I was worried about the mixed reviews, but my husband and I went anyways. I am happy to report…read morethat we had a wonderful time! If you show up with reasonable expectations, I think you will enjoy this experience as much as we did.
The boat is really nice and fairly new (less than a year old). It has three decks (two covered and one rooftop), two bars, and several bathrooms. It holds about 300 passengers. The trip to Blake Island took about 45 minutes and there are beverages/snacks available for purchase.
I've had motion sickness before, but I felt totally fine on this boat! The water was really calm and it just felt like a ferry boat ride.
On the trip over, George (our host) gave a nice presentation on the history of Seattle. He had a microphone, so it was easy to hear him. It was quite informative and I thought he did a really good job.
Once you arrive at Blake Island, you are welcomed with a cup of steamed clams, which were delicious. It is traditional for you to dump the empty shells on the ground and stomp on them, which was fun.
The meal is served in the Tillicum longhouse. (We were on the 1:30 PM cruise, and ate around 2:30 PM, so it was more of a late lunch versus dinner). All of the seating is pre-assigned, so a host will escort you to your seat.
I thought the buffet was great. There was a nice variety of items including salmon, beef stew, polenta, rice, salad, fruit, and bread. They had little fruit tarts and cookies for dessert. Everything is labeled really well in case you have any dietary restrictions. Soda/tea/coffee was complimentary with our meal, but there were also alcoholic beverages available for purchase.
The Native American storytelling show was neat. It was about 15 minutes and had a mix of video projection and live dancers. I thought it was the appropriate length and well done.
After the show, you have some free time before the boat goes back to Seattle. You can take a short hike, walk to the beach, relax in the totem garden, visit the gift shop, hang out at the bar, or look at the artifacts in the longhouse.
George gave us some more info on the way back and we made it to Seattle on time. I thought everything went really smoothly and the entire crew was friendly. We would definitely take another Argosy cruise in the future!
My last few tips:
* This is a pretty unique experience because you can't get to Blake Island unless you have a friend with a boat! There are no bridges and no ferries go there.
* The longhouse where you eat is the same place where President Clinton hosted the 1993 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit! There are some pictures on the wall there.
* Parking near the waterfront costs about $30. I suggest parking at the Second & Seneca garage. It only cost us $10 for all day on Saturday and it's a 5 minute walk to Pier 54.
* Tickets are kind of expensive, but it does include a lot (transportation, buffet, entertainment). Argosy has a couple of discounts available (AAA members, Washington State residents, "Passport" card holders, etc).