shade, or an area up front if you want to be in the sun.
Their online booking process was very easy — I didn’t have to print anything out and arrived about 10 minutes before my tour and walked right on. Really friendly service, interesting and informative information and clean, safe boat. I’d definitely recommend if you’re looking for a tour of Newport by sea.

It was my brother’s 30^th birthday with about 20 of us for the last cruise of the night and it was amazing! The captain and the crew were so welcoming, friendly and ready to have a good time with us. We were definitely the large and loud bunch on the cruise however the other passengers didn’t seem to mind to much… okay maybe I am lying just a tad. I did feel bad for the couple that ended up sitting right in the middle of our group. They did sit before we did however due to seating we all ended up in the same area. They could’ve moved or switch with a few of us so that they weren’t caught in the middle but instead stayed at their location. I think they were hoping to have some quiet alone time while enjoying the harbor but that wasn’t happening with us around unfortunately. There was also a bacherlorette party on the other side of the boat which was nice as well. Everyone was really great and not too rowdy or obnoxious and it was just… REALLY REALLY FUN! The crew shared some great info on the homes and yachts in the area. We saw Judge Judy’s yacht which was cool and the Mansion of the family that owns the Campbell soup company (can you say AMAZING!!!) The views were unreal and the rum punch was truly tasty and yummy! They also did NOT run out. The crew had them coming and coming. There is also ice tea for anyone that doesn’t drink alcohol. I would definitely do it again in a heartbeat. Newport is beautiful! My brother definitely enjoyed this idea for his b-​day as well. One tip if you’re thinking about doing this with a large group is to book your tickets earlier, the weekends do book fast. We booked our tickets atleast a month in advance for a group of 20.

Take advantage of the check in offer, $ 20 for the lighthouses and mimosas cruise (after the discount) is a great bang for your buck!!! We saw Oprah’s yacht a ship used in Pirates of the Caribbean plus got a little history lesson with the lighthouses. The crew was very friendly and entertaining throughout the ride. The mimosas are a nice touch as well. The rum runner II is an awesome, inexpensive way to see Newport Harbor!!!

For years I’ve always wanted to do this cruise whenever I was in Newport but timing and logistics never afforded me the opportunity.
I finally got the opportunity to take this tour the Sunday of July 4^th wekend. Our cruise was the first cone of the day, the Rum Runner II’s Lighthouses & Mimosas Cruise.
What a great way to spend a morning crusing around Newport harbor. I was reading other post where they say the boat ran out of booze. I guess I lucked up going on the first morning run because it seemd like the mimosas did not stop coming. The crew was great and provided us with a lot of history. For the price, you can’t beat it.

Fantastic tour of Newport from the water. We went midweek and there were maybe 8 other people on the boat, it was a nice intimate group.
Captain and tourguides were both knowledgeable and it was obvious that both enjoyed their jobs.
Highly recommend!

Was a fun ride and the booze kept flowing. Will definitely recommend.

This was a great and affordable excursion I went on with my mother and brother on a trip to Newport. We went on a day time cruise around the bay with about a dozen other people. The captain knew a lot about the surrounding landmarks and was very knowledgeable and happy to take questions while highlighting the points of interests. This is great for the family or someone not familiar with the area.

Booked «Rum Runner II» which is a restored 1920’s boat that originally hauled illegal booty during prohibition. Boat is comfortable — back half is covered so get on line early if you want shade. They server mimosa’s by the pitcher and have an abundance of croissants, etc. Took the «light house» tour which passes enough other interesting sights to make it worth the cost, oddly the cheapest one they have. Crew is very knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful.

Prohibition. The booze was being smuggled from offshore and smugglers needed a high-​speed, sleek boat to make the run. Enter the RUM RUNNER. Fast and sleek. Now, you can get a sense of that speed and enjoy Newport Harbor at the same time. There are many boats to choose from in the Bannister Wharf area. We chose the Rum Runner because of its timing, comfort and relative value. Free
cold water and ice tea served aboard. If you sit up front you should be ready for some sea spray.

I contacted Rum Runner/​Classic Cruises of Newport looking to purchase 2 evening cruise tickets as a 65^th birthday gift. Because it’s September and the recipient would be traveling for much of the month (and tours wind down in September), I decided to look into purchasing a gift certificate in the amount of two tickets that he could use for an evening cruise next year. I was pleased to see that their website offered a gift certificate option and called their office to purchase. I was greeted by a young girl that spoke very loudly and fast and who, also, as I explained that I would like to give the certificate as a gift to be used next year, refused to let me get a word in edgewise and continued to talk over me, despite my questions. When I was finally able to get a word in, I explained that he would be out of town for much of the Fall and that I was looking to purchase a specific cruise, at the listed price and that if prices changed next year, he would cover the difference. Her response was something sounding like «Umm well, we, like, don’t really DO that and it’s just like, you know, something we don’t do.» I tried to calmly explain that I wanted to buy either a) a g.c. in the denomination that they could apply towards two tickets to sail or b) two ACTUAL evening sailing tickets that they could use next season and that any price difference would be covered by the party using the tickets.
Evidently, this is either impossible for this young girl to figure out or it’s not something that’s offered, despite their advertising that they offer gift certificates.
A truly disappointing customer service experience, as she didn’t try to source an answer or solution for me — just kept telling me that it’s something that she doesn’t think they do… but she’s not sure and disappointing that they lead consumers to believe that gift certificates are an option. Poor experience.

I needed to be convinced to go on this little boat ride but I was so glad I did! I would recommend A.) taking one of the booze cruises (you are on the rum runner right?) You drink as much as you want, beers, some random mixed concoction, whatever you want its great! and also B.) the 7:30ish sunset tour — perfect! Not too hot, get to see a beautiful sunset… it was fantastic! Bring your camera, there will be lots of good photo ops, a couple cool landmarks along the way… Just a classic R.I. good time… I almost wanted to go again the very next night. Perfect little tour!

I loved this cruise, as much as you could want to drink throughout, and all around a thoroughly enjoyable voyage around the waterfront sights. Great for all ages and a fantastic day activity for tourists. Launches near a chowder station and an even better meal at the Black Pearl. All around great destination for any tourist looking to really get the essence of Newport, one that can only be found from the vantage of the sea.

My boyfriend and I took the non-​alcoholic tour with the Rum Runner II (ironic, I know) a few days ago. It was sunny and hot, but once we got further out into the water, it was just perfect. Our guide – the «first mate» to the captain who reminds me a lot of Michael Bolton – was very informative as she told us about several of the mansions on the (Narrangansett?) bay – which merchant marine or entrepreneur had the house built when, and which was the Bouviers’ house, etc. Oh, and of course, she told us about the history of rum-​running (when alcohol was illegal – during the Prohibition), and how these crafty «entrepreneurs» would hide out in this cove, away from the eyes of the Coast Guard. Really interesting stuff.
It was amazing to see all these mansions, to know that they have been there for hundreds of years. As we passed one house, some of the kids on the balcony saw us looking at them, and waved to us. They must get that a lot. I love how friendly people are – not just in the bay, but in New England overall.

Went on a booze cruise and it was really nice

In concluding that my socialite aspirations will never be realized in Newport, as it is now essentially just a highbrow tourist trap (even visits to Sunny von Bülow’s old haunts turned up nothing), taking a booze cruise seemed like the only logical choice.
My sister took her friends on the Rum Runner II a few weeks ago and it sounded like they had a lot of fun. While visiting Rhode Island this past weekend, we decided to do the boat ride again, and it really is a lot of fun. It’s a laid back, inexpensive way to see Newport and the area around it without feeling overly touristy. Our cruise was the 7:00pm Friday one which was ideal to see the sunset and to have a few drinks as a relaxing way to begin the weekend. For $ 25, the ride lasts for 75 minutes and there is «complimentary» (which is apparently not the same as «unlimited») Budweiser, Bud Light and «Rum Punch» (which looked like watered down orange juice, possibly containing trace amounts of «special» Rhode Island rum [which I deduced was made in a local bathtub]).
The crowd on the boat was a mixture of families and groups out to have fun, but it’s not crowded and the route is interesting enough to see some big yachts, lighthouses, the Newport Bridge, etc. The staff working on the boat consisted of the «Captain» (the guy driving the boat) and his «First Mate» (the girl running the booze to everyone). Both were friendly and the Captain offered some trivia or other insight at a few points during the ride. Overall, a fun diversion if you have a free evening in Newport and certainly a pleasant way to unwind while seeing some sights.