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    City Cruises Chicago

    3.2 (323 reviews)
    Open 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

    Services - City Cruises Chicago

    Bartending services

    Catering services

    Event lighting services

    3 More Services

    On-site management services

    Post-event cleaning services

    Venue rental

    City Cruises Chicago Photos

    City Cruises Chicago - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois
    City Cruises Chicago - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois
    City Cruises Chicago - Gnocchi - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois
    City Cruises Chicago - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois
    City Cruises Chicago - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois
    City Cruises Chicago - View - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois
    City Cruises Chicago - View - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois
    City Cruises Chicago - Dance floor - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois
    City Cruises Chicago - Beauty - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois
    City Cruises Chicago - Sunset - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois
    City Cruises Chicago - Skyline - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

    +275

    City Cruises Chicago - View - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

    CITY CRUISES CHICAGO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Maronda H.

    I haven't been on the Spirit in years. One of my good friends and I made a brunch reservation as one of my birthday celebrations. It took a minute for us to board the boat. It was several groups from a family reunion docking the boat. Once we made it on the boat a nice young lady walked us over to our table. We were so happy that we had a window seat to view the outside. One of the servers immediately came over with a pitcher of water and started filling our glasses. Bonus points. He asked did we want to see order our drinks. The music started playing and the rest was history. To my surprise the food was pretty good. My only complaint was the pasta wasn't fully cooked. Whomever, it was didn't allow the pasta to cook in time before taking it out of the hot water. Dry and pasty taste. Everyone was out of their seats dancing and just enjoy being on a boat cruise. Beautiful view and experience. My experience on the Spirit was nice and enjoyable.

    Joani O.

    I attended a private fundraiser function on this boat so I can't speak to the regular cruises that they offer, but I enjoyed our two-hour event. We checked in, had drinks and a delicious buffet luncheon with lots of choices, had a DJ for dancing on the dance floor on the main level, and mingled outside as we saw beautiful views of the city. On the buffet they had a jerk pork dish, birria chicken and some type of salmon, in addition to two types of salad, sauteed veggies, cheddar potatoes (which were a little hard) rolls and butter plus fresh fruit and assorted brownies for dessert. The DJ was great and I had a nice time!

    Brunching with Latrice A
    Denyce M.

    I will give our server Mo four stars, the rest of the service I would definitely give two stars. The food rounds this up to three stars. The day started out not on such a good foot. When we got to the ticket window, we were not in the system. The agent could not find our tickets initially and told us to wait near the gangway. She ended up writing down some information to show to the gentlemen at the gangway. They let us on the boat instructed us to go to the third floor. Once we got there, there was no one to seat us. A server walked by and told us we had to go down to the second floor to see Stephanie (I think that was the name). As we were going down the stairs, a woman came up the stairs and showed us to a table, a two top. We explained that we had a window seat, so she moved us over. Our table was not really set for dining; there was a knife and fork, but no water glasses or napkins. Food was pretty good, nice selection of chicken, fish breakfast foods, pasta salads and a regular salad. There were some nice pastries but they were not replaced once they ran out. We opted for the bottomless mimosas and were not disappointed. On to the service...Mo was incredible. She was supposed to be working our side of the floor but me and Latrice A noticed that she was also working the other side of the floor, who had their own server. But from what we could see, she was not doing much of anything compared to Mo. Mo was also working some of the tables on the second floor. While she was running around, I was looking for a glass of water and received a plastic cup. Fortunately the bartender walked by, apologized and got me a real glass with water. She really tried to make up for the initial SNAFUs, which were not her job, so I tipped her very well. This was my first time on the Spirit, not sure I would do it again. It is definitely a different vibe from the Odyssey. But it was great to send time with my sis Latrice A.

    View of the city
    fiona a.

    Great food, beautiful views. The cruise we attended was overbooked hence the three stars, the buffet was constantly running out of plates which was frustrating. Outside seating was phenomenal, would definitely do this again if i attended separately from a big party.

    Beautifully engineered buildings
    Ama S.

    This was a great ship to cruise on for a couple of hours. The ships appearance was clean and beautiful from the inside and out. The food was delicious with meals for all types of diets. The scenery was beautiful, as we were given the opportunity to view the great architectural designs of Chicago. The staff was friendly and courteous.

    Latrice A.

    This review is solely for the Sunday Brunch cruise. On the day of our reservation it was a rather cold and rainy day on the pier. So when we arrived up to get our tickets we found out that it was some type of snafu and a reservation was not in the system. The young lady in a ticket office assured that she would take care of the problem and assisted us on getting on board. We did let them know that we did pay for window seating which was upstairs on the second level near the buffet. But our table was not ready to receive us and we didn't have any silverware or dishware. We did encounter Mo who was our waitress and she did the best she could to accommodate us even though she was very busy and working downstairs as well. We had unlimited mimosas and they have the smart idea to just refill them as they see needed . Well that's not going to fly with us because we are mimosa connoisseurs and baby you got to keep them company coming. The glass should not ever be empty. The food I would give it a 6 out of 10. It was more import dishes than I anticipated, but I know a lot of people eat pork but it definitely should have been a turkey, sausage or beef sausage option since it was brunch. It should have been like a brunch meat on breakfast meat. I did fill up on veggies and potatoes and some danishes and they did have a really tasty chicken at the station and fish as well. You do have to line up and wait in line so we were maybe part of the first wave of 10 people cuz I didn't want too many people hovering around my food with no mask on and no hand sanitizer at the station. No sneeze guards as well We also had to keep asking the wait staff for water and different items. Miss Moe again did the best that she can but the boat was pretty full with diners. We didn't venture out because it was cool and rainy but that was fine with us. I was with my sister and fellow yelper Mrs Denyce. The DJ was quite good. He played a lot of hip hop and afrobeats and the crowd was native to this type of music and they really enjoyed

    Pam T.

    My husband and I took a lunch cruise boarding time was 11:45am for 12:30pm departure. The ship started boarding at noon. They will scan tickets and check any bags you have, as well as you will stop and take a picture. After pictures, you are seated at an assigned table. There are two eating decks, and because our ship was full, a manager went to each table to begin the buffet. We had a Yelp offer for a free drink. The waitress was not familiar with it, so we spoke to the manager, and he honored the coupon. The food at the buffet was really good. I did notice that they would run out of plates easily,, I would recommend that the wait staff pay more attention to this so people are not waiting for plates. There was a long line waiting for dessert plates. There are plenty of seating on the observation decks, and although the ship was fully booked, it did not feel overcrowded. The DJ played a mixture of music to appease the guests some music I had not heard in years. Very nice views of Lake Michigan. The ship does not go out very far and stays around the pier area, but nice views. There were a lot of mosquitos and other flying insects throughout the ship.

    Lunch buffet
    Sue L.

    Located at Navy Pier, the Spirit of Chicago is a great place for any special occasion. This time on New Year's Eve, the brunch selection included simple chicken, fish, broccoli, potatoes, and pasta. Dessert included carrot cake, chocolate tarts, fresh fruit, and coconut cake. The music was a bit loud but it added to the festivities. There were lots of families with kids celebrating the new year. It was so cute with tall fathers dancing with their five year olds who appeared to be in charge. The weather was wintery but the lake always lift the spirits. The voyage was smooth and we could see the ferris wheel and light houses from a distance. There were even fishermen in tiny row boats on the lake. The third level of the ship had magnificent high views. I had a window seat and it added to the atmosphere. Did I mention the Christmas decorations were still up?. Sparkling apple juice in fluted champagne glasses was served with new year party hats to end the two hour voyage.

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    Page 1 of 9

    Ask the Community - City Cruises Chicago

    Review Highlights - City Cruises Chicago

    I had the fantastic opportunity last night to board the "Spirit of Chicago" for a dinner cruise with some friends.

    Mentioned in 114 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    'Wendella Tours & Cruises' has been in existence since I was a kid, and I am in my 60s now…read more Everyone visiting Chicago should take this tour of the Chicago River and it's surrounding architecture at least once. Everyone who lives in Chicago should take this tour many times, because when family and friends visit Chi-town, they MUST be taken on this tour. Then the more friends and family coming to see you, the more time you take this tour with them. - It's Obligatory. So every time a visitor comes town, I treat them to an afternoon tour on Wendella Tours & Cruises. It's not just that Wendella offers an amazing service - it's that this service is necessary in order to understand Chicago's unique architectural heritage.

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    Just did the 60-minute architectural river tour departing from Navy Pier this past weekend and it…read morewas a fantastic experience. Our guide Ruby was awesome - engaging and funny with a perfect mix of architectural history and fun facts that kept everyone entertained. Right before docking at the end of the tour, the captain turned the boat toward the river entrance for a minute so everyone could take photos in front of the skyline, which was a nice touch. The biggest selling point for me was that all of Shoreline's tours are dog-friendly. I brought my pup Shadow along and they even gave her a treat as we were boarding. A couple tips: getting your tickets on Groupon will save you a couple bucks off retail, and bring your own water if it's a hot day - beverages on the boat are pricey. Great guide, amazing views, and pet-friendly. Highly recommend!

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    City Cruises Chicago - venues - Updated June 2026

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