Very entertaining. Good food and live music. Would go again in the future. Just the right amount of time. Relaxing.

For our 55th annual family reunion, we decided to do a Mississippi River paddle boat cruise. We booked our cruise with Celebration River Cruises. We all had a blast, so much so that several family members talked about how the cruise on the Celebration Belle was the highlight of the entire weekend. Also have to give a big shout out to "Susan" who helped with getting our group tickets, she was the best! read more

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Nice narrative cruise. We learned a little about the area. Clean ship. Never interacted with staff so no review there. We'd do it again. read more

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I've lived near the river my entire life and this was the first river cruise I've taken. Leaving Red Wing on the Celebration Belle for a two hour dinner cruise! Lots of sunshine, a torrential downpour one hour in, and then a brilliant rainbow over the bluffs when we returned. I met incredible people and the food was delicious with prime rib, and marinated chicken and all the fixings and the tasty captain's dressing that is "secret". It was one hell of an experience and very economical. The crew couldn't have been more accommodating and lovely. I'm ready to travel more and further next time read more

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We have taken these cruises many times over the years and each time is spectacular, starting with the boarding process, attention to detail on the seating and the food! Scenery is interesting, staff are great, and the on-board entertainment is always great also. This was our second cruise this year and last year we did it 7 times. There has never been any negative issues! We recommend this to everyone. read more

From start to finish, we had a great time! The food and entertainment were excellent, as was the staff! My cousin was visiting from Germany and enjoyed everything about the cruise as well! I'm in a power wheelchair and the staff was very attentive to me and my needs! read more

Nice day great food. Wonderful staff. We was scheduled for June 15 2025. That week had almost 100 % rain They let me re scheduled for yesterday July 15. We had a very nice sunny day read more

Celebration River Cruises - Boating Near Me - Moline, Illinois

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I'll start by saying the crew was absolutely marvelous. When we got there we asked about a window seat and was told they were sold out. It was our 20th anniversary but low and behold they came up to us in a bit and asked if it was true and said they had a cancellation for a window seat and placed us at a new table. COULDN'T HAVE BEEN BETTER. The only thing unfortunate was the prime rib we had our hearts set on was overcooked. Mine was medium to medium well after I stated I wanted medium rare. I was handed what he just cut off and I stared at it and said to myself "whatever". My husband told the carver the same thing and he tried to hand him his next cut (same as mine) and he said MEDIUM RARE. The carver had to cut into the other prime rib in the middle and it still was not pink. I brought half mine home to cook up for an omelet but he choked his down. Other than that, the cruise was fabulous and we had a fantastic time. Next time, do NOT overcook the prime rib. Not everyone likes theirs medium or cooked more. I've had better before from them and always enjoyed it. read more

Everyone was wonderful. We even got to meet the Captain.We had a very nice evening. Food and entertainment were very good.

Everything was very good! The food was high quality and delicious. I use a wheelchair and was helped with everything I needed. The experience was better than I imagined. Great value, would highly recommend! read more

Jazz cruise as a part of Bixfest. No narration, etc., as we had a traditional jazz band giving us all the music we could ever want! Food - more than adequate - quality was quite good for feeding 200+ people. Can't do stairs well - staff made sure I had access to the elevator. Suzi was my hostess- couldn't ask for a nicer person. Price - a little higher than usual, but - you had a group of world-class jazz musicians for entertainment. All in all - very satisfied read more

Simply loved it. The Celebration Belle and all of her staff did not disappoint. We were treated so well from the moment we walked in to the gift shop and throughout the entire experience. We are already talking about our next cruise! I would highly recommend you get on board at some point. I've been blabbering about a trip down the Mississippi for years and my wife got me something really fun in that direction with a narrated river lunch cruise on my 40th birthday. The sound level was perfect for us on the speakers and you could hear neat facts about the area after lunch and throughout the rest of the cruise. Really enjoyed that. Lunch was nice! It was buffet style, as others have noted, and it was done well. Wifey got the Captain's package which included balloons at our table, two frozen blended drinks (NA marg and NA pina colada for us) and a cake. Normally I don't like people fussing over my birthday with hats, balloons etc. but it made me grin. Loved that you could walk in to the bridge/wheelhouse and talk to the captain. They have the narration on recording so that he can focus on driving the boat and greeting passengers who come by. He was so very nice and down to earth. The way he talked about his job and the allure of the longer cruises had me longing for a 100-mile Dubuque trip or an overnight excursion! Obviously the Belle is just a nod to paddle-wheel boats of days gone by, but it was just the fun we needed. When we drove back by later in the night, you could see her a lit up for the dinner cruise and it was a vibe driving over the lit up bridge while she was coming out underneath! read more

we've been on a Celebration cruise a couple of times. Both experiences were excellent. The ship is clean, the food is good, entertainment is so much fun & the service is always attentive. It's our "go to" for special occasions. read more

Staff was great. Cruise was a throwback to a previous time. Food on the dinner buffet was very good.

I brought friends on a lunch cruise and we had a great time. Our server, Carter, was so sweet and attentive. The buffet was very good and more than enough for lunch. Chicken, real mashed potatoes and gravy, fresh green beans, veggie pasta, two salads, rolls, dessert, coffee! Yum! read more

My husband and I went on the Celebration River Cruise sightseeing tour this past weekend. We are from central IL and the first time either one of us had been to the quad cities. The staff were very friendly! We were very disappointed that the tour guide that was in charge of our sightseeing tour didn't give us more information about the things we saw and just general information about the quad cities. The sightseeing tour was 90 minutes and our tour guide only talked for approximately 35 minutes. Deb Havlik Mattoon, IL read more

It's a year and a half later and just my hubs and me went back for another cruise. This time it was billed as the Dinner Dance cruise. OK, there weren't a lot of people and not a lot of dancers. But the musician/singer was talking to the audience and playing requests. He did mine! That was very nice. The buffet was pretty average but hot and tasty enough. No complaints. The star was the wonderful prime rib. They didn't skimp on the pieces they cut. It was tender and delicious. Actually I shared my husband's because it was so big. We were able to go to the upper decks, walk around and sit outside enjoying the evening air and the sights. Depending on where you sat you could still hear the music. Parking is free and easy. Of course you walk through a gift shop. Going under the new lighted bridge at night was neat. I wondered why some people on board were waving. I looked up and saw people on the bridge waving to us. Heck, I didn't know there was a walkway up there. I might go again if I'm out that way. Prices can't be beat. read more

I went on this Mississippi River lunch cruise about a month and a half ago, and I was underwhelmed for several reasons. For starters, the ticket lady was rude. She insisted on getting my phone number and home address, which to my way of thinking is not information that they need. She wouldn't tell me why they wanted to know either. Finally I caved in and gave the info, but it definitely set things off on the wrong foot. The lunch was served buffet style, except that you couldn't go up until your table was called. Since I had gone there on the spur of the moment instead of booking in advance, I was at the last table and was therefore the last to get a chance to go up. This wouldn't have bothered me, except that they took down the buffet only 30 minutes into the cruise, and without making any announcement that they were doing so. So I never got a chance to go up for seconds (although maybe it's just as well, the food was passable but not amazing). After the lunch was served (and then taken away), we were treated to a sightseeing tour on the river, with the captain pointing out various landmarks along the ride. This seemed like it would be pretty cool, but it was unfortunately rather hard to hear him. The speakers weren't very loud and I had to strain to hear what was being said, even though the ambient noise from other people's conversations on the boat wasn't really that loud. There was also a bit of information about the boat itself which was a little bit interesting. Eventually I wandered out on deck to take some better photos than I could get from the dining room. It was late April and still kind of chilly outside, so I couldn't stay out there too long, but this was probably the nicest part of the trip. Also, you were allowed to go into the cabin and chat with the captain if you wanted to, but since other people were already in there I decided not to intrude. It wasn't a BAD trip, but I've been on other river and lake lunch cruises before, and some of those were much better. This one would have been better if they made the food available longer, replaced the speakers so you could actually hear the captain's explanations better, and didn't collect unnecessary personal information from people who are just buying a ticket for a 90 minute lunch cruise. read more

Enjoyable boat cruise down the Mighty Mississippi in Quad Cities. Narration had some interesting facts. Crew was friendly. It was really neat seeing the boat in the Tall Stacks articles up on the wall inside before boarding, nice moment to reminisce seeing all them growing up in my hometown. Sadly, the Celebration Belle is pretty tired, and appeared to not have been updated since it was built in the 80s. The gift shop...both gift shops (on the boat, and in the area before boarding) were seriously dated. I felt like I stepped back in an 80s trinket shop. This boat has so much potential, if they would update it. read more

The Celebration Belle gets one star for an indisputably awesome view of the Mississippi River. It gets one more star for the lovely and efficient staff. But seriously, what the heck are they even doing? Tickets for our Friday night cruise cost $50. No big deal as the cruise would certainly be lovely, prime rib would be served, there would be live music (my dad reminisced to us about his last trip aboard the CB in the 90's, when The Ellis Kell Band had played), and my sister's boyfriend planned to propose to her in front of our family and the other passengers. All the makings of a fabulous evening were in order. The gift shop was the first clue. I'm talking about the one you must pass through to get your tickets not the one aboard the ship, though both are hawking the same cheap jewelry that's so tacky even my 85 year old grandmother kept walking. It wasn't a small display, it was an entire warehouse. What do acres of bad knickknacks have to do with a river cruise? The ship's interior is moderately out of date. We were shown to our seats and the waitress introduced herself and took our drink order. The QC version of SNL's The Culps sang cover songs poorly. Roughly 35 of the Celebration Belle's vaunted 750 seats were occupied as we set sail. The food was. AWFUL. For a first course, garlic dressing (actually, the best part of the meal) was served over arugula. The buffet consisted of two cold salads, okay potatoes, horrible fettucine, dry chicken, and tough, overcooked prime rib ("The prime rib is one trip, first trip only!" intoned the captain). We weren't equipped with anything sharper than a butter knife. The prime rib was difficult to cut. My grandma got a bite of it lodged in her throat. It was stuck there for the remainder of our trip and afterwards my boyfriend and I had to drive her to the ER. My sister's boyfriend proposed. It was, rightly, the best part of the evening. After the meal ended we hung out on the ship's deck, where my grandmother felt more comfortable dealing with the repercussions of having a hunk of meat stuck in her esophagus. It was kind of nice, despite the hacking, because our whole family was there and the sun setting on the water was a beautiful sight. It would be SO easy to make the Celebration Belle appealing to people under 80. Better music, better food, and more people would come in a heartbeat. Whichever business whiz is behind their current model is tired, stupid, or lazy. I will NOT go back to the Celebration Belle, probably ever. read more

Nice boat ride but that's all. The history tour was no tour because the sound system was so bad that no one could hear the speaker. It was obvious that the tour guide was simply reading a script. In fact he lost his place once and repeated the exact same paragraph twice at two different locations on the river (or at least I think he did...I could only catch every fourth word, but there were some unusual repeated words that appeared in the same order). The boat passed a lot of interesting looking features but there was no sound from the guide, not that it would have mattered much anyway, since it was so hard to hear. As I said, just a nice boat ride but don't expect anything else. read more

If you are looking for a dinner and dance venue this is it. Scenic trip up the river with live music and great food read more

Celebration River Cruises - Live entertainment - Boating Near Me - Moline, Illinois

Unfortunately, not a great experience. Music was too loud. Food was disgusting. Deck was dirty and full of bugs. I definitely do not recommend. read more

Me and a friend went on a Friday night Captain's Dinner Cruise in mid-July. I am on oxygen and cannot walk long distances. I called earlier in the week and they said they have a wheelchair to get handicapped from entrance area onto the boat. Just never said it was like a youth sized wheelchair. I didn't fit so I just had to walk and find resting places along the way. The elevator on the boat was not what I expected either. I figured it was like a hotel or office building, but it was a freight elevator with no handrails. Once to the second floor, our seats weren't far. Just around the corner from the bar. Drinks ranged in $6-$8 range and also offered bottles if wine. As we paid extra for the window seating, it was a wonderful view. We left dock right on time at 6:30. Our server brought water, iced tea, and the plated tossed salad. The menu online states a peach salad dressing. I was excited to see if it was like a vinaigrette style or what. I've never had peach dressing. It turned out the server said, it was just garlic parmesan dressing that has a tint if peach color to it was all. The buffet was set up on the dance floor while the oldies-style mediocre band played music. Online menu stated, plated tossed salad, two additional cold salads, roll with butter, potato, green beans, a chicken breast dish, and one serving only of prime rib. Also au jus and horseradish sauce optional. There was only one cold salad, a corn and black bean salad with a light, slightly sweet vinaigrette. The butter pats were so cold and hard they couldn't be spread on the roll. The green beans and potatoes had no seasoning. I am guessing because of the mostly elderly clientel and blood pressure issues of many. Salt and pepper is on your table. The prime rib was very good, not much fat, and the horseradish sauce was perfect, not too hot. Dessert was a vendor-purchased half inch thick, cheese cake bar drizzled with raspberry sauce. Outside was a beautiful sunset facing downriver looking towards Dam 15. We docked back at 9:00 sharp and disembarked into the gift shop/entrance area and went home. The band played alot if 60's, 70's, and 80's, music, but not really fantastic at it. But overall it was a nice evening. I read some say it needs updated since the ceiling is gold reflective tiles and the carpet looks 80's-ish. But the boat was built in 1986 and probably original, but didn't bother me. The management may consider a remodel to try to attract the younger crowd. I probably wouldn't go again unless the food was elevated and there was a new band for the prices of the tickets. read more

We had a great time on the lunch. Great staff. Food was pretty good. Will certainly do it again !

Our first time on the Mississippi! Enjoyed the relaxing cruise and the panoramic views as we cruised up and down through the 6:30-9 pm dinner cruise. We spent time on the 3rd and 4th deck to avoid the musical entertainment which was dated. The food was buffet and ok for the price. The best part of the cruise, other than the beautiful scenery, was the service. Our waiter, Michael, with the company 14 years, was AMAZING! Be sure to request his table. Despite 3 Star, wouldn't miss this cruise. Would be fun to attend with a big crowd of friends . Suggestion for the company: update the music and have an optional tour guide offering points of interest on upper decks. read more

Celebration River Cruises - Boating Near Me - Moline, Illinois

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My group from the Chicago metro area took an evening cruise on the Mississippi River. The food was fine as was the entertainment. Our waiter, Michael, was terrific and had a great sense of humor. The Celebration Belle is mostly accessible via a service elevator which takes passengers to the second floor of the Belle. Nice evening. read more

Great time. Delicious food on the dinner cruise. Live music was really a nice touch and fun to listen to, as well. Friendly wait staff. Beautiful night to see the mighty Mississippi River and the sights. Recommend this cruise. read more

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Took all day river cruise along the Mississippi for our anniversary during our family vacation. Good food and fun. Started the trip with breakfast buffet while we slowly made our way down the river. As we stood out on the observation deck, we entered into a dam and lock. That was interesting, especially as the captain explained the process. Back inside it was trivia time and I our team won. Next, I watched my daughter take a spin on the dance floor learning a few line dancing steps, as my other daughter and I colored with pencils and adult coloring books. Time for lunch, hot lunch with dessert. Sat outside again and took in the beautiful weather while we waited for the next bit of entertainment. It was a husband and wife team/50's show. They put on a good production. Continued to enjoy the cruise and finished the day with a Prime Rib dinner. It was a good day. The only reason it is not 5 is because the boat could be a little updated and it would have been nice to have a few lounge chairs. read more

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What a fun experience! For our anniversary, my wife and I went out on a three hour tour (haha) on the Celebration Belle. With a full bar available and live singers, the dinner cruise was very enjoyable. The dinner buffet had prime rib, chicken, and a vegetarian pasta dish along with corn salad, rolls, green beans, a plated salad and cheesecake for desert. It was really neat to see the Mississippi from the middle of the channel and cruise under the bridges that we drive over every day. The staff and service was excellent, and for under $50 a person for the evening, I think that it was well worth it! A fun idea for birthdays, anniversaries, to to relax with friends, check out Celebration River Cruises! If you found this review helpful, please take a second to compliment it, rate it as helpful and become a fan! read more

We did the Captains Dinner cruise. The ship was absolutely wonderful and the entertainment was great. The food however, not so good. It says a lot when my favorite things on the menu were the potatoes and bread, two things I normally don't eat. The Pasta dish was overcooked with no seasoning, the chicken was dry and the prime rib, while tender, didn't have any flavor either. Also, it's pay per drink, which I can understand for the alcohol, but it was that way for the soft drinks as well, and that includes club soda. Such a small thing, but when every other place in the QCA offers free refills on soda, then the Celebration Belle should too. Especially since you pay almost $50 per person, soda is probably the cheapest thing on the ship. So on to the dessert, of which there was only one option, cheesecake. If you like cheesecake, that's fine, but I personally think cheesecake is overrated, so I didn't have any. Two dessert options would have been nice. Bottom line is that I will probably do this cruise again, but I will eat dinner before I go. The cruise itself was great and the staff were all very attentive as well. read more

Enjoy a tour of the river and possibly a meal. Knowledgeable Captain on history of the area. It was a good way to spend an afternoon. Conflicting information when booking a tour on-line or on site.For the afternoon cruise: On-line says arrive at 1:15 to get your tickets and board by 1:30. On-site you board at about 1:45 to pull our by 2. Regardless of the conflicting information it was still a good way to spend an afternoon. I am looking toward the fall colors 4 hour cruise. read more

We had a good evening. The food was plentiful and well prepared. The only issue with the food was it was only Luke warm. If it would have been hot it would have been everything I expected. The service was good but nothing to brag about. Our server who was very nice had tables all over the the first deck, it was no wonder he couldn't figure out who needed something. The part that was really bad was we where unable to enjoy the deck as it was just covered in bugs, some kind of gnat I suppose. Now I'm not squeamish but they where so heavy that they literally covered me. Would I return, I might but I wouldn't go out of my way. If it was going to be a very special night I would pick something else. A read more

The boat itself is very large and nicely decorated. We went on a lunch cruise and the food was plentiful. Most of their selection was good but be aware that there are NO free refills and you must drink tea or coffee to have free drinks. Even water costs $1.50 but I purchased a bottle anyways. The waiter was quite entertaining but the content that the captain versed felt very boring and robotic. I would've liked to see a little more entertainment. Buying a ticket by phone was simple and picking it up at the back of the entrance was a breeze. The cruise was a little on the expensive side but the food made up for it. There were quite a few bugs from outside the boat that got in making lunch a little frustrating when it was necessary to swat away flies. Overall I wouldn't go back but if you do come be sure to come at night when it's more lively not 12 PM lunch cruise. read more

Took a Captains dinner cruise. So 6:30pm to 9pm. This cruise includes a prime rib buffet for about $50. The ship was real interesting to see, the staff was fast and friendly. The buffet included two cold sides (corn/bean salad and cucumber/onion) Then green beans, red potatoes, pasta with veggies, and chicken. Last was the hand sliced prime rib. (You can only get one serving of prime rib, but as many trips as you want of the rest.) They have the same problem I find at most buffets, food is on the dry side. My main problem was the lack of seasoning on everything. I understand cutting back on salt and such, but use some other seasoning. I rarely cook with salt myself, but had to use the salt shaker a few times, for the first time in months at a resturant. My main deduction was the entertainment, they were horrible. Overall the cruise part was fun. We were blessed with perfect weather. It was nice sitting outside on the deck after dinner looking at the interesting houses and buildings on both sides. There were some nice looking mansions and buildings from the (my guess) late 1800's or early 1900's. Overall it was worth doing for the experience of being on a paddlewheel boat. read more

We did an anniversary "themed lunch" Oldies cruise. Service was A++, food was OK (wasn't expecting gourmet) and plenty of it. Entertainment, if somewhat hokey, was pretty good. Boat was clean and "shipshape." A three hour plus drive one way for us to Moline so I'm glad it was a fun time. Weather was good but you can stay inside the entire trip if need be. We spent most of the trip (except for lunch) on the upper deck in the sun. They boarded and departed on time, and, despite an unexpected stop in Davenport to drop off an ill passenger to an ambulance (that was interesting), we got back at exactly 3 PM. Cruise was just long enough without being boring. The scenery on that part of the river isn't the greatest, but it was a pleasant enough time. The crew was fantastic - everyone cheerful and upbeat. Would do it again. read more

This place is a must see when you're in the Quad Cities. It's the only option we have for a proper tour of the Mississippi River (although the Channel Cat is a much smaller fun version of this as well). The food is actually good and even all you can eat at lunch! The captain is fairly knowledgeable about Quad City history and the history of the Mississippi River (I did hear a couple of wrong statements). Whether you're a tourist or a longtime resident, this is definitely a place you should go. Cruises range from a 1.5 hour, no food $15 tour to a 3 day several hundred dollar vacation. Lunch is $35, dinner is $50 and 100% worth it. Note that this is a diesel ship made to look like a paddlewheel, this is not an actual paddlewheel ship. That is probably the one weak point in the boat, but then you wouldn't be able to pay $15 for a tour if it was, you'd pay $4000 like the American Queen. Full bar on board, but sadly no local brews! Hopefully management can get some of the great QCA microbrews on board in the near read more

Celebration River Cruises - Boating Near Me - Moline, Illinois

My wife booked this for us while we were in the area doing a little camping. I have to say on the 4 hour Saturday afternoon trip we took, the crowd was definitely older. The boat itself is a little bit dated and the food a little bland but, the service was good and the view ( once you get past the industrial area) is nice. If you come here expecting Royal Carribiean, you will be disappointed. If you come here for a ride up and down the river with a bite to eat, you'll be fine. We had an enjoyable time overall. read more

This was our first ( but definitely not the last) cruise on the Mississippi. We picked a winner by going on the Celebration Belle. All of the staff were genuinely nice and helpful. The dinner was fabulous!! The atmosphere amazing. Very relaxing time. The band was awesome. Our waiter, Michael, the BEST. Kudos to all the people on staff, you made this an experience we are going to do over and over again. Jackie Dougherty , Rock Falls Il. read more

Our daughter and son in law were visiting us over labor day weekend, they live in Kansas City, Mo. We took them on the afternoon narrated cruise. Our son in law is from Kansas City, and was very interested to learn of the river here, and it's history, hence, a "Narrated cruise". Can't go on enough about how disappointed we all were in the sound system on the boat! It was Terrible! Unless you sat right under a speaker, and even then struggled to concentrate on the garbled words being uttered, you might be lucky enough to pick up a word or two! We spent the first half of the cruise moving around the boat, hoping to find a speaker that was clear sounding, so we could hear the narration going on.....we finally gave up....it was embarrassing and disappointing to take someone from out of town on their narrated tour! I don't suggest you take this tour because of the historical narration part of it....I guess just sitting there and seeing the river is the best you can hope for! Celebration Belle, You need to take some of that money you are getting for tickets, and buy yourselves an up to date good sound system with speakers located all over the boat, that are clear sounding and loud enough for all your patrons to enjoy the narration, otherwise, don't embarrass yourselves by calling it a "Narrated" cruise.....just call it what is it, just an hour and a half cruise! read more