Millionaires’ Row Yacht Cruise, Fort Lauderdale — Private Sightseeing

Where Millionaires’ Row is

Not one street but three stretches of water: the New River from downtown out to the Intracoastal, the Las Olas Isles with their finger canals, and the Intracoastal itself from the 17th Street bridge north past Sunrise. The houses sit on the seawall with the boats tied up in front, which is why the tour is done by water and not by car.

The route a private cruise takes

The New River

From the Intracoastal west under the drawbridges, past the Riverwalk, the old town and the yards where the superyachts are refitted. Bridges open on a schedule; the captain times them.

The Las Olas Isles

Isle of Venice, Hendricks Isle, Idlewyld: the canals where the estates are, taken slowly at no-wake speed so the photographs come out.

Port Everglades and the inlet

The cruise ships and the container cranes on one side, Fort Lauderdale Beach on the other; on a calm day the boat goes out the inlet for the skyline from the sea.

Lake Sylvia or the sandbar

A swim stop on a three-hour cruise, which is where the sightseeing becomes a boat day; the Fort Lauderdale sandbar has its own page.

Private cruise or the sightseeing boat?

The public boats run the same water on a timetable with a hundred people and a narration. A private charter is your group, your hours and your stops, and from about $850 for three hours it costs less per person than the public boat once there are eight of you. The price bands by boat size are on Fort Lauderdale yacht rentals.

When to go

The last two hours of daylight: the houses are lit, the water is flat and the sunset is behind the city on the way home. Boat Show week, in late October, is when the biggest yachts are in; the week after is when the water is quiet. Add dinner at a waterfront restaurant and it becomes the dock-and-dine charter.