Dinner & Lights - Budapest Evening Cruise

Vincent was very welcoming at check in. Fantastic food and service, Nora was friendly, professional and took time to explain everything thoroughly.
Musicians were talented and had a very good repertoire. Singer and folk troop were splendid and a credit to Hungarian folklore. We all had an amazing experience.

Entertainment was fun. The food was good but too much for me. Be hungry when you arrive. All drinks are extra EVEN WATER! We had a table by a window which made it nice for viewing the night lights.

Were I to do this over, I would book a cruise-only night cruise. Go to the Central Market in Budapest for a meal. Upstairs there is a variety of food vendors and restaurants with authentic, good, hot meals if you want to try Hungarian food. Prices are fair – not cheap - but you don’t get gouged.
We went on this excursion on a wet night in early October 2023. Food: Course #1: one fig wrapped in bacon, overcooked to a crisp. Course #2: Slice of liver, 2 slices of dry bread accompanied by a small pot of goose fat and a dab of jam. “We Hungarians like our fat” said the waiter. Course #3: Bland sweet potato soup. Course #4: Very dry chicken breast atop pureed vegetables. Duck leg and thigh. Dessert (one hour later): Brownie topped with whiskey ice cream. Tasted like the ice cream was from the bottom of the freezer and I could not eat it. Brownie was very dry and I couldn’t finish it. Course #6: cheese plate – good – included a green cheese with a blue rind, a soft white brie, grapes. All drinks, including soft drinks, are an extra charge.
Music was OK, musicians looked tired/bored. Dancers were OK, although the male dancers really put on a good, energetic show and looked professional. At the end of the cruise the audience is invited to join the dancing, which I recommend doing, as it was the highlight of the evening. Beside the scenery, which was beautiful at night. Around 10 PM the show was over, and the staff and entertainers lined up at the exit, awaiting tips. If you do this cruise I suggest you prearrange transportation to get back to your motel. We had to take a cab that was waiting across the street for us hapless travelers ($20 to go 2 miles).

Food was good and great service thoroughly enjoyable night time on the Danube great The singing Dancing and musicians where good as well

Amazing experience! The food is good, the show is great but the views of the city from the Danube are breath taking and the best part of the experience. We were not very enthusiastic of this and we decided to do it last minute. I'm so glad we did it. The entire 3 hours were absolutely fantastic despite the cold and windy weather. We selected window table (inside) and took a few chance to go out to the deck to admire the gorgeous city views. The cruise make 2 passes through the main city so you have plenty of chances to see, enjoy and take wonderful pictures. Definitely a most do if you are planning to visit Budapest

A great night out with a delicious selection of traditional food over 6 courses. The entertainment was fun and got the crowd involved with a conga line. I believe a boat ride is a brilliant way to see the stunning Budapest skyline at night. Good value and a good night with friends.

Wonderful cruise to see the night lights!!

Entertainment was excellent.
Soup was not good-too salty and one person didn’t care for it. We wish we had chosen fewer courses.

The musical entertainment was very good, with fun audience involvement. The food was above average in quality and presentation and the service was just right, the staff did a good job keeping lots of courses coming out. It was complicated by the fact that different tables had different tickets of varying inclusions. The sights along the river did not disappoint, that's the money.

Well run trip which exceeded our expectations. Boat was comfortable and we had a window seat as booked. Early evening views magnificent and we had a good hour or so of daylight before it became dark. We had the six-course meal and it was all delicious. I ate the chicken - really tasty. First two courses are bite size appetizers followed by soup (delicious), main course and dessert, and then an individual cheese plate. Food was all good, way better than expected. Live music throughout the entire trip and singing and dancing by the folk dancing team was excellent. Overall wonderful way to end our short vacation in Budapest. (Note that Dock 11 for boarding is close to the Elizabeth Bridge so if you get to the dock at the other side, it's a very long walk to Dock 11)

Really excellent. Fully recommend this tour as good value for money and a good night out in Budapest.

Good food good entertainment and wonderful views. I highly recommend this excursion. Certainly worth the cost.

The staff was kind and helpful, the food was way better then expected, and the folk show was interesting as well.

You must go for it, great folklore show and great service!
Super nice treatment, thanks for everyone for the great time and especially for our hostess Noura 🙏

My expectations for a harbor/river dinner cruise have been lowered by too many cruises with very marginal buffets. This was definitely better; a four-course meal with a welcome flute of champagne and choices for each course, including six choices for the main course. The salads and desserts were good. The goulash, as noted by a previous reviewer, seemed somewhat watery and undercooked to me. Our main courses, fish and duck confit, were only okay.

The entertainment was quite good. The dancere were entertaining, the singer was talented and the four musicians were very good. The violinist was truly excellent! It was something of a disappointment, however, to have the dancers at the departure point holding tip baskets.

We paid extra for a window table. I think this was a waste of money, as it didn't really afford a much better view and was rather cramped.

I also agree that the cruise was nothing spectacular. Nothing you can't see as well with a relatively short walk along the bank. Up to the Margeret Bridge, turn around. Down about three bridges, turn around again. Stop at the departure point for about 10 minutes (presumably to onload the dancers) then repeat the route.

Am I glad we went? Yes. Would I do it again? No. Would I recommend it? Not highly.