Imagine riding along Ocean City’s back bays while the sun’s going down, a cold drink in your hand and all of your closest friends by your side. They’re snapping pictures, taking turns picking which song to play next, pulling snacks and sodas out of the cooler and passing them around. There’s a captain steering the ship, and your only worry in the world is whether you’d been wearing enough sunscreen that day. It sounds like a dream, but it’ll all be totally possible this summer when the Liquid Limo kicks into high gear this spring and begins offering its private charter service all season long.
The Liquid Limo first hit the waters during its soft opening last summer. Now it’s returning to the bay for its first full year, and will be available to any group of people looking to spend a day or an evening travailing Ocean City’s famously beautiful bayside, with the luxury of being driven around by a Coast Guard-certified captain. Last year, the charter boat’s first summer up and running, bachelor and bachelorette parties were common renters, but so were families and groups throwing birthday parties.
“It was a really nice mixture,” Croker said. “We did everything from birthday parties to bar crawls.”
Anyone’s welcome, for blocks of two, four, six, and even up to eight hours, and food and drinks can also be brought aboard. Bachelors and bachelorettes have been known to bring bottles of wine or coolers packed with beer, while families bring snacks or picnic lunches to be unpacked when the charter reaches their requested destination.
That’s the beauty of the Liquid Limo: Once you step onto the boat, it’s up to you to decide what adventures the day will hold. In fact, the way the Limo operates is similar to a water taxi in that it can pick up and drop off its patrons at a variety of bayside restaurants and even private docks, so long as the docks can accommodate a 32-ft. vessel. Additionally, groups looking to explore Ocean City’s nightlife are just as likely to choose a club like
The Liquid Limo can also be a catalyst for spending the day floating around with a drink in hand and taking in the natural beauty of the Shore.
“We had a lot of people who wanted to raft up behind Assateague and get in the water and float around, and then they’d just have their lunch or drink whatever they brought aboard,” Croker said.
“We’d take ‘em down behind Assateague, they’d have fun and then we’d power the boat back up and go to say, De Lazy Lizard or Harborside, grab some lunch, cruise around for another hour or so. That’s what people loved, was just the experience. They loved being on the water.”
Although the Limo’s career began last summer as a cut-and-dry water taxi service, Croker and his team notice a swift uptick in interest after they began offering it as a private charter. It became clear that the boat was made for groups of friends and family who wanted to spend time with one another on the water, whether that meant a tranquil tour of the peninsula or a full-blown party.
The Limo can hold up to 24 passengers and includes WiFi, LED lights above and below the water and a premium sound system, so a party atmosphere it can easily make.
When a group isn’t as familiar with the Ocean City area, the charter’s captains and mates are well-versed with the most scenic views and boat-accessible restaurants and drop-off points the boat can reach.
“If there’s kids on board, they get a real kick out of us powering the boat up full speed and taking them on a fast ride along the back bay,” Croker said. “It’s extremely flexible. They’ll customize their adventure to what we have to offer, it’s not a cookie cutter experience.”
Toward the end of the season last year, they noticed that businesses in town like De Lazy Lizard and Dumser’s were chartering the boat as an end-of-summer celebration for employees. At the end of the day, Croker said, it’s all about what the group wants.
“If they charter it for a birthday party, then it’s a birthday party,” he said. “If it’s for a bar crawl, then it’s a bar crawl.”
The Liquid Limo’s second season begins on May 15, 2019, and will run through Oct. 15. It can be booked online or at 410-430-2120, and it’s highly recommended that parties book in advance.
