Amazing trip...the scenery is outstanding and the crew is fun, customer oriented, and engaging!

Caption Steve is awesome/funny, but your girl Gina is angry and Patricia will lie to you when stating the DVD is about an hour long when in truth, it's only 15 mn...for $5. I hate liars.. .geeze....and the food at the ole Shiprock restaurant is super nasty, as previous menu. Don't do it, unless your desperate. Ugh... read more

The tour is just ok. I have been on the narrative tour 4 times in three years and have never seen any of the wild life that is advertised to be seen. Just being out on the water with a cool breeze makes it worth while at times. This last trip was the best with captain Steve. He is the best and certainly makes the tour worth while. I would highly recommend you take the tour when he is working. My third tour was in Feb. and had a different captain. That captain was just ok. read more

This was great we did a girls brunch and a little cruise and it was so fun. The lower deck is indoor and upper is covered but outdoors. Wonderful views, great staff, we brought a Groupon to try it out. Now it will be our spot to show off AZ to anyone who visits. read more

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Very good cruise on Sagaura Lake. They went out of their way to accommodate our party of 5 to be sure we sat together. The tour guide was informative and had a humor. read more

A very enjoyable cruise far from downtown Phoenix but well worth the drive beautiful area two see. The vessel was fine. Seating was very good. They also serve alcohol on the boat. read more

The Desert Belle Cruise on Saguaro Lake is a golden gem hidden in the mountains northeast of Phoenix. The lake is situated in the Tonto National Forest and it's gorgeous!! The Captain and crew of the Desert Belle greet you warmly upon arrival and will help you to your seats if you need assistance. There is handicap accessible seating available, but I wouldn't recommend it if you are wheelchair bound, or have serious difficulty walking. (This is due to it being a ship - no fault of the crew). There is air-conditioned seating on the main deck, but it fills up quickly, so arrive early if that's what you want. Otherwise, there is ample seating on the top desk with a cover to block the worst of the sun. The cruise is approximately 80 - 90 minutes of pure pleasure. The Captain gives a great narration of the surroundings, mountains, landscape, wildlife and history. There is lots of wildlife in the area, but it is up to Mother Nature to allow you the chance to see some of it. Some days you get very lucky, others, the wildlife is all hiding. Luck of the draw. The vistas found on the lake are awe inspiring and worth the trip - even if you don't get to see a single animal. Overall - this is a very worthwhile trip to make for family, locals and tourists alike. Discount tickets are usually available through Groupon, Living Social and other sites. read more

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We are visiting the area from CA and wanted to do some light excursions, nothing crazy because we have little kids. This was a great boat tour for my whole family. The lake is absolutely beautiful. The weather is perfect this time of year (December) We learned so much about the landscape and appreciate land even more. read more

Desert Belle Cruises - Four peaks - Tours Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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A wonderful way to spend 90 minutes in the afternoon! The road to the lake is two lane divided highway which makes for a lovely drive through the desert. Once you top the hill overlooking the lake, the desert opens into a beautiful setting filled with blue waters and many varieties of waterfowl and the Desert Belle. John was our Captain. He was very knowledgeable about all aspects of this waterway. He was both knowledgeable and entertaining. The boat ride was informative, relaxing and extremely enjoyable. All in our party found this to be one of the highlights of our trip. I would highly recommend a Desert Belle Narrative tour to everyone. If you enjoy nature, wildlife or just a relaxing boat ride, you will definitely enjoy the Desert Belle! read more

My family and I are in Arizona for Spring Break and my birthday. We decided to take a Riverboat Cruise through the Sonoran Desert (green desert). The docking area has a restaurant and bar for you to enjoy if you arrive early or hang around. It's about a 40 minute drive from Scottsdale. The cruise boat is a little older but very clean. There are plenty of seat on the lower deck, inside, and the top deck for viewing. There was live music tonight and a good bar. They also have a number of snacks in board for you to enjoy. The cruise itself is great. There are so many beautiful views to enjoy and wildlife to see along the cruise. The desert views, the breeze, mellow vibes, and good drinks were all excellent! Would recommend to everyone as a chill experience! read more

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Great tour, captain was fantastic. Did the narrated tour. Interesting, informative and entertaining.

It was amazing! My son and I took my 87 year old mom on the cruise. She was very nervous until she met Captain Steve. He put her so at ease, she relaxed and enjoyed the cruise more than anything else we did on our trip. The scenery was spectacular and the narration was great, informative and interesting. The music playlist was definitely enjoyable. Would definitely recommend! read more

After lamenting the fact that Covid had eliminated our cruising itinerary for another year, my daughter surprised us at Christmas with a cruise. No, it wasn't to Tahiti but to Saguaro Lake on the Desert Belle. We woke to cloudy skies and a few raindrops but things cleared up by the time we reached the marina. The Desert Belle has two levels--an open-air top deck with rows of seats and a lower level with chairs and tables and a bar that, on our cruise, was run by Gina. The upper deck does have a retractable cover so we weren't afraid of any potential rain and it provided great views. The boat was clean and had passed inspection. The manmade lake exists in a canyon and the shafts of sunlight (often peeking through dark clouds) created gorgeous shadows and some pretty photos. Captain Ken was funny, knowledgeable, and pointed out various wildlife. I saw a pair of bald eagles and had a brief glimpse of bighorn sheep. When I did get cold I headed to the lower deck, found myself a seat in front of a large (operable) window, and continued to snap photos as we cruised the canyon. This cruise might not have been tropical but we all had a great time. They schedule different "themes" for cruises and we will probably go back to enjoy another 90 minutes of peaceful beauty. The one negative a have is that the parking lot fills up quickly--possibly due to the restaurant and I can only imagine what it would be like in summer to find a spot. read more

Desert Belle Cruises - Churning up the water - Tours Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Had a fabulous Sunday morning! Was the morning outing Mimosa and Music...thought would be given a Mimosa upon boarding as did other guests but that wasn't the case. Bar service was good and the music was excellent. First time visiting the lake and brought an out of town friend. Will definitely do again a nice breeze and beautiful rock formations. read more

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Love LOVE Love it!! Just don't even think about it - hop in and soak in the beauty of this nature cruise! read more

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Capt. Ken and crew made the cruise very enjoyable. Capt. Ken gave a great historic review of the lake and rock formations. Pointed out an American Eagle and their nesting area's. We will be back and bring our guests with us! read more

Absolutely one of our favorite things to do in the Valley. We take all new visitors there. Have been on somewhere between 12-15 cruises, mostly the general narrated cruise. Every time, we have a blast. Always learn something new. The music on the live music cruises is top notch. Staff is excellent and very accommodating. Bar on board is very reasonably priced. read more

This is a great short cruise around lake Saguaro - it is beautiful, educational, and the service is good, and the captain is very entertaining and funny. Best desert experience so far and I learned a lot about Arizona. read more

Almost like flying through canyons! There really is no better way to experience these dramatic rock formations. This was the highlight of our Arizona trip and worth every penny. The tour is long and you can shift around to enjoy multiple viewing experiences during your time aboard -- inside, outside, aft, bow, upper, lower. You get to see lots of different terrains along the shores, and of course the gorgeous saguaro cacti (fields? forest?) at one side of the lake. I saw so many formations I wanted to dive off of and into the lake. The spring breakers were were everywhere in their private boats doing just that, and it looked so fun. But I'm glad we enjoyed the lake for the first time on the Belle. The crew was so nice. My toddler spilled her popcorn, and a member gave us another one for free. The captain was funny and taught us a lot through the tour commentary. Make sure to bring cash so you can tip the crew. We didn't have cash and I felt bad. They were fantastic and gave us a memory that will last a lifetime. read more

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We did both the music cruise and the narrative cruise. I think it was a lot of fun for the money. My preference was the music craft beer cruise I thought the captain was hilarious. He made us laugh anyway I would do it again. read more

We took a day cruise on a hot Saturday summer day.. the drive out was nice, parking for the cruise and restaurant are free if you follow the signs, check in was easy and we got huge umbrellas to keep the sun off while we waited. We chose to sit inside to take advantage of the air conditioning.. there are plenty of tables & chairs for different group sizes and there's also a bar /snack area. The sitting area upstairs is covered/shaded but open We didn't get to see any of the wild horses, big horn, or eagles that live in the area... maybe it was too hot. But we did learn a lot about the area from the captain. Lots of families out on the lake and beaches enjoying the lake I would recommend this cruise, no cash accepted at the bar/snack area.. $3-5 popcorn buckets, $5 margaritas, $5 Mike's hard lemonade, wine, beer, chips and cookies. read more

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We attended a Saturday afternoon music cruise on a gorgeous day. The scenery was spectacular and hoping to see big horn sheep, horses, eagles or other wildlife, but it was not meant to be today. Dave Clark performed old classic pop music on his guitar, but his vocals outshined his playing ability. We sat on the top deck and enjoyed singing along and everyone appeared to enjoy themselves. Captain Ken occasionally came out from his wheelhouse to narrate our journey and told some funny anecdotes. Highly recommended! read more

So much fun! Loved the music cruise. Ian Eric was outstanding! Captain Matt was entertaining. Cruise was relaxing and we saw 2 bald head eagles. We've also been on the narration cruise x 2. Great to bring out of town visitors and show them another side of Arizona. Snacks and beverages reasonably priced on board. And of course, always a treat to see the wild horses along Bush Hwy. read more

We so enjoyed the sunset musical cruise! The captain, singer-guitarist and crew were all top-notch. It is so relaxing and a fantastic way to experience the Sonoran Desert! read more

Very fun cruise with nice views. Went on the Wednesday wine cruise. Very good singer. read more

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A really good way to spend few hours on the lake on a really hot day. Highly recommend it.

Great couple hours on the boat! Captain Dan did a great job with his narrative and singer was pretty good also! Pretty reasonable considering how expensive any tourist thing is now read more

We enjoyed the cruise and loved the scenery. We were with 2 people that have trouble walking neither can do stairs. I called and was told it was an easy short walk for handicap access. The walk is long for these people and had no way of helping them. Very poor accessibility for handicap person. read more

If you goof up and over count your reservations , they do not allow Hawking it even if the cruise is booked full . Get ready to gracefully donate what you overpay . read more

Really enjoyed good music and the crew is amazing! We have no negative comments! We took 2 toddlers and they also loved it!

Yesterday was the 3rd time I've taken different family members on this cruise this year, such a great family activity! The Desert Belle has comfortable seating, the narration is really well done, and it captivated our film members of all ages. Highly recommend! read more

Desert Belle Cruises - View from the upper deck - Tours Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Been cruising twice on the Desert Belle and we always have a wonderful time. The crew is friendly and the live music was great! We'll be back for sure. read more

Desert Belle Cruises - Beautiful rocks, caves and wildlife - Tours Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Cruising on the Desert Belle was AMAZING! We sat on the upper level where we could enjoy the gentle breeze. Captain Mike was VERY informative. I felt like I needed to take notes he knew so much! He wasn't borning and balanced his narration with musical breaks and JOKES! Gina (who was part of the boat crew) was attentive and sweet. She served different drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic), as well as delicious popcorn and other tasty treats. My hubby and I THOROUGHLY enjoyed ourselves, and when we return to Phoenix, we WILL visit again! read more

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What a wonderful entertaining boat trip through some very fantastic must see scenery. We are already lining up friends and visitors to repeat this cruise again, it was fun and fantastic. Without a doubt one crew person really stood out, with a stellar performance. That person was the boat captain; Captain Dan. His personal narration during the cruise was most entertaining and enlightening during the entire trip. Captain Dan gets a A+ from me. Boat Captain, Tom Miller Ret. read more

Four of us girls decided we wanted to do something different. We all love the water and the lake, but we had never been out on the Desert Belle before. We were the first aboard and Captain Ken was both funny and interesting as he spoke about the history of saguaro lake. He even let me take my picture with him Johnny Splash, the musician, was absolutely awesome and kept us entertained the entire trip. We had so much fun. We almost forgot to look at the scenery lol just kidding it was absolutely gorgeous. The canyon walls are so beautiful and we saw some amazing birds. Everyone was so friendly. They were soft drinks and alcohol and snacks aboard the boat. We sat on the top deck right up at the very front by the musician. We loved it there but there isn't a bad seat on the boat. We all left so happy and vowed to go back as soon as we can. It was a girls night and honey there ain't no doubt we will be back on the Desert Belle very soon. All our love to the crew for making it such a great experience! Jazziette read more

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The ride was beyond scenic! Just so beautiful. The boat captain was great. However, we booked the music cruise for a certain genre of music. Unfortunately, the musician that was scheduled to play the day of our cruise backed out for some reason. A musician that played a totally different genre of music was substituted, much to my chagrin. It was one of my least favorite types of music. I am thinking that if you have to sub in a musician, it should be someone that plays the same type of music as that which was scheduled. The music genre pretty much ruined the trip for me. The musician was talented, but the music type that he was playing is one of my least favorites. read more

Fun Day even though it was rainy outside. Great cruise & staff! Very nice lake with plenty of hiking and fishing spots.

We LOVE the Desert Belle! It's our favorite thing to do. The people are great. The music and drinks are the best! Would recommend to anyone visiting as a must do!!! read more

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We take all our guests on the music cocktail cruise and it's always a wonderful time spent. Highly recommended!!! read more

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Saguaro Lake wasn't far away at all. Great drive. We took 90 minutes tour on a Desert Bell. It was absolutely amazing. The Capitan gave great tour of the lake, he was very knowledgeable and fun. read more

Desert Belle Cruises - Tours Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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