Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge Cruises

Very nice dinner cruise. They only have one per week this time of year and the cruise just fell into place. My kids, their spouses and my friend from Hood River came along and it was lovely. Great choice of menu items and sweet staff. The captain REALLY looked the part, an olé Salt, and so knowledgeable of the «Lewis and Clark» history. I recommend this dinner cruise, smooth sailing! My son-​in-​law got stuck in traffic and missed the boat, but the waitress wrapped up his dinner and my daughter was able to take it home to him… They really went out of their way to make the cruise special. THANKS Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler, you guys ROCK!

One of my absolute favorite attractions of our entire Pacific Northwest road trip! I was weary of the price, but after a long day of driving figured we had earned this indulgence. The dock is inside of a large park area, just a short walk from our hotel. Purchasing tickets a half hour before departure was no problem on a Sunday evening. For $ 52 per adult and $ 49 per child, you get a dinner, a narrated cruise along a beautiful river, tons of fantastic photo ops, and an unforgettable time with your family. We enjoyed the beef tenderloin that was served, and the alcoholic beverages we purchased for extra. Servers were unabashedly and genuinely friendly. The ship’s captain (also the Mayor of Cascade Locks) had a lot of interesting history to teach us as we glided along the river. The best part of the trip, however, was when my kiddies were able to visit the Captain and actually take turns steering the Sternwheeler! How often do you get a chance to navigate a 33-​ton vessel with the Mayor of the town? It was an unforgettable experience. Don’t hesitate – you won’t regret it!

We went on the dinner cruise and we were extremely disappointed. Got there right on time, they took a picture which we paid for when reserving it online (didn’t say cheese, it went so fast, I only got half of a smile before they took the pic). Later, you find out that we will never get that pic anyway. We were seated at the window seat which we reserved. Fingerprints all over the windows. They had bread and water waiting for us. We sat there for 40 minutes with sun in our eyes and it was so hot and claustrophobic in there with an old dirty feel that we weren’t comfortable at all. The waiters and waitresses were wonderful. We finally started moving and it cooled down. It took a while to get our food and it was lukewarm so we didn’t eat it. We didn’t make it to dessert because I guess there was a fire started. We had to all go upstairs, the Sternwheeler was docked a half hour early. Three fire trucks and the Sternwheeler didn’t blow up in smoke, not sure that would of been a great loss. We did get a refund…

We took a family trip with guests from the east coast and had a great time… They were able to see the Columbia River, Indians netting salmon in the river, bald eagles, Ospreys, and lost of other creatures on the river! I highly recommend taking out of town guests on this venture!

I went for the dinner cruise on the Columbia Gorge. Everyone was very nice, especially the waitress. We even got two free desserts for going for my birthday! The views were beautiful and the whole thing lasted two hours. I ordered the lasagna, which I didn’t care for, but I kinda knew I shouldn’t have ordered it in the place. My boyfriend ordered the beef shoulder and it was very delicious. I would definitely go on the cruise again.

We booked this cruise the same day as we took it. I was so impressed! And we treated wonderfully by the whole staff!
My husband I travel with our travel trailer, so that pretty much tells you that we are not eccentric people. However we are not pushovers either. As long as we get treated respectfully and we get what we pay for, we are pretty easy people to please. We expect to get what we pay for. And with this dinner cruise we were elated! The staff was lovely, the food was prepared deliciously, the Capitan was a knowledgeable of his navigation skills as well as the history of the river. We were entertained by the kite boarders as well as the wind surfers! Truly something you need to see! One thing is that you always meet the wonderful people! Remember a positive attitude is a must! Things always are better with positive thinking. :)
We always travel with the best attitude we can. But with this cruise we didn’t have to make excuses for anything. It was delightful! as was the whole cruise. I hope when you are here you will take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to experience this area! we would do this again! Thank you everyone for a special evening! Linda & Everett

Went on a Sunday evening in September. If you no like-​y crowds, like we don’t, Sunday evenings are it.
Maybe 25 people to share the boat with.
Dinner was leisurely and decent, our waitress was really super sweet.
But the queen of the show was the boat ride. It was meant to be a sunset cruise, but there was no sun. The clouds really made the views extra-​dramatic though. I have done a lot of sightseeing in the Gorge and I will say that this is the best way to see it.
Even let Hubbs drive the boat.

We decided to change it up and take a Columbia River cruise, rather than our annual Willamette River cruise on the Portland Spirit. The Columbia Sternwheeler is part of the Portland Spirit fleet and there were many similarities.
It was nice to have a change of scenery and we did see some wildlife during our 2-​hour brunch cruise. There is a sea lion that regularly hangs out on one of the islands by the Columbia River Dam and bald eagles make their nests on trees and wooden docks along the route. The typical itinerary, although I’m told the captain can modify this at his or her discretion, is to start the cruise from Cascade Locks by heading East for about 30 minutes, then turning back and passing under the Bridge of the Gods to get relatively close to the dam.
The cruise was fully booked, so reservations are highly recommended if this is an important activity for your family or group. When you arrive, the visitor center is modern, clean and has complimentary coffee. It is a nice place to wait for the cruise to begin. By comparison, the Sternwheeler ship seems almost painfully dated and not in a cute, historic way. While the Portland Spirit isn’t glam, this is a couple steps down. In particular, the buffet space feels very cramped and the bathrooms could use some work. The floral wallpaper and carpets could also use refreshing.
The food you are served is quite similar to the Portland Spirit and our brunch came with complimentary champagne, orange juice and coffee. I think the crew did a good job of restocking items on the buffet during the trip and refilling our drinks, even though they were understaffed (one employee didn’t show up).
There are two levels of observation decks, with the lower level partially covered. This was a good thing since it rained during our cruise. On the top level, the captain left the wheelhouse open and would happily answer questions and let guests steer the boat. He also provided some commentary during the trip.
I’m certainly happy we made the voyage, but if you are visiting the area and only want to take one cruise, I personally would recommend taking the Portland Spirit cruise in Portland and then experiencing the Columbia Gorge by car and foot.

I love the sternwheeler. I prefer it to the other boats cruising the area since this one just feels so old and symbolic. This boat is actually propelled via that crazy looking wheel at the back of the boat.
The food is good, the drinks are strong, and the food is good. At lunch there is always a choice of the food that you can get.
At breakfast it’s all buffet, you can get as much of what you want as you want.
I have been to a wedding here. I can easily imagine doing a group from work event.

The Sternwheeler Columbia Gorge Cruise is a great solution for showing the outdoors of Portland to visitors who may not be able to do any strenuous hiking — whether it be young children or older members of the family.

Hey man, sometimes when you are stuck int he middle of nowhere for work, you have to do some things to kill some time. So we went on the big attraction in town, the STERNWHEELER CRUISE ON THE COLUMBIA GORGE.
The cruise was like 2 hours, maybe a little longer and we cruised up and down the gorge. There was a bar stocked with beer, wine, and cocktails and they served a decent dinner.
I had the Shrimp Cocktail appetizer, then the chicken and rice. It was a little dry, but I heard others on the boat say the FRESH Salmon was the best they had. Hindsight…
After a few beers, I gotta say — it was probably better than sitting in my hotel room. It was actually similar to a few dinner cruises offered on Lake Tahoe.
4 stars

My mom took me on a Sternwheeler Cruise on a mini roadtrip we took, and we went on the «Gorge“ous Sightseeing Cruise, which is two hours long, in the afternoon and it was beautiful. You are taken a ways down the Columbia Gorge, first down to the Bonneville Dam, and then turned around and went the other way for quite awhile.
Along the way, the captain narrates with some history and on what you see, and you might encounter a sea lion or a osprey if they happen to be around. We also saw kiteboarders and windsurfers. You might want to bring a sweater if you don’t like wind though, it gets a bit windy and I would not recommend wearing a hat or if you do, to wear one that you can tie on.
There is a small snack bar that sells drinks, snacks, and hot dogs as well, and they provide free ice water, which is always nice. All of the employees are very friendly, and for a small part of the trip, the captain even let a couple kids steer the boat for a couple minutes, which was very cool for them.
Overall, the cruise is very beautiful. The wind feels great, you learn a little history, and you get a beautiful landscape to look at. It’s a great way to spend a day. If you have a chance, do it. :)

So the out of town relatives show up, what do you do? Throw ‘em on a boat up the river. My dad got a kick out of this boat tour. We booked in advance for the morning cruise leaving at 11am, which got kinda of crowded, but nothing like the cruise that booked for 1pm. We could barely exit the building there were so many waiting.
We had a coupon that got us lunch at the restaurant there, but if you have this same opportunity, do take note, we had to wait until they opened. Our cruise left at 11am and they open at 10:30 and not a minute sooner, that is a quote you can take to the bank, from the manager. They are, literally, in the lobby. We placed our order to take on the boat and five minutes later a woman walked up and asked for the same grilled chicken sandwich I had and they told her they had no time to cook it.
The boat is a little worn out, but it doesn’t detract from the fun of a boat ride. The captain had some good river stories and we were able to move all over the boat with ease. I would recommend as something to do if you are looking to get out on the water.

It’s been a couple of years since my hubby and I cruised the Columbia on the Sternwheeler. We choose the Easter Sunday Brunch cruise. It was a lovely day on The River and the brunch was wonderful. Crew was friendly and attentive which made for smoothe sailing!
Mary-​Parkdale