Xochimilco party boat worth it

What you are booking

This ticket is a hosted boat party on a trajinera, one of the flat-bottomed wooden boats of Xochimilco in southern Mexico City. The ride takes two to two and a half hours, with start times listed in the booking calendar. Local hosts run it: they pour the drinks, play the music, organise games and stop at a chinampa island for food. A standard group is up to 50 people, and a private option for just your group takes up to 100. The organiser describes it as not a typical tourist boat tour, so expect a party first and a sightseeing ride second.

What the ticket includes

The organiser lists a scenic trajinera ride, unlimited tequila in blanco, reposado and flavoured styles, cold Mexican beers, soft drinks and water, a traditional Mexican dish, games and local activities, friendly hosts from Xochimilco, music on board for the whole ride and souvenirs. The booking page says the tequila is carefully selected, and that the hosts focus on good ingredients and service rather than a cheap party-tour feel. Restrooms are available at the dock and on the chinampa island. All of that sits inside the one fare, so there is no separate bar bill for those drinks. Water and soft drinks come with the ticket, which matters for anyone who is not drinking.

What costs extra

Several things are paid for separately. Mariachi songs, souvenirs and drinks you buy independently are excluded, as are personal expenses and optional purchases. The island stop is an independent restaurant, so extra food or drinks cost more there. Transport to the meeting point is not included either. The organiser suggests bringing cash, a camera, comfortable clothes and hand sanitiser or tissues. Live music is the extra most guests meet: it comes only through independent vendors, while the music on the boat itself plays from a speaker at no charge.

Read next: Mariachi, vendors and etiquette

How the ride unfolds

Check-in is ten minutes before the start, under the grey arches where your guide waits. The group meets the hosts, takes the first drinks and boards a boat prepared for the ride. The trajinera then moves through the canals, past floating gardens and boats carrying mariachi bands, while the hosts run traditional Mexican games and teach local slang. Partway through, the boat stops at a chinampa for a traditional dish and photos. The ride ends with souvenirs. The route can change, and the starting point follows the option you pick. The itinerary lists canoeing as an optional stop, so ask the hosts whether it is offered on your date; the boat itself is handled for you.

How it differs from a regular trajinera ride

A regular trajinera ride is a public boat that you hire at an embarcadero. Mexico City's tourism site says the price is fixed per boat and per hour, that a boat takes at most 18 passengers and that trips usually run two to three hours. You bring or buy the food, drink and music, and you set the pace. The party boat reverses that: it is a booked, hosted programme with the drinks, games and food stop built in. The comparison guide sets out the trade-offs, including a guided tour and a direct boat to the Island of the Dolls.

Read next: Party boat vs regular trajinera

The place behind the party

Wikipedia says the name Xochimilco comes from Nahuatl and means flower field. The canals belong to a system of chinampas, artificial farming islands made by weaving reeds around stakes in the shallow lakebed and filling them with mud and plants. Wikipedia says the area was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, under the name Historic Centre of Mexico City and Xochimilco, and it calls the canals, chinampas and trajineras the borough's main tourist attraction. Wikipedia adds that traditional trajineras are moved through the shallow water by a boatman, and that they began as transport across the lake before becoming mainly tourist rentals. The party boat is one way of moving through that landscape.

Read next: What is Xochimilco, exactly?

Who it suits

The organiser describes the ride as social and welcoming, for a birthday, a bachelorette trip, solo travellers or anyone after a lively day in Mexico City. Reviews on the booking page include solo travellers celebrating birthdays and groups of friends, and several reviewers mention meeting people from other countries on the boat. Children are welcome with an adult, and the organiser asks you to say so in advance. The hosts lead in Spanish, English or French, so most visitors can follow the games and the slang lessons.

What reviewers say

As of this update the ticket averages 5.0 from 1,869 reviews, and the booking page says 98 percent of its English-speaking reviewers scored it five out of five. Reviewers praise energetic hosts who keep the music, games and drinks going and make the whole boat feel included, and many name individual hosts. The booking page's summary of recent reviews adds one regular suggestion: more time on the water. Reviewers also mention the food and the music. Treat the praise as a description of the hosts and the mood, not a promise of a particular crew on your date.

Noise, alcohol and house rules

Mexico City's tourism site says loud music is banned on public boats apart from the operators' speakers, that passengers must stay seated with hands and feet inside, and that life vests are provided, with a release to sign if you decline one. It also says visibly intoxicated passengers are reported to the tourism desk on each boat. Those notes describe public boats rather than this ticket, so ask your hosts what applies on the day. The party boat's own list of what is not allowed covers fishing, snorkelling, fireworks, diving and audio recording.

Booking and cancellation

Cancelling through GetYourGuide earns a full refund up to 24 hours ahead, and a place can be held without paying today. Check-in is ten minutes before the start. The hosts wait up to 15 minutes after the start time, then the ride begins without you, and no-shows are not refunded. Reservation changes or extra guests must be requested through the booking platform and depend on availability. The ride runs rain or shine, on covered boats. Pick a date in the calendar to see start times and the starting point for that option.

Who this isn't for

Skip it if you want quiet canals, a guided history of Xochimilco or full control of the route: music plays for the whole ride and the programme is a party. Skip it if alcohol is a problem for anyone in your group, although soft drinks and water are included. Anyone expecting transport from their hotel should know that none is included. It is also not the choice for a group that would rather hire a boat, bring a picnic and set its own pace; the comparison guide covers that. For a calmer ride, read the comparison guide, which covers a guided sightseeing tour and a direct boat to the Island of the Dolls that its booking page calls not a party boat.