Liberty Fleet of Tall Ships

Cool idea, but very poor execution. If you like seeing just one island in the Bahamas, eating meatloaf and gravy-​soaked sausage three times a day, doing everything yourself, and then being asked for an outrageous tip then you’ll love the Liberty Clipper. If, on the other hand, you expect common courtesy and effort from the crew and basic planning and information about local activities from the captain you’ll be out of luck here. Save your money.

September 2015 — I was traveling solo and this was my first experience in Boston and am so happy I was able to book a cabin on the conveniently located Liberty Clipper. Cabins may be small in some peoples’ opinion, but they are certainly comfortable aboard this 19^th century replica. The crew was relaxed, kind, and fun to be around. The ship is very clean and you are made to feel right at home. Overall, if you are willing to sacrifice a few small luxuries like size of rooms/​bathrooms and being able to return to your cabin while the ships are on their sailing tours, I would highly recommended this for your lodging. Also, if you’re like me and cherish unique experiences rich with history and perspective, you’ll love it. The booking comes with a discount on the sails they take throughout the day, as well! That was also great.

My wife and two friends of ours took a sunset cruise from Boston Harbor on Saturday, September 5^th and then proceeded to spend the night on the Liberty Star, the smaller of the two ships in Boston. Captain Gil provided a very relaxing sunset cruise on the harbor. But it was the hard working crew of Ben, Griffin, and Justin that saw to our every need that night. They made us very extremely welcome and were totally there for us from start to finish. I hope they come back next year so that we can sail with this fine crew again. It was amazing!

What an amazing crew and ship. These ships are disappearing and to have the chance to ride on one is awesome. I highly recommend this experience.

For something a little different ride on the tall ships in the liberty fleet. We found the crew to be very friendly and approachable with our questions. It was a peaceful way to look around the harbor a bit.

This was a second sail for us in Boston because last year was amazing. This year we booked our daughters 21^st birthday on the sunset sail. HUGH mistake! The crew had no interaction with us. The boat seemed to have some problems. It moved about 2 mph. Not at all like last year at the same location. Last year was very fun, up beat, boat actually sailed and crew was very fun. This year we WASTED money and more importantly we can’t redo the 21 birthday experience!

Excellent cruise staffed by friendly and knowledgeable hands. We were early in the season so I think they were still working out some kinks, but it was a fantastic day for sailing, and the crew was enjoying the conditions even more than we were.
It was a smaller group than I thought it would be (10 – 15) and they let the kids on board help hoist the sails and even steer the ship. I’m sure they would’ve let me too, had I volunteered. Drinks available for purchase, not sure how much, but I know water was $ 2, so that was kinda lame.
(Purchased as part of the Go Boston Card.)

I sailed on the Liberty Clipper in the Bahamas from December 7 – 13, 2014. When I arrived the crew was busily getting the ship ready. We ended up sleeping on the ship at the Marina that night. The next morning I awoke to construction to the ship and toilets that were not working. Not a great way to start a 7 day sail. Apparently the owners of the ship are investors who care more for the all mighty buck than maintaining the ship. Cabins were torn up and not finished. My original cabin was not ready for me so I bunked with another person. Tight quarters but it’s a ship. No biggy there.
Deferred maintenance is evident throughout. People who upgraded to cabins with bathrooms had non working bathrooms for the trip. Plumbing issues plagued the whole trip. There are 9 bathrooms and 4 worked at times. 2 were public and 1 public shower/​toilet for 27 people.
Sewer smells came up from the sinks in the sleeping quarters. One couple actually left the ship on the last day because of the nauseating sewer smells. There is a high turnover of crew. The owners treat the crew poorly and they end up leaving.
When we spend $ 1250 for basic accommodations for a week we expect things to work. Don’t bother paying $ 150 for the drinking pass unless you are going to be drinking more that 5 alcoholic drinks/​day. I didn’t opt for paying that and did the pay as you go to a tune of $ 44 for the trip. I gave the crew $ 100 tip in cash. Apparently if you give it in plastic the crew doesn’t see it for a month.
This is not a luxury boat at all. So don’t expect the romance, it’s roughing it, which was fine for me. There is no wi-​fi, TV or radio. Only at the bars. But that’s what unplugging is. Go with that
We ended up going to Eleuthera. There were only a couple of sandy beaches we visited. When I think of sailing the Bahamas I think of secluded beaches and crystal clear water. I wish we visited more of them. The dock there was essentially a dump for old cars not exactly what we wanted to look at.
The crew was great, the food was good. The idea of sailing on a tall ship is a great concept. I loved the sailing. I met strangers who ended up as friends.

Good ship, good crew. obnoxious bunch of tourists on the boat. But a nice sailboat ride. A bit pricey considering the Boston Harbor isn’t THAT picturesque, but worth a trip here and there if you’ve never been on a sail boat.

Speaking as a former tall ship sailor, this is a great boat to spend time on. I went for two cruises, the Rum and Revolution Cruise, and a regular evening cruise around the harbor. Both times the crew was professional, polite, and really fun. It seems like some people are complaining that the Liberty Clipper isn’t a «party boat» complete with shitty music and an engine that while noisy and smelly but gets you through the harbor faster. Sorry folks, that’s not what traditional «tall ship» sailing is about. If you want a party boat, go elsewhere. If you want a beautiful, quiet, romantic cruise around Boston harbor with an experienced crew, the Liberty Fleet is for you. I’ll definitely be back.

we went the day before july 4^th. crew was awesome and it was a beautiful day. its so quiet compared to powered ships — nice quiet way to slip the day away

Très bon endroit où passer un week-​end à Boston dans le style Boat & Breakfast.
Le concept est original, on peut y rester 2 ou 3 jours et il faut être en forme, mamie oublie ça c’est plus de ton âge LOL.
L’endroit où le voilier est à quai est The place to be avec beaucoup de jeunes, de resto/​bar et d’activité en tout genre. À voir juste à côté, l’aquarium avec les phoques qui né dorment jamais!
L’équipage est adorable et saura vous conseiller sur la ville, les endroits où aller, le tourisme général.
C’est assez étroit, mais de quoi dormir au calme, sans tangage, par contre quelques remontées odorantes des canalisations assez désagréables, mais c’est ainsi qu’on devient un vrai marin n’est-ce pas?
Le petit hic c’est que le voilier part faire des croisières dans la baie 2, 3 ou 4 fois par jour, donc pendant ce temps vous n’avez pas accès à votre cabine et même si l’équipage averti le monde de né pas descendre dans les cabines, le monde le fait quand même, et les portes des cabines (chambres) né ferment pas à clé. La gérante de bord nous a affirmé qu’il n’y avait jamais eu de problème, nous n’en avons pas eu, nous la croyons :) Ce qui était moins cool c’est devoir payer 25 $ par tête, en plus de notre location, pour avoir droit à cette petite virée de 2h dans la baie de Boston avec apéro à bord (à nos frais hein!).
Sur le principe, se faire du fric avec des touristes sur le dos d’autres touristes qui louent une cabine mais né peuvent y accéder toute la journée, ça vaudrait au moins inclure la croisière avec la réservation
On se demandait même si c’est très légal cette affaire
Pour résumer: Bel endroit, personnel de bord extra, expérience à vivre au moins une fois, je le conseille sur un week-​end à la découverte de Boston!

It liked helped that it was sunny and winding for the two hour tour are the harbor. It was a good time and was worth the cost. The crew were friendly and answered your questions. Being on the sail boat, everyone was on deck, which was real nice. If you are on the water and the weather is nice, you should not be in the cabin. It was also very nice that they had a bar on deck and the drinks were flowing.

Terrific.
We purchased Groupons for the Liberty Fleet of Tall Ships and initially had some difficulty booking. When I called to ask for help, they were accommodating and helpful despite the complicated situation! They went out of their way to ensure that our group of 10 was able to sail together.
The day of the sail arrives… and it is absolutely positively bone-​chillingly pouring rain. The captain took out his phone with Lifeproof case and showed us the weather pattern. «I’ll take you out if you really want to go!» He shouted over the wind and rain, rain slicker and hat buttoned up against the weather in true boat captain style. We decided that we would prefer a rain check.
Calling to schedule our make-​up date was a breeze. When we arrived we had no difficulty checking in. Boarding the boat we spent some time exploring the details of the ship. The crew was informative and cheerful, everyone pitching in to help raise the sails and bartend and keep us out of the restricted areas.
We had a marvelous time and hope to do the «Rum and Revolution» cruise next year!

Did the sunset cruise tonight. We were disappointed to find no where to sit (for 2 hours!) passengers simply sat on the deck. As others stated, this is a slow sail. You feel like you are drifting. We have been on numerous schooners before on the north shore and Newport ri but this one left us wanting. The large tip urn being held out to all disembarking passengers was annoying.

This was a nice way to spend an afternoon. The weather was nice, and we got to see Boston Harbor. They serve pretty cheap drinks (buy your drink tickets before you board).
There is very limited seating, though, and I imagine it can get really crowded. They also let you «help» raise the sails, which was amusing, but probably would ruin the atmosphere for those looking for a more adult, sophisticated sail.

This was a nice 2 hour activity for somebody who likes the sun, the water, and getting some great pictures of Boston Harbor and the skyline.
It is a modern boat designed like a ship from the 19^th century. They pull out into the harbor and then float around for a while, allowing you to soak up the sun and smell the sea breeze. For kids or childish adults, they do allow you to ‘help’ raise the sails.
They serve drinks and bags of chips on the boat, and the prices are not too bad. They even have Sam Adams Summer on tap!
I didnt enjoy the fact there was little to no seating and everyone became crammed together. Also, they allow smoking on the boat for some reason which is terrible in such close quarters.
All in all, it was a pretty neat experience but one I would never do again.

This is a pretty cool ship. It’s a modern build, but it is designed based on a 19^th century schooner.
The crew is really nice and for a tourist spot the beer isn’t too expensive. My sail also had a Boston Tea Party reenactment with a couple of colonial costumed people. it was fun, only took a little bit of the cruise, and at the end they had kids throw crates (tied to the side of the ship) over the side.
The crew also asks you to help raise the sails. That was probably my favorite part. It’s like you’re part of the crew for a minute.
If you want to see the Boston Harbor, this is a nice way to do it.

We’re on a boat!
If I had paid full price for this I probably would have given fewer stars, but since I am one of the cool kids who uses groupon and buywithme to get discounted coupons to things all the time, Matt J., Adam G. and I all went for about half price instead on a pretty nice two hour cruise of the boston harbor!
This boat is a classic, old fashioned big sail boat, so don’t expect to go very quickly, especially since you probably won’t sail during good sail conditions anyway. You just get to sit and hang out and watch the harbor and other boats go by, and it was pretty relaxing. BUT if you aren’t in line early enough to get on the boat to get one of the few seats, you will be standing the whole time, so just keep that in mind when they tell you to show up early!
The other bonus is the cash bar on board. You get a drink ticket with your boat ticket and you can use it for a free non-​alcoholic beverage or put it toward a mixed drink and then you only pay $ 2 for the alcohol! Pretty sweet deal! But after that, drinks are $ 8 – 10 each so a little pricey for pretty small drinks, but you can at least feel classy with one drink for pretty cheap!

I was expecting more from a tall ship sunset cruise around Boston Harbor. I know that this is a touristy thing, but really. We sailed last night and had to wait 15 minutes to push off for some mom and her spawn because they were late. Did that mean we got an extra 15 minutes added to the end of our cruise? It should have, but it didn’t. BOO.
They simply left the ship drift along wherever it wanted at about 2 miles an hour… Man, it was slow. And what good is it to have a Bose system on your ship if you don’t even use it? There was no music whatsoever, and that really could have added something nice. I heard a crew member talking to another passenger about how the cruise was «a sunset cruise, so we’ll keep it quiet». You know what’s quiet? Classical music. That would have made the «voyage» somewhat enjoyable instead of just freezing for two hours while we drifted. The only saving grace is that the dark n’ stormies were made well, but the bar area was a total snafu. You’d think that they would have the operation down by now. Have a ton of cash in small bills. Be ready for your 100+ thirsty patrons who are bored to death. If I cruise in the harbor again, it certainly won’t be on this ship.

I’ve been on 2 cruises with the Liberty Fleet on their Liberty Clipper tall ship schooner. The first one was an afternoon summer outing I had set up for my office last year, then I again went for a sunset cruise.
The boat sails up from Key West to spend its summer in Boston. It’s in operation from June-​September with daily excursions. Tickets for daytime and sunset cruises run around $ 30 each. On their website you’ll also find brunch and specialty dinner cruises at a higher price.
On board, they will get the passengers involved. On take off, they ask for volunteers to help pull up the sails. Along the way they narrate the various sites in Boston Harbor. The staff was very friendly. Especially the captian who would add a joke in at random times. They all make the journey up from FL and some live on the boat. There is a bar on board that sells beers and mixed drinks for around $ 6. The cruises lasted around 2 hours and leave from Long wharf. I would recommend this boat to all looking to get on the water for the evening or for a company who wants a daytime outing option.