The on-again, off-again gambling cruises out of Palm Beach County are back on.
Blue Horizon Casino Cruises was set to re-launch day casino trips at 7 p.m. Friday from the Port of Palm Beach.
The 600-passenger Blue Horizon halted service in late July after a few weeks of operations to enter dry dock to fix maintenance issues and install two new engines.
"We refurbished the whole boat," Robert Weisberg, managing partner, said in a phone interview Friday.
The boat underwent nearly $2 million in work that included new engines and transmission systems, he said. "It'll be good for the next 20 years."The operator of the 160-foot casino boat originally had expected to resume operations by Labor Day, but unexpected repair issues delayed its return.Blue Horizon — a renovated version of the former Island Breeze II — offers slot and blackjack tournaments, table games, bingo and electronic bingo and other gambling options.The boat is expected to sail at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily starting Saturday, offering brunch and dinner cruises. There are no sailings on Monday.The company's website bluehorizoncasinocruises.com, is touting sailings for the Halloween weekend priced at $20 per person, which includes the cruise, meal and beverages while gambling.Holiday sailings for Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve are also available, with prices ranging from $30 to $60 per person.Passengers must be at least 18 years old to cruise on the Blue Horizon and 21 years old to drink. Identification is required, and boarding starts an hour before departure.Blue Horizon began casino cruises at the port on July 17, the third attempt in recent years to resurrect daylong casino trips from Palm Beach County.Previous operators ran into financial trouble and other difficulties and halted operations after less than a year.Blue Horizon's parent company, PB Gaming Inc., has a five-year agreement with the port to operate the trips. The seaport expects annually to receive an average of $730,000 in passenger fees, $80,000 in parking revenue and $36,000 in office rent from Blue Horizon's operations."We're committed to be here for the long term," Weisberg said.For information or reservations, call 855-478-5825. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 954-356-4209 or Twitter @TheSatchreport< Prev | Next > |
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