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2-Hour Savannah Riverboat Dinner Cruise with Onboard Entertainment

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You will receive an incredible experience to see Georgia's historic "First City" and her thriving port from the water's unique perspective. Decked out in traditional red, white and blue these towering riverboats are a staple along Savannah's historic riverfront.  

Our two-hour dinner cruise is a wonderful way to unwind. Sit back and relax on board in one of our beautifully appointed ballrooms while our Riverboat slowly glides down the Savannah River. Enjoy a specially prepared buffet style dinner made with the freshest, local ingredients that has something to satisfy everyone’s palate!

The Georgia Queen can hold up to 1,000 passengers and the Savannah River Queen, can hold up to 600 passengers.  You can expect to cruise with at least a couple of hundred other people.  Swap your voucher for a boarding pass in the ticket office prior to boarding.  Boarding begins 60 minutes prior to cruise.

Description

Stop At: Savannah Riverboat Cruises, 9 E River St, Savannah, Georgia 31401

Decorated in traditional riverboat red, white, and blue, floating palaces continue to transport visitors back to a time when elegance and relaxation were expected from river travel. There are a variety of hour and a half cruises including the ever-popular Sightseeing Cruise, the Dinner Entertainment Cruise, special Luncheon trips, Sunday Brunch, the beautiful Sunset Cruise and the Moonlight Party Cruise depending on your taste. There is a tour experience for everyone. The dinner cruises are unguided; the sightseeing, lunch and brunch cruises has a live guide.

Both riverboats offer a glass-enclosed climate-controlled dining and observation deck with panoramic views, open-air patio, and has numerous bench seats that line the upper decks for incredible city views and plenty of sunshine.. Anytime is a good time for a cruise down the river. 

Come and enjoy Savannah’s only riverboat tour and dining experience!

Sample Dinner Menu (subject to change based upon discretion & availability):  Beef Carving Station, Savannah Style Shrimp & Grits, Baked Chicken w/Artichoke Cream Sauce, Fresh Catch of the Day, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Seasonal Fresh Vegetables, Assorted Side Salads, Garden Salad w/Dressings & Toppings, Fruit Display, Bread Service & Choice of Dessert Service.

Sample Lunch Menu (subject to change based upon discretion & availability):  Chef's Special, Southern Fried Chicken, Savannah Style Shrimp and Grits, Southern Style Turnip Greens, Creamy Squash Casserole, Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Potato Souffle, Seasonal Fresh Vegetables, Seasonal Fresh Fruit, Warm Rolls w/Butter & Dessert. **Please mention if you have any dietary restrictions and you will be accommodated as much as possible.  **Alcoholic drinks are not included in the ticket price; a cash bar is available on board.  The minimum drinking age is 21.  ID will be required when boarding. --------------------

ITINERARY --------------------

1:00pm & 3:30pm - Sightseeing Cruise

1:00pm Lunch Cruise

1:00pm Brunch Cruise

7:00pm Dinner Cruise

7:00pm Sunset Cruise

7:00pm Gospel Cruise

9:30pm Moonlight Cruise

Boarding begins 30 minutes prior to our departure time for sightseeing cruises and 60 minutes prior for food cruises

Sample Lunch Menu (subject to change based upon discretion & availability):  Chef's Special, Southern Fried Chicken, Savannah Style Shrimp and Grits, Southern Style Turnip Greens, Creamy Squash Casserole, Macaroni and Cheese, Sweet Potato Souffle, Seasonal Fresh Vegetables, Seasonal Fresh Fruit, Warm Rolls w/Butter & Dessert.

Duration: 2 hours

Pass By: Talmadge Memorial Bridge, Us 17, Sr 404, Savannah, Georgia

Views of Talmadge Memorial Bridge

Pass By: Historic River Street, River St., Savannah, Georgia 31401

A broad waterfront promenade lined with shopping, dining, and entertainment venues, River Street is one of the main arteries of the historic city.

• Reservations are REQUIRED for all bookings
• Book Your Package On-Line and Receive Your Confirmation
• Departure point: Detailed check-in instructions - including the address and parking information if applicable - will be included in your final confirmation email.
• Duration: 2 hours (Approx.)
• Departure Time: 07:00 PM
• Return Details: Returns to original departure point

What's Included

• 2-Hour Savannah Riverboat Dinner Cruise along Savannah River
• Live On-Board Entertainment with Dance Floor Area
• Enjoy panoramic views of the water and Savannah skyline
• Buffet Style Dinner Included (including carving station, catch of the day, shrimp & grits, and more)
• Gratuities (Optional)
• Hotel pickup and drop-off

What To Bring

• Confirmation Voucher (printed or mobile)
• Any required or suggested items listed on your confirmation email.

Additional Info

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Yes, smoking is allowed, but only on the outside decks. No smoking is allowed anywhere on the interior cabin of the boat
• A cash bar is available on all cruises for the purchase of alcoholic beverages; minimum drinking age is 21 years
• The main deck of the Savannah River Queen is handicapped accessible, but restrooms are not
• Riverboats do not have a dress code
• Boarding ramps and main decks of each vessel are accessible by wheelchairs
• No walking is required for our tour
• YOU MUST ALLOW AN EXTRA 30-60 MINUTES TO FIND PARKING IN DOWNTOWN SAVANNAH. YOU WILL NOT BE OFFERED A REFUND IF YOU MISS THE BOAT.

Cancellation Policy

This tour is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

• This tour requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
• This tour requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Average 4.03 out of 5 stars based on 469 traveler reviews collected by Cool Savannah and partner sites such as Cool Destinations and TripAdvisor

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Savannah Riverboat’s Valentine’s Day Dinner Cruise

Event details.

• Date: February 14, 2024 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
• Venue: Savannah Riverboat Cruises
• Categories: Cruise , Show On Calendar , Tour

February 14: Enjoy the Savannah Riverboat’s Valentine’s Day Dinner Cruise. This 2-hour cruise includes dinner, live entertainment, dancing and more. Boarding starts at 6 p.m., the boat departs at 7 p.m. and returns at 9 p.m. Advance reservations are recommended. 9 E. River St. For more information, call (912) 232-6404 or visit www.savannahriverboat.com .

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• Life & Culture

What’s it like to dine on Tampa’s new riverboat cruise Craft? We took a ride.

• Helen Freund Times staff

TAMPA — We almost didn’t make the boat.

Traffic snarled through downtown Tampa and stretched onto the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, delaying what would have been a 45-minute drive from St. Petersburg to nearly an hour and a half in stop-and-go congestion.

We had reservations for Craft, Tampa’s brand-new riverboat dinner cruise set to depart at 7:30 p.m. — and a friendly confirmation email reminding us that our purchase was nonrefundable. We’d been encouraged to arrive 45 minutes early, when we would have presumably been able to commence a leisurely boarding, river breeze in our hair, Champagne flute in hand.

Life had other plans. At 7:25 p.m., my dinner date and I swung our car into the Garrison Street parking lot, narrowly avoiding getting struck by an oncoming streetcar.

Following a quick security wand-down (the boat adheres to U.S. Coast Guard rules) and a $30 event-fueled parking fee (Tim McGraw was playing a show at nearby Amalie Arena), crew members greeted us with a quick photograph and a glass of bubbly before sending us on our way.

“Welcome to our maiden voyage!” they exclaimed as we rushed aboard.

Shortly after 7:30 p.m., we were off, out of the Ybor Turning Basin and into the sunset.

Described as a “culinary and cocktail river journey,” Craft debuted its inaugural dinner cruise on March 15. The multimillion-dollar project is the latest endeavor from Jill and Troy Manthey, who also run several other entertainment-on-the-water concepts, including Yacht StarShip, Pirate Water Taxi and the Bay Rocket.

Designed with European riverboats in mind, the 130-foot-long vessel boasts a sleek, white silhouette with less than 11 feet of vertical clearance — meaning it can comfortably drift beneath many of Tampa’s low-lying bridges. But this ship’s real appeal lies in the coupling of an elevated culinary program, contemporary aesthetic and craft cocktails.

A trip aboard Craft includes a two-hour cruise up and down the Hillsborough River and a three-course prix-fixe meal. To start, there are lunch, brunch and dinner trips on deck, but a happy hour option may soon be in the works.

Running any kind of marine operation comes with steep operating costs — including fuel, dock rental fees and staffing — and the experience here is priced accordingly. But it still comes with a good deal of sticker shock. For two people on a Friday evening, we paid $392.59 for the boat ride and the three-course dinner — not including gratuity or drinks.

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I love a fancy boat ride as much as the next person, but the pricing gave me pause.

Would the experience be worth it?

Things were a lot smoother once we got on board.

We entered through the front of the boat, or bow, and were shown to our seats inside a narrow dining room, flanked by windows overlooking the water. Wood paneling combined with slight nautical touches lent the space a warm, industrial-chic vibe.

Servers clad in white collared shirts and gray aprons whisked back and forth between the tables, balancing martini coupes and taking orders. In an attempt to let the crew develop their sea legs, the boat wasn’t fully booked that evening, but the dining room still felt abuzz with excitement and curiosity.

Clutching our Champagne, we glided through Sparkman Channel at dusk, glitzy Harbour Island homes glowing in the evening light as a Maggie Rogers track played softly in the background. We let out a collective exhale as the chaos of the day faded away.

Over the course of the roughly two-hour cruise, the boat steered up the Hillsborough River, passing Riverwalk landmarks including the Tampa Convention Center, Armature Works and Rick’s on the River, before turning around and heading back.

Guests were encouraged to explore the boat. The Bow and Stern bar, beautifully designed and fashioned out of a vintage 1914 cruiser, provided additional seating in the rear for those looking for more of an al fresco experience.

Throughout the evening, the crew moved back and forth between the dining room, the bar and the kitchen, sometimes stepping out on the deck to alert passengers when their meals had been delivered. Guests roamed the boat taking photographs, while patrons inside chatted up their neighbors, much of the voyage illuminated by the lights of downtown Tampa.

Craft’s strongest selling point is its culinary program, and the menu here is a far cry from the goblets of white wine and dry chicken associated with most dinner cruises.

Designed by chef Allison Beasman (formerly of Edison: Food + Drink Lab), the list of contemporary New American dishes runs the gamut from a black grouper served with Little Neck clams and Pernod cream to a Wagyu coulotte with kabocha caramel and a Korean barbecue octopus. As part of the prix-fixe deal, guests are able to pick an appetizer, entree and dessert from a menu of roughly 13 different dishes.

Part of what makes the vessel stand out is the addition of an open kitchen with gas stoves, and the concept’s design allows guests to get a peek of the action if they’re on their way to the bathroom or the bar.

When it came time to order dinner, our server patiently guided us through the menu, pointing out the additional dishes we could choose if we wished to add a little something extra onto our prepaid meal. We opted for the olive oil-marinated sheep and goat’s milk cheese ($18), which was just as tasty as our server touted. It arrived in a rich red pepper-packed pisto, drizzled with a healthy glug of olive oil and served with crusty bread for dipping.

Dishes are made to order and don’t necessarily arrive at the same time as other passengers’ meals. Our appetizers showed up roughly 45 minutes into the trip, a delightful baby kale salad lightly dressed in a white balsamic vinaigrette that was toothsome with chicory and shaved carrots and plumped up with fried baby potatoes and a healthy shaving of ricotta salata. Also good was the hearty tomato bisque with roasted bone marrow and blackened cipollini onions.

For our entrees, a seared duck breast arrived fanned out over silky whipped potatoes and a creamy goat cheese fondue, framed by Brussels sprouts and fat wedges of roasted golden beets. Though the duck was cooked a little past the requested temperature, it was still delicious. A plate of sweet and sour braised short ribs packed powerhouse flavors that paired beautifully together, all served over a sweet and sticky coconut rice sidling bok choy and juicy tangerine segments.

For dessert, we paired a perfect few scoops of pistachio ice cream with a chocolate espresso dacquoise, an intensely rich and sweet layer cake featuring a tart blackberry curd and creamy dark chocolate ganache.

The fine print

The water was calm that night and the entire service appeared well-rehearsed — absent of any major hiccups and even graceful at moments. As far as I could tell, there were no seasick passengers or man-overboard scenarios, which felt like some kind of success, though I did wonder what type of balance or physical dexterity would be required to maneuver trays of wobbling martini glasses over stormier seas.

Though tiered pricing exists for Craft — for different seats, times of day or days of the week — there’s no overlooking that a trip aboard the vessel isn’t cheap.

With neither drinks nor gratuity included in the booking price, if you’re looking to enjoy the evening with a couple of libations, it’s going to cost you. The add-ons can feel excessive, from a $50 king crab leg tray to the preboarding photograph crew members try to sell you at the end of the night. A suggested gratuity is presented on your bill, based on the total sales tallied for the table that evening, including the cost of the original reservation.

Some changes are bound to be expected as the company assesses guest interest and feedback. Even after the first week, it appears some prices have been slightly adjusted. Dinner for two people seated in the dining room with window seats now comes to $369.89 after taxes and marine fees, while weekend brunches for the same seats start at $89.95 per person.

It’s hard to imagine making dining here a regular occurrence, but for a special occasion, an evening aboard Craft can be a real delight.

Next time, though, I’ll remember to leave myself plenty of time to get there.

For Craft reservations and information, go to crafttampa.com/ . The riverboat departs from the dock at 603 Channelside Drive, Tampa.

Helen Freund is the food and dining critic, reporting on and reviewing restaurants throughout Tampa Bay. Reach her at [email protected].

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