Cruise line excursion or private yacht in Cabo? Cost per person, time and the ship

The boat excursions cruise lines publish for Cabo San Lucas cost between USD 84 and 147 per person for 2 to 4 hours, checked on October 10, 2026, and a shared glass-bottom boat ride of about 45 minutes sells for around USD 22 to 27. A private yacht is priced per boat: the Chaparral 28 is USD 519 (MXN 9,799) for 2 hours, which is USD 130 each for 4 people and about USD 52 each for 10. The ship's excursion comes with the line's usual promise that the ship waits for its own tours; a private boat doesn't, so we end every cruise charter at least an hour before all-aboard.

Both options leave from the same place. Cruise ships anchor in the bay and tender passengers to Marina Cabo San Lucas, and twelve of our thirteen yachts board inside that marina, each at its own dock. Here is how the two compare on price, time and the ship.

What cruise line boat excursions in Cabo cost

The lines sell a short list of boat tours in Cabo: a catamaran to the Arch with a snorkel stop at Pelican Rock, a whale and coastal cruise in season, and longer all-inclusive sails that snorkel Santa María or Chileno. Per-person prices published on October 10, 2026:

Those are adult fares; children's fares run lower on some tours. For a couple, two tickets for the 2 hour catamaran come to about USD 168. For a family of four on the 4 hour sail, about USD 588.

What a private yacht costs per person

Our prices are per boat, with the 16% IVA tax included and the customary 15% crew tip not included. Divide by your group and the picture changes with every extra person.

The Chaparral 28 takes up to 10 and includes snorkel gear, a lily pad floating mat, a cooler and a Bluetooth sound system. The Sea Ray 36 takes up to 12 with captain and deckhand, water, ice, a cooler and towels; 12 people for 4 hours is about USD 102 each.

Bigger groups do better still. Eighteen on the Pontoon 38, the only yacht in the fleet that takes 18, pay USD 869 for 2 hours (about USD 48 each) or USD 1,619 for 4 (about USD 90 each). Fifteen on the Sea Ray 55 for 3 hours, USD 2,129, is about USD 142 each with air conditioning and cabins. Set your own numbers here:

What it costs per person

Guests:

8

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

So the line is roughly this. For 2 or 3 people, the ship's excursion is cheaper. From 6 people on the Chaparral 28, a private boat costs less per person than the 2 hour catamaran. From 8, a 3 hour private snorkel day at Pelican Rock costs about the same as the ship's 2 hour tour, with an extra hour in the water and nobody else's group around you.

What each option does about the ship

This is the part that matters more than the price on a port call.

Cruise lines usually hold the ship for their own excursions: if the line's tour runs late, the ship waits, or the line gets you to the next port. That policy is the main thing you're paying for in the ticket, and it doesn't cover a boat you booked on your own. So on a private yacht the all-aboard time is on you, and we treat it that way:

1. You give us your ship and your all-aboard time when you book, and we set the departure around them.
2. Every cruise charter is planned to end at least an hour before all-aboard, so the walk back, the line and the tender fit.
3. Short calls get an early departure. Departures run from 7 AM, so a ship in port 6:30 AM to 1:30 PM can still fit 2 hours on the water.
4. We go by your ship's time, not the sailing time, and we flag it when the ship's clock and Cabo's clock differ. Cabo is on Mountain Standard Time all year, no daylight saving.
5. The cruise ship calendar shows how long your ship stays and how many others share the bay that day, which is what decides the tender line. The regulars have their own pages with dates, hours and a plan that fits: the Discovery Princess on Mondays from noon to 8 PM, the Norwegian Encore on Tuesdays from 11 AM to 7 PM, the Voyager of the Seas mostly on Sundays and often overnight, and Virgin's Brilliant Lady in October, November and April, usually 1 to 8 PM.

The yachts don't hold a fixed excursion slot, so if your tender runs late, text us as soon as you know and we look at moving the departure so the charter still ends with time to spare.

Time: who controls the clock

A cruise line excursion runs on a fixed slot and waits for everyone on the list. You meet at the pier, board with the group and follow the tour's route and order.

A private yacht leaves when your group is on board and goes where you ask inside the hours you booked. Two hours covers a snorkel stop at Pelican Rock, the sea lions, the Arch and Lover's Beach. Three hours gives you open water for whales from December to April, and four reach Santa María Bay for a snorkel. Our cruise port snorkeling and whale watching on a cruise stop guides cover those two days hour by hour.

The open bar is a real difference. On a private yacht we don't sell or serve alcohol; guests 18 and over bring their own. The exceptions are the Azimut 70, with complimentary drinks and food served by its crew from USD 4,199 (MXN 79,799), and the McKinna 70, which includes complimentary drinks, chef and a multi-course menu, from USD 4,499 (MXN 85,499); both have a 3 hour minimum. Check your cruise line's rules on taking drinks off the ship, or add food through the planner: a burrito box lunch is MXN 289 and lunch with 5 soft drinks is MXN 493, cash prices, plus 16% by card.

Who should take the ship's excursion

Couples and solo travelers on price alone. Anyone who wants the line to carry the risk of a late return. Groups that prefer a set program with a guide and don't mind the crowd. And anyone on a short call who'd rather not manage timing at all.

Who should book a private yacht

Groups of 6 or more, where the per-person math already favors the boat. Families with small kids who want calm water and their own pace. Two or three families from the same ship sharing one boat. And anyone who wants a specific thing: a long snorkel at one cove, a whale search on the Pacific side, or a quiet Arch run with nobody else's playlist. Our general private yacht vs shared boat tour comparison covers the non-cruise version.

The Sea Ray 65 is the fleet's cruise day yacht. It meets you at Fisherman's Landing restaurant, by the Cabo Escape terminal, a short walk from where the cruise tenders land, and its standard route is the Arch, Lover's Beach and Médano Bay. Three hours is USD 2,509 (MXN 47,699) for up to 12, about USD 209 each with a full boat.

If the weather turns

The Port Captain 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, which on a port call means the refund. When the port closes, the ship's tenders stop too, so nobody goes ashore that day in either case.

Booking the private option

Open the planner, choose the cruise ship option and enter your ship, date, group size and all-aboard time. We reply within 2 hours, 8 AM to 8 PM Cabo time, and you pay by secure Stripe link once the date is confirmed in writing. The cruise port day page has the yachts that suit a port call, and the cruise port private boat guide walks through the tender and the 2 hour Arch route.

Yachts in this guide

Chaparral 28Sport boat · up to 10 guestsfrom $519 / 2 hSea Ray 36Express cruiser · up to 12 guestsfrom $659 / 2 hPontoon 38Double-deck party pontoon · up to 18 guestsfrom $869 / 2 hSea Ray 55Flybridge motor yacht · up to 15 guestsfrom $2,129 / 3 h

Questions people ask

How much are Cabo shore excursions by boat?

The 2 to 4 hour boat excursions cruise lines publish for Cabo San Lucas, with the Arch, snorkeling or whales, run from USD 84 to 147 per person, checked October 10, 2026. A shared glass-bottom boat ride of about 45 minutes sells for around USD 22 to 27.

How much is a private yacht from the Cabo cruise port per person?

It depends on how many of you there are, because the price is per boat. The Chaparral 28 is USD 519 (MXN 9,799) for 2 hours: USD 130 each for 4 people, USD 87 for 6 and about USD 52 for 10. Tax is included; the customary 15% crew tip is extra.

Does the ship wait for you if you book a private boat in Cabo?

No. Cruise lines usually apply a policy of holding the ship for their own excursions, and that doesn't cover independent bookings. That's why we plan every cruise charter to end at least an hour before your all-aboard time, with an early departure when the call is short.

Is a private yacht worth it for a couple on a cruise stop?

Usually not on price alone. Two people on the Chaparral 28 pay USD 519 for 2 hours, far more than two excursion tickets. It becomes worth it from about 6 people, or when you want your own schedule, route and swim stops.

What are the best Cabo shore excursions by boat?

The Arch and Land's End in 2 hours, snorkeling at Pelican Rock next to the Arch in those same 2 hours or at Santa María in 4, and whale watching from December to April in 3 hours. All three can be done as the ship's excursion or on a private yacht from the same marina where the tenders land.

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