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
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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
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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
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While the boat ride was pleasant enough, the Spirit of Sacramento is clearly in need of some cosmetic repair.\r
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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
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