Took a brunch cruise (found off of Groupon) on a Sunday morning with some friends who were visiting us in the area. The previous day was spend in the downtown area, so this trip provided a nice alternative view of the area. The two hour duration was a perfect length, although I am sure we could have spent an additional hour just looking at the shore from the boat. Their food was above average and we all walked away quite stuffed (French toast was my favorite!). The staff, from the captain or the bartender was very pleasant and was very hospitable. A few tips: 1) when they say "champaign brunch" they do give you champaign but it is only half of a small glass when you arrive. Any other drinks (other than coffee) are additional cost. 2)when they ask you if you want to pay extra for a guaranteed window table note that in most of their ships about 3/4 or more are already window seats--and the ones that aren't are no more than 10 feet from one. You way want to pay the extra but your odds are pretty good if you don't. 3) the bottom floor where they did the 'made to order' omelets got quite hot and smokey---you may want to ask if you can have a table upstairs instead. I feel it's a better view anyways. read more

I've been on their cruises on two different occasions now, and it's consistently a 5 star experience. Both times I've purchased groupons, and made reservations weeks in advance (especially for holidays this books up really fast). The first time I went my mom was visiting from out of town, and I wanted us to do something fun for Easter brunch, as well as do something to show her the city - this was the perfect combination of both! What was such a pleasant surprise was that the food was much better than I expected. Because of the price (without the groupon: ~$60 per person, with groupon: ~30-35 per person), I was half expecting to be paying for just the experience and mediocre food, but the food was actually very excellent! Plus it's all you can eat, so you can really fill up as much as you want. There's croissants, pastries, salads, potatoes, bacon, french toast, and an omelette station where the chefs can prepare your omelette with salmon, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, goat/reg cheese, etc. There's also a full bar on the upper level of the deck serving mimosas, bloody mary's, etc if you fancy yourself a drink! Each time I've gone for brunch we sat on the lower deck - next time I think I might request the upper deck, but it does seem like it might be for larger parties (there was actually a little girl's birthday being celebrated with her family up there). Another thing: when you're making the reservations they'll ask you if you want to pay extra to guarantee a window seat - I have not done this either time, but merely in the comments sections requested a window table, and have gotten it both times! Just FYI :) I also loved that the Captain pointed out landmarks (i.e. Bill Gates' house) while we were cruising, and made a point to mention when you could see Mt. Rainier and the Space Needle so you could go out on the decks and take photos. Really great experience, I can't wait to go again! read more

Waterways Cruises - Brunch cruising! - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

We are locals and took our long awaited dinner cruise on 6/24. The weather and scenery were lovely. The dining room was clean and nicely appointed. Definitely don't expect high end food though. I paid an extra $30 for the sirloin steak offering. It arrived overcooked to medium-well and was rather tough. The mixed vegetables were also overcooked to the point of being mushy and unappetizing looking. My wife had the salmon which was also very overdone and the mushy veggies. The small dinner salads and cheesecake were very good. We paid for a bottle of sparkling wine which arrived room temperature in a bucket with practically no ice. We asked for more ice, and it took 30 minutes to chill. Meanwhile, we ordered cocktails which were made well both took 30 minutes to arrive. Our servers were very nice. We'll give them another try maybe in the fall. read more

The first time I took the cruise was a dinner cruise, and I really enjoyed it. It was perfect weather, and a great atmosphere. Great dinner for special occasions, or just for any get-together. The dinner tasted great. We had a good time, so decided to try the BBQ cruise. Something had gone wrong with their system because a lot of our tickets that we had purchased wasn't showing up, so they were overbooked. They offered some people a chance to come another day instead, so luckily, we ended up having a table. Again, food was good. The tour was the same, but this time I got seasick, so my cruise wasn't enjoyable as the first time. Had to get me an adult beverage, just to confuse myself from what was really making me dizzy...but would definitely take the cruise again, and maybe take some motion sickness pills before hand. read more

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I took five people to celebrate and we had the time of our lives. The only complaint was that I ate too much of the buffet and dessert buffet but that was my bad. We were surprised that the food was quite good for being on a boat. They also served us a nice plates and flatware and glasses which added to the experience. The crew took amazing care of us. Erica was especially outgoing and helpful. We all agreed we can't wait to do the next waterways event. We did the Sunday supper cruise. We want to try all the others especially the Sunday brunch cruise. We appreciated the free parking near where we boarded in there a lot too. read more

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I took my hubby for his birthday. I paid the extra to sit up top and with a window seat which to me was worth every single cent. We had a fantastic waitress and the bartender ,Brandy was wonderful made good strong drinks without going overboard. The captain was informative without interrupting a lot of your dinner time the cruise was wonderful even though it was raining I would definitely do this again. read more

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We've been on a cruise with Waterways several times and it's always been a very nice experience. Let's be reasonable, it's a cruise first, a meal opportunity second. Either departure provides roughly the same tour and the two main boats have full bars upstairs. Though no fault of the company, the wailing brats people seem to insist bringing aboard are a real detraction. Can't we use the little snot-bubble blowers at ballast or bumpers or something? It would be really nice if there was a booking option for adults-only on the top deck. Better yet, just make the boats 21+ so the rest of us can have an enjoyable experience. The only people who think your wailing brats are cute are you. read more

Waterways Cruises - Carol ships cruise! - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I am the laziest person when it comes to leaving reviews, but we just came back kfrom our brunch cruise today and could not rave enough about our experience. We were so bummed we didn't have enough cash to leave a tip for the wonderful crew, that we tried going back after grabbing more cash from the car, but the ship already pulled away! The crew, especially the two ladies that waited on our table, were so nice and helpful especially with entertaining our very noisy and messy toddler. The captain was also very "punny" during his tour sailing by Medina. And the food was all around amazing!! There was food for everyone with lots of variety. I'm excited to go back and book another ruise with them. read more

If you have a special occasion or out of town guests to show around town, I would recommend a Waterways Cruise. My hubby and I took the Two Lakes Cruise in July and had a wonderful time. We boarded at the north part of Lake Union and sailed to Lake Washington. The cruise was two hours which was enough time to sail past Bill Gates' home and sail back to Lake Union to pass by the "Sleepless in Seattle" boathouse. I liked that they didn't have the tables set too close to other guests and that it did not have a cruise ship feel to it. It was a beautiful sunny day so we enjoyed the sail mainly out on the deck upstairs. The restroom is also nice and clean. There was a buffet and we helped ourselves to seasonal fruits and veggies, rolls with herbed butter and the mains were wild mushroom lasanga, baked salmon with spinach and baked chicken breast. The food was really tasty. There was dessert, which included Tiramisu and cheesecake, and coffee. There was also a bar if you cared for alcoholic beverages. They would add it to your bill if you had not bought your beverages ahead of time. They do not take cash so you will be paying your bill with a credit card at the end of the cruise. I had bought the tickets with an Amazon deal so it was half price. My hubby and I had a great time and we are thinking about doing another cruise sometime even without an online deal. read more

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We had a wonderful time on the Two Lakes Cruise tour. We got a Living Social deal, but I think the full price would be worth it too. First, you go to the "homeport" which is in the Northlake area (near Ivar's Salmon House). How great to be in this out of the way area with plenty of parking rather than some crazy downtown tourist area (and close to Ivar's for fish afterward). The accommodations were really comfortable - nice tables with tablecloths and flowers, complimentary ice tea, hot tea or coffee (and the coffee was good) even though this was not a dinner cruise. There were a few snacks, hot dogs, and beer, wine and cocktails for sale as well. We just had some cookies, which were good. The food prices were a little high but not as bad as I thought they would be considering they had a captive audience. They were comparable to many average-to-nice lunch places or bars in Seattle. I posted some photos of the menu. All the tables had a great view. There was also generous outside space for hanging outside while the cruise was underway. The captain explained the sites while were were going by, and there was music playing when he wasn't talking. It was a fun, upscale/casual atmosphere. Also, the bartenders were really cute! (if you were looking, which I wasn't, being a married lady). I live in Seattle and often have opportunities to take visitors on tourist adventures. Even though this time we were not tourists, it felt just special and different enough so that we had a great time, and I definitely would take my visitors on this cruise even for full price. I think it would be great for anyone, but especially good if you have an adult family group. read more

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Loved the experience of a dinner cruise. I went on the sunset dinner cruise. One huge disappointment is that a sunset dinner cruise in feb will be lacking the sunset. When I got on the cruise it was already dark and we missed the sunset. We were unable to see anything outside it was just pitch black. The four course meal was so absolutely delicious. I thought it was worth the price. The service was great as well. Also in the winter months the boat is cold. Dress appropriately. They have small heaters on the boat but I found myself still chilly. Overall loved the food, service, and a dinner on a boat is fun. Next time I will go during the summer read more

Waterways Cruises - The salmon - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My husband and I booked a dinner cruise for our anniversary, it was amazing. We did the upgraded package with a bottle of champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and rose petals. It was so worth it. The soap and salad were great, grilled chicken was nice, and creme brulee was amazing. All and all we had a great time, we will definitely be back. read more

Waterways Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I called Waterways in October of 2022 to book a private cruise for my wedding anniversary in January of 2023. I put the deposit down, solidified the guest list and menu. All throughout this process Waterways was very unresponsive whenever I'd call or email with questions or needed to make minor changes. 3 1/2 weeks before my event they called me to tell me that they're sorry but they were unable to host my event because they shut all the vessels down for routine maintenance and upgrades in January. Since this regularly occurs every January I'm confused as to why they went through this whole process and waited so late in the game to tell me. They told me they were going to refund my whole deposit in December (Monday the 12th) and here it is Saturday the 17th and I have not received my refund yet. They didn't even offer me as much as a Starbucks gift card for this monumental blunder on their part. I do not recommend their services and they are very unresponsive and very unprofessional. Thanks for ruining what was going to be a special day for my wife and I and our guest. read more

Sunday brunch: good food, entertaining cruise. Had good time on Sunday brunch cruise. Thick sliced bacon, poached eggs, hot smoked salmon, awesome asparagus, salad, mini pancakes. Caffe Vita coffee. Captain pointed out the major sights though I had a hard time hearing when outside taking pictures. Seems like lots of discounts on local savings sites as well as their own website. read more

We loved our brunch cruise! The best way to take in the beauty of Seattle is from the water. The food was delicious and they had plenty of vegetarian options to satisfy. The blueberry coffee bread with hot tea was perfect for a finish. The staff was very welcoming and friendly throughout the whole experience. My only complaint was the coffee grounds in every cup of coffee. read more

Waterways Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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My Partner and I visited Seattle in February & had our valentine dinner with this cruise! It was the highlight of our trip! We decided to not get the tables near the windows and opted for the center because I get cold fairly easily. We booked online, chose our meals, and added extras through their site which was easy to navigate. No problems occurred only when our uber driver refused to drive us closer to the docks because it looked restricted. But overall presentation was perfect, food was delicious! We had a great time and would definitely come back to try out their brunch cruise! read more

Waterways Cruises - Dessert & Sparkling cider! - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Took my parents and my sister to the waterways brunch buffet and scenic cruise today. I was able to get 2 groupons at $55 each and each party is allowed to use 2 groupons which worked out perfect for us. Groupon did not include tax and fees so when you're registering, you will need to pay additional fee. All together, I paid $110 for Groupon + $220 for 2 more adults brunch + tax and fee on 4 people + 2 house alcoholic beverages. 4 people came out to be $330. Now, is it worth the money? Food wise, it was meh. Brunch buffet included salad, muffin/pound cake/croissant, French toasts (syrup, whipped cream and strawberry sauce available), roasted potato, bacon, mac and cheese, an made to order omelette station. Very much like a nicer hotel breakfast buffet. Nothing particularly special, and if you don't eat pork, there aren't other meat options. However, the scenic tour was spectacular. We went on lake Washington and lake union, I would say we spent about an hour on each. It was AMAZING! I mean, it's Seattle, do I need to say more? It's naturally beautiful, even on a cold February Saturday. The captain also at times talked about history and facts on our surroundings. We also got to see Bill Gates's house! We absolutely enjoyed the tour! Overall, it was money well spent. But for $88 at regular price per person, food can be better. If they had better ingredients, I'd totally give 5 stars. For now, I'd recommend getting groupons for it. You won't be disappointed! read more

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My wife and family used to make it a practice of taking a break from cooking during the Thanksgiving Holiday at least once every three years, it's been nearly six years since we did a Thanksgiving Dinner Cruise and this year we chose to go on Waterways Cruises offering, and boy were we pleased. The boat departs from their own docks nearby off of Northlake Way in Seattle, they have some private parking available if you arrive early and some street parking for those that arriver later. The ship leaves twice a day, once in the early afternoon and then again at 5:00PM for the sundown dinner. We were blessed this year with excellent, dry and cold Seattle weather and a breathtaking sundown to depart port. We were offered freshly chilled champagne at tableside upon arrival and then mixed drinks from the bar afterward. Dinner came about 40 minutes into the cruise and was served buffet-style, with such a small dinner seating (perhaps only 70 folks onboard) serving yourself was very easy and the stock of food offerings were plentiful, hot and exceptionally well prepared. I was really delighted by the quality of the meal, the turkey was properly prepared and served as white-meat only slices (sure to please most everyone) the mashed potatoes and turkey stuffing was perfect and the other side dishes rounded out the traditional plate handsomely. They also had carved to order roasted prime rib which I found delicious and perfectly prepared (in-fact, amazingly well prepared considering nothing is cooked on board.) The service and hospitality was terrific and the pace of the evening was pleasingly slow and enjoyably festive yet subdued. The boat ride was marvelous, we left the dock and headed under the Montlake Bridge into the calm waters of Lake Washington for a while then the Captain turned about and headed back into Lake Union for a beautiful circuit to see the lights and beauty of Seattle. We went further down toward the commercial fisheries docks and got to see all of the Alaska bound crab fishing fleet so familiar to TV viewers of "Deadliest Catch." Our evening ended with a glorious dessert of three different holiday inspired pies and after dinner drinks. We arrived at our dock ontime, satiated and full of the holiday spirit/s (ha-ha) Unquestionably a lovely way to spend a holiday evening if you do not wish to cook or would like to break from tradition and simply enjoy yourself like royalty (at a very reasonable price as well.) - a totally wonderful experience. read more

My husband and I went on a dinner cruise this past weekend and we were a bit disappointed but we managed to laugh about it all. The windows on the upper deck where our table was located were fogged over the entire trip and we couldn't even see out of them/had to keep wiping them down. What's the point of a cruise if you can't even see out the window? The cruise was advertised as "captain narrated" however our captain only pointed out MAYBE 3 attractions. The music they were playing included ads-we had to listed to advertisements for McDonald's, local TV programs, etc. while trying to enjoy our meal. I ordered the salmon and it was tragically overcooked and the apple caramel cheesecake for dessert tasted artificial and not fresh at all. While the staff was friendly, they didn't check to see how we liked our meal nor checked to see if we would like more drinks-had to walk up to the bar every time. The interior was pretty outdated, the vents in the bathroom had about an inch of dust buildup, and the men's bathroom sink was broken. For paying nearly $300 for this experience, I would say this company needs some real areas of improvement. read more

I went back a few months after this review and everything turned out great. We went for our anniversary and had a blast. Thank you to all the crew and staff. We can't wait to go back again soon. read more

I was surprised for my birthday with a sunset dinner cruise. There is parking but it is limited so arrive early. We boarded the Emerald Star. We departed 5 min early which was nice. We went out on lake Washington over to the rich Real Estate. Saw some beautiful home and excentric homes. The food. Hubby sprung for the shrimp cocktail. The cocktail sauce was good. The shrimp was good but clearly from Frozen bag and defrosted. The rolls we're good, the butter was infused with herbs. The soup course was really a disappointment. Tortilla soup? Flavorless, needed salt, soggy as hell, it looked like the same stuff you get at Costco that you rehydrate. The salad was spring lettuce, strawberries, parmesan shavings and almonds. My salad had very little dressing. Again it was blah. Dinner was Salmon with pasta pearls and capers and a glaze that had a hint of garlic. There was a lot of red onion and other items on my plate wasn't sure if it was garnish or not. Hubby had the filet mignon with fingerling potatoes and it had plumbs or figs on it. It was cooked well. We enjoyed coffee from the coffee station, a drink each from the bar. (This you can purchase directly from the boat) Dessert was Cheesecake. Mine was partially frozen. Staff was very nice. First Star, for Captin Larry Director David, and the bar tender. Star two is for the boat and it's Cleanliness. Star three is for the views and experience. Minus one Star...soup course. Clam Chowder would be nice we are in the Pacific Northwest. And no salt was on our table. Salad was sans Dressing. And the Red Onion, it is a romantic dinner, the last thing I want is onion breath. And my Cheesecake was half frozen. Minus one more star for Nathan our server. I had to get my water refilled at the bar because he was nowhere in site. I asked for salt didn't get it till halfway through our meal. Cute kid but not a great server yet. So in end..go for the views and experience. Not the food. read more

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I love Waterways. My friends and I come from out of state and each year in November we make the trip to Seattle to all catch up and spend a weekend together. Part of this tradition is going to Waterways Cruises! We've done both the brunch cruise and the dinner cruise with beer tasting. Both were such a fun experience, great staff, beautiful views, and delicious food! 10/10 would recommend. read more

Waterways Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I am relatively new to the Seattle area and came across Waterways Cruises when searching for ways to surprise my husband for his birthday. It was a wine tasting cruise with a local vintner. I got the package which added balloons, cake, and champagne. He was beyond surprised and said it was an amazing experience. The staff was wonderful and the food pairing was delicious. I'm looking forward to our next cruise. read more

Waterways Cruises - Birthday cruise - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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New Years Eve Night! Soo much fun we were on one of the larger ships which had a bar and dance area upstairs and tables and pretty ample seating down stairs. 3-hour cruise around the water ways at night, good small dishes were served, seafood, prime rib sliders then desserts, all really good. My wife and I sat at a table with two other couples but most people were there for a good time and it made the evening that much better. I know deals come around from you me to time and it's not cheap but it was fun and I would checkout the brunch that I have been reading so much about. read more

Waterways Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I bought the tickets off of groupon, and thought it was a great deal. We did the Seattle dinner cruise around lake union and a little bit of lake Washington. They start by serving you complimentary champagne, and bread, and the usual salad, main, and dessert. I was very impressed at the amount and quality of the food served. Everything was delicious and well made. Definitely pay the extra $20 for a window seat, it is well worth the view. We went during the winter so the sun had already set, so the Seattle downtown skyline from lake union was beautiful. An excellent choice for any special occasion! read more

Attended a friend's surprise birthday party for a Sunday Supper Cruise. Everything was planned perfectly and the food was above our high expectations. Wish it could have been longer, but time flies when you're having fun! read more

There weren't enough reviews on the Sunday Supper so here is one now! This was such a lovely experience! Obviously things were a little different because of COVID, but they did such a wonderful job with their precautions. Took my best friend for her birthday and this was definitely all about the experience. The tour on Lake Washington/Lake Union was absolutely beautiful. Killer views of the Seattle skyline!! Also fun to hear / learn things along the way from the captain. The food wasn't exquisite, but like I said this was all about the experience. The staff was beyond friendly! Extraordinarily accommodating. One of the servers even tracked me down to hand me my sweater which I had left behind. And a special shoutout to Courtney, the Cruise & Guest Experience Manager, who was so kind in working with me to sort out details prior to and even after the cruise. Overall, I would highly recommend!! read more

We recently went to a Sunday Super Cruise and had a horrible experience. When we got there, the schedule board was showing day before's schedule so we were confused on the exact schedule. We waited in the outside table and the crew came out and let us in to the boat 5 minutes late on schedule. The cruise was smaller than we expected, and it sailed almost 10minutes late on schedule, but came back earlier than scheduled. The dining started almost immediately we took off but the ship was shaking too much so our couple couldnt enjoy the dinner. Food was ok, but very limited selection with different menus from what we saw when we made our resevation. Felt like we wasted a good sunny day on a small boat. I would not recommend this cruise. read more

I came here a few years ago for a valentines dinner and was pleasantly surprised with the view, dinner, and staff. I enjoyed it so much I gift it recently for a birthday present to my cousin! Would totally do this again. read more

We had such a great time on the brunch cruise although it was raining and quite cold out.The food was fresh and the servers were friendly.Although we weren't seated near the window(that costs an additional 20 bucks)the views were very visible coz no seat in the boat is too far away from the window and we explored the entire boat and took some great pictures.The upper deck seemed to have the families with children while the lower one had all the couples and other adult groups.I am not sure if that was on purpose.We were given a glass of champagne and could open a tab at the bar too for some reasonably priced yummy drinks.There was some delicious French toast and an exceptional omelette bar.The fruit too was sweet and freshly cut.All in all,it was a nice relaxing brunch on a boat.We would do it again but next time,maybe opt for a window seat. read more

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Waterways cruises continues to break the law on Lake Washington by navigating their vessels inside the buoys at well over the 7 know speed limit. They should be ashamed of themselves as the buoys are there to protect swimmers and those in small vessels such as paddleboards and kayaks. It is UNSAFE and ILLEGAL for their boats to travel as they do at 10-15 knots inside of these buoys. If Waterways can't follow these simple safety rules, what other safety rules are they not following? I do not trust them. We have called them multiple times to report this but the behavior doesn't change and next I will contact Harbor Patrol. read more

Pros: great for corporate events, delicious food, tour is awesome. Cons: horrible and absolutely incompetent service. They should select better servers, who treat the customers with respect, if they want to be called a luxurious cruise service. Unfortunately I didn't catch the guys name, who served our table, but the initials on receipt are ES. He basically embarrassed me in front of my colleagues and everyone at the table thought his behavior was just outrageous. We even thought he was drunk or high. It was a corporate party and everyone at the table ordered a Coke, and I don't drink soda so I picked a non-alcoholic beverages from the menu on the table and he was like which one did you want and re-asked me like 3 times. And later in the end, he brought me a check and said that those kind of drinks were not included in the corporate contract and I paid it. But why didn't he tell me that, when I was ordering it, in respectful manner, like no problem, mam, but it will be extra. I felt like he purposely hid that from me. I was really offended by his attitude. read more

PSA!!!! The one star should really go to their webpage designer since my expectation was drastically different from reality with this one. I had done a Hornblower dinner cruise in San Diego years ago and had the most amazing time I was really hoping that they would be relatively similar. 1) Upon arrival we were maybe ten minutes early from the stated boarding time. The employee in the entry way was a total jerk! He asked if we part of private party and when we said we weren't he just said you board at six curtly and turned away. Umm ok. 2) Just a recommendation dress casually. Dress code isn't listed but their website gave me the impression this was a classier event so we dressed up. Pretty much everyone was just in jeans. 3) After being seated we were greeted by our waitress, I honestly think the woman was high she was so out of it. At one point she was literally staring at our water glasses like she was genuinely confused by whether she should fill them or not (I was drinking red wine so water looks slightly different). Fills my fiancé's and leaves mine empty. She also dumped a glass of champagne on a guest behind us soaking him and shattering the glass. We were still on the dock. She was like that all night and basically useless. In the hours on the boat we saw her maybe twice, the manager actually brought drinks at one point. 4)HUGE MISCONCEPTION: Nowhere on the site or the email does it give the impression you will be eating a buffet dinner. But yet, they we were disappointed by not only the blatant misconception but the line that then formed around our table. 5) The food was honestly terrible. I tried a little bit of everything nothing was worth the price tag or even looked remotely like the photos on their page. 6) We paid for the holiday parade of lights upgrade but at one point they were saying we might not even leave the dock. That would have been ok to deal with if their other boat didn't leave right before they said that. But we did eventually leave the dock just for the windows to fog to the point of not actually being able to see anything. We watched everyone with a window seat repeatedly wipe their windows to try and get a glimpse through them. Also the website discusses the captain narrating. Doesn't happen. 7) Salt in wound to make this failed first anniversary dinner better. The last hour this terrible smell started lingering, not really sure if it was the kitchen or the bathroom because they are both very near the tables but it definitely just capitalized my disappointment. Overall I would not recommend to anyone but would warn all that the experience created on the website is grossly misleading. read more

What a treat! My boyfriend and I took a super-duper ultra romantical trip on a Waterways cruise recently. There are two routes to take and we opted for the Renton route. It was a gorgeous sunny day, lucky us! As we boarded the boat we were greeted with champagne and seated at our table for two. The price of the ticket includes an appetizer, a full meal, and dessert. Initially it seems a little steep, but I kid you not, the food was AWESOME! I ordered the steak and was really happy with how it was cooked. During the tour the captain put the boat on autopilot a few times and actually came down to speak with everyone dining. It was a really personal. really friendly experience. As the boat drove up along Lake Washington we got to oooh and ahhh at all of the massive waterfront homes. In fact, we saw a number of celebrity homes! It was thoroughly fascinating. Did you know the man who was responsible for Windows 2000 has 2000 windows in his home?! You get to see it on this tour too. Truly nuts. We even saw a home of a man so wealthy that he owns a REAL skeleton of a T-rex. You can SEE it through the windows of his house! Paul Allen's home was visible, Bill Gates', the McCaw residence, and many others. Instead of being strictly a boat cruise, we enjoyed views of the water, of some local parks, and some homes that are otherwise totally hidden from public view. I had a great time and fully intend to take friends from out of town on this tour as it's a great way to show them just how beautiful WA state really is. read more

My friend and I did a bingo brunch on a Wednesday on the Emerald Star for her birthday and it was the best decision ever! The experience is totally worth the $50. The staff were amazing and the 2 hour tour is just perfect. For the first hour, you are just taking in the views and eating your brunch and sipping on some champagne if you would like. Right when you get on board your table has some pastries and they shortly follow it up with a small salad. The main course was a quiche with some bacon. And the dessert was a parfait that was a bit forgettable and large to be honest, but still good. The last hour you play bingo for prizes and it is vey lighthearted and fun. The main reason we had such a great time was because of the staff. Captain Larry gave us a great tour of Seattle and the Manager Jeff was super friendly and accommodating. I would recommend this to anyone visiting the area! read more

Waterways Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Purchased two NYE dinner packages prior to the state dine-in restrictions. I spent $586.30 to surprise my partner on Christmas with this gift. When the company canceled the NYE Cruises they refused to refund me my money though I asked twice for a refund so I could buy my partner a new gift since that was a lot of money I lost. Instead they emailed me a crappy gift certificate for $550 and said they were "unable" to refund my money because "the fine print said no refunds on cancellations". Yes, if I had canceled I would understand the risk of no refund but why would I or anyone want a gift certificate for such a large amount of money knowing that was priced for a special event? They basically made their own rules to keep my hard-earned money and then shorted me $36.30 "for booking fees" on top of everything else. I'm pretty disgusted with this company and their dishonesty. They think it's okay to keep close to $600 because they claim they can't refund me my money. Give me a break! read more

I randomly saw the bingo brunch cruise and decided to book this for my husband and my mom to celebrate my birthday. We loved it! It exceeded our expectations to be honest, and we were also satisfied with the food and service. I just might suggest that they announce over intercom when they are serving the next course because we were out on the deck at one point. We thought we'd be late but made it right on time. It was a smooth ride and great tour. I wanted soooo badly to win at bingo but I didn't... looks like we'll have to try again. read more

It's not for everyone, let's just say that first. I participated as part of a "Groupon" and for $50 -- we got the $50 experience. I work in customer service and so I am very patient and understanding of those who work in it. They definitely try and sell you on alcohol while on this cruise, beware! They asked us 15 times (we counted) if we wanted an alcoholic beverage, we politely declined. They were very polite when they asked us, so I was never bothered by it. However I can imagine some people would probably get really angry by feeling pressured. I confirmed our reservations a week out and then I also confirmed our reservation the day of and they STILL didn't have our reservation when we got there. They were polite about it, but still it was unprofessional. They didn't have our food choices either, so that took a little bit longer to get the right meal. Lastly, make sure you REQUEST a window table -- don't assume that you will get one. Overall, good experience, however I would not recommend paying more than $50 for it. read more

A major disappointment. I bought two tickets ($130+) to go on the Halloween cruise with my husband. We were looking for something that did not include bar hopping or lots of alcohol and thought this looked fun, sophisticated and entertaining. Wrong on all parts. There were between 75 and 100 guests on a rather small ship. On the first floor was a small dance floor, about 5 tables and 20-30 chairs. The second floor was the bar and had two tables and about 10 chairs. You might already see the problem. Where the heck was everyone supposed to sit? Oh yeah, you weren't! For a three hour cruise we stood for 2 hours before we were actually able to snag a seat had after that we didn't dare move because we knew we would lose them. Yeah there were some chairs and tables outside on the deck but it was cold, windy, wet and rainy. No thanks. The food was not at all what I expected. Basically they ran out. There wasn't enough for everyone (just like the chairs). The only free drinks were coffee and water. The coffee was good except there were no stirrers or spoons or plates to set you cup on. The other thing was that there was no visible trash. Many people were looking for places to dispose of sugar packets, napkins or dirty cups and plates. We obviously didn't want to leave then on tables that we weren't sitting at so the alternative was that people were putting them on the snack table and coffee table. I saw one person grab a used cup from the coffee table before realizing it was dirty. Plates lined the windows and unused spaces. There were only two restrooms on the boat and there was a constant line and impatient people. My costume was a little complicated as were many others and going to the bathroom was not an easy feat! The DJ was terrible. There was an awful lot of mid 80s, 90s, early 2000s music. I get it was a mixed age crowd but play a variety and at least pick some songs that are engaging and connect with the crowd. The night before I went to a dance party with a volunteer DJ. I recognized very few songs but it didn't matter because he had the crowd so energized and excited. This was a let down. I think it was also understaffed. I hardly saw any staff and they weren't very friendly either. There wasn't enough food, food wasn't being replenished, dishes were piling up.... Definitely understaffed. It was also extremely hot and humid on the first floor. Absolutely no ventilation. I was also surprised there was no cost check of at least somewhere to hang jackets. I actually saw some people stuff their jackets under one of the buffet tables! Otherwise they were laying everywhere. I'm not sure how this was planned but it was poorly executed and the amount of money I spent left me feeling miserable at the end of the night. I had such high hopes based on the other reviews. read more

Bitterly Disappointed I haven't written a single review prior to this but I was compelled to write one for Waterways. I booked a Holiday Parade of Lights Dinner cruise during my trip to Seattle. I had read a lot of good reviews before I booked, hence did it to have a good time, but I was majorly underwhelmed. On boarding, we were directed to our seats. We also paid extra for window seats only to find out that everyone had a window seat and we paid extra for nothing. There were groupons available for less but without the holiday parade option, but we were curious to see it, so booked via the waterways site. Post that, we were told there would be some light festival at about 8:05 pm which never happened. We were also told about a choir/music thing, which never happened either. There was no narration on the cruise and we were very disappointing as we never got to know where we were going and were clueless about the directions. For dinner, we were served things which were different from the things originally on the menu when we booked. Also, there were no tags on the dishes so never got to know what dish was served. People with dietary restrictions had very little to no choice at all. I have to say that it really wasn't worth the price I paid. The only positive would be the good views of downtown Seattle skyline and we took some great pictures but after paying upwards of 240 dollars, I would expect a lot more. read more