Ride the Ducks San Francisco

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pI talked a <allhref=”https://morethanthursdays.com/this-is-someones-paris/”>couple of weeks ago about taking San Francisco for granted, and getting so caught up in my day-to-day that I forget what an amazing place we live in…. so Jamie and I decided that we're going to make more of an effort to “play tourist” in our home city, and when the Ride the Ducks people contacted me and offered us a chance to check it out, I couldn't wait to go!
We had seen the Duck Boats around town, and other places as well (we thought about checking it out in Seattle last year!) but had never actually thought about going on the tour.

I'm so glad we did!

We invited my parents along too, since they're always up for an adventure, and they enjoyed it just as much as we did. It really does have “something for everybody,” of all ages.

We boarded the duck boat right at Fisherman's Wharf; if you're visiting town, it's super easy to get to, and if you're using public transit from elsewhere, it's a gorgeous walk along the Embarcadero from downtown, or an easy MUNI ride.

Upon boarding, you're handed your Quacker and pose for a quick photo behind the Duck Boat. (We totally would have bought the photo if Max had been smiling! The rest of us looked good! LOL)

We were the 2nd group to board, so we were able to sit right up front. Our driver, Captain Van, made a point to say hi to us and asked Max if he was going to be ready to drive the boat part. He was super friendly and came across as genuine; you can tell that he truly enjoys what he's doing, showing off our gorgeous City.

It was a gorgeous day for a nice drive through San Francisco; even as a lifelong resident, Captain Van had loads of little tidbits that I'd never heard before (like the awnings on storefronts in Chinatown; each color shows what kind of store it is; like green is for groceries/produce)

The Duck Boat itself is a crack up to ride in, and the musical soundtrack that goes along with the tour is great fun. You're given a yellow plastic “Quacker” when you board, and it's impossible to not giggle when a boat/truck full of people is raiding down the road, quacking along with the Oompa Loompa Song.

The water part was really cool, and as a Giants fan, I loved getting to see my beloved AT&T ballpark from the water for the first time… Max, along with anyone else who was interested, got to DRIVE THE BOAT and he did an excellent job! We didn't sink or crash or anything! (Side note: in real life, the water entry is not nearly as splash-tastic as it is in the video… you aren't at risk of getting wet.)

My dad brought along his video camera, and made this little video of our day… it'll give you a good idea of what the tour was like for us…

So, the official verdict? We had a FANTASTIC time and I would absolutely recommend this to people visiting San Francisco, or even locals, if you just want to play tourist for a day!

Disclaimer: My family and I received passes for the Duck Boat tour, but no further compensation, and all opinions and thoughts are my own. Captain Van did NOT bribe me to speak so highly of him!