Anita Dee Yacht Charters Reviews

My husband and I booked Anita Dee II for our wedding in July 2021. We are so impressed with this company and the entire crew aboard the Anita Dee 2. We would recommend them to anybody! We worked with Colleen and John over the course of two years and they were such a pleasure to work with. On our wedding day, the captain and crew went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. We really couldn’t be happier. All of our guests were raving about how it was a night they will never forget. Note: When COVID hit, they were accommodating to help us move the wedding to a new date without issue.

My fiance and I were looking for a wedding venue that was unique and really showed off our love of Chicago. My favorite thing to do is the architecture cruises, so this seemed like a perfect idea for our wedding reception. We looked at a handful of boat companies but right away, Anita Dee stood out with their customer service. John was super awesome and answered all my questions (phone and email) in a very prompt manner, and scheduled a site visit for us. After we booked the Anita Dee 1, Colleen took over as our "day of" person and was equally amazing. We did another site visit to confirm last minute details and make sure everything was covered, including a back up plan in case of rainy weather. She coordinated with our vendors to make sure they could find and access the yacht for set up, etc. She also worked with our wedding coordinator to set up our party decorations before the wedding party arrived. They also let us drop decorations ahead of time so we didn't have to lug them around with us earlier in the day. The staff during the cruise was great and we couldn't have been happier. We had the most beautiful weather and a gorgeous sunset out on the lake, and then the DJ lit up the top deck dance floor as we cruised the Chicago River. It was definitely an unforgettable experience for us and our guests!

We couldn't be happier after the wedding was all said and done. We reserved the Anita Dee II for an evening charter for our wedding ceremony and reception. The staff did an amazing job turning over the boat after a large charter went on in the afternoon in time to have the boat cleaned and decorated for the wedding before guest arrived. Throughout the night and week, we received many complements from friends and family that our wedding was the best they have ever attended. Our attendance was around 150 which created a high energy and fun atmosphere all night between the two interior decks and top exposed deck. Special thanks to AMP DJ services and Smoke Daddy Catering and Colleen of Anita Dee on making this the most special night of our lives.

It took me a full year to write this review but we still could not be happier with our experience on the Anita Dee II. We got married in July 22, 2017 and had an absolutely fantastic event. From planning to the event, everything was great and we could not have been happier. Colleen was a joy to work with and helped make our vision a reality. Our guests loved the unique experience and are still talking about it a year later. Overall an amazing day and we're so glad we did it on the Anita Dee II.

We are so glad we chose Anita Dee for our wedding on 7/1/17! We had originally booked Chicago's First Lady but switched to Anita Dee I (the smaller boat) about a year out. Their communication, flexibility, and attention to detail were far superior. Colleen, in particular, was just wonderful to work with! She was very accommodating, and we had complete confidence that everything would run smoothly. For our wedding, she was on the boat the entire time to coordinate, and the day was perfect. All of the Anita Dee staff were amazing. Our guests are still raving about how gorgeous and special our wedding was!

We were blown away by the customer service of the Anita Dee staff. From Colleen responding so quickly to every email and providing us with whatever we needed to the First Mate clearing the downstairs for the Bride to walk through and updating us on every move the boat was making, everything went perfectly! The whole night was smooth sailing (literally and figuratively) and our guests were stunned by the views of the city. We are still receiving messages about how this wedding was the best wedding they've ever been to. My aunt says it ranked up there with her trip to the Grand Canyon, that's how incredible the views were. The price was one of the most reasonable we came across in Chicago and well worth every penny. We couldn't have picked a better weekend and better company to work with. Unlike so many other weddings where people say it was whirlwind and they can't remember what happened, this night is still fresh in our minds and will be for many years to come.

I held my wedding reception on the Anita Dee II on June 27, 2015. My fiance and I looked at many different venues in both Michigan and in Chicago and could not be happier that we chose the Anita Dee II for our reception venue.

The Anita Dee Staff are wonderful. We first met the director of Marketing/Business Development back in September to discuss using the yacht as our wedding ceremony and reception venue. Marc was wonderful. He made sure that this venue would be perfect for what I wanted without pressuring me into a contract. I really liked this as many other venues tried to pressure me into signing a contract the day that I toured the venue. Marc held my date and made sure that I had time to make sure this was the perfect location for our venue. Marc was also very responsive to all of my questions and concerns. Marc provided me with a list of preferred vendors to use on the yacht and ALL of the recommendations were great. I liked that I did not have to use these vendors. However, almost all of my vendors were from the preferred vendor list provided by the Anita Dee II.

During my wedding planning process, I decided to just have my reception on the yacht and have my wedding in a nearby church as this was important to my family. The Anita Dee staff made this change very easy. As my wedding approached, I was contacted by my event coordinator from the yacht, Colleen. Colleen was AMAZING! She answered all of my questions and allowed me to the yacht numerous times prior to the wedding to go over the details of my wedding. On the day of the wedding she was right there making sure everything was perfect and did EVERYTHING that was asked of her. Whether it was for the yacht to change course or to assist me in the bridal suite, she was right there making sure things were perfect.

I would HIGHLY recommend the Anita Dee II for a wedding or any other type of event. The yacht is beautiful and the staff are great!

We had a beautiful day after wedding cruise. Everyone at Anita Dee was very helpful and the event as amazing.

This was a unique and fun venue that our guests loved! My daughter's ceremony and reception were held on the Anita Dee II and we have had so many positive comments from everyone.
Working with Katherine and Colleen was wonderful and the staff were all very professional. We had a evening wedding and I was concerned because there was an afternoon wedding. However, the turnover was smooth. We were also very fortunate to have wonderful weather and Sat night fireworks which made the evening very special.
For a relaxing and unique summer wedding this is certainly a venue to consider.

We had a magical Saturday evening wedding on an amazing yacht with a beautiful sunset, gorgeous views of the city most haven't seen that way before, spectacular fireworks display and some of the best crew possible. The coordinator Colleen is absolutely fantastic and attentive, bartenders were fantastic. So many guests said this was the best wedding they had ever been to, and genuinely meant it! If you want to have an evening of fun that no one will ever forget or top, this is your venue! (We were on the Anita Dee II - the larger, 3 level yacht, which goes on the lake front, not the river).

We really liked the idea of something unique for our wedding and the ceremony and reception aboard Anita Dee II was enjoyable for everyone!
I would say the only negative remarks are the coordinator could have done a better job of letting us and everyone know what was going on as some times there was lack of communication and the Captain had not practiced the ceremony so it was just read and not really rehearsed. That's probably our fault for not having a friend do the ceremony. It was always maybe in our best interest to have hired a day of wedding planner/coordinator, which we didn't and learned from. Also, there was another wedding earlier in the day so I was picking up a cigarette butt on the upper deck close to when I walked down the aisle.
Otherwise, the venue is a great choice if you are looking for a different option. The skyline views were incredible! I would definitely do my wedding again on the Anita Dee II :)