Where Fort Lauderdale Sunset Boats Depart From, and Where to Park
Where Fort Lauderdale sunset boats depart is not a single answer: they do not all leave from one dock. Most of the boats compared here stage out of Bahia Mar Yachting Center, the beachside marina on A1A, while the Carrie B paddlewheeler ties up downtown on the New River, a couple of miles inland by water. Knowing which area your boat uses, and what parking actually costs there, is the difference between a relaxed boarding and a scramble ten minutes before the lines come off. Here is which sunset cruise leaves from which dock, addressed and mapped, with what parking runs at each stop.
Quick answer
Most Fort Lauderdale sunset boats leave from Bahia Mar Yachting Center at 801 Seabreeze Blvd, on the beach side of A1A. The Carrie B paddlewheeler is the exception: it docks downtown on the New River at 440 North New River Drive East, off Las Olas Boulevard. Parking runs from about $3.00 an hour in a city garage to a flat rate published by the operator at Bahia Mar.
Key takeaways
- Beach-area departures: the sunset catamaran and the BYOB evening cruise both stage from the Bahia Mar area at 801 Seabreeze Blvd
- Downtown departure: the Carrie B paddlewheeler ties up on the New River at 440 North New River Drive East, off Las Olas Boulevard
- Sea Rocket publishes parking at Bahia Mar as $7 for the first 7 hours
- City garages downtown and near the beach charge $3.00 an hour; the North Beach lot runs $4.00 an hour
- Arrive with 25 to 30 minutes in hand to find the right pier before your booked departure
- Departure timing shifts with the season too, and what drives the fare on each boat is covered in the full price breakdown
The Two Departure Areas: the Beach Marina and the Downtown River
Bahia Mar: the beach marina on A1A
Bahia Mar Yachting Center sits at 801 Seabreeze Blvd, directly across A1A from Fort Lauderdale Beach. It is the beachside marina most operators on this stretch of coast use as their base, and it is where Sea Rocket confirms its own departure pier. Boats that keep to the Intracoastal and Port Everglades side of the map, rather than the New River downtown, generally stage from this marina district.
Downtown: the Carrie B on the New River
The Carrie B paddlewheeler is the clear exception on this page. It docks at 440 North New River Drive East, in the heart of downtown Fort Lauderdale, just off Las Olas Boulevard by turning south on SE 5th Avenue. This is a river dock, not a beach marina, roughly two and a half miles inland from Port Everglades by water.
If you are staying near Las Olas or downtown, this is the closer boat to walk to.
Which Boat Leaves From Where
Two departure areas, a roster of boats. Sea Rocket and the Carrie B have confirmed piers below; the rest of the fleet stages from the beach-area marina district near Bahia Mar or from a dock confirmed on your ticket, so treat your booking confirmation as the final word on the exact gate.
from $29.99 Sea Rocket Sunset & Intracoastal Cruise
A fast, affordable 1-hour intracoastal cruise aboard the Sea Rocket speedboat — past Fort Lauderdale beaches, city landmarks, and Port Everglades at sunset, with narrated commentary throughout.
- Most affordable sunset cruise from $29.99
- Narrated tour of beaches, landmarks & port
- Fort Lauderdale Beach, Las Olas & Port Everglades
- Fast speedboat — covers a lot of ground
from $55 Evening Boat Cruise through Downtown Fort Lauderdale
A 2-hour party-boat cruise through downtown Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades, and Las Olas Boulevard with your own drinks, party music, and a stop at the legendary sandbar in…
- BYOB — bring your own drinks, use on-board coolers
- Party music the entire cruise
- Downtown Fort Lauderdale, Port Everglades & Las Olas
- Afternoon tours stop at Millionaire's Mile sandbar
from $129 Sunset Catamaran Cruise — Champagne & Millionaires Row
A 2-hour champagne sunset cruise aboard the Spirit of Lauderdale catamaran — past Millionaires Row mansions and Port Everglades, then out to the Atlantic Ocean as the sails…
- Complimentary glass of champagne on the return
- Sails go up on the Atlantic Ocean
- Millionaires Row mansion views from the water
- Net deck to lie on and watch the sunset
from $59.99 Venice of America Evening Cruise — Fort Lauderdale Intracoastal
A 2-hour evening cruise through the calm waterways of downtown Fort Lauderdale, watching the city lights come on over 165 miles of waterway — the Venice of America…
- Cruise through downtown Fort Lauderdale at dusk
- 165 miles of waterway inside the city
- Great for families, couples, and groups
- City lights and waterfront home views
from $32 Venice of America Tour — Carrie B Paddlewheeler (30+ Years)
Fort Lauderdale's most-reviewed cruise: 90 minutes aboard the famous Carrie B paddlewheeler along the New River, Intracoastal Waterway, and Port Everglades — past yachts, mansions, and cruise ships…
- Fort Lauderdale's most-reviewed cruise — 2,205 reviews
- Historic Carrie B paddlewheeler in operation 30+ years
- New River, Intracoastal & Port Everglades route
- Live narration: yachts, mansions & cruise ships
from $430 Private Romantic Sunset Boat Cruise in Fort Lauderdale
An exclusive 2-hour private sunset cruise for your group only — past Fisher Island and Millionaire mansions, with a personalized experience away from crowded tour boats.
- 100% private — your group only, no strangers
- Past Fisher Island and Millionaire mansions
- Personalized route and pace
- Perfect for couples, proposals, anniversaries
Dock by Dock, With Addresses
Three points worth knowing by name and address, whether or not your specific boat confirms a pier here.
| Dock | Address | Confirmed here | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bahia Mar Yachting Center | 801 Seabreeze Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 | Sea Rocket, C Dock | Beachside marina on A1A, opposite Fort Lauderdale Beach; Sea Rocket's pier is C Dock, just west of Marina Village, marked with red, white and blue flags |
| Carrie B dock, New River | 440 North New River Drive East, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 | Carrie B paddlewheeler | Downtown, off Las Olas Boulevard via SE 5th Avenue; not at the beach and not at Port Everglades |
| Las Olas Marina | 240 Las Olas Circle, Fort Lauderdale | City-owned marina, no confirmed departure on this page's boats | 60 slips, 3,430 linear feet of dock, vessels to 170 feet; noted here because it sits between the two departure areas |
Last verified: August 2026.
Map of the Departure Points
The beach marina, the downtown river dock, the city marina between them, and the inlet the catamaran sails through on its way to the Atlantic.
Parking at the Beach Marina
What Sea Experience and Sea Rocket publish
Two operators based at Bahia Mar publish their own parking guidance rather than one shared marina rate. Sea Experience states parking is $7 for the first 7 hours; take a ticket from the attendant on arrival. Sea Rocket points guests instead at the Bahia Mar hotel lot, at approximately $10, and confirms its own boats leave from C Dock, just west of Marina Village, the pier marked with red, white and blue flags.
Sea Rocket also asks guests to arrive 25 to 30 minutes before departure, which is a reasonable buffer to apply to any boat staging from this marina.
Last verified: August 2026.
Parking Downtown and on the Beach: the City's Own Rates
Away from the operator-run lots, the City of Fort Lauderdale publishes its own parking rates, and they apply to both the downtown garages near the Carrie B dock and the beachfront lots near Bahia Mar.
| Location | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| City public parking garages | $3.00 per hour | Bills or credit card; nearest garages serve both the downtown river docks and Las Olas Marina |
| North Beach Parking Lot, 725 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd | $4.00 per hour for non-residents ($1.50 at the approved residential rate) | At A1A and Vistamar Street, open 24 hours, near the beach marinas |
| Any city lot, garage or on-street space | Same posted rate as above | Cashless payment through PayByPhone across the city's system |
The city does not publish a daily maximum for its garages, so budget by the hour rather than assuming a flat all-day cap. Last verified: August 2026.
Arriving Without a Car
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport sits close to both departure areas, and a short ride by rideshare or taxi reaches either the beach marina or the downtown river dock without much trouble. Both areas also accept a straightforward drop-off at the marina entrance, so travelers without a rental car can skip the parking questions above entirely and simply be dropped at the gate closest to their booked departure.
For cruise-ship passengers docking at Port Everglades, the beach-area marina and the downtown river dock both sit within a short ride of the port, and giving your operator a heads-up about your ship's re-boarding time when you book is the more useful step than worrying about a specific route in. Where exactly your ship day fits around a booked departure is covered in more detail on the homepage tour comparison.
A few things worth knowing before you rely on a rideshare drop-off at either area:
- Both Bahia Mar and the downtown Carrie B dock accept a straightforward drop-off at the marina entrance
- A short ride from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport reaches either area
- Neither departure area has a shuttle from the airport of its own; a rideshare or taxi covers the gap
- Drop-off avoids every parking rate in the sections above, since none of it applies if you're not driving
How Early to Get There, and Where Check-in Actually Happens
The 25 to 30 minute rule
Sea Rocket's own guidance, arrive 25 to 30 minutes before departure, is a sound buffer to apply across the fleet, since it accounts for finding the correct pier, walking from the parking lot or drop-off point, and any check-in line at the dock. On a Bahia Mar departure that means locating C Dock specifically, not just the general marina; on a Carrie B departure it means allowing time to walk in from Las Olas Boulevard or the nearest garage.
Where check-in actually happens
Check-in is dockside on every boat covered here, not at a separate office, and the exact kiosk or gangway is confirmed in your booking email once you reserve a spot. Rather than guess the pier from a marina's general address, treat the confirmation email as the document that settles it, especially at a multi-slip marina like Bahia Mar where several boats can be moored within a short walk of each other.
A short checklist for the walk from your car or drop-off point to the boat:
- Confirm the exact pier or dock name from your booking email before you leave
- Build in 25 to 30 minutes ahead of your booked departure time
- At Bahia Mar, look for C Dock and the red, white and blue flags if you're on Sea Rocket
- At the Carrie B, approach from Las Olas Boulevard via SE 5th Avenue rather than the beach side
- Have your parking ticket or payment method ready, since both operator lots and city garages charge by the hour
Which Departure Point Suits You
If you're staying on the beach or at a hotel near A1A
head for Bahia Mar Yachting Center at 801 Seabreeze Blvd, the marina district most boats on this page use.
If you're staying downtown or near Las Olas Boulevard
the Carrie B paddlewheeler docks a short walk off Las Olas at 440 North New River Drive East, no beach drive needed.
If you have no car and are arriving by rideshare
either area works for a drop-off at the marina entrance; the parking rates above simply do not apply to you.
If you're driving in with a car
budget for the operator's own lot rate at Bahia Mar or the city's hourly garage rate downtown, and check the tables above before you leave.
If you booked the private charter
confirm your departure point directly with the operator, since it can be arranged to suit your group rather than tied to one fixed dock.
The short version: two areas, a beach marina anchored by Bahia Mar and a downtown river dock at the Carrie B, and a parking bill that depends on which one you're headed to and whether you park with the operator or the city. None of that changes once you're aboard; for the drinks policy on the boat itself, the rules differ by boat, not by dock, and for the numbers behind each ticket price, the full cost breakdown picks up from here.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is parking at Bahia Mar?
It depends which operator you're booked with. Sea Experience publishes $7 for the first 7 hours, taking a ticket from the attendant. Sea Rocket instead points guests at the Bahia Mar hotel lot, at approximately $10. Last verified: August 2026.
Where does the Carrie B paddlewheeler dock?
At 440 North New River Drive East, downtown, off Las Olas Boulevard by turning south on SE 5th Avenue. This is a river dock, not the beach marina used by Sea Rocket and the beach-area boats.
How early should you arrive before departure?
Sea Rocket asks for 25 to 30 minutes, and that buffer is a sound rule for any boat on this page, since it covers finding the right pier and any check-in line at the dock.
Can you get to the dock without a car?
Yes. Both the Bahia Mar marina district and the downtown Carrie B dock accept a straightforward rideshare or taxi drop-off at the marina entrance, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is a short ride from either.
Is there free parking near the departure points?
Not that either the operators or the city publish. City garages charge $3.00 per hour and the North Beach Parking Lot charges $4.00 per hour for non-residents; the operator lots at Bahia Mar run a flat rate instead. Last verified: August 2026.
Where is Las Olas Marina, and do any boats on this page leave from it?
Las Olas Marina is the city-owned marina at 240 Las Olas Circle, with 60 slips and 3,430 linear feet of dock. It sits between the two main departure areas covered here, but no boat on this page has a confirmed departure from it; the Carrie B's New River dock is the nearby downtown option.