FAQ
Q. How many people can we have in our group?
We like to keep our groups small so that everyone has room to enjoy the ride. We are Coast Guard Inspected and Certified to carry up to 12 Passengers but we usually limit our trips to 8 to 10 guests.
Q. Are there age limits, young and old for your Seal Cruises?
We have no age limits. All that we ask is that our guests use their judgement when booking a trip. Here are few guidelines.
Q. How should we get from our location to your location?
We do not have private parking for our guests at the pier. We wish we did, but parking in downtown Nantucket is scarce. We recomend that our guests hire a taxi to get them to the pier for their departure time. Taxis are reliable and inexpensive. You can even schedule them to pick you up at the end of your trip so there is no waiting for your ride when you're ready to go home. For a list of Taxis, refer to our article, Getting Around Nantucket.
If you must drive yourself, there are no guarantees that you will find a parking spot, but parking lots are available at the Town Lot on Washington Street across from the Town Pier and in the Dirt Lot just past Sayle's Seafood on Washington Street Extension. If you plan on riding a bike, there are lots of bike racks available at the Town Lot across from the pier so you can be sure to find a good spot to lock your bike. The #1 reason why our guests are late for our trips is because of "looking for a parking spot." Save yourself the frustration, grab a cab or hop on your bike, you'll be glad you did.
Q. What should we bring with us?
Bring watever you might need to keep you comfortable for a boat ride.
Q. What if we want to bring food and drinks?
We have coolers with ice to keep everything chilly for you.
Please bring whatever you you would like to eat and drink.
All we ask is that you leave glass bottles at home.
Broken glass on a boat is a real safety issue - We really appreciate your understanding!
We can arrange for food and beverages for your private charter if you would like us to for a nominal fee.
Q. What if the weather is bad on the day of our trip?
Our Captain has the final word on weather it is safe to go.
He makes the call prior at your departure time.
We want everyone to have a great time so we will not go if it is unsafe.
Trips cancelled due to weather will get rescheduled on our next trip with space available.
For full details please refer to our Reservation and Ticket FAQ.
We have a Nantucket Weather Links page that has all of the resources we use for our weather prediction. If you have any weather related questions, it's a great resource.
Q. We need to find a place to stay on Nantucket, where should we go?
We like to keep our groups small so that everyone has room to enjoy the ride. We are Coast Guard Inspected and Certified to carry up to 12 Passengers but we usually limit our trips to 8 to 10 guests.
Q. Are there age limits, young and old for your Seal Cruises?
We have no age limits. All that we ask is that our guests use their judgement when booking a trip. Here are few guidelines.
If you have young ones:
Will they be able to sit calmly and enjoy a 40 minute ride to the seals? There's a lot to look at while we travel, but we do require that everyone stay seated while we are at cruising speed for safety. If your little ones need to move around, one of our Harbor Tours or Beach Trips to Coatue might be more to their liking. Or we can arrange a private charter to pick your group up in Madaket Harbor. The ride from Madaket to the Seals is a short 20 minutes.
If you have older ones:
Our vessel is not a ferry boat. Our boat has quite a bit more motion to it while we are cruising. We have comfortable seating and ample handrails for getting around, but if a motion filled ride sounds like it might be a bit much for you, it probably is. Our Harbor Cruises offer a protected route that would be much more enjoyable.
Will they be able to sit calmly and enjoy a 40 minute ride to the seals? There's a lot to look at while we travel, but we do require that everyone stay seated while we are at cruising speed for safety. If your little ones need to move around, one of our Harbor Tours or Beach Trips to Coatue might be more to their liking. Or we can arrange a private charter to pick your group up in Madaket Harbor. The ride from Madaket to the Seals is a short 20 minutes.
If you have older ones:
Our vessel is not a ferry boat. Our boat has quite a bit more motion to it while we are cruising. We have comfortable seating and ample handrails for getting around, but if a motion filled ride sounds like it might be a bit much for you, it probably is. Our Harbor Cruises offer a protected route that would be much more enjoyable.
Q. How should we get from our location to your location?
We do not have private parking for our guests at the pier. We wish we did, but parking in downtown Nantucket is scarce. We recomend that our guests hire a taxi to get them to the pier for their departure time. Taxis are reliable and inexpensive. You can even schedule them to pick you up at the end of your trip so there is no waiting for your ride when you're ready to go home. For a list of Taxis, refer to our article, Getting Around Nantucket.
If you must drive yourself, there are no guarantees that you will find a parking spot, but parking lots are available at the Town Lot on Washington Street across from the Town Pier and in the Dirt Lot just past Sayle's Seafood on Washington Street Extension. If you plan on riding a bike, there are lots of bike racks available at the Town Lot across from the pier so you can be sure to find a good spot to lock your bike. The #1 reason why our guests are late for our trips is because of "looking for a parking spot." Save yourself the frustration, grab a cab or hop on your bike, you'll be glad you did.
Q. What should we bring with us?
Bring watever you might need to keep you comfortable for a boat ride.
We recomend:
- A light jacket or sweatshirt - it can get cool and breezy while we're at cruising speed.
- Non-marking boat shoes or flops - Good non-skid shoes for getting safely around the boat. We recomend Crocs - You gotta try 'em!
- A hat - Good sun protection and also helps cut glare.
- Lots of sunscreen - Refracted light from the water hits us EVERYWHERE. Even on foggy days!
- Polarized sunglasses - Eye protection and also cuts glare to see into the water. You'll see the seals even underwater! *You'll be happy you have them!*
- A Camera - Getting pictures of the seals is really fun
If there is anything that you need for your trip stop by FORCE 5 WATERSPORTS
at 6 Union Street, one block off of Main Street at the NRTA Stop.
They'll take good care of you and fit you out with all the best clothing and gear.
Force 5 is also the home of the World Famous Candy Room.
at 6 Union Street, one block off of Main Street at the NRTA Stop.
They'll take good care of you and fit you out with all the best clothing and gear.
Force 5 is also the home of the World Famous Candy Room.
Q. What if we want to bring food and drinks?
We have coolers with ice to keep everything chilly for you.
Please bring whatever you you would like to eat and drink.
All we ask is that you leave glass bottles at home.
Broken glass on a boat is a real safety issue - We really appreciate your understanding!
We can arrange for food and beverages for your private charter if you would like us to for a nominal fee.
Q. What if the weather is bad on the day of our trip?
Our Captain has the final word on weather it is safe to go.
He makes the call prior at your departure time.
We want everyone to have a great time so we will not go if it is unsafe.
Trips cancelled due to weather will get rescheduled on our next trip with space available.
For full details please refer to our Reservation and Ticket FAQ.
We have a Nantucket Weather Links page that has all of the resources we use for our weather prediction. If you have any weather related questions, it's a great resource.
Q. We need to find a place to stay on Nantucket, where should we go?
There are some really nice Hotels, B&B's and rental houses available on Nantucket. We're not going to lie to you, they're all expensive. Some are a lot more expensive than others. So how does somebody hash out the good ones from the bad? We have a resource to help you - Nantucket Hotel Deals and Discounts. There's some great discounts, and there's ratings and rankings to help you find the perfect place to stay. There's also rankings for the Islands best restaurants.
Another great resource for finding Rental Homes and B&B's on Nantucket is this link to Rentalo.
Take a look around, we hope you find the perfect place to stay while you're here on Nantucket. We hope that we can be a part of your perfect Nantucket Vacation.
Another great resource for finding Rental Homes and B&B's on Nantucket is this link to Rentalo.
