I see good reviews and bad reviews. To the bad reviews that's say it's boring, I mean what were you expecting? Can't hear the intercom-Are you deaf? Can't take pictures out the window because of being blurry? Get off your arse and stand outside in the fresh air! Or choose a non blurry window. If you were Bored for 2 hours, you are probably a boring person. I took my wife, the intercom was easy to hear and had very knowledgeable information. The food was actually tasty, the chili is homemade and on point! The views were awesome and emerald bay was a jewel. Now for the critique-seriously it's a steamboat replica. Don't make it Seem like a nursing home with the blAnd cafeteria tables, weird carpet and tiled ceilings like a classroom!? There is some wood trim that could be stained instead of painted and for the ceiling tiles you could salvage damaged pallets and do a rustic ceiling instead. The cafeteria tables need to go- I know it's inexpensive but come on; at $60 dollars a head? It would just be nice to see it a little classier in side, which it wouldn't take that much money and effort to do. Still, I feel like the trip was worth it And would do it again, there was an interesting video about sunken treasure and a lot of good facts... read more

This trip was HORRIBLE. The boat was ok and the views were nice. The food was largely horrible. The cruise started at 6:00 and we didn't receive our entrees until after 8:30. The steak was tough. When we asked for sauce (as a last resort) they were out. The pasta tasted like a cheap frozen dinner. The chicken wasn't terrible, but was also not worth $75.00. The fish was actually well prepared, although the vegetables were cold. My mother's dessert had a hair in it. The waitress apologized and informed us that they were prepackaged and 'from Marie Callender's or Costco.'. The dining room was cramped, but had the meal been satisfying or even timely, I doubt we would have noticed. Our party supposed that the 'band', while good, was probably on the cooking/wait staff, as they stopped playing ~30 minutes before dinner and didn't begin again until ~5 minutes before our arrival at the dock. The bartender was helpful and friendly. Overall, this trip was HIGHLY overpriced. Our tips to the wait staff were more out of pity because we assumed they had little control over the circumstances. I would recommend a private boat tour or fishing trip coupled with dinner from a reputable restaurant in town for a comparable price and better experience. read more

DONT USE VACATIONS MADE EASY to book. They will not accommodate you if anything goes wrong and you need to reschedule. They will take your money!!!! Don't ever book this unless you know you will make it on time. We had a meeting than ran over and when we got to the place there was a line of people that didn't want to go and we watched the boat depart as we stood in line for our willcall tickets. ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!! read more

We specifically called and asked and were told this was "open bar" before purchasing tickets. Then upon arrival we're told that "open bar" means they have a bar. Food was terrible and not worth the money. We complained to management and nothing was done. Not worth the money! Eat somewhere else and do a different tour of the lake. read more

A cannot be missed experience to get out on the lake in the warmer months of the year. From the riverboat, you can enjoy all the natural splendor that Lake Tahoe offers, crystal blue waters that lead up to snow capped mountains, truly a magnificent sight that you will never forget. Make sure to bring your camera to capture all the magical moments at some of the most photographed locations in the United States. The boat will disembark from Zephyr Cove and traverse the entire width of the lake, doing a turnaround at Fannette Island Tea House just in front of Vikingsholm castle before exiting Emerald Bay and heading back to Zephyr. This was easily one of the highlights of our trip and gave us a new sense of appreciation for nature, we even saw an eagles nest! Make sure to dress in layers and check the weather forecast beforehand, at times there may be winds over the lake and it's help to have a windbreaker handy, or a hat and sunglasses when the sun is strong. read more

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Made reservations on June 15th for the dinner cruise on July 10th. Had to cancel the reservation. Cancelled on morning of June 16th. Unable to get full refund as they will give you a 100% gift certificate to be used within one year towards any packages they have on their list. The other option is they can only refund you 75% of what you paid. This is a very bad policy. I cannot and will not do business with companies that have this kind of policy. I should've read their policy regarding this. I know a lot of people don't, so please read it before placing any order. read more

The trip was very expensive for being a day trip. You have to pay $64 for trip then $10 for parking then you have to pay for food and drinks and $40 for photos like your at Great America. The cruise was not worth $64. The trip along the emerald bay was beautiful but still not worth all that money. For money I spent could have rented a boat gone the bay myself with friends. read more

This review is for the day cruises. I have not been on the dinner cruises, but I have been told by visitors and staff alike that it is not worth it. I have taken the day cruise to Emerald Bay and back twice and it is a fun experience if you know how to enjoy it. My tips would be to arrive early (they board 30 mins prior to sail away and you can line up about 15 mins before that). Arrive to find parking early (maybe an hour before sail away), use the restrooms near the parking lot, line up early, board early, and get a nice chair seat at the front of the ship in front of one of the speakers on the second or third deck. You will have a seat, a great view, and be able to hear the narration. The wind is often very strong and loud, and combined with most people not caring about and therefore chattering over the historical and informative narrations, you will never be able to hear it without your own private speaker in front of your face. The alternative to this strategy is to grab a seat inside where it will be quieter and you will be able to hear the information better, but the views and experience are not the same. Stick around in your seat/up on deck until after you have circled and exited Emerald Bay. At that point, feel free to get up and explore the ship on the ride back. Go see the gift shop and view the paddle wheel. Find a seat inside on the first deck near the front for a quick and easy exit. I do not recommend planning on this cruise to be a meal. There is food and snacks available on board, but you are better off planning around your lunch times and/or bringing your own snacks. The bar is expensive, but I do enjoy their drinks and I do recommend that as a little splurge to enjoy on the cruise. This 2 hour activity is totally worth the cost (there is also a senior discount which is nice if you qualify) if you have guests who may never visit Tahoe again and who also enjoy a good lake cruise with the added benefit of the narration. I don't mind doing it over and over. read more

Stick with the daytime cruises and skip the dinner/dance. My boyfriend and I took the Captain's Dinner Dance Cruise, and while the views were beautiful, as expected, the service and the food left much to be desired. There were two dinner seatings, so we waiting around for 20min just to get a table. When we finally ate, the salad was wilted/inedible and the meat was overcooked. Plus, the whole boat was filled with drunk people. Definitely not worth $75. Do the day cruise, save the extra $40 per person and go to a nice dinner someplace else! read more

We booked a sunset cruise and we were offered a shuttle ride from our hotel (Harvey's). They told us to be downstairs waiting for the shuttle at 5:30. By 6 pm the shuttle had still not shown up. We called and they couldn't find the shuttle driver. We literally waited an hour in the hot waiting area and when it got too late to catch the boat we called for a refund. Not only did they get snippy with us, they said it would take 7-10 days to get a refund. read more

Make sure you are over the age of 65 if you want to do this. One word describes it...BORING. I can't believe I spent 3 hours of my trip on this ship. The scenery is nice, but there are lots of better ways to see it here in Tahoe. The ship is jam packed with people like cattle and there isn't enough room for everyone to sit. It's also cold as you putz along for 3 hours. read more

I've only been on Ms.Dixie II's Emerald Bay runs. Just like her sister ship, the Tahoe Queen, Ms.Dixie is a Mississippi style paddle wheeler. The Two-hour Emerald Bay runs start off in Zephyr Cove, Nevada. Just like the Tahoe Queen, the Ms.Dixie II makes 2-3 Emerald Bay runs each day, depending on daylight. The tour is narrated the whole way, providing some of the same info the Tahoe Queen does, but it also has some other cool facts about Lake Tahoe. Hungry, thirsty, want to shop? No problem! The Ms.Dixie II has her own on board restaurant, a few bars on different levels, and a gift shop. You'd have to hate nature and/or water to not have fun on this cruse! If you liked the Tahoe Queen's run, you're gonna like this one too. I'd give the overall experience 99/100!! thanks for reading! read more

My wife and I chose to take the evening dinner cruise on a night with the full moon. The dinner was very nice, much better than what I've had on the Hornblower Cruises in San Francisco -- my Mahi Mahi was very fresh and delicious. We also wanted a bottle of wine and I was surprised to get an excellent Sterling Reserve Merlot for only $28. The entertainment was a very good 2-person band which played mostly tunes from the late 60's - early 70's. The evening cruise left around sunset and travelled to Emerald Bay and back. read more

Visited the Tahoe area the other day and planned a trip on the Dixie, definitely glad that we did! The cruise, dinner and the drummer and keyboard player were phenomenal! Great music, great food. Will definitely be back for another cruise. read more

Attended a wedding reception on the MS Dixie II. We boarded at 6:10pm. Other than the views being stunning, I was absolutely appalled by the experience! The wedding guests were told (and our tickets stated) we'd be seated at 6:30pm for dinner. We weren't seated until 8:30pm and didn't receive dinner until after 9pm--the time at which we were supposed to be docked. Keep in mind, there were many young children on board for this reception and snacks were not offered at any point for the delay in eating. We had three large tables reserved for 35 guests, and instead, wedding guests were mixed in with strangers and strangers were seated at our reserved tables. It was extremely crowded, so much that we were literally touching elbows, and large folks were hanging off the edge of the table and into the isle. The wedding photographer couldn't get any pictures due to the crowding. The custom menus indicated we were to have a champagne toast for the bride and groom--this was completely skipped. No one ever received champagne or a toast. How disappointing for the bride and groom to miss out on those photos! Our server apologized profusely--he was wonderful. He told us the boat overbooked 40-50 guests and that they've never had this happen before and suggested we file a formal complaint and request a refund. Each course was very rushed. Food was delicious, though my steak was not prepared as requested--medium rare was served well done. The captain's sister was aboard the boat and was belligerently drunk (before we even left the dock) flailing around telling male married wedding guests that she was going to "take them home tonight" and handing out free booze from behind the bar. Nobody managed her, and they bartender continued to serve her until we docked at 9:50pm. There was one bartender on board that couldn't keep up with the overall number of guests. I feel so disappointed for the bride and groom. This was an awful experience and as a result, many of their traditional, once in a lifetime photos were missed. Our 2 hour lake cruise ended up being 4 hours. Many guests had very upset children. read more

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I went online and was comparing prices of boat cruises and stumbled upon Ms. Dixie. It was $37 dollars and I thought it was a good deal thinking that lunch was included so I booked it. Then I realized in the fine print it didn't include a lunch like all the other cruises but too late to cancel. The food was average bar food which included fried foods and sandwiches. The scenic boat cruise was actually very pleasant especially on a nice day. It was a two hour boat cruise that went straight to Emerald Bay and back. There was 3 levels you can go on but the top was my favorite because it is outdoor. Pretty good experience but wished it included lunch. read more

A great scenic ride. Great photo opportunities. The food was great taking into consideration for how many people they have to serve. The service was excellent. I would recommend this anyone. You a lot of the lake you probably have never seen before. read more

If you don't get here at 529!! They will leave your ass!!! They don't wait for you at all. We got left on the dock Bastards....and the ladies on the phone don't know anything about the cruise because they are in Arizona!!! At least they refunded on our money. read more

My daughter and I took the dinner cruise and enjoyed it. The food was excellent, one of the best New York steaks I've ever had. The waitress was so personable and on top of everything. The music was a nice touch even if it was a couple of old dudes playing :-) The one band guy played at least 3 instruments as well as several types of guitars. He had a great personality and kept the music upbeat. The next time we come here we will take the sight seeing cruise since it was really too dark to see anything. read more

MS Dixie II - The sunset view as Ms. Dixie pulled onto the lake. - Boating Near Me - Zephyr Cove, Nevada

Very gentle and relaxing two hour cruise around the lake. Includes narration of very interesting facts regarding the lake. The only negative feature to report was the lack of shade while being outside. If they would install some type of awning or cover to provide some relief from the sun, this would easily be a five star event. read more

We took the 11AM two hour cruise and loved it. The boat goes across the lake to beautiful Emerald Bay. The employees were all super nice. There was a pre recorded narrative about the history of the lake and in between played music. We were lucky enough to sit right by one of the speakers so we could hear everything. The boat ride was just the right amount of time at 2 hours.  Though it was in the 80's it got windy which made it cold so check the weather and dress accordingly. There are 3 levels on the boat with outdoor and indoor seating (indoor seating has tables and chairs, outdoors has chairs only) For a Tuesday the boat was full. We sat outside at the back on the third level. They have food and a full bar.  $10.00 for parking and this includes use of Zephyr Cove Beach. They have a shuttle that picks you up at certain locations so check their website. They did offer a military discount. read more

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Loved this outing. I would highly recommend it. The bartender was very friendly and helpful on the third deck. It is absolutely beautiful and so relaxing. Probably the most difficult thing is finding parking, but if you tell them at the gate that you are there for the MS Dixie, they will let you in with the $10 parking fee. Sometimes the wi-fi goes out, so they may hold your credit card until they run your charges at the bar. Wi-Fi goes out in the middle of the lake. read more

We rode this boat yesterday. What a wonderful experience we had. It is a three story boat with a full bar. The view from this are truly amazing!! The live music was really pleasant. Our favorite part was the captain Jordan. He was super friendly and such a great guy! I would recommend this to anyone! read more

I'm stuck on this boat right now with a whole long hour left to go. (lasts 2.5 hrs) The excitement lasted about 30 min as I ate the good food and drank cocktails with my friends. However, once the buzz wore off and the food digested, I, along with everyone aboard the boat, suddenly got hit with the brutal reality that we were stuck here for a long time. The atmosphere shifted suddenly and everyone fell into a somewhat deep depression. Children starring blankly at ketchup bottles, adults checking watches. We are all trapped here, forced to do nothing but buy drinks and buy the photos that they took of you prior to boarding this floating trap. Not sure if the $50/person is worth it. Abandon ship. read more

We chose to go on the MS Dixie II for our wedding reception which included 17 people and were all so pleased. We did the 3 hour dinner and dance cruise around Emerald Bay. Each guest commented on what a hit the cruise was. The food was suprisingly delicious (despite serving 100+ total people) and hot. The service in the dining area was fabulous and they were sure to treat my husband and I extra nice on our special day. The full bar was very reasonable, quick, and made excellent drinks. The band was great and played a variety of danceable music. They graciously played a special song for our 1st dance as husband and wife. The scenery was breathtaking. Overall we are grateful for the beautiful memories the staff and MS Dixie II helped create. read more

I enjoyed the plain sightseeing cruise, but the other options are pathetic. We got all excited about the brunch cruise until we found out it is not every Sunday (as in the Sunday we are IN TAHOE) and doesn't go to Emerald Bay. That's the most beautiful part! read more

My wife and I took an afternoon trip on the MS Dixie II in late February and utilized a voucher from Amazon that reduced the cost to $24 from the usual $48. Parking is free in the Winter, but apparently not in the Summer. At $24 I have to say it was a great deal. At $48 it would have been an okay deal, but then I'm just a little frugal and I'm always looking for "a deal" or discount. We had great weather, little to no wind, and lots of sunshine. We went during the week so it was not crowded. The trip was pretty much as I've read in other four star reviews. Great viewing from the upper deck with 360 degree views of the Lake Tahoe area. We brought a sack lunch aboard so we didn't have to pay inflated concession prices, and were not challenged or told we couldn't bring outside food onboard. One reviewer noted that some of the speakers either didn't work or were set very low. We found this to be the case as well, but moved to locations where we could hear the speakers. Some groups were talking pretty loud, and over talked the commentary. That's more of a common courtesy issue though that seems to be more and more forgotten. One thing to note is that currently the lake level is so low that they can't cruise into Emerald Bay and up around Fannette Island. Instead, they cruise north on the eastern shoreline of Lake Tahoe for a bit to extend the cruise, and then cross over to the west side. When they get to Emerald Bay they just cruise past the mouth of the inlet and give you the opportunity to look into it from the outside and take a few photos. A little anticlimactic, but still a beautiful sight. That could change later in the year if the snow pack provides enough water to raise the lake level. It was an excellent experience that I would do again for $24. I understand that they're currently offering a Wednesday evening cruise with a drink for $10. I didn't see it on their website, but a flier was posted at their kiosk with the special. Even better! read more

The views are beautiful. However, the boat is overcrowded and lacking adequate bathrooms for the amount of people allowed to purchase tickets (at $50 each). The boat is also not cleaned during the cruise, and by the end of the trip is filthy. read more

They overbook the boat and there were no seats for me, my husband and my baby. It's a straight shot to emerald cove, turn around and come back. It was not worth the money. I couldn't hear the narrator at all because there were so many people. It really didn't provide a different point of view of Tahoe. We didn't see anything that you can't see from the highway. We were pretty bored. If you have lots of time and money, you could choose to blow it on this excursion. But if either are in short supply I would skip this lame tour. read more

The perfect way to see Lake Tahoe! All crew members are pleasant and accommodating. We had a beautiful, sunny day. This was one of the highlights of our trip. read more

My wife an I really enjoyed this cruise on Lake Tahoe. Like other Yelpers have said there are 3 levels on the boat and there seemed to be good seating on every level. Mostly I stayed on the top level for views but even the bottom level has an up close view of the paddle wheel which is interesting. I thought the narration which comes through many different speakers was interesting and not intrusive. This was a nice way to spend nice relaxing time at Lake Tahoe not just gambling. It is far easier to enjoy views around the lake on the boat instead of negotiating hairpin turns on the highway. read more

This is either a dishonest company or they are completely disorganized. We bought tickets for our family, and then THEY cancelled the trip because of high wind before we ever left dock. They assured me that our tickets would be refunded to our credit card. I made several calls when this did not happen, and they kept telling me please wait 7-10 days and you'll see a reversal. I then had to issue a charge back on my credit card because nothing ever showed up after repeat calls. Then they actually challenged my charge back, and the saga continues. read more

If you want to cruise Lake Tahoe on a Mississippi paddle-wheeler, you have two choices(why should there be any choices?). The MS Dixie II out of Zephyr Cove and the Tahoe Queen in SLT. I would have to point you and your great aunt from Wichita to the Dixie, as she is newer, larger, has a glass bottom (really a 4x4 window) and screens a cheesier video presentation. I also find the Polish exchange workers slinging Coronas and candy to be far superior to those on the Queen (F-ing Krakow girls). Both offer dinner dance cruises, Sunday brunch cruises and the like, and they share the same ultimate west side destination, Emerald Bay. Last but not least, The Dixie has nicer restrooms with wallpaper no less. Big wheel keep on turnin'... read more

Booked the dinner cruise and fireworks show for the 4th of July 2 months in advance over the phone. We showed up for the cruise an hour before sail time and they told us the cruise was canceled and that we should have received a phone call from the reservations department. Well, we didn't received phone call. We had no back up plans for the 4th in Lake Tahoe, no dinner or fire works to have or watch. This company ruined our 4th. I would never go back to this cruise or use any of its company offerings. I recommend going through another Tahoe cruise company, this one is too risky. read more

This is a fun enough, touristy thing to do while you're in Lake Tahoe. Certainly do it once and if you liked it better than me, you can do it again on another visit. The cruise is really quite nice. The ship is very stable and the ride is smooth. The views from the lake are spectacular and in particular when the ship is in Emerald Bay you understand what you've paid for. Drinks from the bar are pricey for what you get, but you're out on the lake drinking, and you're on vacation, so pay up and drink up. You should have known they were going to be expensive going in and if you're going to cheap out over a pricey cocktail on a dinner cruise, then a dinner cruise isn't a good idea for you in the first place. With that said, dinner and drinks on their own would not have been worth it for the price. Go into the cruise expecting only average food and average service. We ordered gin and tonics with our dinner -- they were a long time getting them back from the bar, and the tonic water had run out, resulting in a drink better described as "gin and club soda," which cocktail aficionados will notice is not in the usual lexicon of adult beverages. The staff was nice and offered replacement drinks but they didn't really solve the problem the second time around, either. We had a split decision on the food. My chicken was very, very salty, and then it was dressed with capers. It was almost inedible from the overwhelming salt flavor. But my wife ordered the salmon, and that was nicely done -- flavorful and moist. The vegetables and starches that came along with the meats were good. The dessert was a chocolate mousse cake that was perhaps over-sweet but still quite delicious. And large -- neither my wife nor I could finish our desserts. The whole cruise is a bit over three hours. Dinner is served in two seatings. Dancing to live music is on the middle deck starting about halfway through the second dinner seating. I hope that when you take your cruise, your live music is a better singer than we got -- he found a way to water all the life and joy out of classic rock standards and wasn't on key all the time, but enough people were drinking enough that they didn't seem much to care. Also I noticed that the crowd on the ship tended to be retirement age or older, although that may have been the time of year we were there and the fact that a large tour group of people "of a certain age" had booked about half the spots on the board. Again, nothing wrong with it but do be aware that this is what you're likely to encounter -- if you're looking for lots of young single people you're probably better off in the casinos. This is just a different experience than that. In some cruises in the summertime, they have "Mark Twain" circulating amongst the guests, telling tall tales. We didn't get that, although I'm sure it's charming and fun if you're fortunate enough to have a cruise with him. Pro-tip: a lot of places like resorts and casinos will sell you tickets from their concierge desks. What they sell you is the price of admission and they give you a boarding slip. When you arrive at the dock, you need to exchange that for a boarding pass. That is only done at the ticket counter at Zephyr Cove. Get in line right away when you arrive. Parking is $8 at the Zephyr Cove resort. read more

Its a little slow and not-so-exciting cruise with not much entertainment aboard and for the price they charge. We'd have rather been on a gondola ride. However, the restrooms were clean. Not much space in the restaurant space if you're too bored/feeling hot/cold on the top deck. read more

If you are not under 50 this is not for you. Felt trapped. Band was okay but not our style of music. Food was horrible. Service was good but so not what we wanted in a dinner cruise. read more

I got a Living Social deal for $24, otherwise it would have been $49. It is a 2-hour cruise that goes around Lake Tahoe then to Emerald Bay. Lunch is available in the ship for additional cost. I had spicy chicken wings and hot coco. The wings were good, and cooked right. The prices are of course inflated but that is to be expected so I'm not going to complain about that. The experience was great, the views are beautiful. The servers in the lunch area were friendly, and they do greet you and served with a smile. I would love to do this cruise again on a warm weather because end of March is just BRRR!!! I'm sure they won't have LS deals during Summer so I just have to wrap my head around paying $49 next time. Tip: They offer a season pass for $98, and if you want to do a dinner cruise then it is only a $20 upgrade. read more

Perfect for family visit. The kids can go all over the deck, in or out without getting bored.

What a waste of time and money ! Could't hear the naration , boat didn't stop anywhere...Take you car and drive to Emerald Bay State Park for much better views. Park at the Visitor Center for 10$/ day and go .down on Vikingsholm trail, for about 1 mile, easy trail. Beautiful trails ,plus you see very close the lower part of the Eagle Fall. Leave your car in the same parking lot and walk 1/4 mile back on the 89 road to see the Eagle Fall upper part. You can spend the whole day on the beach .Stunning views of Emerald Bay !!! Also you can rent a kayak and visit the island...and still spend less than the cruise ! read more

MS Dixie II - Boating Near Me - Zephyr Cove, Nevada