ride the ducks of seattle

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on the fourth of july, my boyfriend and i rode the ducks of seattle.  i booked the tickets in advance and we left from the westlake location in downtown seattle.  i figured it would be a good way to get us around seattle, end the weekend and get on the water for a little bit.

we arrived at the stop a half hour early like we were supposed to and waited in a line a bit to get on the duck/boat/bus.  we were a little late taking off since two ticket holders arrived late to westlake.  this was the beginning of a not so great ride with these two....

we headed directly from westlake up towards the north side of lake union, hopped in the lake there, boated around, then headed down on the pier, up 1st avenue past pike market to wrap up the ride.  we spent about equidistant time in the water and on land, which i was really happy about.  it was great to be on the lake on the 4th of july.  we could see everyone gathering to watch the fireworks as well as the many, many boats that were out on the lake that day.  the water section was definitely the highlight of the ride for me.  

the ride definitely pointed out landmarks, but i was somewhat amazed at how little "tour bus" it actually was.  our tour guide definitely pointed out the highlights, but it was somewhat lacking in random tidbits about seattle.

i enjoyed the music and "dancing" that are part of the ducks culture.  we had some little kids on the ducks and it was fun to see them participating.  the tour itself was very family friendly.  

now to sort of the annoying part: back to that couple.  they were a little obnoxious (and drunk) and somewhat ruined the fun for my boyfriend and i at the very least.  unfortunately, you are sort of stuck with who ends up on your boat.  they had a number of "antics" the least of which including being asked to be let off the duck so they could go to the bathroom.  so, that's sort of the downfall of this type of tour.  since it is not hop on and off, you are sort of stuck with whoever signs up at the same time as you.

overall, i enjoyed it especially on the 4th of July.  It is a little costly for the ride and you are sort of stuck with whoever you end up with!

time on duck: 1 1/2 hrs
times ridden: 1
overall: B+ 

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