Shoreline Sightseeing, founded in 1939, is Chicago’s largest tour boat fleet. We began with one vessel offering Lake Michigan tours and private charters to showcase Chicago’s fabulous skyline. Building on the success of these Skyline Lake Tours, in 1996, Shoreline brought the first Water Taxis to Chicago. In 1999, we began our acclaimed Architecture Cruises on the Chicago River. Now in our third generation of family ownership and operation, Shoreline has a fleet of 21 boats including nine touring vessels and twelve water taxis all located at historic Navy Pier.

Shoreline has offered private charters for generations of Chicagoans as well as thousands of regional, national and international visitors. Shoreline Charters & Events was established to oversee this very important part of our company. Between 2001 and 2005 Shoreline commissioned two brand new vessels with charters in mind. Evening Star is a spacious open-air boat that lends itself to a variety of parties from casual to elegant themes. Celebration is a climate-controlled vessel with plush carpeted interiors and rich wood accents. All of our touring vessels have been custom built or custom modified to offer our passengers the highest standards of comfort and safety. Our goal is to provide a memorable experience for our passengers as they tour Chicago’s dramatic waterways and we look forward to continuing the same outstanding charter services in the years to come.

Yes, every charter is completely private for you and your guests. While onboard, you will have exclusive use of the boat for the full duration of your event.
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We have several vessels available, all of which were custom built for Shoreline or modified to our specifications for handling charter events. Currently, Celebration and Evening Star are the primary charter vessels.
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We handle charters for up to 200 guests.
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Although evening charters are the most popular, we also offer daytime charters every day from sunrise to sunset. (subject to availability)
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At Shoreline Charters, we appreciate your busy schedule so our professional charters sales representatives can handle all the details for you. Just tell us the date and time for your event, number of guests, and your budget. We will put together a proposal to include all of these details and will assist with the coordination along the way.
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Boarding time is 15 minutes prior to the start time of your charter. For example, if your charter is from 7–10 p.m., you would board at 6:45. There is no charge for this boarding time period.
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Yes. We have chosen our catering partners based on their great food, superb service and high marks for customer satisfaction. All of our catering partners are fully licensed and insured for the duration of all Shoreline Charters. We believe you will be very pleased with their exemplary culinary selections and services.
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All charters leave from our convenient Ogden Slip dock at Navy Pier. See map for additional information and directions.
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Navy Pier fireworks displays take place at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and 10:15 p.m. on Saturdays throughout the summer. We recommend a charter from 7-10 p.m. on Wednesdays and 8–11 p.m. on Saturdays to allow ample time for viewing the fireworks from the water.
For detailed information, visit http://www.navypier.com.
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Our standard deposit arrangement is 50% of the full charter total at the time of the booking with a signed contract. The remaining balance is due two weeks prior to the event along with your final guest count.
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