I did the sightseeing tour, it was ok, nothing too exciting, nothing too bad either. You bring your own fun as in most cases. Pros- you can bring your own booze and whatever else you wish to bring aboard. Clean Nice staff Cons- small boat Nothing too major on the sightseeing tour 2 hours could have seemed a bit long but it was fine Cant smoke on the vessel at all even outside read more

Store has great unique merchandise and superb staff. Pet friendly and the pricing was extremely affordable. We bought 3 items and would have went back for more had time permitted. read more

This was a Fun cruise. The reason I did not give it a five star rating is the young lady giving the tour narrative spoke too fast and the PA system was very poor. It was hard to hear what she was saying and when we did hear her she was not speaking loud enough not enunciating. It could have been much better in that respect. read more

We went on the little over an hour cruise with our 3 Kids and we all enjoyed it. The narrator was very knowledgeable, and all the staff was very friendly. We can't wait to go back for another cruise. read more

They get one star for the conversation I had right before I bought tickets. Me: Can I bring food and eat on the boat? Ticket guy: Yeah, and they have full service, with nachos for example. Me: ok, I'll buy some tickets. Ticket guy: ok they are non refundable. Guy at boat: you can't eat that food on here. read more

We did just the boat tour. The lady selling our tickets helped us get free parking, but she didn't seem too knowledgeable about the deals that Vista Fleet offers or about other tourist information. We actually ended up staying in Duluth a few extra hours with nothing to do because she told us the price of the single aquarium ticket and it was wrong. (Granted, she doesn't work for the aquarium, but she does sell ticket packages that include those tickets...) About the actual boat tour: Very educational and informative. We went on a rainy day and we still thought the views of the city and the lake were pretty. If the weather is choppy, they won't actually go into Lake Superior--they just take you around the bay. The tour is a little dull for children (lots of talking about loading and un-loading boats). But kids will enjoy watching the bridge go up and down and seeing all the boats and birds. Be sure to dress warmly and bring a jacket! The inside of the boat can get really loud with screaming kids and if you want to hear the tour, you will need to go outside--where it can get super cold. All in all, not a bad tourist trap to get caught in. I'd recommend it to anybody visiting Duluth. =) I give three stars only because it's not spectacular--but it's a good, average fun thing to do. read more

A bunch of annoying kids running around, but the big old buzzkill employee running around yelling at them was almost more annoying. Kids will Be kids, come on it's 2017. Didn't let me smoke cigs on the deck, 3 stars read more

"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee". What a fantastic adventure! We took the sunset cruise and it was just perfect! The purser was informative and told a tale of history, shipwrecks and lore! The atmosphere was serene, the water was calm and the sunset was breathtaking. The Duluth Grill catered the food and it was as always, perfect, local and divine! We had a family member visit from Colorado and our guest compared the harbor to the most beautiful places on earth! The pictures that I took, pale in comparison to the memories that we will have for a lifetime. Thank you, Vista Fleet and crew! #Blessed! #For God so loved Duluth! read more

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I brought 20 ladies from work here for a ladies night out. We went on the dinner cruise. Food was good, staff was great, good time.

Cruise was 30 minutes shorter than they said. Not interesting at all, just named the landmarks that we could see on land. Very arrogant and rude crew, always yelled and sounded very angry. read more

These people are unfair and inflexible! I am blind and bought my tickets for the brunch cruise on-line before leaving CA for my trip to the U.P. My travel arrangements changed and I can no longer use my tickets. When I called and attempted to trade $154 Sunday tickets for $75 in Saturday tickets their response was "it's our policy to never exchange tickets, didn't you read the fine print on the website." I'm blind so it's impossible for me to read the fine print on the website. This is first time I have ever posted a negative review on anything but I feel that the mandatory one star rating is too good for these money grabbers. ADA community and all others, beware of the Vista Fleet. read more

Grand tour is a tour of the commercial loading docks? Really? Please put pictures of the scrap yards and broken down taconite loading facilities on your website so people wont get confused. read more

Tuesday has $5 cruises. But get there early to make it to the top deck as they can get crowded and cut off capacity. 2 hours in a stuffy boat is no fun, 2 hours on a boat feeling the breeze and the sunshine abc being able to see the sights is amazing. read more

Save your time & money. Took the Pizza cruise with the family....2 pieces of Dominoes and a stale cookie. The boat is uncomfortable and lacks any service. The tour guide was a starving actor that is more appropriate for 3&4 year olds. read more

Horrid! Not only is this one of the dullest tourist boat cruises I've ever been on, but the staff is incompetent. They are uncoordinated among themselves and unable to give passengers accurate information about boarding times and logistics. One of the adults in our party was told he could step off to buy a drink, then was left behind and not re-admitted, even though the boat was still tied to the dock. The staff was unsympathetic, rude and unable to think creatively. The trip itself is a tremendous disappointment, unless you draw a great deal of inspiration from grain elevators. The first 20 minutes is a pleasant view of the Lake Superior's natural beauty. However, the next hour is a painfully boring tour of the inner industrial harbor littered with rusted steel monstrosities that scar the coastline. While I appreciate the presence of industry and manufacturing, I came on vacation to see the beauty of the lake. Blech. read more

It was a fun trip around the city. We couldn't get out under the lift bridge because there was still ice on the lake.

Charged card for incorrect amount. That took 5 minutes. Will take 5-7 days to get refund! They blamed it on the bank! Lame!

People talk way better about this place than it actually is. It is really boring, not too educational, really, I'm not sure why something like this even exists. I hated it when I was forced to go on this. Why is this still running, do people actually enjoy it? read more

The "Sunset Dinner Cruise" didn't really include the sunset (the ride was from 5:30-7:30 and sunset was at 8:42 that day). But the staff on board were hilarious, nice, and made the whole experience great. The girl doing the tour was so good at spontaneity and obviously knew a lot about ships and Duluth's history. And the food was good. They said they wouldn't be able to say in advance what the vegitarian entree would be, so I was semi-worried it would be a plate of olives or pickles or something else my date wouldn't eat. But it was a tasty pasta dish, so no complaints. Bread was served before the meal and it was sooo soft and good. Beverages besides water can be purchased from the bar, they accept cards, and you can open a tab. A bottom shelf gin and tonic runs about $6.15 so that should give you a general idea of the price range. Seating is "family style" (except for a few tables) and there is assigned seats. read more

Vista Fleet - Meal card for when you order a vegetarian for dinner. - Tours Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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We had a nice tour of the harbor as well as the area of Lake Superior just upside of the Lift Bridge. Sam, our tour guide, was great, knowledgeable and very engaging. The seats on the top deck were hard and uncomfortable but it the view was good. Compared to the North Shore Scenic Railroad (which we also did as part of a package deal) this was a nice experience that I would recommend. A word of advice, dress warm, it gets cold out on the water, even in June. read more

Did the dinner cruise. Food was good. But your tour is junk yards, scrap yards and a u-turn to see it all again. Yey.

Let's start by saying that I've been on several cruises, my favorite being in Key West, FL. This was a step down from that, of course, but still good. All of the crewmembers were pleasant, albeit seemingly pleasant only because they needed the job. One thing I would suggest is for Vista to consider a pre-recorded educational script about the sights. The girl that was reading off the predetermined script was stumbling over her own tongue and it was very annoying. It was pretty bad. I do realize that a pre-recorded script can be almost more annoying (trust me, I endured one on a Red and White cruise in San Francisco Bay). But it might be smoother and more easily interpretable for passengers. We got to go under the lift bridge and along the shoreline of Duluth, then went back under the bridge and over to the other side where the loading docks are. We learned quite a bit about each loading dock and the two ships that were currently docked at different sites. I thought that was neat. That being said, I don't think it was anything spectacular. But I live in MN and I've visited Duluth quite a few times, so maybe the magic has worn out on me. read more

I called and gave a CC# over the phone for a 4th of July reservation fireworks on the boat! Got there and no reservation on file! Totally left me hang'n :( drove to Duluth from Mpls spent $300+ for a hotel room and all I got was a disappointed family. read more

125 minute tour we paid for was over in less than 40 minutes due to fog. Tour should have been postponed or rescheduled. Vista will not offer a refund. Would not recommend this to anyone. There are so many better things in the area to spend your time and money on than this stop. read more

Took the kids and had a great time! Crew was friendly and very informative. Will definitely go again when we have family in town.

Made reservations FAR, FAR in advance only to have problems. Management did a great job in accommodating THEIR mistake, which was GREAT! However, we were expecting a more professional, dignified, or at least well-rounded speaker for the tour. We did not have that - upstairs was a pizza cruise, family-friendly, kids, etc., and our level was adults only, buffet of champagne chicken, roasted potatoes, etc. FOOD WAS DELICIOUS!! The drawback was the announcer over the loudspeaker. We expected him to be about 15 and someone who was just messing around on the microphone because it just was not an informative tour. Later, he came around and we were surprised because he was old enough to have facial hair. We had never been on this tour, so when he stopped announcing and came around to the tables to see if we had any questions, we didn't know what to ask. It kind of fell short. I think he should have a script and be required to stick to it, at least for the tour sights. The bartenders could also be a bit more accommodating - we didn't know if we were supposed to go to the bar to get our drinks or if they (there were 3 people up there) were going to come around. read more

Went on the grand sightseeing tour. The staff on board were very friendly and the full service bar was a plus. He tour information was interesting and punny and it was neat to see the whole harbor. Good tour for families. read more

Great way to see Duluth from the water for those of us who can't afford a boat. The boat is nothing fancy but had room inside as most people wanted to be outside until we got out on the water then those with shorts and shirts scurried inside to find a spot out of the wind. The narrator was knowledgeable and funny. Great way to hear about Duluth history and waterways. I had 3 kids, 3, 4, 5 one fell asleep and the other two enjoyed most of the boat ride even though they didn't understand the narrator. Older kids would probably enjoy it more and I will definitely take them again when older. We had a groupon so the price was 50% off... read more

My fiancé and i booked a brunch cruise. The tour guide was newer, you could tell he sounded nervous. The amount of time on the cruise & the views were perfect. The buffet food was alright. It doesn't say online that the bloody bar & mimosas are not included in the price. read more

Excellent service from the employees! The boat tours are worth it! Id suggest being there early so you can get a seat on the top deck!

My boyfriend and I were visiting duluth for a weekend and bought tickets to the harvest dinner cruise. Several days after our tickets were purchased and our plans were in place, Vista Fleet contacted us to tell us that the date we chose was actually sold out so they switched us to the day before. Kind of irritating, but we were able to change our arrangements to make it work. The day before we were supposed to leave, my boyfriend double-checked our tickets and noticed they had changed ours to two general admission, even though we had originally purchased one general and one vegetarian. He called to make sure they changed it and they did. He even got an email from Colleen saying that she put in the order for the vegetarian dish herself. On the day of, our table was called last to get our food and when I got to the girl, she said there was only one vegetarian dish and someone had already taken it. She asked to see our tickets and we showed her. She went downstairs to ask someone about it and came back apologizing saying that they didn't have another dish. We immediately sat down, one dish short, and emailed Colleen. We didn't receive a response and had to follow up. She replied saying that the person she talked to at Bellisio's made the mistake and offered us two tickets for a future cruise. Vista Fleet put the blame on the caterers despite not checking the food when it was delivered to make sure there was enough. We didn't receive a refund for the meal I didn't get, and we don't know what to do with the free tickets because we won't be returning. The staff on the ship itself was wonderful, but the organization and management was very disappointing. I also posted this on Facebook because I don't want anyone else to have this experience. read more

Pretty disappointing trip around the bay. Obviously when you sign up, you think you'll be out on the lake hearing interesting facts on the 'tour', instead we went around the bay and the could ask questions. Really? We were also a part of a large group that was told to board last, this ensured no one could spend the time/experience together. Waste of time and money, would not recommend this to anyone. read more

We were lucky enough last night to go on this cruise. The weather was perfect, the lake was like glass! The staff were so friendly and helpful -- it was a perfect Duluth event! read more

This was an excellent way to see Lake Superior. We took the 75 minute afternoon cruise and had fabulous weather. The staff was friendly and extremely knowledgeable. We were able to see all of the Duluth Harbor sights and points of interest. The only problem was the radio music and commercials interfering with the narration. Wish they hadn't had it on. Otherwise out cruise couldn't have been better. I highly recommend going. read more

We were just married on board the Vista Fleet this past Saturday 8.23.14! We have nothing but GREAT things to say about our experience! Sarah-VP was amazing throughout the process, Sammie and the crew were awesome the night of the wedding. Our guests can't stop talking about the experience, food and staff. Our wedding package was reasonably price.Thank you so much Sarah and the Vista Fleet Crew. We will be back to visit. We also highly recommend them! Mr. and Mrs. Martens. read more

I was seriously thinking of harming myself before this endeavor, and this cruise did nothing to dispel that notion. First of all the crew were either disinterested or downright Gestapoesque. The guy who gives the introduction and safety reminders barked orders at patrons. We were reminded that we are to keep our feet on the floor at all times. No leaning one leg on the seats, and no standing on seats. One lady simply tucked her leg under her thigh and was admonished for not keeping her feet on the floor. I get that safety is important, but Geez this crew was wound tight. The top deck only allows a certain number of people so if you go below to get a drink or food you may not get your spot back! Oh, and they only serve beer top deck so if you want any other type of alcohol you have to go below which means likely you'll have to stay below. He issues these directives without a modicum of warmth, and then he tells a lame joke about men throwing wives overboard. How original (NOT). The guy who narrates couldn't get his mic working, and when he did his narration was delivered in a monotone. It felt like he was reading a script. He kept screwing his facts up and having to correct himself. Truth is the area just isn't that interesting. The Superior's water is nasty brown in color. It looks like sewer water. All we did was look at hulking pieces of metal, old ships and bridges while he recited boring facts. At one point he told us if we were the first to answer some lame trivia question correctly we'd get an order of pulled pork nachos. Big whoop! Sigh, I wanted to like this cruise. But it was just plain dull especially with such an unenthusiastic, seemingly angry crew. I recommend skipping it. It was seriously depressing. There are so many other things to do that don't involve piped in lite rock music and horribly lame, dated jokes. read more