Dinner Canal Cruise Amsterdam: 4-Courses Including Drinks

We enjoyed our time floating around the canals and the food and wine. Great choice for an evening with friends or loved ones

If you read any review please read this one. I enjoyed my time but want people to be aware of the things not listed on this booking. I am reluctantly giving this dinner cruise 5 stars because it was truly average but an overall enjoyable experience. If proper expectations were set, I would not have even considered anything less than a 5 star review (I considered 3 but changed my mind). In the description, it is listed that there may be up to 60 people on this cruise. We booked this as we were on our honeymoon and wanted a romantic dinner on the canals of Amsterdam. The first expectation that was not set is that you will be seated with another couple. There are 6 seats to a table and they put 2 couples together. This is an inconvenience to everyone involved if people need to get up to use the restroom. The aisle between tables is much like an airplane where staff are walking up and down leaning into tables if someone is passing. It is also, in my opinion, awkward to have a dinner date with people sitting right next to you (more so than a crowded restaurant). The second expectation that was not set is that the driver/guide said maybe 4 things during the 2 hours. Reading the other reviews there was one “innuendo” that some people may find inappropriate- it felt like it fit the part to me. I did not mind the commentary but did expected more as this was a “guided tour”. The third expectation is that you do not get to choose if you are a window or aisle seat. We unfortunately had an aisle seat (again people getting up and down). I would have booked a window seat had we been able too. That would have been nice to know. I expected everyone to have a window seat. The boat did have glass walls and ceilings but if you want to take a picture or look out at the sights there are people in your way. We also went in October so by the time we boarded, it was already dark. The redeeming quality was the staff and the food. The staff were polite and attentive and as many other reviews said, the food was surprisingly good. We both had the fish option and it was worth the price. I am not sure if you can book 2 different meal choices. We did not attempt to do that. Overall I am happy I booked this experience I just wish proper expectations were set. I was disappointed at first when we had to get up to let another couple in to the window seat and we were not there ourselves. I would recommend this for the food and the canal views but want to make sure people understand what they are getting.

Really excellent dinner. Was expecting something quite standard but it was very nice. The wine was good too. Fun and interesting commentary. Great atmosphere on the boat. Very good value considering all that is included. Thank you.

The cruise was punctual. The captain entertaining. We found the food, service & views were all wonderful!!

The cruise gives you the advertised basics and does it well. Unfortunately, there were unforeseen (to me, at least) issues: a reflective glass canopy and boisterous groups. The onboard lighting is bright enough to reflect back to your eyes and camera lenses, alike. It hinders night-time views somewhat. The boat’s stern (back) was open and unobstructed so I spent time there to enjoy the evening views of the canals and its banks, instead of our glass-canopy-covered dinner table. The vocal noise 2 dinner groups made was not wrong or unruly but it overran conversations of most couples wanting a subtle and dignified canal cruise in Amsterdam, me, my wife, and close friends included. The ineffective solution was to raise your voice. This in turn created and perpetuated the loud voice cascade that made living couples shouting at on another. Another couple complained to a waiter but that was fruitless. The waiter lightly conveyed the complaint to the noisy patrons and ended up laughing along with them. Worse, the noisy patrons continued being boisterous within the tight confines of the boat-long glass canopy. It was so loud initially, I didn’t know background music was playing overhead. Again, no rules were broken but their banter was loud, persistent, and uncontrolled. Wanting a pleasant canal cruise, I was displeased with the boat staff’s unwillingness to reduce the noise for the sake of a calm ambiance, especially after a complaint was made. Also, I was upset with the loud customers. Not only because they were oblivious to their voices’ intruding on others but more so that the complaint did not affect a change for the sake of others, complaining or not. I did not find “quiet” or “romantic” in the dinner cruise’s online description so I was not overtly mislead but the website states “it is sure to be a dinner experience unlike any you’ve ever had before”. This leads me to believe in a calmer ambience is the norm than what I (plus the complaining customers and possibly others) expected. If the cruise company invites a wide range of guests that want to party or seek a quiet and calm experience, they should inform potential customers of this potential issue or create separate cruises. The boat is just too small and confined for both to exist in mutual harmony. Until the cruise company can accurately describe, then consistently enforce the advertised ambiance I will NOT recommend Lovers dinner canal cruise to anyone that cares about a specific ambiance.

Amsterdam is beautiful at night, from the water. The food was good, and service was great! Enjoy a nice time with a partner or friends.

Not appealing jokes from the captain inappropriate
I will not recommend. Waiters were very attentive food was average.

This was a lovely way to spend our wedding anniversary, the booking was really easy and from arrival at the dock to getting off the boat we were very well looked after by the staff on board. The tables were set beautifully and we were a bit concerned about being crammed together but we shared our table with one other couple and had an empty seat in between each couple so no problem at all. We chose the fish meal and thoroughly enjoyed every course. The wine was also very good and was plentiful. Definitely recommended.

A lovely evening, with very good food. We had a salmon roll stuffed with small cubed vegetables with a light sauce, asparagus soup with small chunks too, local fish with vegetables, and a creamy dessert.. bread rolls with butter on the side. Served white wine (two varieties to choose from) my husband had Heineken. Bottled water on the table. There was more than enough of everything. We started the cruise in the daylight and finished in the twilight. The captain gave some commentary & light humour during the excursion, heard some music in between but not very well which was fine.. we were chatting with our table guests. 6 seats to a table .. we were 2 couples,,, the centre seats were empty. Worth the trip! Very enjoyable.

Good food great sights nice service
Boat clean
Good company and saw Amsterdam from a different viewpoint

This one was disappointing. The food was awful (and I'll eat anything) - it was luke warm and bland. I was starving so I ate most of it but I noticed many people were leaving theirs uneaten. The other people on our table (couples are seated with other couples as it's tables of 4) didn't eat theirs at all after the first taste.
The cruise was pretty lacklustre as well. The canals and the Amsterdam buildings are lovely on their own, but the commentary was pretty minimal (just pointing out the odd building) and we also had a couple of minor hits with other boats and a canal wall, which to be honest, was the best part of the night...
We did another cruise the next day with a different operator which was much better, so I'd recommend looking around at options.

Most confusing, when we signed up with Viator, we were shown menu choices, but not given the opportunity to make our choices. When I enquired later, we were redirected to the company providing the cruise, and discovered that the choices were entirely different.
Furthermore, our travel companions chose the vegetarian lasagne option and found it almost inedible.
The cruise itself was lovely but we would not recommend it to friends.

So pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food…. Excellent! Highly recommend! All staff was courteous and so helpful. Wonderful relaxing tour!

Our favourite part was the food, we were very pleased indeed, it was good quality considering we were in a canal boat

It was not what I expected nor what the picture showed. I have been on 2 or 3 dinner cruises in Europe and usually you dress up, and have very fine food. This food was tolerable. And for the first half of the cruise, it felt like we were in the slums. It ended a little better w/some nice views, but I would not recommend this dinner cruise.

Great staff, great views, lovely views. Would have been nice for more information on what we were looking at

The whole event was wonderful. The tour gentleman was knowledgeable and great. So glad we participated.