Purchased a Groupon for their unwind after 5 cruise and we had a blast. The appetizers were delicious we ordered shrimp cocktail and spinach & artichoke dip. The bartenders were very knowledgeable and the lines moved fast. The views of south lake union were beautiful! Highly recommend! read more

We went on the evening Margarita Party Cruise. It was definitely worth the money! 2.5 hours around Lake Union and Lake Washington with great views of the city lights and space needle. Crew was super friendly and accommodating and the ship was well kept! The nacho bar was delicious too! read more

Okay, wow. you guys! this was the BEST! For 1/4th the price of competing cruises in our area, Waterways offers just as amazing an experience! 6 of us went on the 4th of July Fireworks Cruise this year, and were blown away with everything. From the customer service buying our tickets (we needed two extra, and even though it was sold out, Katrina kept my phone number and called me when 2 seats happened to open up! how fabulous is THAT?!) to the food (full dinner service!) to the spectacular views! And it was long -- 3 hours on Lake Union. Spectacular! We will DEFINITELY be doing this again. The best cruise in town for your money -- TOTALLY worth it! read more

After posting this review the owner of the company contacted me stating that she was unaware of the status of this invoice because she had been away from the business due to illness. As of this morning she has made the effort to pay the past due account in full which we greatly appreciate. read more

I took my boyfriend here for his birthday It was nice. Its something you do once. It was nice Because its endless breakfast but wish they had more vegan options. I personally think the cruise is over priced for what it is. No entertainment. Music was too low and the other guests were so loud I wasnt able to enjoy my time. Servers were nice but need some fine tuning on customer service. read more

My lunching experience here was one of the best. It is the most romantic and beautiful way to spend time with your family and friends. I went out here on my first anniversary and we had the special package which included flowers champagne and cake. The captain and crew were friendly and they made our experience even more better. I will definitely come here again and next time probably during summer read more

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I ALWAYS have a great time on their cruises. I have done the lunch buffet, happy hour buffet, and fine dining dinner. All the food on any cruise was delicious. The dinner cruise was very appetizing and beautifully presented. On each cruise I have had special privileges... whether it be free drinks, won a drink on trivia, the owner buying everyone on the ship a free round or steering the actual ship like a captain! Maybe it's my personality, but I always enjoy myself. The staff is also polite and welcoming. The captain is a bit dry with his humor, which for some odd reason adds some sort of nostalgic feeling. If you go on enjoying the short experience, great things will come your way. read more

Waterways Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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We decided to use Waterways as our company dinner event and it was a huge success! We definitely look forward to working with them again! it was the perfect event for our company. I also wanted to give special thanks to Karen for running our event on board. She made sure things went smooth and she was very flexible with all our requests and was very on top of things! The staff there was very friendly and did a fantastic job as well. The open bar and the opening toast was the perfect send off for our cruise. We had a group of about 60 and the boat we had fit us perfectly! We got a tour around the lake and got to see a ton of pretty views! highly recommend! read more

The BF and I were given tickets as a Christmas present. So, we decided to take the 7:30PM cruise last Friday evening. The Good: - very friendly staff... from the two women who greeted us to the bartenders and captain - everyone we dealt with was pleasant! - great boat ride around Lake Union through the Montlake cut, around Lake WA between the 520 and I-90 bridges. - they served Snow Cap in the bar! I hate when the only beer options are Bud, Bud Lite, Coors, Coors Lite... yuck! The Not-So-Good: - we had to pay a departure fee, as well as pay for two drinks (each) before making our reservation. why don't they just add that to the price of the ticket when they are purchased?! weird! - the boat was really packed. I thought there were too many people and not enough seating. - I was honestly surprised that the advertised hot appetizer buffet was more of a full-on dinner, but the food was flavorless. We were served a Caesar salad, bread, a veggie pasta and chicken with artichokes and capers. It all looked great, but there was absolutely no flavor to the food. On the plus side, they served freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for dessert, and those were yummy! This particular night happened to be the last night of the Christmas Lights Series, so there were 100's of boats lit up for the holidays. It was nice being right on the water with them - we got to see some awesome boats! If there is a next time, we'll make sure to take a cruise during the day, so we can see the major sights that other Yelpers have yelped about! But from this particular cruise, our experience was just OK! read more

The first time we did a lunch cruise and the second time we did the sunset cruise. I don't remember very specific details about the lunch cruise so this review almost solely relates to the dinner cruise. I would agree with what people said about the food. I liked that it was hot, fresh and well-timed throughout the night; however, I wouldn't give it more than 3.5 stars because there wasn't anything special about it. For the dinner cruise, you get fresh bread, potato leek soup, salad, your choice of entree, and creme brulee. I ordered the chicken as my entree and my husband ordered the steak. Again, all of the food was pretty good, but I wasn't begging for more. In other words, It didn't stand out in my mind from any other 3.5 star restaurant on yelp. We also ordered a bottle of Merlot. The wine was good and not a bad price ($30) for a house red on a dinner cruise. As a final note, I remember liking the buffet food better on the lunch cruise, but it has been so long that I can't say for sure. Despite the lackluster food, the reasons this gets 5 stars are the staff and the views. I've been on several dinner cruises, including ones in Chicago, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Charleston. I'd say this particular dinner cruise had some of the best (if not the best) views and service. Our waiter and waitress were extremely attentive all night long. This was also one of the most intimate cruises I've been on. Typically, you're on a boat with over 100+ people. This particular cruise had maybe 15 tables downstairs and 10 upstairs. It also has a full service bar and decent size outside deck upstairs. We were lucky that we had a whole table by ourselves next to both the window and the guitarist (without paying anything extra). The guitarist played light, romantic music throughout the cruise, including songs like Greensleeves and Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring. I thought it was a really nice touch. When you arrive for the dinner cruise, you are greeted by the captain and given a small glass of champagne. We were lucky to go on the longest day of the year so most of the cruise was in the light. This allowed us to see all of the beautiful homes on Lake Union and Lake Washington, as well as spectacular views of Mount Rainier. It was also pretty cool to watch the sunset and to see the city of Seattle all lit up by the end of the cruise. While it has been a couple of years since I went on the lunch cruise, the few things I can remember is that the food was pretty good for a buffet style and they told you a lot about the history of the surrounding homes. In terms of which one to do, you can't really beat seeing the sunset on Lake Union and Lake Washington. With that said, I would recommend the one that has a deal going on. The first time we went out, we did a Groupon for the lunch cruise. The second time they were having a promotion (buy one get one free). They seem to have deals fairly often, so if this is something you want to do, wait until a deal comes up. Overall, one of my favorite things to do in the Seattle area. read more

Waterways Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

My husband and I had out of town guests that were having their first trip to the Seattle area. I had booked several trips with Waterways Cruises over the previous 6 years and felt this would be a great way for them to view the sites. We booked a Brunch cruise on Sept. 19, 2021. We paid $657.78 for the four of us that included window seats and drink tickets. We really wanted to have a special cruise for them. There was no comparison to every other cruise we had taken with Waterways Cruises. It was beyond terrible. The captain said very few words to describe the scenery, the server told us that he was not in a very good mood. Our cruise consisted of driving in one direction without any turns and simply circling and returning in the same direction. We were so disappointed. I called the next day and reported to Pascal Bonjour how our trip had gone. He said someone would call me back. They never have. We wasted so much money and it was an embarrassment for what should have been a highlight. THINK TWICE BEFORE TAKING A CRUISE WITH WATERWAYS CRUISES. Jo Ellen Ptak read more

My wife and I took her parents on the dinner cruise on Friday night. We last took one of the Waterway Cruises three years ago and had a great experience. With the changes needed to operate in this Covid-19 environment we were a little apprehensive about whether the experience would live up to that from a few years ago. I have to say everything was fantastic. Kirsten who served our table was great. She was very engaging with good attention to detail. The entire crew was great, especially considering the challenges of operating in a Covid-19 world. The food was excellent all around. We won't wait another 3 years for the next visit. read more

This review is for my experience on the "Olympic Star" Yacht, with the ambient air temperature at 27 degrees Fahrenheit, clear skies, from 1830-2200 hours, Puget Sound. The office decided to host a winter party on this boat, having a holiday theme meal while cruising around Puget Sound. While I can appreciate the spirit of the party - had I known about the challenges of enjoying this party, I would've declined attending this party. In summary, I would suggest that if anyone is planning a corporate event using this venue, plan for the following: Daylight event, so the beauty of the Sound can be captured and gazed upon Warm weather conditions, because this boat has insufficient active heating systems and no insulation. The ship was cold, where my hot cup of drip coffee would be refrigerator cold in what seems thirty minutes. The use of single-pane glass throughout the vessel is an obvious sign of poor thermal insulation, and the condensation forming on the glass was distorting what limited external light from entering the vessel. Now, granted - I'm not familiar with yachts, so therefore, my opinion on the use of single-pane versus double-pane glass can be taken with a grain of salt. But, I postulate that if a public transport vehicles can have double-pane glass, why not this yacht that has finely polished wood paneling? One other item that I noticed is the lack of a coat check-in, but it would seem that wouldn't be needed for tonight given how cold it was. The ship's engine was quite loud from where I was sitting, the mid deck of the ship which appears to be a multi-purpose deck that can serve up to 120 or so guests. The sound of the engine or the propulsion wash was quite loud for my tastes where it can overpower the PA system, or the PA system wasn't loud enough. And it was difficult to carry a conversation with my coworkers across the table, about four feet away. Also, this deck could use a lot more lighting, it was quite dark. The meal was a holiday theme meal, with turkey, ham, dressing, potatoes, gravy, salad, asparagus, pie, and soup. The food was served buffet style, and the meal didn't leave any discernible impression where I would make an adventure to enjoy it. Of note, I would say the turkey could use additional seasoning instead of just plainly roasted, the soup needed a lot more seasoning, or perhaps the sugar was added by accident? In summary, I would say use Waterways Cruises for daylight cruises during the warmer days, to stay warm, and to enjoy what the views of what Puget Sound has to offer. read more

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This was an amazing experience! They were so nice and accommodating. The cruise was relaxing and the food was amazing. I will definitely be coming back. read more

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My husband and I went on the 2-hour Sunday Brunch Cruise that departs from Kirkland. The staff was very professional and cordial. The captain was the best - he was very friendly and did his best to talk to each and every passenger. He even invited us to his cabin and we got to take some pictures with him. For comparison, I've been on numerous other cruises, where the staff would take pictures of you. Then they'd print them and ask you to pay anywhere from $20 to $30 for that. We got much better pictures for free. We happened to go on a clear day and the views were great. We got a nice table for 2 next to a window. So we were able to enjoy the nice views. There were fresh flowers on all the tables and bars, as well as nice tablecloths and napkins. The staff was professionally dressed. So the atmosphere was quite pleasant. The food could have been a bit better. I didn't like the cold pasta - it was tasteless and with way too many onions in it. The ham and salmon weren't that good either. I liked the croissants, the salad and the red potatoes. I also noticed that they had made-to-order omelets, as well as a waffle station. But I didn't get to try them. The condition of the boat is great too. I like how it wasn't packed with people. If it was just a regular cruise, I would've given it 5 stars. But I have to deduct one star because of the food. (What can I say, I'm a meat lover.) read more

My kids took me on the Sunday brunch cruise for my birthday. Beautiful day. Convenient parking. Friendly staff. Plenty of room to spread out and every party had a window table. Brunch ran from waffles and french toast to salmon, an omelet station, fresh croissants, muffins, and an assortment of soups / salads. We had plenty to eat. Complimentary champagne and unlimted tea/coffee. Narrated tour and even had our photos taken in the wheelhouse. read more

I love Waterways! The bartenders make some awesome bloody mary's! The staff is courteous and helpful. Very delicious foods and well stocked bar. They have a few different sized ships based on your needs- all their ships are very nice and luxurious.. We were on the Emerald Star. My parents took me on a brunch cruise for my birthday in February and even though it was rainy and cold outside we still got some awesome pics- see my profile pic. Give them a call, ask for Adrienne and book your next company party! You'll be glad you did. read more

From start to finish this ride was amazing. The waitstaff was excellent, courteous and attentive to our needs. We started off with a complementary champagne toast. The 4 course dinner was superb. From the bread, to the soup, salad, main course, and dessert, the food was decadent. We also purchased the add on wine tasting pairing with each course which was a nice treat! The views were beautiful and the captain commented occasionally. It was a fantastic ride. read more

Waterways Cruises - This was the dinner course with wine pairing, sunset in the background. - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Mothers day was perfect thanks to this comfortable yet classy cruise. We left from the Kirkland Marina on a family friendly outing with a great selection of brunch foods complemented by a live 2 piece Jazz band-- a plus. The boat went all around the lake and under 520 and through the Montlake cut. Staff was friendly and professional. Small intimate boat. Will do again! read more

I bought a living social deal to go on this cruise. I completely spaced out on the departure time and missed the cruise. They allowed me to reschedule for $10/person, which is a lot better than the no refund/no reschedule policy listed on their web site. The food was good, and the cruise was very nice. They allow you to visit the bridge, and I have a nice photo of my son driving the boat from the captains chair. The staff were all very professional and nice. Overall this is pretty expensive, but some of the price was offset my the deal. They charge $5/person gratuity, which is reasonable, and $5/person port charge, which they said is customary, but after looking at the Argosy site they don't appear to have this charge or at least not separated out. read more

Just the fact that it was more than what I expected as far than a senic tour and bunch water cruise. Beside if you want to see where Seattle's Rich & Famous live you can't beat it! read more

Waterways Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Went on our first dinner cruise March 23rd...had a lovely evening, dinner was delicious, and staff were very friendly. We look forward to one of their other cruises in the future. read more

I planned a Christmas party a little late in the season. I feared I wouldn't find anything better than a boring banquet hall. I need a family friendly venue for 70-125 people. I contacted Kristine at Waterways and she made everything work. She offered different plans from which to choose for our budget and different boat options to accommodate our headcount. She even gave us a tour of the boats. Kristine made everything stress free! On party day, Captain Larry was engaging and let the handful of kids drive the boat. He also gave very interesting narrative during the cruise. The staff took care of every detail. Karen was the cruise director and she made it her job to make sure everyone had fun and we had all the we needed. Brandy was our bartender and she was "a fine girl" and allowed us to sing the Brandy song to her. Brandy was also very kind to all the kids, making lots of Shirley Temples in wines glasses to make the kids feel special. This event was such a success I was given the green light to book for next year! Thank you Waterways Cruises!! read more

Getting to skip work is always a treat - getting to skip work to sail around and lay in the sun is even better! Our company chose Waterways Cruises to host a happy hour cruise and I have to say that it was a great choice! We really could not have been luckier with the weather - nice, sunny, fall day. The inside of the boat was a little too stuffy, so I decided to bask out on the deck. Friendly waitresses came around and served hors d'oeuvres. Everything was tasty, especially the crab cakes. My only complaint was that there was not enough food. It would have been nice to have a self-serving charcuterie station of some sort because once the trays were passed, the food was gone. I don't eat much, but I left hungry! Overall, I had a wonderful time and I would definitely suggest booking an afternoon cruise! read more

Six of us took the supper cruise, and it was delightful. They seemed to go out of their way to prepare vegan food for me, which was greatly appreciated. The rest of the party enjoyed the regular food and lots of it. Good distancing, masks required when not sitting at the table, etc. The route was interesting, with occasional updates from the captain about interesting things we were passing, so it was interesting but not intrusive. Recommended. read more

Hey, we took the boat to watch the blue angels. How could I not give it 4 stars! It was quite nice and the very friendly staff was constantly plying us with food. The catering food was unremarkable. read more

Waterways Cruises - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Waterways is a wonderful way to show off our beautiful city. We had a company retreat at the Hyatt Lake Washington. Two of Waterways largest boats picked up our group at the hotel and took the group on an amazing cruise. Our overall experience could not have been better. Wonderful staff, food and cruise! Thank you Waterways. I will be recommending you to all of my clients!! read more

Definitely a one star experience. It started with no waiters coming to our table for the first 30 minutes we were on board, so we finally got up and got our own water and drinks. We had PREORDERED vegan meals, yet everything they served wasn't vegan at all and had to be sent back. Then they informed us that they were not prepared for us to be on board, even though we filled out the questionnaire and preordered, and didn't have a vegan dessert available. They waiters were mediocre at best, and the Capitan was a jerk when we boarded. There are plenty of polite ways to say "please keep your mask on for the entire ride unless you're eating" but he preferred the condescending ass approach. For the money it was not worth it at all. read more

We purchased tickets as a part of our honeymoon week and I was expecting this to be one of our more fancier dinners, well I was wrong. We were dressed nicely in a dress and tie, everyone else was in jeans and baseball caps. Most of the reviews made the experience seem very nice but our experience was surprisingly lack-luster... its probably because it was the last Happy Hour cruise of the year but that is no excuse for a full ticket price and the expectations presented on Waterway's website. The bad: The food. It was as basic as you can get. Salami, cheese and cracker platter, buffalo wings, and fruit... We are vegetarian and this is nothing what the menu online stated. The online menu stated appetizers like spring rolls and roasted brie cheese... We chose the Happy Hour cruise over the dinner cruise because there were many more options for us. We were incredibly disappointed. The good: The captain and his narration of the waters was very nice. The ship was clean and the staff was attentive. The best and why they still get 3 stars: I called and made my complaints and concerns known to their customer service and received a full refund; which was very considerate and unexpected. I appreciate that they took my complaints seriously and I was told they would speak to their catering staff and review their menu options. TLDR; Super basic cheese platter food, everyone in jeans and I'm in a dress, good view of Seattle and nice captain narrative. read more

I had a delightful experience! I boarded with friends to a Day-After-Thanksgiving-Thanksgiving and I am glad I went! The ride was smooth and the views were romantic (Seattle is a beautiful city at night). Seeing the lit skyline from the water was lovely. The service was prompt and polite. The food was better than I expected, in fact, it was REALLY good! There was a tomato soup that blew me away (and I am a connoisseur of tomato soup)! I was told there is a secret ingredient that gives it a slight smoky flavor. The turkey was tender and moist and the scalloped potatoes were garnished with tomatoes as well as a type of cheese I haven't heard of before (fontine?). Anyway, I am going to call for the recipe because they were delicious and much better than my current recipe. Over all I had a wonderful experience and recommend Waterways for an intimate dinner or special occasion. read more

Beautiful beautiful setting. Food was AWESOME! The staff were all smiling and ready to help with all our questions. I had a friend just ask me about a place for a rehearsal dinner and I thought of them immediately. read more

Waterways Cruises - Great party boat - Boat Charters Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Wow! What an experience. Waterways Cruise went above and beyond our expectations. I was visiting Seattle with a friend, had the trip planned out and had a gap on a Friday night. I saw this company on Group on and decided to use this to fill in the evening. This event was beyond a doubt the best outing of the entire weekend. Very romantic, comfortable, great atmosphere, I cannot say enough good about this company. It was raining in Seattle and the rain didn't damper our experience. The food was great. We had steak and salmon, both were cooked to perfection. The service was great. The crew was very accommodating. My guest thought I arranged "extras". I didn't. The cruise was that perfect. We were seated by the window, the view was exceptional. Thank you, Waterways crew for making our trip to Seattle memorable, something we will never forget. read more

I had been eyeing this dinner cruise for some time now, and I finally had the opportunity to book for my boyfriend birthday dinner. His favorite view of Seattle is from gas works park, and let me tell you it was a beautiful night. We really enjoyed our time aboard everyone was so attentive, and made sure we were well taken care of. Staff was super sweet & offered to take our picture outside while the boat was heading away from the city, and view was just spectacular! Both our courses were delicious the steak was very juicy, and the glazed salmon was equally as good. I also loved that we were greeted with champagne while boarding, with just one glass we were feeling great! Will definitely book again during summer time! read more

Justin and I held our wedding on the boat, Olympic Star, during Jan 2022. From the start, sales group manager Jenelle, was a pleasure to work with. She was super communicative, very accommodating and also willing to work with us for our budget and not judgmental. Sheer delight. The Captain, Jeff, even took time to meet us, allowed us to tour the boat and was extremely pleasant and flexible. The wedding itself on the boat was just AMAZING. The staff really took care of us (they made everyone feel so comfortable and at home and were constantly smiling!!). All the guests had nothing but good things to say about the service, food, atmosphere, flower arrangements etc. Nothing but AMAZING things to say about it and we are SO SO grateful to have found Waterways Cruises and Events and used them for our wedding. The total cost were extremely reasonable and they were extremely upfront and there were no hidden costs. Thank you so much to the Waterways Cruises, Jeff, Jenelle and their team, they definitely have got something really good going on!! read more

My best friend and I had such a great evening on this dinner cruise tonight! Pelican Brewing hosted a great event, we tasted 4 fabulous beers (all very different) and had a 4 course delicious meal. The boat was 2 levels, plenty of seating and again, great food. The viewing decks were accessible and the company was great (staff, strangers, and severs)! I will definitely be coming again!! read more

When I called to book, I asked for a table by a window, and was told they could do that. I later saw my itemized bill and noticed a $45 window fee; however, I was never told at the time of sale that a window fee would be incurred. What's more, EVERY TABLE WAS NEXT TO A WINDOW! When I called to get a refund for this ridiculous fee, the lady I spoke to refused. What a sleazy way to pad extra profit! It's a shame they can't attract guests in an honest manner. The captain was great and the lake is beautiful, but talk about putting a damper on things. read more

Waterways Cruises is the best company which provides every type of easiness to its clients. But the best thing which I'd definitely want to speak out is about their taste and quality of meal either at breakfast,Lunch or Dinner. Fantastic!!!! read more

I love waterways cruises! I have been on three cruises already and cannot complain about any of them. I went two weekends ago with my girlfriends for my 25th birthday and our waiter Shawn was the best. He offered us a complimentary bottle of champagne and even took our pictures outside on the cruise. The food was very delicious (our favorite was the mac & cheese and the omelette station) and the cruise itself was amazing, we loved the narration and we luckily got to go on a day where it wasn't raining and just pure sunshine and blue skies. I definitely plan to go again, maybe the St. Patty's cruise. read more

My boyfriend and I enjoyed the brunch cruise while I was visiting for spring break. Absolutely loved this cruise. The staff was so nice and respectful. So much food and it was all delicious. Loved how we saw so much of Seattle as well. When I visit again, we are definitely going to do it again. read more

We took a cruise last year and my husband still talks about it. We really enjoyed our cruise. If the opportunity presents itself in the future while we're visiting Seattle we will definitely take another tour. read more