What Happens If It Rains, Snows or Gets Windy? Chicago Boat Tour Cancellation & Refund Policies

Last verified: November 2026. Policies change often, so check the operator's own page, or the cancellation line on your booking page, before you buy.

• Rain? The tour almost always runs. Every major operator describes itself as rain-or-shine, and most boats have an enclosed, heated lower cabin.
• Snow or cold? The heated-cabin boats run, so check that your operator is still in season. Hot tub boats stop at about 20°F: Chicago Electric Boat Co.'s own listing says cruises booked on days that cold must be rescheduled.
• Wind, lightning or storms? The captain makes the call. Nobody publishes a wind speed or lightning-distance threshold.
• Who gets a refund? If the operator cancels, Wendella, Shoreline and City Cruises offer a refund, and Shoreline and City Cruises also offer a reschedule. If you cancel, a ticket bought direct is generally non-refundable, although Shoreline and City Cruises let you change the date in advance. CAC allows no refunds or exchanges on direct purchases and doesn't publish a weather-cancellation policy.
• Most flexible booking: a listing with 24-hour free cancellation. Every GetYourGuide cruise listing we link shows one on its booking page, so you can wait for a reliable forecast and cancel the day before.

This guide is general consumer information, not legal or insurance advice.

CAC River Cruise aboard First Lady

The Chicago Architecture Center's FAQ says refunds and exchanges for ticket purchases are not permitted, and that tickets can't be refunded or exchanged if you miss your boat. Arrive 30 minutes early; boarding starts 15 minutes before departure. All tours depart rain or shine. CAC doesn't say what happens if it cancels a sailing for weather. Ticketmaster is CAC's official online seller, and its general policy is that a cancelled event is refunded automatically to the original payment method once the organizer releases the funds, with an email notice; Ticketmaster's Help Center says the refund should appear within 14–21 days. Whether that applies to a single weather-cancelled departure isn't confirmed. If it happens, email First Lady at clientservice@firstlady.com or call CAC at 312.922.3432. The CAC River Cruise listing on GetYourGuide (4.7/5 from 676 reviews) shows free cancellation up to 24 hours before, so a GetYourGuide booking is the flexible way to hold a date.

Wendella

Wendella says that if the captain judges conditions unsafe and cancels the tour, all guests are refunded, and that the refund applies only when Wendella calls the tour off. Its Terms & Conditions say tickets are "non-refundable and non transferable." Some guides describe a more flexible rule that lets you move to another time before departure, but we couldn't confirm that on Wendella's own pages. If you think you'll need to move, call Wendella before your departure time and get any change confirmed in writing. Treat Holiday Fireworks and New Year's Eve cruise tickets as final sale too.

Shoreline Sightseeing

Shoreline's policies page says all purchases are final, date and time changes are free before departure (subject to availability), and changes after departure "may result in" a $10-per-ticket fee. Its FAQ adds that the spring and fall schedule is "largely dependent on weather" and that the captain decides. If Shoreline cancels, prepaid tickets are refunded or rescheduled. An older archived version of the FAQ said the boats "usually run in the summer if it rains; not in the spring or fall." The current pages don't say that, so treat it as outdated. Tickets bought through a third party follow that seller's rules.

City Cruises (dining, holiday and Seadog)

Standard City Cruises tickets are non-refundable. You can reschedule or move your payment to a gift card up to 48 hours before sailing; inside 48 hours, nothing changes. Late arrivals and no-shows get nothing. Ticket Assurance, an add-on chosen at booking, lets you cancel or reschedule up to 2 hours before departure for a full refund minus the Assurance fee. It isn't available on holiday, specialty or partnership cruises. City Experiences' Terms page also describes a 24-hour Assurance cancellation window, so confirm which applies at checkout. If City Cruises cancels, you can choose a reschedule, a gift card or a full refund to your original payment method. For severe weather or Coast Guard orders, dining cruises may stay dockside and still serve the full meal, which isn't a refund. Seadog speedboats are a City Cruises product that runs "weather permitting," and their season typically ends in late October. City Cruises' regular dining sailings are also on GetYourGuide, where each listing shows 24-hour free cancellation: the Brunch, Lunch or Dinner River Cruise (4.5/5 from 257 reviews), the Lake Michigan Lunch or Dinner Cruise (4.4/5 from 370 reviews) and the Premier Lunch or Dinner Cruise (4.2/5 from 519 reviews). Holiday rules are covered in Chicago Holiday Boat Tours 2026.

Chicago Line Cruises

Tickets are not refundable, but tickets bought at the counter or on chicagoline.com can be exchanged for other dates or times. Promotional tickets can't be exchanged. Chicago Line doesn't publish a weather-cancellation rule. Its 2026 season began March 12 and runs "through late fall (weather permitting)."

Chicago Electric Boat Company (hot tub and heated Duffy boats)

These are rentals, and the rules are the strictest on the river. Cancel or reschedule at least 72 hours ahead; inside 72 hours the company keeps the full payment. Weather refunds aren't accepted outside that window. If the company cancels for dangerous weather, the terms promise a reschedule, not a refund. A paid Cancellation Protection add-on (on Duffy rentals) lets you cancel up to an hour before for a refund minus add-ons. You'll get SMS and email updates about your booking.

• Fall bridge lifts ("boat runs"): the city raises bridges from DuSable Lake Shore Drive to 18th Street. In fall 2026 the scheduled dates are Sept 30; Oct 3, 7, 10, 17, 27, 29 and 31; and Nov 4, 7 and 14. Lifts start at 9:30 a.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays. The Chicago Department of Transportation, as reported by WTTW News, says bridges are raised one at a time, with each lift taking about eight to 12 minutes. Additional Lake Street Bridge project lifts are planned for Oct 14, 15, 21 and 24. Early sailings on those mornings could be delayed or rerouted.
• Holiday and New Year's Eve fireworks: special-event cruises have their own final-sale rules, and authorities may restrict river traffic around fireworks. See Chicago Holiday Boat Tours 2026 and Thanksgiving Weekend in Chicago 2026.
• Coast Guard orders: City Cruises specifically names U.S. Coast Guard direction as a reason boats stay docked.

Standard trip-cancellation insurance only pays for the covered reasons listed in your policy. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) says that if you buy travel insurance after a winter or tropical storm is named, your plan typically won't cover claims related to that event. The NAIC consumer guide also quotes Allianz Global Assistance saying that cancellations due to known, foreseeable or expected events, or fear of travel, are generally not covered. "Cancel For Any Reason" upgrades reimburse only part of your cost: Squaremouth reports a range of 50% to 75% of prepaid, non-refundable costs, with 80% of plans offering 75%. For a single $40–$60 tour ticket, a free-cancellation booking is usually better value than insurance. Insurance makes more sense for an expensive multi-day trip.

If you paid but the operator cancelled and won't refund, ask the seller first. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, the CFPB says you should call your card issuer and send a written billing-error notice within 60 days of the statement showing the charge. The FTC adds that the issuer must acknowledge your dispute within 30 days and resolve it within 90. A charge for a service that was never provided can qualify. A tour that ran while you chose to stay home generally won't.