Tour Tips FAQ
Here are some Tour Tips FAQ to make your experience on Amelia River Cruises the best and most memorable that it can be. Welcome aboard!
Reservations, Cancellations, and Refunds
Reservations are recommended for all tours. This way we can prepare the boat(s) and have adequate crew available. Advance purchase is required for all Adult BYOB Cruises. Specialty cruises also require an advanced reservation, and all cruises are subject to availability.
Please call us if you need assistance with your reservation, or to cancel your reservation at (904) 261-9972. Refunds are given with at least a 72-hour cancellation notice. If you purchase a ticket and you do not show up for the tour, you will not be eligible for a refund except under special circumstances.
If you purchase a ticket for a certain day/time and we do not meet our minimum 12-passenger requirement (think a cold winter’s day, or a 2:00 p.m. afternoon cruise in the dog days of summer), or we cancel a tour due to weather, we will happily re-schedule your tour or offer you a refund.
We cruise rain or shine, and year ’round. For your comfort, our boats are covered, and they have clear windows that can be zipped closed during inclement weather. All of our captains are U.S. Coast Guard certified, and our boats are inspected frequently. Our captains have the discretion to cancel a tour for any reason. If we cancel a tour, you will receive the option to rebook the tour or receive a refund. However, if you choose to cancel your reservation within 72-hours of departure, and we have NOT cancelled the tour, you will NOT be eligible for a refund. Please consider refunding it onto a gift certificate, which never expires, to help support small business.
Payments
We accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express. Gift certificates can be purchased here and they never expire!
Arrival + Check-In
Please arrive 30 minutes prior to departure to allow time to find parking, check-in, collect your boarding pass, and safely board for an on-time departure.
Your ticket confirmation will be e-mailed at the time of purchase, but you still need to pick up your boarding pass at our Ticket Kiosk located at 1 North Front Street, Historic Fernandina Beach, FL 32034. The staff will direct you to the waiting area. About 15 minutes prior to departure, we will begin the boarding process and let you know which vessel to board.
Parking
Free parking is available on the north and south sides of Brett’s Waterway Cafe, as well as on Centre Street and the side streets of downtown Fernandina, all within walking distance of our dock. Parking lots have no time limits, however the diagonal parking along Centre Street has a three-hour limit.
Tours depart from the Fernandina Harbor Marina located at the foot of Centre Street, in historic, downtown Fernandina Beach.
What to Bring
If you are wondering what to bring, we usually recommend a light jacket in the fall through early spring for your own comfort. Sometimes a scarf is nice to have, too. You will want to have your phone or camera for pictures, binoculars, sunglasses, and sunscreen! We have cold water available on the boats for a suggested donation of $1.00. There is no fee to bring your own food and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Our captains do an amazing job and tipping is customary.
We also welcome well-behaved, leashed pets, and bicycles can sometimes be accommodated upon advance request.
Inclement Weather
Please check with us before altering your plans due to inclement weather! It may be pouring in Jacksonville and bright and sunny on Amelia Island, Florida. The barrier island environment creates unpredictable and changeable weather patterns. We sail rain or shine, within reason, and our vessels have a canopy offering protection from the sun and rain.
We check NOAA radar frequently to ensure that you have a safe and fun boating experience and the captain makes the final call on sailing. All of our vessels and captains are U.S. Coast Guard inspected and licensed.
If a tour is canceled due to weather, we will offer to re-schedule your tour or offer you a refund.
Accessibility
We have a wheelchair available for anyone who has difficulties going up or down the ramp to the boat. Please contact us in advance if this service is required so the captain and first mate can assist you. Like many ramps, the one accessing our boats rises and falls with the tide. For passengers with disabilities, it is easier to get to the boat during high tide.
Photos
You are encouraged to take lots of pictures on the cruises! Please tag us @ameliarivercruises and use hashtag #ameliarivercruises on social media to share and discover photos. Occasionally, we will take pictures for marketing on the boat, so please contact us if you do not want your image to be used. Otherwise, you are granting your consent to be photographed while you are having the time of your life on our cruise.
Privacy & Security Policies
Your payment and personal information is always safe. Our secure Commerce gateway meets or exceeds all industry standards for payment transactions. All of your personal information, including credit card number, name, and address is encrypted so that it cannot be read over the internet. We respect, and are committed, to protecting your privacy. We will not sell your personally identifiable information to anyone.
