Just Ducky Tours Inc.
Just Ducky Tours resuming Pittsburgh operations in April
Quack, quack — duck boat tours are coming back.
Just Ducky Tours, which operates eight World War II-era amphibious craft out of Pittsburgh’s Station Square, announced on its website that it will be resuming its land and water tours in mid- to late April.
The company ended its 2018 season in September, canceling tours that had been scheduled through November.
That came after duck boat companies across the nation grappled with declining ticket sales following the July 19 sinking of a duck-style tour boat during a heavy storm on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. Seventeen of the 31 people aboard the Ride the Ducks vessel died.
Just Ducky is not related to the Missouri company. Co-owner Christopher D’Addario said its vessels are safe .
Safety protocols are posted on its website.
Just Ducky is hiring for its upcoming season. Applications are available on its website .
Ticket costs for 2019 are $25 for adults, $15 for children ages 3 to 12, and $5 for infants ages 2 and younger.
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a TribLive reporter covering news in New Kensington, Arnold and Plum. A Pittsburgh native and graduate of Penn State University's Schreyer Honors College, Brian has been with the Trib since December 2000. He can be reached at [email protected] .
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Just Ducky Tours
125 West Station Square Drive, Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania 15219 USA
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“Pittsburgh's Only Land and Water Tour!”
Just Ducky Tours takes riders on Pittsburgh's only adventure through the city on land and water. Each excursion begins at historic Station Square before waddling downtown for the ride of your life.
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Reviewed by jessica.buchikos
Had an awesome time on this tour. The driver and guide were hilarious.
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‘Just Ducky’ river tours pulls plug in Pa. city: Here’s why
- Updated: Jun. 26, 2019, 2:13 p.m.
- | Published: Jun. 26, 2019, 7:22 a.m.
With duck boat safety an increasing concern after several deadly accidents, it mattered little that Pittsburgh's Just Ducky tour boats are inspected annually and certified by the U.S. Coast Guard for safety—and carry 30 life jackets for adults and 30 for children.
- John Luciew | [email protected]
‘Just Ducky’ duck boat tours may have quacked its last in this Pa. river city. And the culprit in sinking this season’s business has been revealed.
As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports , Just Ducky Tours, based in Pittsburgh’s Station Square, is pulling the plug on the entire season, which would have run from April 1 to Nov. 30.
And the future of the business is far from certain.
This, after several high-profile and deadly duck boat accidents have pushed the company’s insurance rates out of sight, according to the report:
Specifically, owner Michael Cohen, who started the business in 1997 with a friend, Chris D’Addario, told the Post-Gazette last year’s duck boat sinking in a Missouri lake, killing 17 people, has left his amphibious boat business all but dead, as well.
“We were just a victim of the unscrupulous actions of the operator in Branson, Mo.,” Cohen told the newspaper. “If that accident had never happened, we would be operating today.”
Instead, Cohen said his insurance company initially cancelled his policy and then wanted a 120 percent increase, putting coverage out of reach and the business’s future in limbo.
Background from the Post-Gazette:
In the Table Rock Lake tragedy in Missouri, a duck boat was caught in a thunderstorm last summer that produced 60 mph hour winds and three-foot waves – despite having been warned about the oncoming weather.
The boat sank; and the 17 killed ranged in age from 1 to 70. None of the passengers wore life jackets.
Worse yet, the Table Rock Lake accident was the sixth involving a duck boat since 1999, including one in Philadelphia in 2010 in which two people died on the Delaware River.
As a result, Cohen said he learned in January that “our insurance company would not renew us. We had a very clean loss-run history. It didn’t matter. The insurance companies got spooked.”
It mattered little that Cohen said his Just Ducky tour boats are inspected annually and certified by the U.S. Coast Guard for safety—and carry 30 life jackets for adults and 30 for children.
“We are never more than 250 feet from shore,” Cohen told the newspaper. “We never put passengers in harm’s way.”
Now, those once-amphibious vehicles designed for fun on both land and water will remain in dry-dock for the foreseeable future.
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Pittsburgh ducky tours offer unique city views
By Madeline Bartos | Staff Writer
Are Just Ducky Tours really all that they’re quacked up to be? A Pittsburgh staple, Just Ducky Tours take tourists through Pittsburgh in amphibious World War II vehicles known as DUKWs. The duck boats take riders through the streets of Pittsburgh as well as down the rivers that shape the city. The entire time, tourists are encouraged to quack at people on the streets, quite often getting them to quack back.
While Pittsburgh’s duck tours are still waddling, Ride the Ducks in Philadelphia is closing due to a less than perfect record that involves a few fatal accidents in past years. According to Trib Live, in 2015 a Philadelphia duck boat hit a pedestrian in an intersection, killing her. In 2010 a duck boat was hit by a barge, killing two people. Insurance rates for the company have become too high, forcing it to close.
The end of Philadelphia’s Ride the Ducks tours doesn’t mean anything for the unrelated Pittsburgh Just Ducky Tours. As a matter of fact, even at 5:45 on a chilly Monday night, the boats are more than half full with people ready to see Pittsburgh from land and water. Whistles that imitated quacks were for sale inside, and nearly every kid had a whistle in their mouths before the tour even started.
The routes for the Ducky tour can change depending on events going on in Pittsburgh as well as traffic. However, the usual route takes the duck boat through Pittsburgh’s business and cultural districts before heading into one of the three rivers. I’ve seen a lot of Pittsburgh, but with Philadelphia’s Just Ducky tours closing it was time to get in one of the amphibious vehicles, learn some facts about Pittsburgh and quack the duck whistles.
The tour began in Station Square, home of Pittsburgh’s Just Ducky Tours. After a few tight turns, the duck boat started to cruise down Grant Street. The tour guide pointed out a few sculptures that even after several drives down Grant Street, I’ve never noticed myself. Despite being in the middle of rush hour, the traffic going into the city wasn’t bad and the driver seemed to be effortlessly maneuvering the vehicle. It didn’t seem like safety would be an issue like it was for the Philadelphia tours.
The vehicle zig zagged through the city, passing most of the major skyscrapers. The tour guide pointed out how a few buildings, including the Allegheny County Courthouse, have markers that show what used to be ground level of several buildings. Some architects planned for this and laid the basements out like lobbies. Other buildings didn’t plan for the hillside to be dug out, meaning the ground floor of some buildings is actually the basement.
When the boat entered the water, it felt like going down the infamous Kennywood Pittsburgh Plunge, just tinier and with a similar drop in your stomach. The driver offered anyone the chance to drive, but most were too nervous to take the wheel.
The views from the River were the best. I’ve seen Pittsburgh from the Point and several different look outs, but none of them compared to seeing it straight from the river. The vehicle drove to The Point before turning back around. If you’re someone who thinks you’ve seen Pittsburgh from every angle, the one from the river is much different and very eye opening.
The vehicle climbed back out of the water and I became aware of how low we were to the water and how high we were from the ground. The boat crawled back across the Smithfield Bridge, ending at the same place it started. When the tour guide asked the vehicle for one more quack, I couldn’t help but join in with my fellow passengers for a few final quacks and honks. Hopefully the amphibious vehicles don’t swim away from the ‘Burgh anytime soon.
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Watch CBS News
Pittsburgh's Just Ducky Tour Company Will Sell Boats, Online Auction
August 16, 2019 / 1:14 PM EDT / CBS Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (KDKA)-- After 22 years, the Pittsburgh Just Ducky Tours have been permanently canceled.
The company stopped operating after 17 people died during a tour on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri.
Michael Cohen, a co-founder of the business, told our partners at the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette that, "our insurance company would not renew us. We had a very clean loss-run history. It didn't matter. The insurance companies got spooked."
Reportedly no one was interested in taking over the business, so Cohn, along with his fellow co-found Chris D'Addario, have planned to sell the entire business-- including eight of the boats.
On September 23-25 All of the assets and boasts will be sold in an online auction. Each duck boat is estimated to sell for between $25,000 and $100,000.
All individual listings for the auction can be found here .
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Hours of operation: April 1st through November 30th. Monday-Sunday: 1st Duck to go is at 10:30 am with the last one at 6 pm (90 mins in-between). During peak season, holidays, and weekends tours sell out 2-3 days in advance. Be sure to plan ahead and make reservations at 412-402-3825 or go online. Read more.
Just Ducky Tours Inc. Address: 125 W. Station Square Dr. City: Pittsburgh ... Restored WWII amphibious lander - narrated tours of Pittsburgh streets and waterways. Tours are 40 minutes on land and 20 minutes on the water. Departs at 10 AM, 12 AM, 1:30 PM, 3 PM, 4:30 PM and 6 PM. ...
Top 10 Best Duck Tours in Pittsburgh, PA - August 2024 - Yelp - Duquesne Incline, Wigle Whiskey, Cheat River Outfitters, SpringHill Suites Pittsburgh North Shore
Just Ducky Tours Inc. 674 reviews. City ToursBoat ToursDuck ToursSightseeing ToursPrivate Tours. This location was reported permanently closed. Write a review. See all photos. About. Pittsburgh's ONLY Land and Water Tour! Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
United States. Pennsylvania (PA) Pittsburgh. Places to visit in Pittsburgh. Just Ducky Tours Inc. Just Ducky Tours Inc. 674 reviews. City ToursBoat ToursDuck ToursSightseeing ToursPrivate Tours. This location was reported permanently closed.
Top Pittsburgh Duck Tours: See reviews and photos of Duck Tours in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Tripadvisor.
Top Pittsburgh Duck Tours: See reviews and photos of Duck Tours in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Tripadvisor.
Quack, quack — duck boat tours are coming back. Just Ducky Tours, which operates eight World War II-era amphibious craft out of Pittsburgh's Station Square, announced on its website that it ...
The Ducky Tours of Pittsburgh was not only a great ride but actually had great tour guides. Read more. Written August 18, 2019. 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.
Just Ducky Tours takes riders on Pittsburgh's only adventure through the city on land and water. Each excursion begins at historic Station Square before waddling downtown for the ride of your life. Read More > Add Review. Thanks!
The airport is some distance away from the city and Station Square where Just Ducky Tours is located. I did not see evidence of a shuttle service to the airport hotels. However, there is a taxi rank right next to Just Ducky Tours so it would not be impossible to take a taxi from the airport hotel and return in a taxi.
As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports, Just Ducky Tours, based in Pittsburgh's Station Square, is pulling the plug on the entire season, which would have run from April 1 to Nov. 30.
March 27, 2019 / 6:11 PM EDT / CBS Pittsburgh. PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Six months after closing up shop early the Just Ducky Tours fleet is returning to the streets and rivers of Pittsburgh. No one is ...
A Pittsburgh staple, Just Ducky Tours take tourists through Pittsburgh in amphibious World War II vehicles known as DUKWs. The duck boats take riders through the streets of Pittsburgh as well as down the rivers that shape the city. The entire time, tourists are encouraged to quack at people on the streets, quite often getting them to quack back.
Hours of operation: April 1st through November 30th. Monday-Sunday: 1st Duck to go is at 10:30 am with the last one at 6 pm (90 mins in-between). During peak season, holidays, and weekends tours sell out 2-3 days in advance. Be sure to plan ahead and make reservations at 412-402-3825 or go online. Read more.
Just Ducky Tours is one of the best things to do in Pittsburgh. The vehicle is an amphibus or an aquabus which takes you both on land and water. The tour sta...
1. Gateway Clipper Fleet. The tour guide / host was very knowledgeable about the bridges, buildings, stadiums, and history of Pittsburgh. Top Pittsburgh Duck Tours: See reviews and photos of Duck Tours in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Tripadvisor.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA)-- After 22 years, the Pittsburgh Just Ducky Tours have been permanently canceled. The company stopped operating after 17 people died during a tour on Table Rock Lake in Branson ...
For the best in Pittsburgh riverboat tours, choose to cruise with Gateway Clipper Fleet. For over 50 years, we have been sailing the Three Rivers hosting Pittsburgh sightseeing and dining cruises. The original Gateway Clipper became Pittsburgh's first official sightseeing boat in 1958, and the Gateway Clipper Fleet has since become one of ...
The owners of the Just Ducky Tours, a Pittsburgh-based amphibious tour boat company, have sent their eight-vehicle amphibious fleet, all of its spare parts and a Molly's Trolley off to auction ...
The Ducky Tours of Pittsburgh was not only a great ride but actually had great tour guides. Read more. Written 18 August 2019. 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.