We had an amazing time again. This was our second time on the Fred A Busse. The tour was very informative. With a smaller crowd we were able to ask more questions and it made us feel more involved with the tour. The staff were extremely knowledgeable and very friendly. We can't wait to see how the tour changes again in 3 years the next time we are back.

The staff were kind and extremely knowledgeable. Manny at the bar made a great drink! It was nice to be able to walk around the boat and look at different sites from each side and also to be able to go inside out of the sun. The captain was kind enough to allow me and my friend to see the part of the boat that he works from and even take pictures. Lastly, the gentleman that did the speaking was wonderful. He had a calm voice, which was nice because other tours I’ve been on the people seem to be so rushed while speaking. I could hardly understand them. However, he was patient and knew a lot about the city.

I live in Chicago, but try not to take it for granted so I get out and play tourist once in awhile! I've been on many an architecture tour, but this one was a little different. It was cool to be on a retired 1930's fireboat that has witnessed (and doused) a lot of history. It was fun being the envy of all those other boring tour boats we passed. I liked the option of being able to sit up front at the bow or in the back in the shade. And there's a bar! You can peek into the cockpit to see the steering mechanisms and enjoy some other firefighting history displayed on the walls. The captains and crew were friendly and knowledgeable. An enjoyable 90 minute tour that I hope to take friends on in the future! Thursday night beer cruise anyone?

Fantastic tour around Lake Michigan and Chicago River.Very, very knowledgeable and entertaining cruise guides - Cliff and Austin. Lovely historical firewood. I would highly recommend it to everyone as a must do when in Chicago.

Background -- we've been visiting Chicago once or twice a year for 30 years, so we've done a large number of tours (including at least a dozen boat tours -- architecture, speedboat, fireworks, even private charter). We weren't looking to do another one, but were walking along the lakefront checking out the yacht club's huge icebreaker when we saw this fireboat cruise -- we had time and they had availability, so we took a 3pm cruise on a cold October Friday afternoon.Overall description -- mid-sized old fireboat (remodeled for this purpose) with a covered back section (where most people stayed to keep warm) and a bunch of seats in the front (maybe enough for 25 people?) -- we sat up front. The cruise was a $40 per person 2-hour tour (some discounts for first responders, military, veterans) including some lakefront touring (mostly around Navy Pier, through the lock, and a bit up the north fork of the river before returning. Boat had two bathrooms, a snack bar/bar with alcohol, not much else. What made this tour stand out was the quality of narration (and interaction with the guide). After so many tours, it would be hard to imagine learning much new, but we did learn a lot we hadn't heard before (about the flood, about some of the uses of Navy Pier, about the lock, and about several of the buildings along the River, along with plenty about the fireboat and some fires it had fought and about the safety operations on the water generally). Our tour guide was Austin, who not only was able to talk non-stop for long stretched, but also was friendly and able to answer all sorts of other questions when mingling with passengers during our time in the lock (both ways). Lucky for us to stumble across this, but definitely worthwhile as a planned destination!