HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) — For the first time in nearly two years, sightseeing cruises are again being offered out of downtown Hampton.
The “Hampton Queen” has begun daily sailings from the docks of the Hampton Maritime Center, taking passengers on a two-hour narrated tour down the Hampton River and into Hampton Roads Harbor for a glimpse at the world’s largest Navy Base.
The vessel, operating under the name of Hampton Roads Harbor Tours, was recruited to the city by the Hampton Convention and Visitors Bureau following the departure of “Miss Hampton II” in 2021. That boat ran similar sightseeing tours for more than 30 years before the longtime owners sold the vessel to a person in Delaware.
However, the Hampton Queen is far from a direct replacement. It will offer an experience never offered to peninsula residents before.
While currently, the only trip offered is the daily sightseeing tour, Kimberly Cassioppi, general manager of Hampton Roads Harbor Tours, said in the future they will use the boat for what it was initially built for: “dining.”
The 84-foot, two-deck, 1999 Skipperliner can comfortably seat 100 passengers per trip. It has bars on the upper and lower levels.
“We will be having a Sunday Brunch,” Cassioppi said. “We do plan on having events like Wine Down Wednesdays (a 21-and-older event with a focus on wine), we’ll have chartered events where guests will be able to bring food on board. And of course, we want to take advantage of our beautiful sunsets with a sunset cruise.”
Cassioppi said the boat is currently awaiting its final approval from the health department before they begin serving food.
However, she said she’s already heard from people excited that they would no longer have to drive one of the bridge tunnels to have a dinner cruise experience.
“The only other options we do have are going to be on the other side of the water,” Cassioppi said. So we are excited to bring that to Hampton.”
Spirit Cruises for years has offered dining cruises out of Norfolk. Unlike in Norfolk though, Hampton Queen’s food won’t be prepared by cruise company employees, but rather, it will all be catered by local Hampton restaurants.
The cruises only began two weeks ago, according to Cassioppi, who left her job as an administrative assistant with Newport News Public Schools to manage the new operation. The actual owners of the Hampton Queen are based out of Charleston, South Carolina, where they run Charleston Harbor Tours.
Cassioppi said they had been looking to expand their business when they learned of the opportunity in Hampton.
“We’ve definitely had a lot of locals who have just shown their excitement of being about to have something like this back in the area,” Caassioppi said.
Prices for tickets vary from $15 per person for the sightseeing cruise to an expected $60 for the Wine Down Wednesday.
Everything can be booked online.
