The best way to experience Cleveland is aboard the GOODTIME III, the largest quadruple-deck, 1,000 passenger luxury ship on the Great Lakes. It is the third generation of sightseeing boats that cruise and tour Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River. It runs daily sightseeing cruises in season and is one of the most unique venues in Cleveland
offering a variety of fun and memorable events, including dining cruises, holiday and special events, private charters, school field trips, and more. GOODTIME III is a top wedding venue in all of Cleveland.
The GOODTIME II, a family owned and operated business started its operations in 1958 – Vince and Herbert Fryan are the founders. They continued to keep alive the name and created a new tradition of providing safe sailings of the Cleveland Lakefront and Cuyahoga River area and have rightfully become an institution to the city of Cleveland.
Guests ranged from local residents to the famous from far away. Celebrities included the late Peter Jennings, Halle Berry, Willard Scott, Chuck Norris, Drew Carey, Robert Redford, and Cleveland television anchors & sports figures alike.
In 1984 Vince and Herbert Fryan sold the company to Captain Jim Fryan, Vince’s son. Twenty – six years after the resurrection of the name GOODTIME, it was about to undergo a dramatic change. This change included added trips, several cosmetic improvements, and a new perspective on the business at hand.
The changes were effective, and the company grew its attendance figures each season. Along with the city’s entertainment expansion, Captain Jim knew it was time to make serious changes. In 1988 the decision to build a new ship was made. The newer GOODTIME was to be the ship for the next millennium, much larger and designed for the comfort of the passenger. On September 16, 1990, the new GOODTIME III was delivered to Captain Jim and Cleveland. The following season the city showed that it was the right decision, a banner year it was – attendance surpassed any other year by 45%.
Captain Bruce Hudec piloted the Goodtime III through 2014 and devoted his life to the Goodtime company for 43 years. He had started as a deckhand in 1971 and worked diligently to move up.
Jim Fryan passed in 2012 and Jim’s son, Captain Rick Fryan, who joined the organization in May 1986 manages the business’s day to day operations.
