The food was excellent and the experience was exceptional. We went for the Valentine's Day buffet and were not disappointed. We had time to walk around the boat and enjoy the view of the river from a calm ride. The boat has a wraparound deck up top and a very unique and interesting interior decor. Thank you all who man the boat and the captain for making this the best Valentine's Day so far! read more

Willamette Queen - Sternwheeler Excursions - Willamette queen herself - Boat Charters Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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We were so excited but ended up severely disappointed. The boat was very hot with no A/C. We ordered drinks and they brought us warm cans of soda and glasses of ice, which quickly melted due to the heat. The food was gross. It was buffet style and in the first pan was cut up chicken patties in very dry mac n cheese. Then shrimp mush of some kind, some soggy steamed vegetables and a bowl of lettuce with your choice of two dressings. Rolls with no butter. I ordered a Lemon Drop and I don't know what it was but I couldn't drink it. Then 47 minutes into our cruise, we turned around to go back to the dock to pick up passengers who arrived late. Because of this, I suspect that we didn't get to see as much of the river as we should have. The captain was friendly and we did see a pair of bald eagles. read more

This was a great little boat tour of the river. I was pleasantly surprised by the lovely husband-wife couple doing all the tours; the captain invites all to come and steer the ship a little and has an honorary captain document for the smaller ones. They were very lovely and definitely added to the experience. The boat goes kinda slow, the regular speed setting for this method of travel, but its all the more to take in the sites and all the bridges. It also allows you time to chow down on their food (full taco bowl) and mixed/adult drinks and take multiple pictures from all around the ship. And the little one was able to enjoy a virgin strawberry rita so they can make drinks for the kids too. I enjoyed the leisurely pace, in fact I might have enjoyed it lasting 1.5-2 hour trip; it was an hour long experience overall from take off to landing. read more

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I'm sorry to have to leave only one star because the staff was so kind, but this really missed the mark and I wish others had warned us. Some of the issues were beyond their control, but others are things that should have been handled better. On the first issue, there have been record rains in Salem the past few weeks. Per the Captain, the Coast Guard would not permit the boat in the main river, so we were limited to the Slough, which is next to the beautiful city park on one side and an island on the other. But it's not very long, so what happened is we went around and around in circles off to the side of the main river. We saw bald eagles in the trees. And we were on a boat ride. But I think that should have been disclosed, and offered an option to postpone our trip. We had been looking forward to see more of Salem from that perspective, on the river. In the area of controllable issues we have food. It was just not good and there was insufficient quantity for the number of guests. There was no appetizer nor seafood, as advertised on the website. Our menu was simple iceberg salad, macaroni and cheese, baked chicken pieces, slivers of potatoes, spaghetti squash, meat marinara, and bread. I can't recommend any of the dishes - all were very plain. The explanation for insufficiency was that people joined the cruise at the last minute and "what could we do." Well, you could sell the cruise but not the lunch! Current owner/operators are ready to retire. I hope someone buys the boat and enriches the experience, as there is a lot of potential. It could be a great addition to a beautiful waterfront and nice downtown. read more

We had the most wonderful time on the evening dinner cruise. From the hosts, the atmosphere and the food, everything definitely exceeded our expectations. read more

Highly Recommend! I love that it's family owned and run! Captian and crew are all very sweet. Captain is very experienced provides great commentary as you ride the boat... decorations are cute! Captian also allows kids to wear Captian hat and pretend to steer the boat! Also gives a "Captian certificate" . Will definitely be coming back! read more

Willamette Queen - Sternwheeler Excursions - Willamette Queen - Boat Charters Near Me - Salem, Oregon

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Thank you for making my birthday a special one!!!!! One of our favorite places to eat!!! Will be back soon. Mark & Renee. read more

I have been on the Willamette Queen several times, and it is always a disaster. All of the following has happened while aboard: 1) They cancelled my reservation without notifying me. Luckily, they let us aboard. Unfortunately, it was during the middle of an alcohol fueled, karaoke themed, corporate party. Not a great anniversary celebration. 2) Nearly no waiters/waitresses on Valentine's Day, so the food was cold, the wrong food was delivered, and some just never arrived. 3) Charged someone else's dinner to my credit card. 4) Mechanical issues, so we ate at the dock. 5) Several times, there were ants on my table. It's always something! read more

This was a nice concept to start with having a sternwheeler on this part of the Willamette River in Salem Oregon. But it doesn't go any further than that. The food this horrible and I mean horrible go by and take a look at the reviews and you'll see I'm not the only person that feels that way. They might be better off just letting the boats sit there and open up a bar and try to serve some decent drinks. Don't waste your time, nice idea that went to hell. Yes the captain looks the part of a sternwheeler captain but that doesn't pay for horrible food. You would think that he would figure this out and fix the kitchen and then you could have a viable business that's only hope but not on my time now until things change. read more

Totally accurate! I was there! Valentine's Day. The "engineer " walking around in a button up shirt with swim trunks is a little unnerving. Why is he expecting to go for a swim? The awkward speech by the ships captain kicked off the night. Now if you dare think you are going on a cruise up the river for an hour or so, please know this, save your money and go to Portland to the Portland spirit. The boat never goes farther than a mile from where it lets in from. So we go in circles for an hour Gregg? Yes! Yes you do! I would make mention the food but honestly I still do not have my full strength back from the dehydrated dry heaving. Our servers forgot about us constantly. So here's the deal. If you are expecting something fantastic, stop that! If you want to do it and say that you've done it! Stop! Don't and say you did! read more

Willamette Queen - Sternwheeler Excursions - Guess we now know why the engineer was expecting. A swim. - Boat Charters Near Me - Salem, Oregon

This river cruise has been under the same ownership for 18 years! My first experience was tonight, as being a Salemite for just a year now, I never knew there was such a thing! Figured I'd have to travel to Portland to have a river cruise. Not so! Everything about it makes for a great experience : friendly and welcoming staff, beautiful boat, good food, and bar. The most important thing about this kind of trip however is the group you go with. If you book a private party and go with a group of friends, you're going to have a blast. (Unless, of course, your group is a group of duds, in which case you're not going to have fun no matter what you do.) I think the general satisfaction rating from everyone on board our trip would be 5 stars. I heard zero complaints about anything. (except of course the heat. We went on the absolute hottest day of the year. It must have been 100 out.) There is ample airflow outside the main cabin obviously, and we all took our plates outside and they had tables enough around the perimeter that everyone was able to eat outside. Its an evening cruise, so it cooled off sufficiently enough. We left around 630pm and returned about 930. Plenty of time for a nice private party. Do not expect to be terribly impressed by the cruise itself. It's the Willamette, and it travels a very limited portion, so again, your main entertainment needs to consist of your private party, not some spectacular scenery or voyage. Set your expectations accordingly. This is not a wildlife expedition. I would not hesitate to throw my own party aboard this ship again. You can count on the team here to provide a safe, pleasant, and consistent experience. I will be back, I'm sure. And cooler weather will make it even better, so I will aim for a Fall cruise. They do operate ALL year round however, so you can participate at any time. Check it out! read more

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My boyfriend's mom helped plan a murder mystery dinner on the Willamette Queen so my boyfriend and I agreed to go support her. I had read a few older reviews about how awful this experience can be, so I was nervous to go. Overall I really enjoyed the cruise, but I feel like we didn't spend enough time driving the boat around. We were only moving for about an hour out of the 3 hour event, and it was pitch dark by the time we even started moving. This cruise might be better during the day and with a large group. The captain of the ship is amazing - he made the experience worth it. read more

We have had several trips and want to go on another! The mystery cruise was great fun. The audience was encouraged to participate. The food is good, decent wines. A beautiful trip with a charming host/Captain and a great waitress. read more

Such a great experience. The food was incredible and The staff was very nice. Highly recommended !!!! read more

Took friends for a lunch cruise yesterday. Food was delicious, service excellent, captain & staff friendly. Birthday girl got to stand by wheel @ captain signed certificate making her "junior captain." Excellent experience. Highly recommend!!!! read more

We took an hour ride yesterday for $10. Was it worth it? Yes. Did we travel far? No. It was relaxing. Quiet. We didn't purchase anything from the bar. A cup of coffee and a brownie were complementary. The people were very friendly. Would we go again? If we had older family members or young children who wanted to go, then yes. I still say it was worth an hour of my time and $10 out of my pocket on a Sunday afternoon. read more

Willamette Queen - Sternwheeler Excursions - A beautiful, overcast day on the river. - Boat Charters Near Me - Salem, Oregon

The captain was a nice guy with corny humor. The wait staff or lack of is more like it was the first indication it meal may be questionable! He walked to the table and said what do you want. We asked what do you have and he said alcoholic and non-alcoholic. There were NO choices for lunch. We were provided with a ketchup cup with salsa, stale chips, a quiche? we think that is what it was. and tiny salad. If we would have been told there were not options we would have not gone on this over priced trip. Some people have food allergies so I ate a few chips and water. All that for 28.00 You basically go in a circle on the boat for less than 60 min. Its sad since this could be a fun experience. Our was NOT! Do not waste your time and money. read more

What a rip off! Basically cruised in a circle twice, sub-par service and the food was awful. $48.00 each + a mandatory gratuity of $16.00. Seriously my day would have been better by grabbing a Egg Mcmuffin and driving to the park to eat it at the rivers edge. read more

We took our family for the 1 hour excursion. We have children (3 and 1). The crew was super friendly and the captain was great with kids. The children were allowed to meet the captain and blow the horn and/or pretend to steer the boat if they wanted. It was a relaxed environment and the boat was not packed. We left on time and returned on time. read more

Not thrilled with the lunch cruise which consisted of a vinegar soaked beans and corn on a bed of lettuce with 3 pc chicken, over salty garlic bread and the teeniest piece of watermelon. Desert: day old choc donut type thing with whipped cream. don't recommend lunch cruise. read more

A family friend had his wedding on the Willamette Queen Sternwheeler over the weekend and it was absolutely beautiful. The staff had everything set up just perfect. The food was pretty good and there was quite the drink selection. The view from the sternwheeler was awesome, as the route taken allowed us to see the sunset. There was plenty of seating available and the staff was more than helpful. The wedding couldn't have been more perfect!!!!! read more

One of the worst dinners and over priced. Don't waste your time and especially your money. Save your money.Inedible uncooked mushrooms, with an even more unidentifiable spread and crackers, a small salad, over cooked prime rib or smelly fish and a dessert we didn't get until we asked asked and then the only choice was a dry chocolate swirl. Does not count as a 4 course meal. Very disappointing and I discuss the servers who barely acknowledged us. We got better service and better food at the pizza place we had to go to after dinner. Thanks for making it a different kind of memorable Valentine Days. read more

We took one of the two hour dinner cruises to celebrate my brother's 60th birthday. Everyone had a great time! The food was wonderful, and the staff was friendly and professional. The captain even let guests go up on the bridge and take the helm. We look forward to our next dinner or brunch cruise. read more

I completely agree with Dalece. For $48 a person (plus mandatory gratuity) I expected much more than luke warm food and waiters who completely forgot about us and then gave us our bill and tried to charge us for drinks that we didn't order. Horrible experience. I don't recommend this to anyone! read more

These people are wonderful to work with. They made our wedding an absolutely beautiful event and I cannot say enough good things about them!

One of the worst meals of my life... Took my wife Valentine's Day 2015 The staff: Very polite and respectful but didn't seem to have a clue how to successfully wait tables. Appetizer: Started out with a so-so racquetball sized cheese ball accompanied by 4 ritz-like crackers and 6 grapes Drinks: We had one of the mixed drinks off of the menu that said it was for two. We got one glass that was smaller than our water glasses that was filled with more ice than liquid. The waitress forgot two straws and promised to come back with them. The straws never came. Dinner: My wife and I both chose the prime rib which was served lukewarm, with a reheated "twice baked potato," and steamed veggies that were served cold. The prime rib was very stringy and tasted old. Many of the bites we took were un-chewable. The horseradish that we had to wait a while for finally came and in my opinion was the best tasting item of the night. Dessert: Strawberry cool whip in a mini pie crust with a half of a strawberry on top. The second best tasting item of the night. If it weren't for the freezer burn taste it would have narrowly beat out the horseradish. I am not a snob and I understand that dinner on a small boat won't be a 5 star meal but given the price and that it was Valentine's Day, I would have hoped that they would put a little more effort into the whole experience. I can only hope that the $48 per plate with a mandatory 16% gratuity goes to getting better food and perhaps even upkeep on the boat. (The door to the bathrooms didn't even lock!) I would not recommend this to anyone I know, especially if you are wanting a romantic Valentine's Day. Two adults with one shared mixed drink and our bill was $119. We got better food and service from the Sonic on Lancaster that we went to right afterward. read more

Came here during Christmas week with some Foster kids with special needs and they were allowing free cruises that week with donation toward homeless charity and several other charities. We weren't able to go out on the main river because of the debris and the speed of the river but we putted around near the dock and the kids didn't mind. I took two of the three kids up to meet the Captain and he let them "steer" the boat. They both really enjoyed it and the captain and crew were very friendly. They also treated us to free hot chocolate and cookies. My parents went the next day and they had cake and hot chocolate that day. read more

We went on the Mothers Day cruise this year. Some of the staff were polite, others would bowl you over to get things accomplished. We didn't know that we would have to sit at a table with total strangers, so that part was awkward. The cruise was about 2 1/2 hours. Really, that was a little long. The food was really good, but not a lot of healthy options. I mainly had fruit. My husband ordered a drink and didn't receive it for the first hour (which we chalked up to them being busy). The redeeming part of the cruise was getting to hang out with the captain where the boat is steered. He put on a great show and made us feel welcomed. We also got some great pictures with him. On another note, I wish that their website was more user friendly. I wanted to look at doing a murder mystery in the future but was unable to find when that would take place. They have a calendar of events that may or may not be available, which is not really helpful. read more

I have wondered about taking this lunch boat cruise for years and I wish I had left it at that. This really could be something so great if only someone knew what they were doing was running it. I don't know who was more miserable the crew or the poor people stuck on this old boat going in tiny circles for an hour. I can see some reviews here where people paid ten bucks for an hour ride with a cup of coffee and I think that could be slightly ok but please hear me please do not pay for any meals from this ol' ship and the crew because it is an absolute horror show. My daughter and I came home feeling quite sick afterward and I only took a few bites. This "buffet" style lunch was so awful I really thought maybe this is a joke but they were serious. The "kitchen" has very old gross curtains with holes on them blocking out any sun light from outside which is good because if daylight were to touch any part of where the food is prepared NASA would have to be called in to identify the new breeds of bacteria. I don't like writing bad reviews but I just can't in good consciousness not at least try to warn others from wasting money and potential food illness. They simply don't have a clue what they are doing and I don't know how they are still operating. This was miserable just an absolute let down in every possible way. read more

Probably the worst river excursion I have ever been on. Not sure what we paid $50 per person for seriously. When reservations were made on phone, we were given a lot of information that was completely inaccurate. They told us there was live music, games for the kids to play and that every table has a window seat, none of which was true. This excursion was my mothers day gift which was terrible. The food was dried out and straight out of the can including refried beans and rice for some type of taco, for mothers day brunch?? The only other options were cheap thin biscuits with canned gravy, nasty bacon, and dried up ham pieces. The staff were horrible as well, particularly the waitress who tried to give my four year old a glass champagne glass and couldn't understand why that was an issue. Desert consisted of 711 donuts cut up into toothpick sized pieces and a bowl of maybe ten cakepops that couldn't possible accommodate the 30+ guests on board, CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP, Denny's would have been better!!! Worst mother's day brunch ever, owners should be ashamed of the experience they are providing and perhaps should be honest about what the customer is actually going to get! would never recommend to anyone, EVER!! read more