Frequently Asked Questions

No. We close online reservations at least 48 hours prior to departure since we need to schedule crew. Many reservations are made months in advance – especially in our busy season (June- August).

Typically, the weather forecasts in this area are very inaccurate beyond 24 hours. The main thing we watch is wind forecasts since even with a little rain, passengers still enjoy the cruise inside our pilothouse with large windows and heat. 

Although we make every effort to accommodate last-minute requests, we have to turn down many requests. You should book as soon as your plans are firm since the deposit is fully refundable if the weather is bad and we can’t arrange another mutually convenient time. Weather cancellations may only be made by the Captain taking safety and passenger comfort into account.

• Only private charters are available. There are no public by-the-passenger bookings available.
• You can save money by booking Weekends since there is a 2-hour minimum on weekends and 3 hours on weekdays
• This season we are closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We only run Sunset Cruises in the peak season.
• Click on the “Book Now” buttons to search availability, cruise options and pricing
• If you don’t see the perfect cruise option, use the Contact Us form to let us know what you would like.

Groups up to 18 Passengers

YES! Plan Sea is a U.S. Coast Guard-inspected commercial passenger vessel and is permitted to carry up to 22 passengers and two crew. There are hundreds of charter boats that allow up to six passengers and only a handful of boats that allow 6 to 18 passengers. For most cruises, we have limited the number of passengers to 18 or fewer so that our guests are more comfortable and less crowded. We think that 12 adults is the ideal group size.

Yes, please do.  Bring your own alcoholic beverages in reasonable quantities and food. We have a large cooler with ice on board. No red wine, please.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. The slideshow to the right shows how much room there is on board. Plenty of room for 12 people inside the heated pilothouse with large windows and great views and another 12 people outside on the aft deck.

More Details

The boat is a 35-foot long vessel that is a classic New England boat. She is a Downeast lobster yacht style boat built in Maine. The 350HP turbocharged diesel engine allows the motor vessel to cruise at 11 knots or 12.5 MPH. The Downeast-style hull is very seaworthy and provides a soft ride in most sea conditions. These boats have proven to be efficient and safe during their years of service in the ocean off the Maine coast.

There is a bathroom, wet bar, dining table, and cooler for guest use. The mahogany and teak-trimmed interior has loungy, comfortable seats.

Before we purchased and renamed the vessel Plan Sea in 2014, she served as the offshore research vessel, Indigo, for the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine. We have completely retrofit the vessel with beautiful new furniture and wood to give her that yacht-like feel.

The vessel is not handicap accessible. Depending upon the dock and tides, there may be up to a three-foot difference between the boat deck and dock height.  Aboard the boat, there are steps to get to the bathroom.

Captain Dave: My wife really gets seasick! I’ve always said that if she gazes at a watercolor painting for too long she gets nauseous. I’ve even felt seasick – even though I grew up on boats. There is no worse feeling and I will help you avoid this. During our 37 years of marriage I’ve had to learn how to drive the boat and avoid certain conditions that get her nauseous.

Typically, our cruises are in very protected, calm waters. We’re not going miles offshore which makes a big difference.

If you start to feel nauseous during the cruise, let the crew know immediately and we will help you. In hundreds of voyages and thousands of passengers, we’ve only had one passenger vomit.

Don’t let a bad experience in the past keep you from enjoying a day at sea with your group.

Plan Sea is not outfitted for fishing trips. She has been re-designed and built to be a luxury Downeast luxury passenger vessel for your cruising and partying comfort. She’s the perfect vessel for day trips to the Vineyard, Nantucket, and evening sunset cruises!

The vessel is U.S. Coast Guard-inspected and holds a certificate for up to 22 passengers and two crew. The Coast Guard inspects the vessel at least annually.

She has all the required safety apparatus, plus additional equipment including 30 life jackets, a 25-person Inflatable Buoyant Apparatus (life raft), two marine radios with Digital Selective Calling(DSC) for the Global Maritime Distress Safety System, two radars, EPIRB, three chart plotter GPS units, an Automatic Identification System (AIS), 10,000 gallon-per-hour pump capacity and more.

The bottom line is that we have made every effort to make the vessel as safe as possible through equipment, planned maintenance, and crew training. The Captain is a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed Master Captain. The crew is enrolled in a random drug testing program. No federally illegal drugs are allowed on the vessel.

Children are not required to wear PFD lifejackets while aboard Plan Sea since she is an inspected vessel (like the ferry). We are required to carry 6 child PFDs on board. You are welcome to bring your own or use ours and put them on your children should you so choose.

There are a few things that you may want to bring to make yourself as comfortable as possible on the luxury passenger vessel. Once you are away from the dock, there is no going back if you happen to forget something important. Use this handy checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything:

• Boating on Cape Cod the weather can change quickly – bring a windbreaker or additional layers in case you get cold or it rains
• Wear a swimming suit or you may change in the cabin
• Beach towels for after swimming.
• Bring reusable water bottles. In order to reduce plastic use we provide water and paper cups. Using your containers is the best for the environment!
• Sunscreen lotion is fine. NO SPRAY SUNSCREEN is allowed on the boat. Please use towels to protect cushions from sun-screened bodies
• Hat and sunglasses
• Seasickness medication Bonine to be taken 1 hour before departure
• Food and beverages, including beer and white wine in reasonable quantities. No RED wine
• There is a large cooler on board with ice
• Please do not bring much stuff as storage is limited onboard
• Child PFD life vests. Optional – see above
• iPod, iPad, Android, or a smartphone to share music – we have a variety of cables and Bluetooth. Remember to DOWNLOAD music since cell service can be spotty at sea!

Plan Sea is regulated by the US Coast Guard. Any drugs that are illegal federally are strictly prohibited aboard the vessel. For example, marijuana may be legal in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but the vessel could be confiscated by the federal government if marijuana is brought on board. The cruise will end and passengers will be dropped off in the closest harbor with no refund if illegal drugs are found. All crew members are in a random drug testing program.

It is traditional to tip the crew between 15% and 25%. A 15% minimum gratuity is required. We added an option to include a gratuity in the original booking fee and customers appreciate the convenience. Of course, cash is always welcome at the end of the voyage.

You must arrive at the dock at least fifteen (15) minutes before the scheduled departure. These docks are extremely busy and we approach the dock only after we know the group is waiting. We are allowed to be at the dock for up to 5 minutes.

Make sure you know where the pickup location is before the day of the cruise. Parking is always a challenge so leave plenty of time to find a legal space. Our email confirmation messages usually have instructions.

Of course, we hope that a cancellation is not necessary, but just in case, here is our policy:

50% deposit, fully refundable up to 7 days before the cruise for ANY reason. The deposit is non-refundable within 6 days of the scheduled cruise if the cruise cannot be rescheduled. Fully refundable due to mechanical problems with the boat or the Captain determines that the cruise needs to be canceled due to bad weather and it can’t be rescheduled.

• Water and paper cups. Bring your own reusable water bottle
• Ice in a large cooler
• Bluetooth connectivity  to our sound system
• Marine toilet(head)
• Captain and deckhand