Schooners Alliance & Serenity

The crew was very accommodating and friendly. Highly recommend this trip.

We enjoyed a very relaxing day of sailing on the York River. We spoke with the Captain before the sail and found him to be very competent. The crew was very knowledgeable about the sailing procedures of the schooner and the surrounding area around York River. We certainly would sail again.

Excellent, quick, safe & tickets were accepted upon entering the Alliance Schooner.

The promo info provided is very sketchy and the process for making reservations is really poor. For reservations of this kind, we are accustomed to being able to reach a person or do a transaction online. Your after-hours phone process really stinks. We really wanted to do this trip or we would have given you a fig for the SO UNBUSINESS- LIKE process you have for off-hours reservations. Williamsburg/Yorktown is a vacation destination--get a life. People are in fun mode and not do not have loads of patience-- DUH. More shelter from the sun would be appreciated by most voyagers. The trip is really cool and it is too bad you do not have better business sense. (sign us) Land-lubbers who also love the sea and other waters.

The crew was very nice and knowledgable about the area, the ship and its operation. They answered all our questions with detail and explantion. There were only a few of us on board, so the captian had plenty of time to chat with us. We were able to help with the hoisting of the sails, and steering the ship. It was a very relaxing 2 hour sail... lovely breeze, and sunshine.

The crew were wonderful. One member took time to point out interesting local history which we really enjoyed. All of the crew members were very helpful and enjoyable to be around. And I have told all my freinds and family to go take a sail. In fact I told them to make the trip to Yorktown just to take the sail. We are looking into taking the 10 day trip that one of the crew members told us about.

Being on the ship was very relaxing, watching the sails being raised was interesting, but the sailing area was nothing great (power plant and oil refinery).

It was a great experience and we're glad that we did it. If not for the captain who was nearby, the trip would have been a little boring - didn't sail very far - but it was very enjoyable. Fun to watch the workings of the schooner and talk with the captain about what it takes to keep the boat in good shape, etc. That part was very interesting. We wouldn't do it again, but only because we've seen that part now and would like to see something else.

We had a great time on this excursion. The weather was perfect. The crew was very professional and informative. I would recommend bringing sunscreen for sure as there is limited shade. If I had to think of a negative it would be that I thought it was a little short ( about 2 hours). My husband said he wished we would have went out further. Overall this is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Went for a ride on the Schooner Alliance. It was awesome. The owners were very pleasant and made you feel right at home on their ship. We even got to hoist the sails. Learned a lot about sailing and the ship. Reccomend to anyone. Great value and great time.

The cruise was pleasant but not very entertaining.

The cruise was perfect. The captain was especially good, the cruise was not to be missed-a real treat.

We had a great time, learned lots and enjoyed our wonderful interaction with Captain Greg and the crew! In addition, we had the pleasure of sharing company with an 88 year young lady who shared her lifelong stories from her birth to today - as well as countless stories from her ancestors lives. Weather was perfect with a sunset that money could never afford. This is a perfect event for the young at heart!

The activity is about the right amount of time. When we went there was no wind, therefore we couldn't use the sails. We did get to open the sails which was interesting. The crew was helpful and interacted well with the guest. I would recommend this especially if you have children attending.

If you are looking for an outing on the water I recommend a sail on the American Rover in Norfolk. It leaves from the pier at Waterside, has plenty of seating plus tour guide and you actually do see some sights. It is a much better experience than the Alliance AND is only half the price. The issues with the Alliance were that they crammed too many passengers on for comfort, we really didn't sail, just drifted in a circle and there was not really any 'tour' of historic sites. It turned out that one crew member in the back of the ship was actually pointing out a few things we saw and was very knowledgeable about the area and history, but did not have a microphone and we wouldn't have known he was giving this information if we hadn't gone back for a little shade. The crew members were friendly, but the outing just wasn't impressive.