Family Adventure Cruise with Urban Pirates

Gather your swashbuckling friends and head to the Fell’s Point waterfront in Baltimore for a seafaring adventure with Urban Pirates.

Family friendly cruises set sail daily in summer at 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30, 2:30 and 4:00pm. Check in for your cruise begins at one of the times listed above but the boats generally sail a half hour later. Your adventure begins with important pirate prep work – dressing in pirate gear, choosing a pirate name and getting tattoos. If you arrive the full 30 minutes before sailing your kids may begin to get antsy but plan for enough time to make it to the dock from the street parking and still have time for the introductory activities.

If the Urban Pirate issued vest and sash doesn’t quite get your kids in the pirating mood, additional gear such as eye patches and bandanas are sold at the check in kiosk for $1.00 each. Swords, hooks and pistols are also for sale for $5. You can also come prepared from home if your kids already have pirate garb of their own. Once everyone is looking like a pirate, the crew goes over some safety information and then moves right along to lessons on pirate lingo, pirate songs and pirate dances. The ship, “Fearless” is equipped with a sound system which allows for some lively games like the limbo and a hot potato like game called “Pass the (shrunken) head.” The conga line around the boat was another popular use for the sound system.

The highlight for all kids on board though is the pirate fight with “Mad Dog,” a rogue pirate who has stolen their treasure. Ten water cannons line the sides of the ship and the little pirates get to take turns squirting Mad Dog as he rounds the ship on his boat. The crew does a good job of making sure everyone takes turns by using a ringing bell to signify switching with the people queued up behind each cannon. In the end (of course) Mad Dog is defeated and the treasure returned. Each young pirate gets to line up to take two pieces of his/her share of the booty home.

The pirate crew aboard the Fearless did a good job keeping both the kids and adults entertained. The overall experience is probably best for kids ages 8 and under but can be fun for older siblings as well. A few younger sailors were a little intimidated by the pirates at first but seemed to come around as the hour long cruise of the harbor went along. The boat is open to the elements and sails rain or shine so come prepared for the weather. There is a small swath of shade in the front of the boat and they do provide drinking water for those who want some, but know that if you are going on a sunny day it will get hot. The Fearless does have a bathroom aboard.

Tickets for the Family Adventure cruises are $10 for children two and under and $20 for everyone else. Ticket prices do not include the additional 10% city amusement tax. You can reserve tickets online or over the phone. The Fearless can accommodate 49 guests on board only and many weekend sailings sell out.

On Wednesday and Friday mornings free story times are held aboard the Fearless at 9am. Following the storytime you can purchase tickets at a 25% discount for the 9:30am sailing. For additional discounts you can enroll your kids in the Buccaneer’s Club for $5 to earn 10% off on tickets and merchandise. Urban Pirates has 4 different birthday party packages and even adult BYOG (bring your own grog) nighttime cruises.

Start practicing your best “Aarrgghh” and head to Baltimore to sail with the Urban Pirates.

Additional Information

  • Street and garage parking are available in the vicinity of Ann Street Pier. Metered parking lasts for 4 hours and costs $2 per hour. You can pay with coins, cash or credit card.
  • There are many restaurants in the Fell’s Point area. If you want to continue with the pirate theme head to the deck at Woody’s. Our group enjoyed an open air lunch there after our cruise and the kids loved that the deck was lined with Jolly Roger flags and that they could see the ships (including the pirate ship) sail in the harbor.
  • Cruises are also available on weekends only in April, May, September and October.
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OK Editorial Team

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