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Bay Quackers
Category: Hotels & Travel Tours Tours [Edit]
2627 Taylor St(between North Point St & Beach St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Neighborhood: Fisherman's Wharf
(415) 431-3825
About This Business:
We are a family-owned business, offering San Francisco's original sightseeing cruises out on the bay since 1892. Our public bay cruises are available… read more »
61 reviews for Bay Quackers
61 reviews in English
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Review from Gary B.
San Jose, CA
9/22/2010
After seeing a few ducky boats around town during the last few Giants games, we took action and made reservations when a visiting relative came to town. The perfect excuse to act like a tourist in your own backyard eh? After our Bay Quackers tour, we couldn't have been happier...
Captain Joe was a funny and knowledgable tour guide, with loads of cool tidbits and lore from San Francisco's rich history that he packs into this nice land-and-sea tour. It's very San Francisco with a very pertinent 60s and 70s soundtrack, synced up to the various locales around town... speaking of the music, there were hip and modern pop hits you can dance to as well, and yes, a few people were dancing in their seats for sure.
We smiled, laughed, enjoyed a few purposefully corny jokes, as well as quack-quacking at some passers-by. And there are a few cool surprises along the way, e.g. a chance to steer the boat and learn some useful marine mammal facts while enjoying a ride along side the swimming and napping California sea lions.
Overall, it's well worth the money, which we later discovered is priced very competitively. So go for it, jump into the Bay Quackers ducky-boats-with-character, and like me I'm sure you'll learn something about the area, a good thing even for Bay Area locals.
And who would've guessed the term Sugar Daddy came from a girl who lives in Union Square?! -
Review from Dawn S.
Alameda, CA
2/14/2011
Does anyone know if this company is still in business? I have tried multiple times to reach them via phone and it says the line has been disconnected, and ticketweb is not available to purchase tickets through. Yet their site is still up and running, and I have paid for Groupons. Would love to know if I am just missing something, but this isn't looking good.
I just noticed another reviewer here that mentions service being suspended due to Insurance issues. I still leave a poor review, as there is NOTHING on their website giving any information. -
Review from Stephanie H.
Cupertino, CA
9/27/2010
After reading all the great reviews, I am wondering how we had such a bad experience! We are locals and since Groupon was offering an amazing deal, we wanted to take advantage and be a tourist for a day.
As soon as we got there, we were told the tour was cancelled. Oh wait, it was sarcasam by "Captain Awesome" as she refers to herself. We were then told to get on the tank. We got on the tank at 3:00 for a 3:00 tour, we then sat until 3:14 in the hot sun. We were waiting for our tour guide who we were told wasn't there yet... oh wait, Captain Awesome comes on board and is our tour guide. So she was there?
The information provided on the tour was informative (hence the 1 star) But then she started referring to weed ("You know how people in SF like their grass") while there were kids on board which made me uncomfortable. And really, are we all lumped into that one category just because we live in San Francisco?
Then we went into the Bay, which I personally was excited for, until she let all the kids take the wheel and drive us around in circles. Which I get it, it's a family tour and you should let the kids have fun... but at least be informative and shout out some facts about the bay to distract us from puking.
And by the way, we didn't even get our duck noise makers!!! -
Review from Micah P.
San Francisco, CA
1/3/2011
It makes me really sad to write this, because I've had a couple of great experiences with Bay Quackers -- a friend loves them so much that he's chartered rides for his birthday parties!
I booked (and prepaid for) the Xmas lights tour because my family was coming to town and, having heard my raves about how fun it was, my dad was really excited to go.
A week before the tour, I got a cancellation email. It read in part:
"I am very sorry to announce we cannot operate until further notice. Due to a misstep by our insurance agency, we are unable to provide tours at this time."
The email included a phone # to call "to receive an immediate refund." It sounded like a bad situation all around. Bummer!
But okay, I called the refund number and left a message. And another. And another. And sent several emails. I finally got a response telling me to email their reservations address for a refund. 10 days later? Nothing, and now their phone is disconnected & their email addresses are bouncing.
At this point I am going to assume the company went out of business, and I'm really unhappy that my $75 tickets will apparently go un-refunded. -
Review from Celina S.
Oakland, CA
9/3/2010
It was soooo much fun! My 7yr old son loved the ride, and was even able to steer the land-sea worthy automobile once we got in the ocean.
There were a few sea lions around and the scenery is quite beautiful. Being a Bay native I was surprised to hear some of the stories about the areas we visited on land.
The music selections were hilarious and Captain Joe was awesome!! -
Review from chum L.
Oakland, CA
1/15/2008
Bay Quackers is not my thing... but when a good friend guilt tripped me into going with him, I couldn't say no. My memory is fuzzy, but I think we met to board this duck on wheels somewhere near the cannery. All I remember is being fed bad mexican food and plied with a whole lot of margaritas (not a part of the tour btw), climbing into the most ugliest contraption in the city along with a busload of tourist from the midwest and Antioch (no offense, well, maybe a little offense, sorry).
What was cool was the little drive through the city and driving down a ramp into the bay. Floating around and seeing the city from the water was also a lot of fun.
What was NOT cool was the damn quacker things they pass out. The kitcshy speeches about the city and lastly, and this is not their fault, the COLD!!! I'm less than 95 pounds soaking wet and it was summer, but the Bay is FREEZING!
Bay Quackers~ I'm sure if I were a tourist from podunk no where I would love you, but I'm a Bay Area girl, and don't do tourist! Thanks anyways. -
Review from Jade M.
San Francisco, CA
9/25/2008
Went with my Mom when her work had their annual xmas party...it was SO MUCH FUN!
First you start off on this obnoxious looking duck/bus contraption that had all the people in the streets gawking at you BUT I stopped caring about that after I found out that they let you bring food and alcohol on board! Oh yeah!
They take you through the city and go through all the touristy places, all the while making it fun and enjoyable..quack-quacking along the way!
I was really scared when we finally got to the pier and were about to go into the water...in my head I was praying we wouldn't sink...but the bus magically turned into a boat and we chugged away...with great views of the city and the bay bridge...
It was a thoroughly enjoyable and unforgettable, touristy thing to do in SF!!
I highly recommend it at least once! -
Review from Bill S.
4/30/2006 1 photo
Today's installment finds your hero and his lovely wife at Beach and Leavenworth boarding a restored World War II DUKW amphibious transport vehicle.
Often referred to as 'sitting duck' because of its relatively slow speed and lack of armor, thousands of these tough and (for the time) advanced six-wheel-drive amphibious trucks were used in World War Two landings in the Pacific and North Africa, The only wheeled vehicle capable of operating on sand, the duck's ability to bring in troops and supplies onto the beach was a critical part of the D-Day landing at Normandy since all ports were controlled by the enemy. And now, 60 years later, its graduated to the higher calling of tourist attraction.
Quacks about the tour:
- Cost: $35/person. I asked for a locals discount and they gave us 10% off.
- Time: About 90 minutes
- What you see/do: The DUKW goes through Chinatown, North Beach, Union Square, and SOMA, heads down The Embarcadero and enters the water not too far from Distillery 209, tools around McCovey Cove behind the ball park, and comes back. Anyone interested (including little kids) is invited to drive the DUKW while in the water, of course under the watchful eye of John, amusing guide, Maritime Academy graduate, owner of the business and (I'd guess) extremely competent ship's captain. This is a tour, so of course narration is provided.
Birds of a Feather
Bay Area Quakers provides a great forum for meeting tourists from all sorts of great countries like Germany, Russia, that England place, Alabama and even New Jersey
A question I'd like to duck: How was it?
The Lovely Wife, who is not easily seduced by machines of any kind, would say somewhat on the fowl side. Her comment was a B- bus tour combined with a not particularly meaningful cruise on the water.
I'd say it was pretty ducky. I had a blast, mostly because I liked the idea of being able to ride in a DUKW, enjoyed being on the water, and was thrilled to drive the vehicle (see picture). I also, based on a brief conversation, deeply respect John, and the work and talent that went into bringing 60+ year old machines up to modern, Coast Guard approved specs. I'd guess that most of the tourists on board felt they at least got their money's worth.
San Francisco residents who immediately think "I'd like to ride that" when they hear "restored WWII amphibious vehicle" will share your hero's feelings. Those who don't will agree with TLW.Listed in: Special and Different: For…
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Review from ACE A.
San Francisco, CA
5/13/2008
I was always curious about these vehicles, which often appeared at SF Giants games. After zipping on the Bay, they would drive out of the water, and would drive around, with partiers whooping on board. It seemed kinda fun, but up until recently, I had never experienced it for myself.
That situation rectified itself, as I was invited along on a trip with the cool cats from 3rd St. Boxing Gym/Titanium Training Center (see my reviews of those fine establishments). My roomate/RCTV cohost DDDanny does videography and editing work for the lads (Simon & Paul), and I help out on occasion. The guys have taken a liking to both of us, so Danny and I were asked (it was also my B-day weekend) to join the fun.
So, we did.
At first, we thought we were gonna be on a "party bus"-type thing, but as the staff and friends of the company had a few pregame drinks and some food to start off, the big yellow Quackers vehicle pulled up, which everyone thought was great. We were in for a treat, and so off we went into the Bay for a short run to catch a fireworks display at ATT Park. A very nice, friendly (and patient) gentleman was the pilot/driver, and he got us all loaded (no pun intended) up in short order.
As we went from Mission Bay towards the Park, we waved and hooted at the various boats and people along the way, and got a lot of smiles and waves back. A Coast Guard boat eyed us suspiciously, and swooped in for a closer look, but we weren't harrassed any further. We continued on, consuming various liquids and so forth, but since we can only be in the water for a certain amount of time according to their rules, we opted out of freezing our asses off in the Bay, and went pub-hopping instead. The cry of "A shot and a piss" was the order of the day--and we never did see the Fireworks.
We went across the City on land, stopping at various places like O'neill's in North Beach, plus a few others (it gets a little fuzzy here, because we went hither and yon, drinking between and at each stop).
Eventually we ended up at the Holy Grail on Polk. My cohost DDDanny couldn't hang, and he left early. I hung for another hour or so, but my tequila-fueled buzz got the best of me, and I left.
I woke up the following day, a little worse for wear, but couldn't wallow in it, because I had to finish prepping for my B-day BBQ at the 540 Club.
No rest for Wicked/Weary... -
Review from Cheralyn H.
San Jose, CA
8/15/2008
Quack Quack!
Great way to see the city sights on land and from the water! Went on the tour with relatives that were visiting from Germany, Tokyo, Colorado and Florida - Everyone LOVED it. The tour was fun and interesting and the driver gave lots of people an opportunity to drive the duck in the water which was a nice bonus. We asked to be dropped off at the Ferry Building (so we wouldn't have to take the trolley back) and he happily accommodated us.
Even if your from the Bay Area this is a great way to spend a few hours out of your day in beautiful San Francisco! -
Review from M D.
San Francisco, CA
6/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
Enjoyed it....got to appreciate the city I grew up in. You tend to forget the beauty of it when you're in a car driving all the time. Shout out to Joe, our driver...cool tour guide.
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Review from Hiram L.
Fremont, CA
8/29/2006
We live in the East Bay. Every once in a while we like to go to the city and do the tourist thing. I discovered Bay Quackers and what a find it is!
The 90 minute tour was fun. As you drive through the city our guide with his Swedish accent and US Navy Captains uniform entertained and informed us. He was full of delightful trivia and stories. We quacked our way threw the city until we got to the bay near AT&T park. Then we entered the bay and cruised around a bit and returned.
The most amazing part was how many passersby quacked at us! I don't know if they had taken the tour, or just loved the Duck's. Doormen, pedestrians and people in passing vehicles would burst in spontaneous quacking at the first sight of us. Part of the tour we quacked on que from our "captain".
I'm telling all my friends, yelper's included! Take this tour! It's only 35 dollars and was money well spent. I don't care if your a local or a tourist it is fun, fun fun. Quack, Quack! -
Review from Vivian H.
11/24/2009
Unenthusiastic, unoriginal tour guide with bad jokes + ANNOYING duck whistles + sea sickness + BORING = NEVER AGAIN.
If our guide was actually funny I probably would've enjoyed it more. Unfortunately we did not have the Swiss tour guide that everyone seems to rave about. The whole thing was just so boring.. even though I'm a native, I expected the tour to be a little more fun and interesting. The best part was watching the seals and the pelicans try to catch food, even though the waves were making me really sea sick. -
Review from Maile N.
4/27/2008
Quack! My friend visited this weekend, so I remember seeing these yellow tour trucks/cars that then plop into the ocean to finish off the tour - she loved the idea so off we went! When you first board, they hand you these plastic yellow beak quacking whistles, that you use to quack at unassuming people on sidewalks in unison when your guide prompts you. So fun!
We toured from North Beach to Chinatown to Union Square to South of Market as our guide shared facts and tidbits about each neighborhood, and he was completely enjoyable along with the cheery soundtrack he would play in between stories.
Then we ker-plopped into the water as we screamed in delight! Giving boaters and kayakers the right of way, we enjoyed the SF skyline from the waters near the Giants ballpark. What a beautiful day to enjoy the scenery! Our guide even let a good dozen of us take a turn behind the wheel in the open water (I volunteered and had a blast!).
After all was said and done as we eased back toward Fisherman's Wharf, my friend and I were happy and satisfied after taking this tour. Thank you for the great memories and laughs! Quack quack!
Hint: If you are from the Bay Area, try asking for a "locals" discount. -
Review from Rebecca H.
Dublin, CA
7/6/2009
Went with friends from England, we had a great time! The driver was a guy from Norway (or Sweden? Perhaps Denmark? I don't know. Some place with blond, blue eyed white people), and he was pleasant and informative. I could have done without the gay jokes, but they weren't really bad, just not necessary. Besides, people who aren't local didn't get the oblique references to the Castro anyway.
The tour is about 35 bucks per person, and lasts about 1.5 hours. You get a brief drive about, seeing Union Square, Chinatown, North Beach, SOMA, AT&T Park, and the Embarcadero. You go out into McCovey Cove, on the water, and see AT&T Park, Cape Hudson freighter, and the Bay Bridge and shipping cranes from far away. You can sit in the driver's seat and have your photo taken. Big fun!
It's a great way to get an overview of SF, see what things in the northeast that you may want to visit further, and it's just a lot of fun to drive around. You're taking pictures, people are taking photos of you, if you are with friends or family, it can be a great time.
The office oddly smelled like cigarette smoke. They are in the Anchorage Square, parking is 2 dollars every 20 minutes. Take public transit there if you want to save some money. I bought online and printed the .pdf sent to me, the lady said, "That's it? No tickets?" No, tickets did not magically come out my printer when I printed the .pdf. She told me to sign and date the paper I printed, and drew an "x" and a line on it. Weird, but whatever, it worked.
I had a really good time, even being a local taking the tour. It's just long enough to be enjoyable and informative, but not too long so it becomes obnoxious or your butt hurts from the wooden seats. -
Review from Kimberly P.
Issaquah, WA
7/7/2008
Family was in town and signed my boyfriend & I up..I was totally excited because I remember when I lived in Seattle, I would always see the "Ride the Ducks" vehicles and wanted to try it out.
I learned some interesting San Francisco facts & the driver was quite funny. The crowd participation he incorporated was nice too.
& I definitely like the duck beak looking & sounding toy I got to play w/!!!
Awesome tour to take out of towners on. -
Review from Julie Z.
San Francisco, CA
9/20/2009
Loved our Swiss tour guide this morning- he was hilarious, made the whole ride fun and interactive. He gave us so many great unknown facts about the City of San Francisco. Coming from a native, that's big!
We started by boarding this quack quack bus/boat. Of course we sat in the back, the very last seats which turned out to be the best because they were elevated over everyone else and had no canopy- thank God the weather was absolutely gorgeous. We took an hour and a half tour of the downtown area, starting near Ghirardelli at the Cannery, through North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square, Soma, and past the Giants ballpark before we headed straight into the Bay without even stopping. We coasted along the waterfront before heading back onto land where we ended our tour driving along the Embarcadero and Pier 39.
What fun we had- even my three year old daughter had a blast. -
Review from Erika C.
San Francisco, CA
5/14/2008
Quack quack, QUACKER!
I had an absolute blast riding on the Quacker over the weekend. Basically it's like a no-holds-bar, anything goes shenanigan fest, and it comes with blankets to keep you warm during the ride! Oh, and beer! That keeps you warm too.
We were all dressed up in white trash gear for a friends birthday, so of course we took the theme all the way to the bank and were getting a little out of hand. The driver was patient and realized that we were all pretty hammered and didn't yell or freak out at us for getting rowdy, which was really nice.
Although we didn't go into the water since we ran out of time, but it was still an excellent experience. I highly recommend the Quacker and all the craziness it has to offer. -
Review from Chiquita y.
Emeryville, CA
4/17/2007
So, the Bay Quackers Dude is from Boston, and yet he knows about the tunnels underneath SF Chinatown and I, Mills College History Major, did not?
The one thing he got wrong is when he pointed South at the San Mateo Bridge and claimed that it was Vallejo where the Zodiak Killer did his thang, and none of the Tourons batted an eyelash at the error. Maybe that's because shortly thereafter...Splash!!!!!! Our tour bus descended down a steep ramp into the SF Bay, and our captain let all the little kiddies "drive" the bus-boat amphibious vehicle around in the water. I was heard to say "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" quietly under my breath, which is something, considering I'm a practicing (yet Bad) Catholic and my eleven-year-old was with me. I'm a newly-minted aqua-phobe. But I survived.
Somehow, we have to get a bunch of Yelp people on the Bay Quacker to heckle ole Mr. Boston tour guide. And then, we can dine at the Fisherman's Wharf In-N-Out---quelle fun.Listed in: The Happy Touron
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Review from Susan L.
New York, NY
6/7/2009
If you're asking why I went on a duck tour of my own city, I would answer you, "Why not?" Going on the occasional tourist adventure sometimes makes you appreciate the city all the more! Or, it's your roommate's birthday and this is what he opted to do...
We happened to take the duck tour on what appeared to be a rough day for the Bay Quakers. For starters, their online reservation system wasn't working properly and the tours looked booked when they weren't. I felt bad - our tour only had our party of 4 and 1 other couple. Luckily, with that small of a party, the captain could tailor the tour for us and gave us a lot deeper history of San Francisco than he normally would. He also busted out some "Let's get it on" while out on the water. The other 'rough day' indicator was our captain shared with us some disappointing news that the Bay Quakers could no longer give out the duck whistles. Story goes, a competitor stomped onto the scene with their duck whistles and now Bay Quakers are forbidden from joining in on the duck quacking fun. It was real shame as I was most looking forward to quaking at people for 80 minutes.
Regardless of the drama, I have to give Bay Quakers 4 solid stars for a job well done. The captain blew our minds with his knowledge of the city (especially the Cape Hudson!) and he's not even originally from SF. They're trying hard to fend off their competitors and they definitely earned my support! -
Review from Cecily J.
Los Angeles, CA
5/27/2010
We had a fabulous tour with Captain Joe on the Psychadeladuck earlier this month. We were celebrating BF's birthday on a Friday afternoon & no one else signed up for our tour, but Captain Joe gave us his all. I used to live in SF & BF spends a lot of time there, but we still learned quite a bit about the city. I also drove the boat, which was super fun.
We really enjoyed the music. Captain Joe selected songs that related to the area or history & he played more subdued tunes while we were in the water. We still have "Kung Fu Fighting" in our heads.
Next time we're taking BF's daughter with us. -
Review from Brandon M.
Watervliet, NY
5/5/2006
So Bay Quackers got me started on Yelp! Those Yelp stickers at the back of the Yellow Duck was definately eye catching. It seems however, that Yelp is still mostly a "West Coast" thing, and very few people on the East Coast where I am from use it. I hope that will change soon, cuz this is a pretty good website.
Now, to my review of the Duck Tour! I loved it, so did my girlfriend. Both of us had a great time, and thought it was the best tour in the city ... given that we had taken other tours prior to finding out there is a Duck Tour in the city. The cable car trolley tour was sort of boring, and the Double Decker while a good way to get around, wasn't exactly fun or funny.
We took the Duck Tour on the last day of our week long stay at San Francisco, so by then, we have already been to most of the places covered by the Duck Tour. That wasn't much of a factor though, cuz we still had a ball - it was funny, original and full of interesting facts.
It's not easy to please locals, so the fact that there are so many good reviews from other local San Franciscans says a lot about this tour. Yet, I must also say that it is also the locals who make this tour amazing -- the constant Quacks we hear from local pedestrains or city workers as the Duck drives by is quite amusing!
For me and my girlfriend, we highly recommend it to tourists as we felt this is by far the BEST tour in San Francisco. For the locals who want to get a different perspective of your own city, our only advice, is keep an open mind .... loosen up, and be prepared to QUACK, laugh, and have a good time! ;-) -
Review from Tina S.
San Francisco, CA
2/1/2009
L got us free tickets to go on this fun ride! I like the fact that we tour around the city streets then went into the water for a blissful sail for a bit before returning to our starting point at the wharfs. It was fun to be a tourist for a day and the driver was funny and cracked us up with his witty jokes while telling us tales about San Francisco. Say, SOMA means south of Market Street?! My friends laughed at me coz I didn't know that haha!
We were given a "beak" and when you blow the beak it gives out quacky noises. The whole bus will do that whenever the driver says "quack quack". Needless to say we got pretty much attention wherever we go!
I'd say everyone on the bus had fun yesterday! If you are visiting San Francisco for the first time this is something you want to do on top of cable car ride and ferry out to see Alcatraz & Golden Gate Bridge.
Also, it could be windy. Dressed warmly, wear something with a hoodie or bring a beanie just in case. -
Review from Betty W.
7/1/2008
I've never ridden on this thing, so move along.
Five stars for the fact that no matter how crappy a work day or day in general I'm having, this huge clunker of a duck shaped vehicle chugging past noisily and quacking at me always manages to put a smile on my face. Thanks for that, Bay Quackers! -
Review from riz l.
San Francisco, CA
6/15/2007
I don't know about you suckas, but when I went on the Duck on this trip it rocked my face off.
I've been invited on numerous occasions to check out the tour with my bro/roomie/mechanic for the duck, Ant, but politely declined. It sounded boring honestly and cruising at 6mph in the bay it aint gonna show me anything google earth can't. But this particular time I said what the hell.
It was Battle of the Bay at AT&T Park. Everyone was psyched on something crazy going down, except me cause I think baseball is too slow. But I'm optimistic on the social side of this gathering as we dip into the murky waters and descend to our destination. We attach both Ducks (Yellow and Red, dont know its names) on each side of John's boat (I think he manages Bay Quakers). After that the party begins. Cathy lights up the grill and throws down some mean BBQ'd 'dogs, burgers, and pinoy style ribs (I should yelp the damn ribs it was so damn good). Not only that but the Samuel Adams guys was aboard so there was a bottomless pit of Sam's, Sam Light's, and Sam's tasty limited edition Summer Ale which is a def double plus. And on the other Duck were a bunch of people who works with Bay Quakers and just came to enjoy themselves and look gorgeous.
It wasn't the endless award-winning alcohol, it wasn't the deliciously marinated BBQ, it wasn't the dancin I did at the club with said gorgeous ladies, it was the fact that the big dude jumped into the bay with all his clothes on and not give a damn cause he was so hammered. "Ghostride the Quakeboat!", says the fully clothed bay jumper, as we all sing along with E-40. -
Review from J P.
San Francisco, CA
5/27/2009
I have lived in multiple cities with a duck tour, and have been wanting to go on one for FOREVER! I finally went on the SF duck tour over Memorial Day Weekend and had a blast!
The driver was really knowledgeable and funny, and I even got to drive the boat.
The company was super professional, on time, and the guy we bought the tickets from gave us a great recommendation for an awesome dim sum place in The Richmond.
I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting the city or living in the city!
Lastly,and possibly most importantly, the music that they played on the tour was super fun to sing along with. -
Review from megan s.
Fremont, CA
11/14/2010
I am a local and my sister and I are always on the hunt of a fun activity on the weekends to keep our boys entertained. She stumbled upon this on groupon and purchased tickets. We were set to go and had tickets for an extremly rainy day. They were great about rescheduling us.
We went on an amazingly sunny crisp fall day. We met Joe and he was warm and welcoming and great with the kids. We boarded the bus/boat and promptly left at the tours start time. I felt proud to be a local tourist for the day. The tour was fun with a mixture of everything for kids and adults. I loved the tid bits of history and the snapshot of how beautiful the city is.
I would do it again in a heart beat. -
Review from Spenser O.
Worcester, MA
6/30/2009
Being a tourist in California for the time being and knowing nothing about San Francisco, BAY QUACKER'S Was certainly one of the best tour choices.
Booking a day in advance and assuring you get seats is a good idea. That's what we did and we got the best seats. In the back is what you want to score for! The captain from Sweden was kind and funny. He knew EVERYTHING about San Fran. Going around the port of san francisco and into the water was excellent. This tour is money well spent.
Spenser "Spense" O. -
Review from Rey B.
San Francisco, CA
12/19/2010
was great tour living in the city for 25 years never seen the city like this. Tour guide very informative an so easy on the eyes hubba hubba. Though he made fun of me cause i didn't know where the starting poinit was an we almost missed the tour ha ha ha. Watching people take turns driving the duck when we hit the water was funny. Am sure he wanted me to drive boat but shy about who sees me driving ha ha ha. would highly recommend this tour great for families with children.
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Review from Jamie J.
Washington, DC
5/30/2009 1 photo
I have been on duck tours in other cities, and while this wasn't the best, it wasn't the worst either. Let me just say that I love riding around in ducks. you get such a difference perspective of cities when you view them from the water. Often you get to see sights that aren't normally accessible either. We took this tour on a recent visit to San Fran over Memorial Day.
Anyways, the guide was great...really informative and funny. he let people drive the duck when we go around towards the baseball stadium. Problem is that i think he was driving a bit fast in the city. It is not a secret that the duck driving around is for tourist/sight-seeing purposes. There is no need to speed past the sights before people even realize what they're looking at. I don't even remember the first 15 minutes of the trip. I know a lot was said and pointed out, but I couldn't tell you what it was. As soon as we were told a fact or something we would be a block and a half past it. Also, the music played between the guide's talking was really loud. Maybe it was just where we chose our seats (extreme rear, on the elevated portion). -
Review from Jennifer B.
San Francisco, CA
4/5/2009
I was born and raised in SF, and yet the captain was able to tell me so many "fun facts" I didn't know! The best part was changing from bus to boat, away from all the traffic of the other touristy boats (that can't show you the cool stuff on land).
QUACK, QUACK... -
Review from Nick S.
San Francisco, CA
11/13/2010
Such a blast. We all loved the tour. Captain Joe was truly funny. Highly recommended, unique experience!
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Review from H S.
Redwood City, CA
8/7/2010
This tour was horrible. I would give it negative stars if I could.
First of all, the tour was supposed to depart at 2:00pm, but we were forced to wait like cattle on the duck for 15 minutes while we waited for no shows, and when we questioned what the delay was, the guides acted as if we were inconveniencing them and basically told us to get bent. The route was pathetic! Pier39 through China Town which was bumper to bumper traffic the entire way to McCovey cove, then back to Pier 39 on Embarcadero--oh what sights we saw!! And the tour went 30 minutes over schedule with no apology.
Our tour guide was extremely inappropriate, RUDE, and unfunny. She consistently made humorless "jokes" regarding animal cruelty (which seemed to be her favorite topic), poop/sewage treatment, and political slams including insulting Harvey Milk and Barry Bonds. She also basically called the designer of the Coit Tower a slut and claimed that it is actually a phallic symbol. DISGUSTING! Completely nonfactual and uninteresting!
Regarding the "duck" tank, the seats were a mere bench with a thin plywood backing secured with zip ties, that were very uncomfortable, and also spaced too close together so your knees were constantly bumping the person in front of and next to you. Not to mention that the entire time you are blasted with exhaust fumes, because the exhaust pipe is in he front of the vehicle.
If you are hoping to kill someone or yourself, I would recommend taking them on this tour. -
Review from Sonya C.
Antioch, CA
1/6/2011
I purchased discounted tickets for 4 to take the duck tour. I called several times to make a reservation. No one returned my calls. I finally showed up in person before my tickets expired last month, but no one was at the booth. I e-mailed them, but no one responded. I just called again today, and their number is disconnected. Now, I have to get my money back from Mamapedia.
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Review from Jeff N.
11/27/2010
well, even for $25/ticket for the holiday lights tour, i left a little bit disappointed.
for a 6PM tour start, we got on the boat at 6:40PM. granted, it was black friday and a few streets were closed, but they should have anticipated this. further, had they been on time at the pick up spot at their recommended 5:30, the street would have been open. on top of this, they don't take down anyone's phone numbers, so you're left obligated to call them up to get updates from a very confused staff that didn't even know where they would be going until 10 minutes before pick up.
all this stuff could have been forgivable had the tour been epic. but it wasn't. we got captain awesome, and frankly, based off the negative reviews, i was hoping for some inappropriate jokes which would have boosted the rating, but she was silent for most of the trip.
this could still have been forgiven had the christmas song sing along showcased good songs. but it didn't..it was mostly pop that everyone on the boat didn't know. i'm not a huge xmas fan, but even i wanted my frosty the snowman.
and again, this would have been forgiven if we got a great tour with good scenery, but it was the typical "this is the bay bridge, that is coit tower" type landmarks without really seeing any real 'holiday lights'.
to provide the details i couldn't find on their website, the route goes from union square to north beach to the marina/fisherman's wharf area to the embarcadero down past the ballpark to china basin, where you pass the 2 military boats, see the sf skyline for 3 seconds before the boat gets flipped around, then lastly a straight shot back to the pick up spot.
unimpressive tour, unimpressive commentary, unimpressive choice of holiday music, and a santa that seemed to have more fun than everyone on the boat sums up my experience.
my recommendation if you're dead set on going on this tour is to bring someone fun with you like i did. we ended up making fun of our situation, which led to a positive experience. -
Review from Anna H.
Oakland, CA
11/8/2010
We are locals and wanted to welcome our Au Pair to the area with a fun touristy time, so we took her on the Duck Tour. We all had a BLAST! Cap'n Joe was terrific, the music was great and it was a wonderful way to spend a sunny day in San Francisco. Our children (4&6) laughed and had a great time as well. Definitely a highlight to be able to steer the "boat"!
Don't miss it, and locals will enjoy it as well! -
Review from Nancy P.
Saint Louis, MO
8/6/2007 2 photos
quack-quack! ...duck tour.....
this was a hoot! we took a tour on 'the quackster', drawing attention to ourselves by quacking at everyone we passed (a requirement of our tour guide) ...
off down the street, past the at&t stadium, and into the bay - COOL! then cruising and dripping through china town & up nob's hill. the duck is an amphibious craft that was used to land troops on beaches in wwII.
it's a fun ride and they let some of the passengers steer out in the bay. the 2 tour guides were very funny & cool! i'd go again ...in a heartbeat! i added a couple photos i took.
"....all aboooooard for the quacking quackeroo...!" -
Review from Corn D.
CA
8/14/2010 1 photo
An absolute blast! This is my second time to take out-of-towners on the Bay Quacker. We went on the Peking Duck this afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and the info the tour guide told us. I love the fact the amphibious vessels are from WWII and women built them. It is fantastic when the Duck goes from land into water.
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Review from ryan v.
San Francisco, CA
6/20/2009
did he really just drop that over the speaker?
"get out of the way n*****r?" to a guy crossing the street - did you hear that? yeah?! okay yeah me too.
the drive around town is whatever and the ride at sea is boring at best....
really? did he say that? that's ridiculous. i wish i could give no stars. -
Review from Jeanne C.
San Francisco, CA
4/27/2009
very impressed, entertained and informed
the tour was fun and I have been on many tours and even worked as a tour narrator back in the day. we had the driver from Sweden and I loved his accent as he quacked along.
this is a fantastic way to kill some time when your parents come to town ;)
