Here’s a quick break down for those that have never been on a boat cruise in Toronto. Firstly, they are f’ing awesome! They are generally 6-hours long, 1-hour for boarding, and 5-hours of cruising around the lake. Typically they either start at 12-noon and run until about 6pm or they start at 8pm and run until about Midnight. My preference is definitely the day cruises as I cant think of a better atmosphere for a party; sun, fresh air,  flip flops, girls in booty shorts and bikini tops, and guys in shorts and shirts are optional. The night cruises can get a bit cold so make sure to bring a sweater.

Also note that 99% of cruises run rain or shine, so don't think you'll get a rain check if it's pouring. Don't worry though, as I'll get into, most of these boats have indoor areas as well, so there's still lots of opportunity to have a great time despite the weather. 

The cruises range in size from 1-level boats with a capacity of 100-people to 3-level boats with a capacity of close to 1000-people.  Some boats are open air (meaning they have large open deck space with no-roof). These are obviously the best for bright sunny days. And some boats are mainly indoors, with small decks, and really who wants a small deck? (no pun intended lol). Corny jokes aside, these boats are great for evening cruises as it can be a bit chilly and breezy at night on the lake.   

All the cruise companies have websites, and pretty much every party will advertise in advance what boat the party is on. So go check out the cruise company’s site and find out in advance what the boat looks like. The cruises generally cost between $25 and $50 but some are even more expensive. I would say the average cruise will run you about $45 for cover. 

The cruises have fully licensed bars and the drinks are usually standard prices. Also some cruises offer BBQ’s, this will usually be advertised in advance. Some parties the food is included with your ticket, others it’s a cash BBQ.

Now probably the most important aspect…THE MUSIC! You can’t have a party with out music, so obviously these boats are outfitted with sound systems. Not quite nightclub quality but at least enough sound to piss off the people living on the Islands. This brings me to another key point about why day cruises are better. Night cruises have to keep to music down after 11pm. Day cruises can pump the music pretty much as loud as they want.

Most cruises have an official after party to follow the cruise at a downtown nightclub. Usually these parties are included in the price of your ticket, or at least your ticket gets you reduced admission to the after party. Again this will most likely be made clear in the promotion for the event. 

One last thing to note is that it’s promotion companies that throw these boat cruise parties, not the actual cruise companies. If you are in to electronic music, there are two main companies which host cruises catered to you; ‘Amigos’ and ‘Activate & Footwork’.

Amigos cruises are usually held aboard the Enterprise 2000. This boat boards at Pier 34, which is located at 242 Cherry Street, just down the street from The Docks.  Toronto’s Manzone and Strong are typically the resident DJ’s and usually two other guests spin as well.

This year their first cruise is Sunday May 17^th at noon. Along side Manzone and Strong will be Addy and Deko-ze, a line-up that is sure to please. The Enterprise 2000 has two indoor levels with a large deck on the first level. Dress code is pretty much wear what you want. It is a 19+ event so make sure you bring your I.D.

Activate & Footwork have branded their boat cruise series “Beats-a-Hoy”. Their first cruise this year is Sunday May 24^th at noon. This is aboard the River Gambler. The line-up is as follows; JELO, MARK OLIVER, MANZONE & STRONG, THE ROACHES (aka Carlo Lio & Nathan Barato), ROBB G, BABY JOEL, EVAN G, LA DOCE VITA (aka Jon Jon & Amanda Astra).



The River Gambler is made up of 2-levels. The first Level is indoors, and the second level is completely open (although they do have a soft roof they can pull over if needed, for instance in case of rain). This boat, unlike the Enterprise 2000, has two sound systems and DJ set-ups (you were probably wondering how the hell they were going to fit so many dj’s into 5 hours). This cruise boards at Pier 29, at 261 Queens Quay East. Again Dress code is pretty much wear what you want and is a 19+ event so make sure you bring your I.D.

There are tons of other promo companies throwing boat cruise parties in Toronto. Some that play hip hop, reggae, rock, salsa, etc. There is surely a cruise for whatever genre you like. I am most familiar with these two companies (Amigos and Activate) as they are the ones I usually attend. Search Facebook and ask around if you’re looking for something other then electronic music boat parties, I’m sure you will come up with something.

So cross your fingers for good weather, get your flip flops, bikini tops, sunglasses and sunscreen ready, and most of all get ready to ROCK THE BOAT!

Happy Sailing! 


For tickets or info about either Amigos or Activate cruises feel free to email me at aaron.nb@gmail.com 
and I'll help get you set up. 

Aaron

“Getting down to business, so you can get to the business of getting down”

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