Spirit of Sacramento Riverboat Cruises

Forget everything you have read up 'til now! The Spirit of Sacramento is under new management, gone through two whole years of renovation and has moved to the San Francisco Bay. Fully restored and clean and FUN. I've been on three cruises already, and can't wait for the next one. Great food, great music, and the crew are all friendly and five-star qualified. I highly recommend it. Everyone who gets on board is amazed at how comfortable and enjoyable it is...especially when we go to McCovey Cove during the Giants game! more

This is the worst company to ever have to deal with. If you have a complaint (and you will have many) don't expect any help from the owner Roy King because you won't receive any. He bankrupt the company and then just changed the name to Pacific Avalon Yacht Charters and continued on under the new name. I showed up for a cruise that I paid for in full and the boat wasn't even there. I called the office and no one answered the phone or returned any of my calls. After dozens of phone calls, the owner's wife Liz finally answered and she was so rude and unsympathetic to my situation. I finally got her to agree to reverse the charges but that was five months ago and I still haven't gotten my money back! Stay away from these guys- they are crooks!!!!! Cons: Everything! more

If you're looking for something that is low key and not very expensive, then you have found the right place. Just had my birthday bash party this past weekend. We had the best time ever! All the friends and family all liked the whole idea of having dinner on a boat. Let's just say that by the end of the night....lots of alcohol consumed and friendship swayed. The crew was so nice and so willing to cater to our needs. Brian (Bartender) was so awesome with all the drink orders - Michael (DJ) was very accommodating to our special song selections and also very flexible with our reservation. One suggestion that might be good for the cruise - karaoke night for those who love to sing because it brings people closer together, esp for private parties. \r \r One minor complaint - the 2nd floor (Dance Floor) was extremely cold for some people. Couldn't dance because of the coldness. ;)\r \r Overall, I was very happy with the service and tour. Definitely would do it again someday. \r \r Thank you!!!!!\r Pros: Full Bar, Dinner included, music, and dance floor Cons: No heater on 2nd floor, makes it harder for people to enjoy the music more

The company I work for just hosted our holiday party on the Spirit of Sacramento and we had a great time. We had our picture taken down by the boat when we boarded and had a cocktail when the boat left the dock. The four hour cruise started with our dinner service. For a buffet, it was actually pretty good. The salad was great and the tri-tip was perfectly cooked which I find suprising considering there were over 130 of us altogether. The bathrooms were pretty clean and I was happy to find out they had five bathrooms. The DJ played some great dance music and kept everyone involved and happy. The third deck was outside and it was really cold that night so I stayed inside most of the night. Overall, it was a really fun night with good food and great friends. I'd recommend this venue as a place for any group or company to have an event. I've been at this company for over five years and this was the best holiday party so far. Pros: food was good, staff was friendly, DJ rocked! Cons: The decor is a little dated, it was cold outside. more

I was setting up a family reunion and called the office. I got a trainee and was eventually shuttled to a voice mail. I didn?t receive a call back and called again the next day. I got another trainee who shuttled me to a voicemail. I finally got a call back from Michael, he was accommodating but not what I was looking for ? his company was unable to provide a special food menu, do any stops or provide an intimate location. His fee structure was inflexible and no choice of wines. There was to be a large corkage fee if we brought our own. I looked some more and found Sacramento Cruises out of the new Le Rivage Hotel Marina. It proved the best few minutes of searching I ever spent ? what an amazingly accommodating business. We booked 6 hours of the most pleasant water experience ever. Lynne James and family. more

I read these reviews and decided to spend my money elsewhere. It's\r inconceiveable that one business can get this many poor reviews. I feel like my family dodged a bullet. more

We eagerly look forward to our annual Captain's Brunch Cruise on the Spirit of Sacramento to celebrate my Sweetie's birthday. Delicious, all you can eat breakfast with champaign and mamosas. Relaxing and renewing for the spirit. Delightful way to celebrate any event. Pros: Great food. Relaxing way to celebrate. more

Not a friendly contact when calling for information. I've been on the Spirit of Sacramento v101.0 c3 hour cruise twice and loved it but when calling today I wasn't greeted very nicely or wasn't allowed to speak and get across what I needed answered. Penelope is not the friendliest customer service rep to deal with. Not a very warm welcoming voice or even a person. I'm disappointed. Please have someone other than Penelope answer the phones she will detour your business. The next time I call and she answers I will hang up. more

The boat took off 5-10 minutes late. The California flag hanging on the front of the boat was in very bad shape. The boat overall is outdated. We booked a brunch that had to be canceled due to low interest.\r The captain gave some nice history info about the Delta King and Queen and some structures along the waterfront. Pros: Cruising along the river and watching the bridge move. Cons: Very outdated interior and the flag was worn out. more

Upon boarding the Spirit of Sacramento, the first thing I noticed was that the tables were not set as I had requested. Being we were a party of 20, and being told you could only set tables as large as a party of 16, we decided that 2 tables of 10 and 10 would work. However, the tables were set in their standard fashion of 8. We wanted to do a little rearranging of the tables, knowing that we could not block the isles, but were told that each table was specifically situated so that they would go with the groove of the boat, or something to that effect. With a little further explanation of my original request for table arrangements, we were able to move a couple of tables together, but our party was still somewhat separated.\r \r The quality of the food served for brunch was so poor, that I was really embarrassed. I had arranged this family gathering for a special occasion. Our party totaled $800 ($40/person) for a 2 hour brunch and boat ride. \r \r We are pretty sure that the eggs served were not ?real eggs?\r The red potatoes were not completely cooked. In fact, they were actually rather raw and crunchy\r The shrimp was extremely overcooked. \r We got the impression that the waffles served were frozen and heated in a microwave, or even reheated from another occasion. The were very spongy.\r There was no syrup for the waffles.\r The coffee was self serve in styrofoam cups\r \r While the boat ride was pleasant enough, the Spirit of Sacramento is clearly in need of some cosmetic repair.\r \r I would not recommend this excursion to others. Overall, I believe we spent a lot of money for a service we did not fully receive. With a little attention to detail, all of these ?problems? could have been avoided and an elegant and memorable experience could have been achieved. Pros: boat ride was smooth Cons: food was worse than a cheap cafeteria / the staff helped when asked but did not volunteer their services more

if you're looking for a nice night out with family, this could be the place\r if you're looking for a nice night out with family and decent food, avoid 'spirit of sacramento'\r \r last night my family and i went on the 3 hour long dinner cruise (it was my idea) if it were any ordinary night, it would have been a bad experience. but it was my parents' 27th anniversary dinner and so the experience was dreadful. upon boarding, we were told to go inside and the servers would tell us were to sit, i had to ask the servers who were sitting and chatting to each other where our party was supposed to sit, one of them then pointed to a table. we were not told that we would be called up table by table to the buffet. so when we went up for the food, we were sent back to our table. the food was cold and tasteless, it was akin to airplane food. the water glasses were clear 8oz plastic cups that were gathered up and thrown away. the music was extremely loud to the point where it made it difficult to hear my mom who was sitting across the table from me. \r \r it was an experience i could have done without. Pros: we left and arrived exactly on schedule, bathroom was clean, water was cold, the lights were dimmed during the cruise Cons: tastless, cold food, inexperienced service, expensive more

Well - my Mom and myself signed-up for the 2 hour Sunset Buffet Cruise. We paid $45.00 each, which was suppose to be a group rate. The Boat left just a few minutes after 6:00 pm and the Buffet was being served table-by-table. A large group of over 100 people on a Sunday afternoon. They set out salad, bread and butter, potatoes, roasted chicken and roast beef. The Boat was mello and you were not aware of the water - real smooth. After an hour the boat turned around and we headed back a slow, steady pace. After a tour upstairs with the cool wind in the hair the servants were setting out pre-cut pieces of cake and get your own coffee. I think the staff was friendly and kind and the trip was well worth the price. SLO Pros: Good for a first-time tourist Cons: Two hours is a long ride more

I am writing yet another review. I feel like this place has a bad rep. So let me tell you about my experience.\r We celebrated our son's rehearsal dinner on the Spirit of Sacramento. The staff from the sales office all the way down to the bus boys treated us like royalty. We were a little skeptical from a past event when the boats showed a lot of wear. From our understanding the company in under new ownership, and a lot of upgrades have been made. The whole event was very memorable we will definitely be booking future events.\r more

We paid $40 for a buffet lunch cruise that did not include a cruise or even a soda. You had to serve yourself coffee or water. The boat was run down, small, and dirty. After we finished the lousy lunch, we were told to leave. The river was running too high for the boat to leave dock. We went to the office to get our money back, the woman there said that the cruise was subject to weather. She did offer tickets on another boat for the river cruise, an hour and a half later. If we wanted to try to get a refund we would have to come back in two hours and talk to the owner. The whole thing was overpriced. We could have eaten in a nice restaurant for less. The river cruise, which consists of going down to a freeway and back, was overpriced. Cons: overpriced, poor customer service, not ADA compliant more

A 70th Birthday celebration should be something special! Instead, our party of 15 was not seated together (no tables, only booths), was served truly tasteless, inedible food (the microwave must have been working overtime - I thought I was eating dried salmon!) with very questionable service (the hostess reached INSIDE the water pitcher to retrieve it when refilling). You could smell the diesel engine, and the waterwheel was only for show. It started and ended a half hour late. All this for an outrageous price! Thank goodness you only turn 70 once, Grandma! So Sorry! Cons: expensive, terrible food, inexperienced service more