Cabo party boat rental: a private boat for up to 18, your drinks, your playlist, and how late it can go

A private Cabo party boat means one group on board, your own drinks in the cooler and your own music. Our party pick is the Pontoon 38, a double-deck pontoon with a water slide that takes up to 18 guests for USD 1,619 (MXN 30,799) for four hours, about USD 90 each with a full boat, boarding at Dock E of IGY Marina Cabo San Lucas, by Ultrajewels. Prices are per boat with the 16% tax included. Yachts that leave the marina can stay anchored in the bay until 10 PM, so the party can keep going after sunset.

Which yacht is the party boat in Cabo?

For most groups it's the Pontoon 38. It's 38 feet long with two decks, so people spread out instead of standing shoulder to shoulder. It comes with a captain and deckhand, a cooler with ice, an enclosed head with a freshwater shower, and the slide from the upper deck into the water at the swim stop.

Not every party needs 18 spots, though. These are the other yachts groups book for a party, and why:

Guest limits are firm. Count everyone, including the person you're celebrating, before you pick a boat. If you're over 18 people, you need two yachts, and our large group boat rental guide explains how to split the group. The fleet by headcount is on the yacht by group size page.

What a 2, 3 or 4 hour party boat costs per person

Two hours is a warm-up before a night in town. Three to four hours suits a party on the water: enough time for the Arch, a long swim stop and a slow ride back.

Set your group size and hours to see what each yacht costs per person.

What it costs per person

Guests:

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

Prices are per boat with the 16% IVA tax included. The per-person column assumes every seat is filled. The 15% crew tip is a suggestion, paid in cash on board, and isn't included in these prices.

For three hours, the Pontoon 38 and the Chaparral 28 both work out to about USD 71 each. The two 70-footers look high next to the others, but their price already covers food and the complimentary drinks, while on the other three you bring your own drinks and add food if you want it.

Can you bring alcohol on a party boat in Cabo?

Yes, if you're 18 or older, which is also the legal drinking age in Mexico. Our yachts don't sell or serve alcohol, so the group brings its own and loads it into the cooler at the dock. Buy it in town the day before so nobody is running to a store on the morning of the charter.

Bring cans instead of glass, because the deck moves and people walk around barefoot, and bring more water than you think you need. On the Pontoon 38 the cooler comes with ice, and the Sea Ray 55 includes bottled water, sodas and ice.

If you'd rather nobody in the group plays bartender, the Azimut 70 and the McKinna 70 are the exceptions to the BYO rule. On both, the crew serves complimentary drinks as a courtesy, and food is included: a menu on board on the Azimut 70, a chef cooking a multi-course menu on the McKinna 70. Both take up to 12 guests with a 3-hour minimum.

Food for the party

Food is optional on every yacht except the Azimut 70 and the McKinna 70, where it's included. You order from our menu in the planner when you book, and it's on board when you arrive. These are cash prices; paying by card adds 16%.

• Mexican feast: MXN 2,600 for 6 to 8 people, MXN 4,550 for 14 to 16
• Burrito platter: MXN 901
• Boards: small MXN 780, medium MXN 1,440, large MXN 2,520, XL MXN 3,120
• Drinks: bottled water MXN 17, soda MXN 51, Gatorade MXN 68, Red Bull or Monster MXN 102

For a full Pontoon 38, the Mexican feast for 14 to 16 plus a burrito platter covers a four-hour afternoon. Add plenty of bottled water too, at MXN 17 a bottle, because a group goes through it fast in four hours of sun and drinks.

Music and a DJ on a private party boat

On a private party boat in Cabo San Lucas the group picks the music.

The Chaparral 28 lists a Bluetooth sound system among its inclusions. On the Pontoon 38, the Sea Ray 55 and the rest of the fleet, ask about the sound setup when you book. Either way, download the playlist to your phone before you leave the dock so the music doesn't depend on cell signal out on the water, and bring a charging cable.

A professional DJ goes on yachts of 40 ft or more (on the Pontoon 38 the music is your playlist) and brings a set built around your group, a compact sound system, a wireless mic and LED lights. It costs from USD 399 for 2 hours (USD 649 for 3 hours on 50 ft and up, their minimum), plus USD 150 per extra hour, paid directly to the DJ. Live music (sax, percussion, dancers) is quoted separately. Our DJ on a yacht guide covers how that works, hour by hour.

Where a Cabo party boat goes

Most party charters follow some version of the Arch route and then park somewhere calm for swimming. On three or four hours, a typical day looks like this:

1. Leave Marina Cabo San Lucas and pass Pelican Rock, a calm snorkel spot inside the bay.
2. Slow down at the sea lion colony on the rocks next to the Arch.
3. Photos at the Arch, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez.
4. Look at Divorce Beach on the Pacific side from the boat. Big surf and a strong undertow make it a no-swim beach.
5. Anchor on the calm bay side for the swim stop. On the Pontoon 38 this is slide time; on the Chaparral 28, the lily pad goes in the water; on the Sea Ray 55, the floating pool and the platform.
6. Cruise back along Médano Beach, Cabo's swimming beach and its strip of beach clubs facing the bay.

The captain decides where to anchor based on that day's water. Only swim when the boat is anchored and the crew says go, and keep anyone who's been drinking heavily out of the water.

Day party or evening party?

Departures run from 7 AM to 7 PM, and yachts sail until 8 PM. After that, yachts that left from the marina may stay anchored in the bay until 10 PM, so you can plan either a day party or an evening one.

A day party leaves late morning or early afternoon. You get the most time in the water and the brightest color at the Arch. It suits groups that plan to go out in town that night.

An evening party leaves in the late afternoon, catches the sunset and then anchors in the bay off Médano Beach as the hotels and the town light up. In June and July, when sunset is around 7:06 to 7:08 PM, a 4-hour charter leaving at 6 PM sails through the sunset and spends the last two hours at anchor until 10 PM. In winter, sunset comes as early as 5:35 PM, so you have more dark hours at anchor. The trip guide has sunset times for your dates.

One yacht can't do the late version: the Sea Ray 65 meets you at Fisherman's Landing restaurant, by the Cabo Escape terminal, which closes at 8 PM, so it has to be back by then.

House rules worth knowing before you book

These apply on every yacht we book, and knowing them saves a scramble at the dock:

• Guest limits are firm. The crew can't take a 19th person on the Pontoon 38.
• Drinking is for guests 18 and over.
• Decorations are cardstock and a sign only. The Port Captain no longer allows balloons on board, and loose confetti or glitter is out.
• No fishing, except on the McKinna 70's sport-fishing charter. The other yachts are pleasure yachts with no fishing permits.
• Prices are per boat with tax included. The 15% crew tip is not included; collect it in cash before the day.
• A professional photographer can join for USD 180, with all the photos from your charter, paid directly to the photographer. Add it in the planner.
• If the Port Captain closes the harbor under a storm threat, you get a new date or a full refund. Most closures fall between September and mid-October.

Every charter is run by an independent licensed operator, with a captain on board.

A party boat for a bachelorette, a birthday or spring break

For a bride and her group, the bachelorette experience page has the usual route, and our Cabo bachelorette boat guide covers group size, decorations and a 4-day plan.

For a milestone birthday, see the birthday experience page and our birthday on a yacht guide, which covers cake on board and timing the sunset. For March, our spring break yacht charter guide has the per-person math for 10 to 18.

Booking your party boat

Count heads first. Up to 10 fits the Chaparral 28, up to 15 the Sea Ray 55, and up to 18 the Pontoon 38. Then decide between a day party and an evening one, and open the planner to see the exact price in USD and MXN and add food.

The Chaparral 28 boards at Orange Dock 1-B, by Captain Tony's; the Pontoon 38 at Dock E of IGY Marina, by Ultrajewels; the Sea Ray 55, the Azimut 70 and the McKinna 70 at the IGY Marina Fuel Dock, all in Marina Cabo San Lucas, downtown. We reply within two hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time, or on WhatsApp at +52 624 300 8029. Once the date is confirmed in writing, you pay by secure Stripe link with a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Yachts in this guide

Pontoon 38Double-deck party pontoon · up to 18 guestsfrom $869 / 2 hChaparral 28Sport boat · up to 10 guestsfrom $519 / 2 hSea Ray 55Flybridge motor yacht · up to 15 guestsfrom $2,129 / 3 hAzimut 70Flybridge motor yacht · up to 12 guestsfrom $4,199 / 3 h

Questions people ask

How much is a private party boat in Cabo?

The Pontoon 38, our party boat for up to 18, is USD 869 (MXN 16,599) for two hours, USD 1,269 (MXN 23,999) for three and USD 1,619 (MXN 30,799) for four, per boat with tax included. With 18 guests, four hours is about USD 90 each before the 15% crew tip.

Can you bring your own alcohol on a Cabo party boat?

Yes. Our yachts don't sell or serve alcohol, so guests 18 and over bring their own. The Azimut 70 and the McKinna 70 are the exceptions, each with complimentary drinks served by its crew.

Can we have a DJ on a party boat in Cabo?

Yes, on yachts of 40 ft or more, like the Sea Ray 55 for up to 15. On the Pontoon 38 and the other boats under 40 ft you run your own playlist. A professional DJ brings a compact sound system, a wireless mic and LED lights, from USD 399 for 2 hours (USD 649 for 3 hours on 50 ft and up, their minimum), plus USD 150 per extra hour, paid directly to the DJ. Live music (sax, percussion, dancers) is quoted separately.

How late can a party boat stay out in Cabo?

Yachts sail until 8 PM, and yachts that leave from Marina Cabo San Lucas may stay anchored in the bay until 10 PM. The last departure is 7 PM.

What is the biggest party boat you can rent privately in Cabo?

In our fleet it's the Pontoon 38, a double-deck party pontoon for up to 18 guests with a water slide from the upper deck. The guest limit is firm, so a group of 19 or more needs two boats.

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