Lake Austin Riverboats

If you’re looking for a unique venue for your wedding rehearsal, ceremony, or reception, one that doubles as entertainment for your guests… LARB is THE venue. Thirty Day Dash has worked aboard both boats in the LARB fleet, coordinating weddings, and both are amazing. The LARB crew were super receptive to suggestions, and easily accommodated the wishes of our wedding couples. They include tables, chairs, linens, buffet equipment, and offer the flexibility to choose your own catering, custom bar package, and other vendors. Thirty Day Dash highly recommends them!

My hubby and I had our wedding on the Commodore back in June and it was a blast! It’s such a fun and unique venue, our guests all loved it! Scout was a pleasure to work with to plan out the event. He had great tips and brought up little details I would have never thought of. We had about 100 guests and did the Hula Hut catering (Pro tip — The margarita machine is a MUST). There was plenty of room for everyone on the boat to mingle or sit and enjoy the gorgeous lake Austin views. We did a 3 hour trip and it really flew by, in retrospect I would probably add another 30 mins to an hour. The captain and crew were also fantastic, they got the boat to the 360 bridge right at golden hour like we planned, and it was great to have a crew to take care of clean up at the end of the trip. It was a challenge for us to set up decorations in the few hours before departure so either keep it super duper simple or bring a bunch of friends to knock it out quickly. That being said, my bridesmaid’s still rocked the decorations after I had to leave early for hair and makeup, so much so that I almost started bawling when I saw it all set up. If I could recommend any other tips, make sure your guests show up extra early (my mother-​in-​law almost missed the boat!). One more word of advice if you’re planning to get married on a boat — my nerves really enhanced that ‘sea sick’ feeling at first (so maybe bring some emergency dramamine?) but luckily it all melted away when I got to see my husband standing at the bow :) Thank you again to everyone at Lake Austin Riverboats we had an amazing time!!!

I don’t know about the last (2) bad reviews, but my wife and I went with another couple, and we all had an absolutely great time! The food was good, seating was fine, staff was great. The only thing a little sub par was the restroom, but if the guests would just figure out how to operate the facilities, that would have been fine too.
I don’t know where there would be any flea’s on the boat, I didn’t see any carpet or places for bugs to hide out, no one in our party experienced any bug bites. The boat looked reasonably clean and well maintained.
We will likely do this again sometime in the future, it was a fun time

I completely agree with Jeffrey S.
We bought a Groupon (3 people)…I’m pretty sure we were on The Commodore… but we looked at the looooong line of people waiting to get on and wondered if we’d all fit. Figured they’d be organized and sit people according to how many was in the party… but nope, it was «grab whatever table you like”-style. Of course all the tables and seats on the outside of the boat were snatched up first and you see the handful of inconsiderate people putting 2 tables together when they only needed one. Thankfully we finally found an indoor table but there were many people left standing… one couple literally blocked the walkway with 2 chairs and the staff never said anything even though they passed by them often. Music was entertaining and not too loud and the scenery was nice if you like to drool over multi-​million dollar mega-​mansions. Food was decent but never announced. Only reason I happened to know it was ready was because I just happened to be there getting some chips/​salsa. Food consisted of chips/​salsa and main meal was fajitas with rice and beans. Tasty enough but the wait was long because everyone is trying to grab food at the same time… and it was a sauna in the room that the food was in. It was horrible. Drinks were complimentary so that was nice. The photos on Unilocal and the website make it look really nice and food arranged nicely… but reality was, it was very basic and buffet style.
The icing on the cake though was leaving the cruise with LITERALLY (yes, I counted) 13 flea bites on my feet/​ankles. FLEA BITES!!! I couldn’t even believe it. I was on the upper deck, luckily (or unluckily?) grabbing a spot by the railing and enjoying the view while we headed back to the dock, and I kept feeling little things on my feet. I just thought they were the flying insects I kept swatting away just simply flying by my feet. Didn’t itch right away and by the time I got home, my feet were dotted with bites. Doctor confirmed FLEA BITES!!! Really!!! On a cruise boat??? How!!! I’m still baffled. A week later, the urge to scratch my feet raw has subsided. Nightmare.
This riverboat tour was supposed to be a fun outing for my family… and it turned out to be quite the opposite. The staff were nice enough but they weren’t hands on or making sure everyone had adequate seating or food or having a good time or anything. IF anything would have happened on that boat, it would have been utter chaos because I don’t think the staff would have been able to handle it. My husband and I talked with a few people and we all thought the same thing so it’s not just us. Very disappointing and I am annoyed that I paid $ 150 for this experience… thank goodness I didn’t pay full price!

I had to google twice to make sure this is the same Riverboat that the other users are giving 5 stars. Maybe it was a matter of expectations but I found this Riverboat tour terrible. We were given a groupon for the tour with dinner and drinks. Perhaps it would have been more tolerable if it weren’t for the fact they clearly over sold it. No where to sit, long lines to get drinks and food out of a tin pan. They should consider limiting to half of the crowd they had on there and it might improve the quality of the experience… to a 2 star review. steer clear of this, mates.

If your in search for a unique venue, Lake Austin Riverboats is it! Through this business, you can throw an awesome party and stay within a budget. There aren’t any constraints, all information is given upfront (no disclosure), and your getting the best bang for your buck!
The General Manager Scout is fantastic. Long story… short version– We planned an event and for unseen circumstances, our plans got cancelled. Mr. Scout, was incredibly understanding of our situation and worked with us financially. I was impressed with the level of communication he gave and how flexible he was. Furthermore, this manager is a people person and has the best attitude.
In closing, I highly recommend this business!

We cannot recommend Lake Austin riverboats enough! We hosted the ceremony & dinner portion of our wedding on the Commodore (with 140 guests). Working with Scout was a breeze, and he was so resourceful! They were able to have hula hut cater and it was DELISH! The scenery was beautiful & the staff was above and beyond incredible! Our guests remarked, it was the most fun they ever had at a wedding!

Man… we had such a great experience with Scout and his team. We had 108 guests on a Saturday night as a party the night before our wedding, and the guests are still raving. Scout agreed to meet us on the boat one day a few months prior so that we could check everything out. The Commodore is a bit older but is well maintained.
If you’ve never been on the lake, it’s impressive. There are beautiful homes to see in addition to a fantastic breeze. We had Hula Hut cater which Scout and his team coordinated 100%, and we opted to bring our own alcohol with a nominal corkage fee. The food was excellent, the staff was friendly and as a testament nobody wanted to get off the boat! Everyone asked if we could take another 2-​hour tour! Guests tended to congregate on the front area. If I did it again, I might consider a 2 ½ hour cruise and perhaps a DJ as the speakers were a little quiet.
Our biggest thanks to the team at Lake Austin Riverboats who were so easy to work with.

In a word; unforgettable. TL;DR Summary at the bottom.
My wife and I got married aboard The Commodore with just under 100 of our closest family and friends in attendance. Lake Austin Riverboats (LAR) managed everything. They organized and managed the open beer and wine bar, the fajitas catered by the hula Hut, and the table set up. They also offer full liquor service for a nominal fee.
1. Friendly, hardworking, and professional staff.
2. Beautiful and unique venue that your guests will never forget.
3. Extremely flexible to suit any sort of gatherings from small parties aboard their smaller boat or company Christmas parties with over 200 attendees.
4. Kid friendly
5. Free parking at the near by LCRA Parking Lot and garage.
ONE SMALL TIP — If you book LAR for your event, make sure that you make it very clear to your attendees that parking will be across the street and that they will need to cross Lake Austin Blvd to reach the boat landing next to the Hula Hut. My older family members were totally lost and confused.
— — TL;DR Summary — —
Turn key, inexpensive, fun, unique, and flexible event venue with AMAZING staff. Parking is awkward but easily managed with a little prep.

I used the Commodore’s Pup for a surprise birthday party and the event came off flawlessly. First of all, Scout, the person who handles the booking is outstanding, very accommodating. The process from the very beginning was very easy. The crew on the boat was just as service oriented, made sure I was having a good time as well as all of my guests. I opted for the fajita menu. Have to say living in Austin, one eats a lot of fajitas. These were great. Guests made a
point of commenting on the quality of the food including the fresh flour tortillas.
I brought a birthday cake on board, the crew had a separate table set up for the cake including forks and napkins. And at cake time the served the cake
We had some guests from Austin, some from our of town and some from our of state, the cruise on Lake Austin was an incredible treat for all.
Looking forward to using LARB in the future.

Just used them this past weekend and they were wonderful! The boat was there early and prepared, the staff was amazing and had everything ready and helped us with anything we needed. They even told us about some of the houses we passed on the cruise that were owned by celebrities and such. The cruise and boat was beautiful and it lasted plenty of time! I would definitely recommend this company to anyone!