Jungle Queen Riverboat

The Basics

The Jungle Queen Riverboat Company owns two boats and offers several tours. The daytime sightseeing cruises go up the New River, sailing past Millionaire’s Row, downtown Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, and the Intracoastal Waterway, and more. Some cruises include a stopover at the Jungle Queen Tropical Isle where passengers see an alligator show and other native wildlife. The evening dinner cruise heads up the New River as well, but also includes an island stopover for an all-you-can-eat dinner of barbecue ribs, chicken, and shrimp, and a variety show under the tropical foliage.

Things to Know Before You Go

• Reservations are required, so make sure to book in advance.

• Choose between an evening dinner cruise (four hours) and shorter sightseeing cruises (90 minutes).

• For the dinner cruise, vegetarian meals are available upon request, but must be arranged at least 24 hours in advance.

• The boat and Tropical Isle are wheelchair accessible.

How to Get There

All cruises depart from Bahia Mar Yachting Center, in the heart of Fort Lauderdale. Paid parking is available in the Bahia Mar Hotel lot or a public lot across from the Jungle Queen box office.

When to Get There

Jungle Queen cruises sail year-round, rain or shine, with the boats featuring covered tops. Boats begin boarding 45 minutes prior to departure.

Jungle Queen Throughout History

Jungle Queen Riverboat Cruises were started in 1935 as a few small boats that gave sightseeing tours through the "Venice of America" — Fort Lauderdale's historic New River. After WWII, a dinner cruise was incorporated and since 1958 the cruises have included a vaudeville-style variety show. Today Jungle Queen Riverboat Cruises are still run by the same family who took over in 1958.

Ways to explore

The Jungle Queen Riverboat company owns two boats and offers several tours. The daytime sightseeing cruises go up the New River, sailing past Millionaire’s Row, downtown Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, and the Intracoastal Waterway. Some cruises include dinner, too, or feature a stop at a private island where you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat barbecue feast with baby back ribs, chicken tenders, macaroni and cheese, and more. These cruises typically also include a variety show with hula dancers, drummers, and fire eaters.

Accessibility

The boat is wheelchair accessible, but you must inform the team when making a reservation.

Age limits

Some dinner cruises may be more aimed at adults—so it’s best to check before booking.

What to pack

Camera, valid photo ID if you want to purchase alcohol, credit or debit card

What to wear

Some dinner cruises may have a formal dress code, but day tours are usually casual.

Not allowed

Large bags, disruptive behavior

Amenities

Onboard bar, restrooms

Address 

All cruises depart from Fort Lauderdale’s Bahia Mar Yachting Center. Visitors can reach it by car, taxi, or rideshare. Also, there are bus routes that stop close by, and some hotels provide shuttle services.

Driving

From Fort Lauderdale Airport, take the US-1 North, continue past SE 17th St into Fort Lauderdale, then turn left onto Seabreeze Boulevard. Parking is available at the Bahia Mar Yachting Center for a fee.

Public transportation

If traveling from downtown Fort Lauderdale to the Jungle Queen Riverboat, you can take bus #40 to A1A & Bahia Mar, and then walk around four minutes to get to Bahia Mar Yachting Center.

Best times to visit

The early afternoon sightseeing cruises tend to be less hectic than tours later in the day that include dinner options.

Best days to visit

Weekdays (Monday–Thursday) generally mean fewer crowds and better parking access at the Bahia Mar marina compared to busy weekends.

Best months to visit

Visit in April–May or September–October for warm weather and fewer tourists than the peak summer months.

Special events

Fort Lauderdale hosts one of the largest boat shows in the world, the International Boat Show, in the fall, and the annual Winterfest Boat Parade in December, which is always popular.