Williams Party Boats
Williams Party Boats
3.5
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Galveston, Texas
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Williams Party Boats
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
3.5
152 reviews
Excellent
70
Very good
28
Average
16
Poor
17
Terrible
21
83John13
Houston, TX18 contributions
Aug 2020
Saturday August 8th. We went fishing with the crew of the Capt. John. Out to the rigs for Spade Fish and whatever else you may find out there. The disappointment was in the use of large circle hooks for this small mouthed fish. Using a "J" hook would have allowed more fish to be caught meaning more excitement and fun for those on board. You could get this set up but had to make the purchase for $5.00 additional and only if you could ask for it, not something that was offered to you. Once we had the proper, in my opinion, set up of tackle we were able to land a lot more fish. The deck hands were excellent and helped everyone on board with fish, bait, tackle, landing larger fish and general knowledge. On the first rig we drifted away from the rig and the captain moved the boat back toward the rig as the bite went away once we were too far from their safety zone. Later in the day when the boat moved away we just kept drifting farther away and the bite stopped as well. Disappointed to not get in the last 30 minutes of catching opportunities as we were not near the rig. Lots of fish were caught by all on board and a great way to spend a Saturday. Once on shore the deck hands were there to filet your fish for you and did a great job. 3.5 stars out of 5 but the circle won't let me give the 1/2. We will be back again next year for the Snapper season.
Written August 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rome F
Channelview, TX1 contribution
Jun 2020
The boat ride was okay , my complaint is with the fishing equipment was old and worked poorly , I recommend you take your own equipment. They say if you loose the equipment you will be charged 150.00 for the rod and reel , that would be 6 times more than it is worth. Lol
Written June 24, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John C
4 contributions
Jul 2022
Fishing was excellent. This 12 hour trip is not for those that need a fidget spinner to keep them occupied. The 4 hour ride out to the fishing and 4 hours back is well worth the fishing time you get for the snapper. The captain put us right on top of the fish. Big snapper were caught by everyone on the boat. this is a party boat so you will see tangles and get your lines crossed up. Be patient and you too will bring home some yummy fish. All deck hands were friendly and took care of customers. The Captain John is a comfortable boat for the long ride on the open Gulf of Mexico.
Written July 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark D
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • Solo
I am absolutely disgusted with the conduct of these people. I was scheduled to go on their December 21st 22nd trip, which got blown out. I asked them to transfer it to the January 18th and 19th trip, which got blown out. At that point, I figured I'll get my money back and go fish with Galveston party boats who seems to actually be able to run a tuna trip. It was Thursday of last week, when I asked them for the refund. It did not take long to get a confirmation of the refund. At the bottom of their confirmation slip, it tells you that your bank or financial institution may take as long as 30 days to get the money to you. I thought that's a little odd refunds from other companies never seem to work that way before. So I waited a week. I then called Capital One to ask them about their policy with refunds. I was told that if the refund comes through before the close of business, it is posted that night. If it comes to after the close of business, they post it the next night. So, worst case scenario, it would take about 36 hours to show up at my account, after the refund was actually given. Armed with this new information that they are in fact lying on their receipt form, I called their office. The first thing I got was a run around about how my credit card company would be holding up and blah blah blah blah kind of similar to what the bottom of the receipt says. After I told her that no my credit card company said that it will be put into my account no later than the day after you issued the actual refund. At that point the little girl who answers the phone was kind of stumped. She then finally had to admit that it was them who actually held my money for between 7 and 10 days. I have never dealt with anyone who takes a week to a week and a half to issue an actual refund when you ask for it. This is absolutely uncalled for and it is ridiculous. I recognize that they don't control the money with their Payment Processing people. However, if you gave one tiny rats ass about your customers, you would make sure that they get their money back on a timely basis. I assure you, I will be spending my $350, if I ever get it back, with Galveston party boats.
Written January 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicki V
1 contribution
Jul 2021
We had 8 teens lined up to enjoy a senior trip and they were so excited about this venture. As it turned out, they had one "keeper" in the whole bunch. The deck hand/driver seemed more intent on moving from place to place and boat riding than allowing the fishermen/women the chance to catch fish. They were very disappointed! I realize that you are not guaranteed to catch fish, but one would think that it is their job to ensure to do that to the very best of their ability. I will NOT use this company again and I would suggest that you don't unless you just want to pay for sightseeing and not catching any fish!
Written July 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jds5150
1 contribution
Mar 2020 • Family
Took my wife and 10y/o son on our fist ever salt water fishing trip and it was a complete bust. While I understand fishing is just that fishing, and you can’t expect to catch every time, this trip was completely ridiculous. Out of the 20 plus people on the trip only about 5 or 6 fish were caught and only one fish was a keeper. During the 4 hour trip my family and I didn’t have even a single bite. By the end of the trip most of the people on board had went in the cabin and where staying comfortable there. The deck hands were little help, I asked several time for advice on how deep to fish and if there was anything I could do to improve our chances and they would just say the fish are not biting. I had thought that since they are supposed to be experienced guides and their job is to put us on the fish, there would have been at least a few more fish caught. We made 3 moves during the trip and the guide said these were the areas they always fish. Obviously they don’t have many tricks in their book to put people on fish when the fishing is slow. Maybe the fishing was just that slow I don’t know. As for the boat and equipment it was good. The rods were well used but functioned as they should.
Written March 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tburling
Cypress, TX2 contributions
Jun 2020
I wish I would've read the reviews before spending $180 for two on this trip. The company seems to be more interested in the money and not the safety of its clients They crammed 83 people on the boat!! Standing shoulder to shoulder and on top of each other! (Totally ignoring the social distancing guidelines).
Not enough deckhand to help with lines and assisting the needs of everyone within decent timing of helping take the fish off the hook or uncross the lines, which caused lots of loss time, seemed to give most of their attention to a certain group of fisherman in the back of the boat who were trying to catch a shark (they must've tipped them well) One of the deckhands carried a very sharp knife around in an extremely irresponsible manner on a moving boat, which caused him to poke me in the upper arm, I was lucky my shirt stopped the penetration. Lastly, before getting a count from the captain, one of the deckhands came and tossed my fish overboard stating they met their limit when it wasn't the case. I had to throw all mine back due to their size, and when finally caught a huge fish....that happened. It just wasn't a good experience for my first and last time with this company
Not enough deckhand to help with lines and assisting the needs of everyone within decent timing of helping take the fish off the hook or uncross the lines, which caused lots of loss time, seemed to give most of their attention to a certain group of fisherman in the back of the boat who were trying to catch a shark (they must've tipped them well) One of the deckhands carried a very sharp knife around in an extremely irresponsible manner on a moving boat, which caused him to poke me in the upper arm, I was lucky my shirt stopped the penetration. Lastly, before getting a count from the captain, one of the deckhands came and tossed my fish overboard stating they met their limit when it wasn't the case. I had to throw all mine back due to their size, and when finally caught a huge fish....that happened. It just wasn't a good experience for my first and last time with this company
Written June 8, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eddy M
5 contributions
Jun 2020
On Saturday, June 19, 2020, the Envoy Epicurean Travelers (EET) Group from Envoy/American Airlines, took the 12 hour deep sea trip on the Texsun 2. Overall, the trip was fantastic. First, let me state that the crew was focused on our safety and comfort. Captain Jillian, not only made sure that the entire boat had its's limit of red snapper, but, she also doubled as a deck hand. Kudos Captain Jillian. Geno, the snack bar attendant, was cheerful and he served up some good microwave burgers and ice cold adult beverages and snacks. Most importantly, the deck hands , Richard and Sam, were on top of their games. Without their assistance the 54 people on the boat would have in a state of total chaos. They helped those who got motion sickness to the rail, untied numerous tangles, assisted those who were first timers, and kept a positive attitude throughout the day.
I MUST give thanks to Marissa, Nicole and TJ for their business professionalism, as everything went as planned.
ALL members of our group agreed to do this trip again. Also, in the near future, we are planning to do a 4 hour inshore trip and bringing out children.
I MUST give thanks to Marissa, Nicole and TJ for their business professionalism, as everything went as planned.
ALL members of our group agreed to do this trip again. Also, in the near future, we are planning to do a 4 hour inshore trip and bringing out children.
Written June 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nick B
7 contributions
Aug 2020 • Solo
I always love going out with William's Party Boats. I have fished with them for 25 years and I hope I fish with them for the rest of my life. This is a truly family owned outfit- I remember getting my ticket from "Capt John Sr" when I was 15, I then went fishing with his son capt Johnny William's jr at the helm, now I fish with Capt Jillian William's and Capt Cody at the helm. 3 generations of family- a rare thing. This is the company that created party boat fishing in Galveston so you know they have some great spots. This boat has multiple state and world records credited to it. This outfit never disappoints. The crew is fantastic and everyone comes home with fish. Friendly and knowledgeable crew man the rails to help you from the beginner to the veteran. I don't waste my time trying other outfits because William's Party Boats is a sure thing everytime.
Written August 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Heidi C
Athens, TX34 contributions
Jul 2020
My husband has used William's Party Boats for YEARS, he won't use anyone else. I've i it used them twice, once 4yrs ago with just my husband and I and then again in July 16,2020 with myself, my husband and our son. Both were the 12 hour deep sea fishing trips.) The whole crew was a mazing, from calli(ng to book our trip (and getting the spots we wanted), to getting in the boat, fishing, and everything else it entailed. We had a wonderful time and WILL DEFINITELY be back to use them again on another family deep sea fishing trip!
Written July 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Has anyone else had a problem with not getting the fish you caught on TEXSUN II? My nephew caught a giant red snapper and when he collected his fish at the end, his giant red snapper was much smaller.
Written June 22, 2021
No me and my friend had no problem getting our fish the only mix up I seen it all was from people trying to put fish on stringers and not putting it on the right one that is the deckhands job
Written June 23, 2021
Has anyone had experience with the 4 hour family friendly fishing trip?
Written July 27, 2017
It's a little crowded on these Party Boats, as the are not private, but are cheap fun. About half of the folks going are families, and a few of the kids are as young as 10 or 11. For the price, it's a value. Crew mostly works off tips and they work hard to help the first timers
Written July 28, 2017
We are going to Galveston in August and would like to take the ECO tour,for $20.00 a person it does not seem that we can do wrong. Do you see alot of dolphins and other sea life while on the tour? My husband and sons want to do the 4 hour fishing trip so the girls are doing the eco tour. Do those run at the same time?
Written June 19, 2015
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