Ibiza trip? Book a “limo boat” with Uber Yachts

Are you planning an ocean cruise around Ibiza, Venice, Athens, Paris, Corfu or Santorini? If so, we have good news for you: you’ll soon be able to do so on an Uber boat. Uber’s new product offering is launching just in time for the European summer season, allowing jetsetters to book an eight-hour private yacht excursion to explore the surroundings of Ibiza in August.

Sailors leave Ibiza Town marina at 12pm each day, with eight people crammed into a Sunseeker yacht for an eight-hour guided tour around the island. Charter prices are €200 (AUD320) per person – or €1,600 (AUD2,570) if you book the whole boat. Yes, it’s less of a classic “bring me here” Uber experience and more of a tourist day trip – but you’ll also get champagne and local snacks for the trip.

The ridesharing giant is introducing a similar experience in Paris, where you can book a stylish cruise down the Seine: sipping champagne and watching landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral pass by from the comfort of an all-electric cruiser.

“At Uber, we want to give our customers the ability to go anywhere, no matter where they’re traveling,” said Anabel Diaz, Vice President of EMEA Mobility at Uber. “This summer, we’re adding a range of bucket-list nautical experiences to the Uber app in some of Europe’s hottest destinations, so vacationers can make the most of their trip on the high seas. Whether it’s sailing around Ibiza on your own private yacht or exploring the Venetian Lagoon by boat, we’re excited to add some Uber magic to our customers’ vacations this summer.”

If you’re keen to book a boat through Uber right now, you’ll have to head to Italy or Greece. The Uber Yacht experience launched in Venice in early July and will take you around the famous water city’s lagoon for 120 EUR (190 AUD) per trip.

According to Uber, there will be nearly 200 pick-up and drop-off points at the lagoon, and you’ll be taken there by “limo boat,” which is likely to be much quicker than getting ferried around in gondolas (limo boats don’t fit in the canals, though, so don’t give up on them quite yet). Later in July, you’ll be able to book hourly boats between Mykonos, Athens, Corfu and Santorini, allowing vacationers to travel between the famously beautiful islands for at least EUR 200 (AUD 320) per trip.

All of this assumes the weather and conditions are safe, of course, but it’s an interesting addition to Uber’s service offering across Europe that I wish had been available about ten years ago. Will we soon be taking tours of Sydney Harbour on Limo Boats? Probably not, but maybe when summer finally arrives.

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