Pass through the renowned Ballard Locks and learn about the complex system on a cruise that transports you between the freshwater of Lake Union and the saltwater of Puget Sound. The one-way cruise can be used as transportation, making it ideal for travelers who want to avoid traffic and enjoy a unique journey from the Seattle waterfront to the AGC Marina on South Lake Union (or vice versa).

Take a one-way cruise through the Ballard Locks
Pass by the floating community from the movie Sleepless in Seattle
Get details about the sights through live onboard commentary
Take photos of the Seattle skyline from the water

What's Included

2 hour narrated boat tour through the Ballard Locks
Live commentary on board

Food and drinks (available for purchase on board)
Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase on board)
Gratuities

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting points

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End points

This activity ends in a different location. See details below:

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What To Expect

Lake Union (Pass By)

Lake Union Drydock Co (Pass By)

Floating Homes Association (Pass By)

Gas Works Park (Pass By)

Fremont Bridge (Pass By)

Ship Canal Trail (Pass By)

Fishermen's Terminal (Pass By)

Hiram M. Chittenden Locks (Pass By)

Discovery Park (Pass By)

Puget Sound (Pass By)

Space Needle (Pass By)

Argosy Cruises - Seattle Waterfront (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
TWO DEPARTURE OPTIONS - This is a one-way tour that starts & ends at two different central Seattle marinas. Choose to depart from Pier 54 on the waterfront or from AGC Marina on Lake Union. The departure location is noted in the subtitle of the tour. If unsure - please call Argosy Cruises
Kids (3 and under) ride free but do require a boarding pass
Stroller accessible
All vessels offer both indoor & outdoor seating
All vessels have bathrooms
Near public transportation

Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travellers can participate
Wheelchair accessible. PLEASE CALL in advance to secure crew/boarding support.
Check-in 30 minutes prior to tour - Boarding starting 20 minutes prior to departure
Gates close 5 minutes prior to tour departure time for boat preparation and safety checks
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 135 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

Steven_B

We live in the area and try to take our visitors to this excursion. Narration was excellent. We took our teen age grandson on cruise and he was excited hearing about Seattle and its history. Crew was great, interactive, thoughtful and friendly. Highly recommended.

Reviews

4.5

176 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 176 reviews

Don't miss this tour.

Allan_A, Sept 2023

Great cruise to see Seattle. View of the city was great. Stop at Elliotts Oyster house after the tour for great Oysters.

Take the tour!!

Larry_V, Sept 2023

Wonderful event! Have taken water tours before. This one was in the top 10%! ………………………………………… ………… …….. ..

A beautiful day on the water.

Larry_Z, Sept 2023

Very interesting and informative narrations. I am a long time Seattle resident and learned a lot. The boat was comfortable (not crowded). All the crew was friendly.

Locks Cruise

Rhonda_P, Aug 2023

Great background info from the crew on the tour. Informative and fun from the ticket agent to the boat crew.

Argosy Tour

Terri_K, Aug 2023

We had a great cruise, fun and informative. Our guide was great as was the boat. We'll definitely recommend this to our friends

I enjoyed watching, listening and taking a video and pictures.

Josefina_G, Aug 2023

Was a good experience. I love it 👍❤️ I will bring my family next time. Two hours of cruising is worth it.

Great way to spend the afternoon in Seattle

Greta_J, Aug 2023

Really enjoyed this trip. The guide was excellent and loved the locks. Good choice of food and drinks at the bar

Loved it

Kimberly_C, Aug 2023

Lars was a great guide and pointed out many points of interest around the Seattle waterways and gave some history. Very much enjoyed this excursion.

Great tour

Liz_H, Aug 2023

Sean, the narrator, did great job sharing interesting information on the tour. Going through the locks was also interesting.

Great Bay and locks tour

Sandra_L, Aug 2023

Great experience. Martin our guide was excellent. He explained everything very well. Great way to see the city from another angle. Love the locks experience. We recommend this tour.

Shouldn’t be missed

Steven_B, Aug 2023

Trip narrative.

alan_b, Aug 2023

The young man’s narrative along the trip was informative yet natural enough to give us the feeling we were listening to a friend.

Best Cruise of Seattle Lake Union Plus Harbor

Larry_K, July 2023

This is the only way to see and understand the totality of Seattle's history on the water. The locks are fascinating but so too was the cruise up Lake Union. Excellent narration, perfect boat.

great ferry bosat ride thru locks from fresh water to puget sound

john_d, July 2023

going thru LOCKS n seeing the beauty of seattle freom fresh water to the puget sound1 beautiful! very memorable

Sunny cruise with locks.

Susan_S, July 2023

Lars was really good describing the sights. After our Panama Canal cruise going thru the Ballard locks was really interesting.

Enjoyable and informative

Lisa_H, July 2023

Very interesting tour. You can't get a locks tour everywhere so I suggest you chose this type of tour over a harbor tour if available.

2 Hours Well Spent!

Susan_M, June 2023

Wonderful time. Even our 17 year old granddaughter loved it. Our tour guide, Em, was fabulous. The captain clearly explains the procedure for going through the locks and it was so informative. Not only will you experience going through the lock but learn so much about everything from Seattle to Lake Union. A very enjoyable 2 hours!

Great trip views and info provided was very informative

Lyn_G, June 2023

Visiting Seattle before a cruise so was looking for something a little different Very enjoyable trip

Great tour

Trisha_R, May 2023

We highly recommend the locks cruise. It was educational and fun. Captain Christy and her deck hands were fantastic!

Excellent, sunny, great views, tranquil...

Nelson_M, May 2023

Great exploring views of Seattle. Got to see the locks, sea lions, and build a mental map of Seattle neighborhoods.

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