Cabo cruise port with kids: a private boat day that fits the ship

A private boat is the easiest way to do the Cabo cruise port with kids. Two hours covers the sea lions, the Arch and a swim stop, every yacht except the Chaparral 28 has a bathroom, and once you give us the children's ages the right life jacket sizes are on board. A family of six on the Bayliner 30 pays USD 549 (MXN 10,499) for the boat, about USD 92 each, and you're back at the dock an hour before all-aboard.

This guide is the cruise version of our Cabo with kids article: shorter, built around the ship's clock. For how the tender itself works, read is Cabo a tender port.

Why a private boat beats a shared tour with kids

On a shared boat you share the schedule with 40 or 100 strangers. On a private yacht there is one group on board: yours. If a toddler melts down, the captain turns around. If the kids are loving the sea lions, you stay a few more minutes. If someone needs the bathroom now, nobody is waiting for the next scheduled stop.

The hours are also yours. Departures run from 7 AM to 7 PM, so the boat leaves when your tender gets you ashore, not when a tour desk says so. You tell us your ship and your all-aboard time when you book, and we set the departure so the charter ends with time to spare.

Ages and life jackets

Children of any age are welcome on every yacht in the fleet. The one thing we need from you is each child's age in the booking request, so the operator brings life jackets in the right sizes. The crew fits the little ones before the boat leaves the dock, and they keep the jackets on while the boat is moving.

For the swim stop, a life jacket or a float lets a nervous swimmer stay on the surface and look down at the fish without effort. If anyone in the family is a weak swimmer, say so when you book and the captain plans an easy first stop.

What the kids see in 2 hours

The 2 hour Arch and Land's End route is 4.7 miles round trip, and every stop is within about a mile and a half of the marina. In order:

The sea lions are the part kids talk about on the ship that night. The captain slows down and idles near the rocks so you can watch them without disturbing them.

Lover's Beach needs a note. The swim is on the bay side only, and the captain decides on the day whether the sea is calm enough to drop you close. Its back side is Divorce Beach, facing the open Pacific, with big surf and a strong undertow. That one is a photo from the deck, never a swim, for adults as well as kids.

Shade, bathrooms and air conditioning

The two things parents ask about most. Every yacht except the Chaparral 28 has a head (bathroom). The Chaparral works for older kids on a 2 hour trip, not for toddlers.

For shade, pick the boat around the youngest child:

• The Sea Ray 55 has air conditioning, cabins and heads below deck, so a baby can nap and a hot grandparent can cool off. It takes up to 15, which fits two families off the same ship, and at the swim stop there's a floating pool, a paddle board, a lily pad and a floating platform.
• The Pontoon 38 has a shaded upper deck, a water slide off that deck and an enclosed head with a freshwater shower for rinsing the salt off. It takes up to 18, the most in the fleet.
• The Sea Ray 40 and Sea Ray 36 take up to 12 with captain and deckhand, water, ice, a cooler and towels. Towels matter on a cruise day: you don't want to carry the ship's.
• The Bayliner 30 is the budget pick for one family of up to 6, with a captain, cooler with ice, water, sodas and snorkel gear.

Towels are included only on the Sea Ray 36, Sea Ray 40 and Azimut 45. On the other yachts, bring your own or plan to drip dry.

What it costs per family

Prices are per boat, not per person, with the 16% IVA tax included. The customary 15% crew tip is not included.

Set your own numbers here. Two families sharing a boat changes the per-person price fast.

What it costs per person

Guests:

6

Hours2 h3 h4 h6 h

1. Loading

Per boat, 16% tax included, tip not included. Pick a yacht to see its page.

Food the kids will eat

We don't sell food on board, but you can add it in the planner when you book so it's waiting at the slip. Cash prices from the menu; paying by card adds 16%:

• Burrito box lunch, MXN 289
• Turkey breast or tuna box lunch, MXN 238
• Lunch and 5 soft drinks, MXN 493
• Bottled water, MXN 17, soda, MXN 51

Several yachts already carry water and ice, and the Bayliner 30 and Sea Ray 55 include sodas. Check your cruise line's rules before carrying food off the ship; most families find it easier to order through the planner and skip the question.

No alcohol is sold or served on these yachts. Adults 18 and over may bring their own.

Timing the boat around the ship with kids

Work backward from all-aboard, then add a kid buffer. The tender line to get back on the ship is longest in the last hour, and kids don't speed up lines.

Morning is the better slot with children anyway. The water is usually calmer before the wind builds after midday, and the deck is cooler. If your ship anchors at 7 AM, a 9 or 10 AM boat gives you time for the tender line and the walk to the slip without rushing anyone.

The ships families tend to arrive on each have a page with every date and the hours ashore. The Disney Wonder calls through April, most often on a Tuesday, and the Disney Magic only in October and November. The Carnival Panorama is in port most weeks and the Carnival Radiance about twice a month. The same 2 hour route also works as a family day when you're not on a ship.

Twelve of our thirteen yachts board inside Marina Cabo San Lucas (each at its own dock, listed on your boarding pass), the same marina where the tender lands, so there is no taxi with car seats to think about. The Sea Ray 65 meets you at Fisherman's Landing restaurant, by the Cabo Escape terminal, and has to be back by 8 PM.

What to bring off the ship

If the weather turns

The Port Captain, part of the Mexican Navy, closes the harbor only under a hurricane or storm threat or another extraordinary situation, and most closures fall between September and mid-October. If the harbor is closed on your date, you get a new date or a full refund. On a cruise stop, that means a full refund.

Booking a family boat for your cruise day

Check which ships are in port on your date in the cruise ship calendar, then open the planner and pick the cruise ship option. Enter your ship, your all-aboard time, how many adults and kids, and each child's age. Mention a weak swimmer or a baby who naps, and we'll suggest the yacht and the route that fit.

The cruise port day page has the route and the yachts that suit it. We reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time, and you pay through a secure Stripe link once the date is confirmed in writing.

Yachts in this guide

Chaparral 28Sport boat · up to 10 guestsfrom $519 / 2 hSea Ray 55Flybridge motor yacht · up to 15 guestsfrom $2,129 / 3 hPontoon 38Double-deck party pontoon · up to 18 guestsfrom $869 / 2 hSea Ray 40Flybridge yacht · up to 12 guestsfrom $879 / 2 h

Questions people ask

Can kids go on a private boat from the Cabo cruise port?

Yes, children of any age are welcome on every yacht. Tell us their ages when you book so life jackets in their sizes are on board, and the crew fits them before leaving the dock.

How long should a boat trip with kids be on a cruise stop?

Two hours. That covers Pelican Rock, the sea lions, the Arch and Lover's Beach, 4.7 miles round trip, and gets you back at the dock at least an hour before all-aboard.

Do the boats have a bathroom and shade?

Every yacht except the Chaparral 28 has a bathroom. The Sea Ray 55 has air conditioning, cabins and heads, and the Pontoon 38 has an enclosed head with a freshwater shower plus a shaded upper deck.

How much is a private boat for a family on a cruise day?

Two hours is USD 549 (MXN 10,499) on the Bayliner 30 for up to 6 and USD 869 (MXN 16,599) on the Pontoon 38 for up to 18. The Sea Ray 55, for up to 15, starts at three hours: USD 2,129 (MXN 40,399). Prices are per boat with 16% tax included; the 15% crew tip is not.

Can the kids swim at Lover's Beach on a cruise stop?

Only on the calm bay side, and only when the sea allows it. The captain decides on the day. The Pacific side, Divorce Beach, is never for swimming.

Plan your day on the water

Pick a yacht, the hours and the food in the planner. A written reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time.

Check availabilitySee the fleet