Everything could be better. The staff members are kind, but service (for drinks especially) could be faster. (Respect to the bartender, but maybe they need to hire more help.) The food is all fiiiine, but doesn't touch the great restaurants found all throughout Chicago. Think wedding reception catering. Nothing to write home about. We're there for the view/boat, right? That part was good! Pretty neat to see the skyline lit up for Christmas on a very calm and quiet (and ) night. Still fun to play tourist in our own city! DJ was fun, but the vibes were kinda weird (no one dancing/interacting). Maybe consider games on one of the floors like Christmas bingo or musical chairs? read more

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Came here with a large group to celebrate a wonderful performance at The Midwest Clinic. The staff were professional and friendly. Our food was the best dinner cruise food that I have had to date. I'd certainly be back here again in the future. Our entire group had an amazing and memorable time. read more

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I was attending a conference in Chicago and the "dinner cruise" was an evening activity. We were a group of about 120 people, mostly 50+. I estimate about 250 total on the cruise. The buffet was OK but nothing special. Not overly hot. Good selection of beef, chicken, salmon and pork but nothing special. Shortly after dinner, they pumped up the volume on the music and the younger crowd started dancing. WAY TOO LOUD. TOO LOUD TO HEAR YOURSELF THINK. I would not recommend this dinner cruise for anyone over the age of 25-30. read more

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. read more

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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! read more

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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. read more

City Cruises Chicago - Brunching with Latrice A - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great experience for my team. I coordinate corporate events for my employer and this was a win situation. The staff was very friendly and the service was excellent. read more

I booked my cruise on Nov. 21, 2025. I never saw any policies stating that I could not cancel at any time. I also did not see the insurance offering for being able to cancel 2 hours in advance the day of. I called today to try to cancel and was informed of this information today. I had my brother who was able to come from GA on the last minute to VA for Thanksgiving. (he is a pilot who flies ppl for Holidays) I needed to add to my party and online, it allowed me to be added to a waitlist yesterday. Why would it allow a waitlist option, if they know that ppl cannot cancel until 72 hours before and only those insured can cancel up to 2 hours in advance. I had called earlier to see about any cancellations and also was not informed of any of these policies till I called back the second time to cancel. I asked to speak to a supervisor. I was told no supervisor was available and that any such request was denied and that the phone agent had no ability to do a cancellation. I have no information in my booking nor in my emails that specify cancellations are not allowed unless 72 hours in advance and that money would not be given back for such a cancellation. I am highly upset and need a resolution or I will never be using a service such as this again. read more

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. read more

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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. read more

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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 read more

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

Had a awful time. Went with my class and got seasickness that was really bad and was in a lot of pain tried to ask for some help and got a small drink that was to "calm my stomach" did not help, if anything it made my stomach hurt more. You think if you see someone hunch over and whimpering in pain that would mean something not right. And everything was way to loud and I overwhelming. read more

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. read more

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The team at Spirit Of Chicago hosted a 50th birthday this past weekend as was top notch. I appreciate their attention to details and taking care of us. Food and service was tasteful and well executed. The DJ was fun and lively. As a Chicagoan they live up to the boats namesake. Thank you! read more

well to begin, was last trip of night, parking is horrible. what should be an hour and 40 minutes took 2 hours 45 minutes.... literally 40 minutes to DiMeo e 5 miles in that town. Run to boat just made it, however friends were 2 minutes begins and Captain seeing them get up to boat ordered lines out and would not let them board.... not cool, they were right there. Well skyline and views were lovely. food was terrible, cold not much flavor. crew was rude for the most part. not much eye contact it was like we were interrupting their evening. and bathroom was dirty and smelled badly, just was hoping for some good food to have with great friends. at least our friends did not disappoint! would never recommend this experience, cannot give good review on much here. read more

Not worth the effort. Food was just ok but the buffet style service was terrible. Empty warming trays, long lines of people waiting for someone to show up with more food...ridiculous. The "cruise" consists of the boat going around in circles within the breaker barrier. There is no cruising involved whatsoever. To top it off, the DJ must have been confused because he played very loud hip hop club music that was so loud no one could talk with the people at their table without shouting. This was LUNCH not a bar crawl at midnight. Total disappointment! Do yourself a favor and just book a table at a nice restaurant with a view of the lakefront. You'll get a better meal and will leave without a headache. read more

The boat did not take off on time due to them waiting longer to board us. The bar was disorganized with lines so long to get a drink, you may not get one until the boat docks. The food was basic buffet style and you guessed it, long lines. Just a complete headache , try another boat. read more

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. read more

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

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The ship and crew are wonderful however, beware of party companies that book time on the ship, promote their event through social media and run the passenger check-in operation like amateurs + do not properly plan or staff the serving of those passengers. Let's do some math. 237 passengers - one bar and two bartenders. 2 bartenders serving. 237 / 2 = 119 passengers per bartender at a rate of 6 minutes per passenger In simple terms - there will be at least 40 people waiting in line for a drink and at 6 minutes per passenger - you will spend 45 minutes to an hour getting drinks. If you don't drink and make sure you eat before you go - then you will be just fine. (I do not recommend the food) These party companies appear to be customers of the Ship and have nothing to do with the Spirit's staff. Aside from this - the vessel is fun to be on and there's plenty of free water which you won't have to wait for! You will get some great pictures of the Chicago Skyline, your loved ones and likely hear some good dance music. read more

I had the fantastic opportunity last night to board the "Spirit of Chicago" for a dinner cruise with some friends. I could not believe that we had the perfect weather! As soon as we got to the pier, there was a long line to get on to the boat. Crew members were telling guests to have their tickets, ID cards, and bags ready to be checked. Once these things were checked, we walked up a steep ramp to board the boat. Next, we took our picture and was shown to our table. We were on the middle level and had a great view from our table. Once we got settled, Jaime (our waiter) came by to take our drink order. Just as our drinks arrived, everyone on the board raised our glasses or a "bon voyage" toast and listened to the safety instructions as the boat pulled away from the dock. The manager and DJ also introduced themselves to us. A few drinks later, we were able to feast on the delicious buffet. There was two types of lettuce salads, some sort of bow tie noodle salad, veggies (corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, beets), rolls and butter, fish, mashed potatoes, pot roast, pesto pasta, broccoli with chili flakes, meatballs in a cream sauce, potato casserole, and green beans. Later in the evening, the crew set up board games (chess, checkers, and connect four), opened up the dance floor, and opened up the dessert buffet. There was coconut cake, red velvet brownies, vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding, pound cake, carrot cake, and fruit. Jaime did a great job checking on us and bringing our drinks super fast. The DJ even asked us for a song request. Overall, we had a wonderful time and we did not want the night to end! read more

We booked a table for a group of Six to celebrate a birthday. We paid for the First Class Upgrade and received none of the amenities that were supposed to be included. We had to repeatedly seek out assistance for beverages and silverware. The staff assigned to our table were largely absent and when asked for had attitudes as if they didn't understand what we were requesting. I've never been so disappointed with a dining experience. read more

Boat staff was incompetent and did not plan well. Had one bar staffed for ~200 person private party and one bar was only serving water. Security was perverted and staring at girls butts and was extremely creepy. Drinks were extremely overpriced, even for Chicago. I would not recommend this boat for any private venue let alone any tour. If you dare, have fun waiting nearly an hour for extremely overpriced drinks and sub-par food, buyer beware!!! Would give zero stars if it was possible. Absolutely horrible experience, sad they hire perverts read more

City Cruises Chicago - Perverted security guard - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We went on the Spirit of Navy Pier for a work brunch cruise. Very nice from start to finish. The crew was very attentive, and the food was terrific. Very nice. read more

Went on a 7-10pm cruise on a Wednesday. It was $125 per person because of the fireworks that night. I probably would've paid $100 per person. The boat's decor was very nice. They had multiple levels. Levels for big groups and levels for intimate dates upstairs. There was a dance floor you can look down on and also join on the lower deck. There were activities such as Connect 4, giant Jenga and etc. There's couches outside for people to relax on as well. The food was surprisingly better than I expected. We literally enjoyed everything we put on our plates. The Asian-like (I don't remember the exact name) Chicken was the best. I gave it 4 stars because it wasn't quite worth the entire coast. Regular soft drinks were even included in the cost, only water and tea. The alcoholic drinks were fairly expensive but its Chicago so I expected that. Also, the boat practically forces you to be patriotic with all the songs catering to America during the fireworks, kinda cliché but to each its own. Don't get me wrong, the fireworks were AWESOME and a great way to end it but they are literally free to the city so to pay THAT much more on the boat was kinda ridiculous. I would definitely recommend but during a day without the fireworks, it might be worth it a bit more for $80. read more

City Cruises Chicago - View when pulling away from the dock. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I hate to give it such a low score, but this boat cruise was just excruciating and seemed to last forever. 3 hours of circling. I should have done some more research before jumping all over the Travel Zoo vouchers. We paid $140 for two, which was half off the regular price. I'm thankful we didn't pay full price. Reserving the tickets went smoothly. Jennifer, a very nice representative took care of all of it via email. Trading in our vouchers at the ticket booth was quick. No wait. The weather was less than favorable with fog and drizzle, but the crew handing out umbrellas was a very nice touch. We boarded, and were ushered up to the third floor with the others. The hostess asked if we were celebrating anything special. We were, but I chose not to share for fear we would get branded with the balloons or some cheesy birthday song. Fears confirmed, the DJ made it a point to call out everyone celebrating something. They sat us at a table for 8 where there was another couple already seated. Let's just say thank god for space in between. The couple seated had to be thee biggest a holes around which was confirmed when his gf confirmed my thoughts and said, you're such an a-hole. Completely into themselves and just dreadfully irritating and painfully annoying. I'm not a catty biatch,but I wanted to slap the attitude right off the girl.Thank god they moved. So did we. The larger tables, the seating is really too close for comfort. Would like to see more 4 and 2 tops. Wouldn't be bad if we had been in a group, but even then, still elbow to elbow. The food was not good. However, J said that the Tilapia was not completely tragic. The food tasted very sysco systems and honestly, I have had better at the hospital cafeteria. The DJ was a cheesy wedding DJ. Nothing against wedding DJ's in general, but this one was more like a personal trainer on speed. Music was run of the mill typical. Electric slide, cha-cha slide ,Cupid shuffle and of course some Flo-rid a where everyone thinks they are "hood"'. Our looks of disdain and clock watching must have been painfully apparent to the staff. We chose to watch the fireworks inside even after being told we could go outside. We were also told a few times we could go up for the buffet. Apparently not doing what the other sheeple were doing all at once was frowned upon. Our server must have told the manager that we weren't playing in the reindeer games so he came over to see if everything was ok. Let me just say, that Jimmy, the manager was more than accommodating. We kept reiterating that the whole experience just wasn't our thing. It was not his fault, the staff's, the boats etc. It just wasn't our thing. He was so sweet and tried so hard to make things right even though it was not his fault at all. He offered champagne, a voucher for the Odyssey, a visit to the captains area and eventually came back with two free champagne glasses for us. He said that we looked like we would probably enjoy the Odyssey much more which didn't have a DJ and had plated meals with very good food and was much more elegant. Nice of him to say, but then we felt the pretentious tools that we were previously sitting with at the beginning. The boat gets an "E" for effort. A lot of people seem to like it a lot and were having a good time. It just wasn't our thing. We tried it and didn't care for it, but glad we at least tried it. It has a floating prom feel to it. We both like to dance, both like to have a good time, but sadly this wasn't for us. Nobody's fault, just not our thing. We both have never wanted a boat to step it up a few knots and get back to shore so badly. read more

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This was my first time on a boat cruise. We boarded at 1:15, the boat departed on time at 1:45, and we got off the boat at 4:15. Our package was unlimited beer, wine, soda, juice, and a lunch buffet. I was shocked at how good the buffet was! Everything I had at the buffet was fantastic. There was pesto pasta, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, chicken, fish, a nice salad bar. After about an hour they also have a dessert buffet which was pretty good. The service was fantastic, we had a waitress while we were eating who was very attentive. Also, the lines at the bar through out the cruise weren't that long. There was plenty of deck space to enjoy the weather but some areas of the boat do get crowded. Overall, I would highly recommend. Great service, food, and view! :D read more

We took grandma From florida She came to vacay in chicago We have a blast Tickets started at $45 not bad at all So i do the yelp cheking and ask for my free drink Afther ask my server Then the supervisor And the manager i have my free margarita We enjoy the buffet Salads Dinner rolls Chicken , meatballs, fish , pasta And sweet in the end unfortunately The day was raining 1 less start Because was no hot sauce at all I ask server she said they only have black pepper Next time i will bring my tabasco sauce But we all have fun Was lot senior ppl Thanks see you soon again read more

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Shawn Miller who organizes the booze cruises was not very accommodating. My friends and I grabbed 9 tickets and on the website it states that we get a refund for 1 ticket even if you don't reach the requirements. They refused to honor their deals. This yacht was very unorganized and was not something I recommend attending. It is cheap for a reason. Go on any yacht or event other than the spirit of Chicago. We had to wait an hour to board first of all and they didn't even set sail for another hour, by then it was time to get off and leave. Very disappointed. Also there is a free drink if you check in with yelp supposedly and they don't honor that either!!! Very bad service. read more

I did the booze cruise and it was ok. The buffet consisted of meatballs in marinara to make meatball subs, veggie platter, spinach and artichoke dip, pitas chips, and chicken tenders. I will say this when you get on go directly to the bar and order all your drinks for the evening because the lines were long the entire evening. I did enjoy the views of the water. read more

For what I paid for this "2 hour" mid day cruise with 4 drink tickets, I did NOT expect it to end 15 minutes early! Yes I still stayed the last 15 minutes, but it was clear the party was over as the music stopped and everyone filed out. I refused. 2 hours felt too short as it was, now it was shortened to an hour 45?? Also to add insult to injury the weather was rainy so we went out on the lake briefly then finished it dockside. On a plus, the food was excellent. I really like the tasty chicken, mashed potatoes, and vanilla cake! (this coming from a cake snob). Also the dirty martinis were awesome, served in the correct GLASSWARE (no plastic) so good job there. read more

If I could give this boat a negative100 I would. I bought every upgrade package I could and the food was the worst I've ever looked at. I looked at it because I absolutely would not eat it. I paid over $500. Your money is best spent at Gibsons Italia, or Maple and Ash for 1/3 of the price. Complete tourist trap. Lipstick on "clean" glasses. This boat sucks. The one and only positive about this boat is that the Staff was extremely nice, friendly, and attentive. Really very nice people. But this boat is not worth more than $50 per person. Don't do it!!!!!! read more

Be warned: racism allowed on board. A man in line making racist comments about Hispanics/Mexicans...and the crew still let him stay on board. I refused to board, spoke to a lady lady on the phone, who kindly granted a refund. A Glow: The lady on the phone. A Grow: Policies on racist speech. read more

Recently attended a wedding dinner here. The food was decent and the staff is friendly. However overall the experience was less than expected. The boat is dirty. Inside it literally smelled like the gutter or really damp carpet area in the middle reception room. The other side was tolerable. The bathrooms were horrid (thanks to disgusting guests), but even without rude guests, the bathroom definitely needs a deep cleaning. The outside decks were absolutely gross. Bird poop, spider webs and rusted areas everywhere. I understand that birds can fly in at any given time and so this is an uncontrollable situation, however this deck needed a power wash a long time ago and it never happened seems like it. Guests were going out but coming inside soon, unfortunately not able to take pictures as anticipated. One would think, with the cost of these dinner receptions, the company managing these large scale boats would at least keep rusted and old painted surfaces touched, but nope! Or powerwash the disgusting outdoor areas prior to a large scale reception. I get that Covid distressed these unused boats for a long time, however the quality of care that used to exist in such services and businesses is a thing or the past and is dying everyday! They ran out of certain drinks and even coffee! Usually coffee and tea would be automatically served during desert time, this used to be the case a few years ago. This time you would receive coffee or tea only upon request and that too if your table help remembered to return to your table. When we asked the third time about how much longer it would be for the coffee we were told they were out of it. Then another person came and said they have the coffee but no creamer was left. Not a big deal but um what?? This was a $100+ dinner per person and you ran out of creamer? Windows were filthy and full of dead bugs and webs were everywhere, interior and exterior areas! Poor experience and unfortunately not what was expected! read more

The food was not as appealing as I had thought it would be. One member of the staff was really rude. He wore dreads and curse st us for being in the way. The tables were so close together it made it hard to maneuver or eat without bumping elbows with next diner. read more

RUDE, inconsiderate, unorganized. Falsely advertise that they are wheelchair accessible but would not accommodate me. My colleagues and I made reservations for an appreciation day on the Spirit. The staff ask me if I can walk MULTIPLE TIMES even when I explained I could not. The staff insisted I get out of my wheelchair or that they carry my (400lb) power wheelchair to the 1st desk, even though the 2nd desk was accessible to me. Waiting to board the boat, folks cut in line, were directed to go to two multiple entry ways. Leaking ceilings on one section of the boat. Boat ride ended an hour earlier than expected, according to my colleagues. Worst experience ever. read more

Had a work conference event here that was all inclusive, so I can't say how good the value was, but the dinner and cruise were great. Quality food - salad, fish, chicken, beef, pasta, meatballs, broccoli, and dessert. A great view of the city. A good party atmosphere on the inside with a DJ and dancefloor. On the outside, some calmer music and quieter atmosphere to wind down and take in the sights of the city. read more

I was nervous about booking a cruise for 25 of my friends for my birthday. Hoped people would like the food, that there would be decent places to sit and that the weather would hold out. Everything went really well! We shared the upstairs deck with a large group of teens (60-70) on a group outing and had plenty of room. The teen group was really amazing and super polite. The dj was fun and the food was delicious! For a buffet, we were definitely pleasantly surprised :) read more

This is just ok. The boat is very old and dated, it even has a distinct smell that's not very appealing. I was a bit confused about the seating system, the best seating is on the third floor but they pack everyone in between 1st and 2nd level. The lunch buffet is decent and everyone had plenty of food. The beverage service is extremely slow, you have to flag servers down and remind them to bring your drink order. The cruise just goes back and forth in front of the city, so it's not a long ride anywhere - you're basically stuck with one view the entire trip. The architecture tour was better in my opinion as well as the Odyssey cruise line. Photos have construction in the background. I would not book this again. read more

Braces for the hit. Opens one eye. Opens the other. "I... had fun? I... enjoyed this? Really?" Really. After reading some of the previous reviews, I braced myself for a pretty stressful experience that combined Gilligan's Island with Dead Calm. There were some ominous signs. 1.) Humid weather; 2.) 'Interesting' fellow passengers; 3.) Multiple high school classes -- from out of state. Oh no. This was *not* going to end well. But, it did. The service was attentive. The food was pretty good (decent seafood, INCREDIBLE couscous, delicious mashed potaters, nice grilled veggies, decadent dessert bar). The drinks were strong. The views were magnificent (so, this is why I need to be hooking at the pier in order to land someone with a boat). The company was awesome. For reals. I laughed and laughed and laughed. Spending a night on a big boat as you travel the waters of Lake Michigan and marvel at the skyline in the night sky and from a completely different (for me) angle was a special way to spend an evening and I feel very lucky to have done so. The crew was fun (even though they did try to Shanghai me into lip sync and dancing service; I have already called in the hit.). I didn't feel sea sick once. Most of the passengers kept to themselves and allowed me and my friends to enjoy our evening. *Most*. I mentioned that the boat was full of high schoolers from out of state. After observing these children, I fear for the future of this country. They, in full view of their chaperones, cussed, grinded on each other, simulated all sorts of nastiness, cavorted with a$$es in the air (no one was caring). I stood, mouth agape in abject horror, at the foolishness. I shouted some church lady worthy advice to them ("Y'all goin' ta hell, ya heathens!"), but they seemed not to listen. Next time, adults only. read more

Farrah and Kevin beat me to the punch on this one, but since I wrote my review on the plane ride back to Phoenix, I'm posting it anyways! Picture this: A cheesy cruise boat from the 1980's... or maybe even the 1970's. Take that and add a DJ that is passing out leis and mardi gras beads to those that answer trivia questions correctly. Add a dinner buffet, a conga line, and servers (in uniform) singing as if they were on American Idol, but not quite as impressive as those that make it on American Idol. Now put our group of 11 at a table, give us a dinner buffet (pretty good food for a buffet I must say - especially since we were the first in the buffet line), and order each of us a bottle of champagne. I'm not done yet - offer us a view of fireworks from the ship deck and think about what else we can do to make the three hours go by as the ship moves around in circles. How about the game "I Never!" That's how I spent my last Wednesday night along with the Central Team of Yelp Community Managers... and an experience it was! Would I go back on the Spirit of Chicago? Probably not. Once was enough. Was it a memorable way to spend an evening - hell yes! Was it worth the $70+ per person? Probably not. But if you're a tourist or a local and looking for this type of excitement, go for it. And make sure you purchase the picture of your group on your way out. Lucky for Andrea R, she's got the framed copy of our group... read more