Customers frequently praise the water taxi for providing scenic views of the Chicago skyline and Lake Michigan, as well as for knowledgeable guides who offer historical context during architecture tours. The service is often described as a convenient and enjoyable way to travel between downtown areas. Common criticisms include instances of missed departure times, staff refusing to admit late arrivals, and tours featuring recorded audio instead of live narration, which some reviewers found less engaging than expected.
Data from Google, last updated October 25, 2026.
Reviews from Google, shown as published (original wording, unedited).
I did the architecture tour during my visit to Chicago. I think it was educational and fun. I do think it was kind of padded out to reach 75 minutes. There were moments of silence, and they left after the designated time. The views are great. If you want to learn the history of the buildings of Chicago, the architecture tour is the place to do so.
We had a fantastic time using the water taxi, originally had planned just to make a loop, but the Captain was so nice to let us know our ticket was good for the full round trip at any time of the day, so we ended up getting off to do some sight seeing first! Thank you, Captain!!!
Sam S is pretty cool 😎
We used the water taxi to travel to the Shedd Aquarium, and it turned out to be much more than just transportation. It offers beautiful views of the skyline and Lake Michigan while getting you where you need to go. On a nice day, it is a great way to experience the city from the water.
It was a good 45 minute site seeing your, the great lakes are indeed great, you would think your on the ocean, the scenery is fantastic.
A cloudy & coolish July isn't something I normally see but it was a enjoyable ride. Nice crew, cool Captain. Great tour.
Cool place, I liked it, good view of Chicago
Quick and fun way to get to museum campus and buckingham fountain! Ride was about 10 min
Our tour guide was well informed however there was very little quite time. WARNING! They encourage you to buy drinks from their bar, however do not let you use the restroom at the end of the tour. They directed us towards Navy pier energy center, however they were closed so we had to continue walking to the navy pier shopping center.
Made a trip down to the Navy pier on my latest trip to Chicago. Summer on Saturday nights they have fireworks cruises over Lake Michigan. Chose Shoreline sightseeing cruises, and it was well worth the $44 for the ride. As you can see from the photographs, attached in the short video absolutely beautiful view of the skyline at night plus the beautiful fireworks going off overhead. It was a very comfortable ride and we made lots of new trends while we were here. The music playing while the fireworks are going off especially if this is the first time you really got to see the skyline of Chicago. You can’t go wrong here. Go early visit the pier so many good restaurants get you a bag of Garrett popcorn inside relax enjoy yourself. Enjoy the breeze off the water and enjoy the show.