Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

• Am I required to wear a mask at your location?

  Yes, all passengers are required to wear a mask for pontoon rentals, private charters, and public cruises. Masks may be removed when food and beverages are being consumed during the cruise.

• What measures has Edelweiss Cruises taken to ensure safety to staff and passengers in regards to the current pandemic?

  Updated 8/4/2020

  •     .      Limited cruise capacities to less than or equal to 50% of our Coast Guard capacity, which will ensure that all passengers can keep safe distance between each other on the boats.

    2.       All staff members will be equipped with face masks.  Any staff that is handling food or cleaning will be wearing gloves.

    3.       ALL PASSENGERS FOR PONTOON RENTALS, PRIVATE CHARTERS, AND PUBLIC CRUISES WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK.

    4.       We are taking more time in between cruises to allow for more thorough cleaning procedures.  While our boats were always cleaned between each cruise, we feel that allowing more time will ensure that every precaution is taken and risk will be minimized. This has resulted in a limited number of cruise offerings along with different departure times than normal, so please pay attention to the new times and new cruise details listed on the website.

    5.       We are taking more time between pontoon rentals to allow for more thorough cleaning to be done.

    6.       Hand sanitizing stations will be available on all boats for staff and customer use.

    7.       All private charters will sail for 2 hours. We will not be offering extended times for the 2020 season.

    8.       We will be eliminating the paper tickets for public cruises. Guests will be checked in at the gate instead of at the ticket booth. Our ticket booth will remain open to answer questions or make walk-up purchases (if available, but walk-up availability is rare). We HIGHLY recommend reserving in advance given our limited capacity this year.

    9.       At least for the start of our season, we are eliminating our public plated meal cruises including the dinner and brunch cruises. If we feel that we can properly and safely serve these meals in the future, there is a possibility that they will be added later in the season. Anyone who has a gift certificate for a dinner or brunch cruise will be able to redeem it for any of our 2020 cruise offerings or wait to redeem it during the 2021 season.

• What are the closest parking locations to your dock?

  RECOMMENDED PARKING:

  1024 N. Old World Third St. -Vern’s Parking. –1 block South of Edelweiss Dock on the South side of Usinger’s

  1110 N. Old World Third St. – Ale Asylum / Third Street Tavern building-1 building North of Edelweiss Dock

  There is also street parking available on Highland Ave and Old World Third Streets

  On the East Side of the Milwaukee River, there is street parking on Edison St. and in the Marcus Center Parking structure. The Highland Ave. bridge will connect you to the West Side of the river where we depart.

• How early should I arrive for my cruise?

  Customers should plan to arrive 20-30 minutes prior to departure to allow time to park, get in line at the boarding gate, and then be checked off our manifest by the gate agent. Boarding will begin approximately 10 minutes prior to departure time.

• Are your vessels wheelchair/handicap accessible?

  Our vessels can accommodate manual wheelchair boarding from our Highland Ave. dock. We recommend giving our reservations office a call so that we can give more specific information about departure time and accommodations for a wheelchair, walker, or handicap boarding. Weight restrictions and the width of our doorways prevent us from being able to accommodate motorized wheelchairs or scooters.

• What ages are eligible for the Child's Price?

  Passengers that are 12 years or younger are eligible for the Child Price.

• I'm planning a large party. What's the best way to organize my party and how do I purchase tickets?

  As the group organizer, you should be the first person to purchase your tickets for the cruise of your choice on the website. You will have the opportunity to create and name your group and then invite your guests through a link that will be emailed to you. You will also have the opportunity to publish your group name so that friends can easily join your group through the website for your specific date only or you can choose to keep it private where your group is only accessible with your group link that will be emailed to you.  An even simpler way is to have 1 person purchase all of the tickets in one order. Our cancellation policy is 72 hours prior to the cruise date, so the purchaser has until 3 days before the cruise to cancel and be refunded for any tickets that they don't need.

• Do you offer group rates for your cruises?

  We feel that it's fair to keep our ticket prices affordable for parties of all sizes. Therefore, the prices of our cruises are the same for any size group.

• I'm celebrating a birthday on your boat. Can I bring a cake?

  In light of the current pandemic, we do not allow any food or beverage to be brought onto the boats. Thank you for understanding.

• Is there a way to reserve tickets in advance without paying for them?

  The only way to reserve tickets is to purchase them in advance. We do have a 72 hour cancellation policy for all of our reservations, which allows you to cancel and be refunded or reschedule your cruise as long as it is done 3 days prior to your cruise date.

• I'm celebrating a birthday and want my friends to join me on a cruise, but I don't want to pay for everyone's ticket. How can I organize my group?

  As the group organizer, you should be the first person to purchase your tickets for the cruise of your choice on the website. You will have the opportunity to create and name your group and then invite your guests through a link that will be emailed to you. You will also have the opportunity to publish your group name so that friends can easily join your group through the website for your specific date only or you can choose to keep it private where your group is only accessible with your group link that will be emailed to you.

• Can someone under 21 attend the Margarita Fiesta if their parent comes along with them?

  Passenger safety is our priority therefore no one under the age of 21 will be allowed to board a cruise that specifically states that all passengers must be 21 or older with valid ID to board this cruise. We cannot make exceptions, even if a parent or guardian will be in attendance. We do have other cruise options available that don't have an age requirement to attend such as the Milwaukee Beer and Brat Cruise or the Historic Narrated Boat Cruise.

• Do you cancel your cruises if it's raining?

  If it is raining we do not cancel our cruises. Our vessels have large enclosed cabins that allow passengers to be inside and covered for the duration of the cruise.  In the case of severe weather (which is rare) and we are told by the Coast Guard that it is unsafe to leave the dock for a cruise, then we cancel our cruises and provide our customers with a full refund or rescheduled cruise if they prefer.

• How do I receive my tickets that I ordered online or over the phone? Will they be mailed to me?

  We will no longer be issuing paper tickets to passengers. The new procedure for 2020 will be that all guests who have purchased their reservations in advance will be checked in at the gate. Tickets are not mailed out in advance. Customers should plan to arrive 20-30 minutes prior to departure to allow time to park, get in line at the boarding gate, and then be checked off our manifest by the gate agent. Boarding will begin approximately 10 minutes prior to departure time.