Paddlewheeler Riverboat Tours

We brought my mom on the paddle wheeler dinner cruise for her 80th birthday. My mom, our kids and other family members had an excellent time. The staff were excellent, service was excellent, food was great and the cruise was fantastic. We had one issue with a drink (personal preference) and the staff quickly rectified it with no questions asked. Both kids wanted to come back again the next night. Highly recommend this cruise as something unique and different to experience. Also, the view of the riverfront from the vantage point of the river is wonderful.

I read good reviews on this so I booked a sunset dinner cruise for 2.
We were the last ppl to arrive and where we were seated, ended up being the best seats in the house, in my opinion.
I was doubtful the night before because there was rain in the forecast but there was no rain. In fact it was the perfect evening because it wasn't too hot.
We departed at 6pm. They starting taking drink orders right away and then began serving the baskets of bread at 630pm followed by the main meal. The meal choices were; chicken or beef or salmon or vegetarian, with roasted potatoes and seasonal vegetables. I had the chicken which was satisfactory. My husband had the beef which was a little tough.
We were free to wonder about the boat, upper and lower deck.
We really enjoyed the view as we went up the fraser river towards Barnston Island. I guess it depends on weather, tides and water conditions, as to how far up the river you go. We circled Douglas Island and were on our way back by 730pm. Dessert was served at 8pm, which was chocolate cake.
Overall, the food was okay. They view/cruise was beautiful. The only server was great, Shafeen. He was very pleasant and we had a great conversation and found out that we've met him in the past, over 15 yrs ago.
The cost of the cruise included a 3 course meal (drinks had to be ordered and paid for after the cruise) and the gratuity.
We will definitely do this again, on a different route/tour.

We joined the "Pitt Lake Wilderness & Nature Tour". The service was excellent. The tour guide Michael was funny and cheerful. The captain was kind: let us know when to get inside the boat from the deck without getting us wet when passing under bridges. The food was fresh and delicious. Nice scenery: waterfalls, Indigenous pictographs. Highly recommend!

My husband and I did the sunset dinner cruise for our anniversary.the cruise of course was fabulous and we enjoyed the boat ride.service was fairly slow but I didn't worry much we certainly weren't going anywhere. I think for us the food was terrible.over cooked mushy veggies and dried out potato.the chicken and bedf was over cooked and the BBQ sauce they used was not good.
I would do the cruise again just next time no food.

Great family activity! The food was delicious and they were very accommodating for a vegan diet preference. The staff were extremely kind, welcoming, and a pleasure to joke with. Highly recommend for all ages to enjoy the beauty of the Fraser River!

Delightful evening with beautiful views and a lovely meal. Great conversation with other passengers.

We chartered the entire boat to celebrate our recent wedding, so in essence a late wedding reception. The crew were very efficient, pleasant and professional. The food was fantastic as well. We chose the Captain's Feast and it was perfect. We had 65 guests and there was plenty of room with no crowding. The views along the river are stunning. All of our guests were very happy, as were we! This is an experience that anyone would enjoy. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Highly recommend! We took the Pitt Lake Wilderness & Nature Tour. Icredible scenery - waterfalls, pictographs, eagles, osprey, herons, otters & deer! The captain stopped near the Indigenous pictographs & big waterfall so we all had a chance to see them & take pix. The staff were friendly & cheerful - Michael our server was funny & kind. The food was delicious and fresh! Highly recommend this outing!

We were a party of 6. Enjoyed our 3 hour cruise tremendously. Nothing fancy but service was great, food was very good and the tour on Fraser River appealing. Would do it again. Maybe at Christmas time.

Didn’t get what we expected. Tour itself, 6 hrs, was okay but the guide commentary was unprofessional often explaining sites that we were not at yet. What was disappointing was the meal we were served for lunch (a croissant sandwich with potato salad) and the boat we were put on wasn’t the Paddlewheeler. The price we were charged for this tour, $365.35 per couple, was excessive compared to the Harbour Cruises Indian Arm tour, $208.72 for 4 hrs which was very professionally done. On this tour we were served a hot lunch, more like a dinner, Salmon and Chicken with potatoes, vegetables and a variety of salads. Spend your money wisely, recommend HC Indian Arm.

Fantastic day. The young man giving the dissertation was so informative and really made our cruise. Will be recommending this tour to our friends for sure.

Went on the Ladner Wetlands Cruise, the crew was great, the narrator was awesome.
Everything was good except for the low tide which meant we couldn't get into the Ladner area, that was disappointing, but the rest of the cruise was great.

Went to their address just before Xmas to get a gift certificate. Got there and couldn't see any signs. Called and was told that they no longer have a visitation office. Thanks for wasting my time. Web site needs some work as well. Couldn't purchase what I wanted which was a dinner cruise for 2 anytime next year. Zero option to do so.

Great venue for our company Christmas party. Staff were friendly, food was great, atmosphere was cozy and festive! Highly recommend for any and all small-medium size events!

We did this dinner tour for a staff Christmas party. It was a really good time. The staff were all very friendly and the food was really good. It was a cool outing.

We had our Christmas dinner aboard the Paddlewheeler last night. There were close to 40 of us. The waters were a bit choppy but still so much fun. A great time was had by everyone. The food was great and our host was entertaining.

Finally got a chance to dine with @paddlewheelerriverboattours & enjoyed every bit of it. They're offering a Christmas dinner tour- 2.5 hours on the boat ($80/person), with a Christmas menu, which included: carved roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mixed veg, dinner rolls, tossed salad & dessert

Super comforting meal & such a great experience. Also found out they're a family run business, just really wholesome all around. Would definitely reccommend if you're looking for something different to do this holiday season!

If you aren’t concerned with Covid this is the cruise for you. No mask on my server all night, random people seated super close to me, within 5-6” they should have just seated them at our table so at least there was a table width between us. Also after the salad the meal came 20 minutes or so later. They just finished handing out desert a few minutes before pulling into the dock so you could either eat dinner or go outside to enjoy the sunset (it was a sunset dinner cruise so I expected to be able to enjoy both). Emailed the company regarding my concerns twice before reviewing to give them a chance to explain, no response so clearly customer service isn’t a strength either. Too bad, it has so much potential.

Second times a charm! After sadly not being able to leave dock a few weeks ago, due to techical difficulties, we were rebooked onto the cruise yesterday. Wonderful crew and lunch and despite the rain on the way back, a great time was had by all.

A wonderful way to see local sights, and hear the history you likely wouldn’t know. Staff are thoughtful and considerate, a d the views and perspective unique. Highly recommend any cruise, with the Pitt River a highlight.

My wife and I couldn’t believe, having spent our entire lives in the Lower Mainland, that we had never taken one of these great informative river cruises. We did the Pitt Lake cruise. We loved it. The commentary and service were exceptional. Such a positive experience!

I enjoyed the sites and dinner. Had some good laughs with others aboard the boat. The staff were awesome as well. I would definitely like to come back

Bought through Travel Zoo at a reduced rate. Thought it would be a great day out! First of all a ringky dinky boat! Not the Paddlewheel! We were asked to be 1/2 hr early which we were 35 mins early. Last two aboard, they quickly brought another table and shoved up in aisle between bar and bathroom! We thought we were going to choke on the diesel fumes! We were finally content on top outdoor area. Then asked to come in to choke more! Lunch was two slices of packaged ham & turkey with 4 different salads. Not gourmet. Overall overpriced even at reduced rate. Announcer liked his own voice, wouldn’t be quiet. Customer Service low end.
My opinion don’t waste money!

Very polite and knowledgable crew. Service was prompt and friendly, and the sightseeing narrator knew his stuff.

Charming older boat, excellent narrator for the tour, attentive serving staff; table spacing was concerning during the pandemic.poorly ventilated 1st floor with tables rather close together but plenty of space on upper deck.

We had a really great trip. So nice to get out. The narrator was great. A History Buff. He told so many great stories, he brought the scenery to life. All of the crew members were great!

I made reservations for my husband's 50th.we were a small group of 8 and it would not have been better. The reservation was smooth and all questions were answered! The boarding was easy.the food was perfect. Salads, luncheon meats and dessert. Staff was friendly and the sailing was perfect (weather had something to do with it.sunny). The tables were spread apart so all social distancing were in placed. Can't wait to do it again!

Went on the cruise with my mom sister and a friend we had a excellent time awesome waiters. Well worth it going too try the Christmas one next time.

What a wonderful way to spend the day.travelling to Pit Lake, excellent lunch, and great staff. Thankyou

Dooooont! Unless you have a lot to talk and the person with you have a lot to talk and have to do it go on. Because is nothing else over this boat.
The music you don't now which decade you are the worst random selection.
Food so saaaad.
Drinks, nah you can find the same any where else.
Guys you can do it waaaaaaay better! Your have a big opportunity here. Take advantage of it and invite me when you do it better.

Guide was super friendly and informed. Food was great. Not our first tour and won't be the last

Went on the Pitt Lake Tour and the Ladner Wetlands tour and a very great time the staff were awesome planning another trip soon

My boyfriend and I went on the Pitt Lake Wilderness & Nature Tour on July 25 and had an absolute blast! All the staff were so friendly, knowledgable and genuinely excited to be there. We learned so much on the tour and the views from Pitt Lake were incredible. We will be recommending Paddlewheeler Riverboat Tours to all of our friends and family and would love to try another tour in the near future. Thanks for a great day Paddlewheeler Riverboat Tours!

We went on the Christmas Cruise on December 15th, 2019. Everything from the scenery to the food was incredible. Our server Michael took such great care of us, and made the experience that much more enjoyable!

We took the boat on the tour to Fort Langley for the day. It was great! Very diligent staff with service (one man kept filling up water glasses) and the lunch served (included) was good as well. I highly recommend the tour!

We had a birthday party of 31... The captain and staff were absolutely excellent... Those that were not part of our party were not left out... The DJ knew exactly how to cater to every age that was there. Congratulation to the team for a job well done! You exceeded our expectations!

It's alot of fun. We went on the October fest cruise up the Fraser River. The captain greets you on and off the boat which is nice. The service is good and friendly. The bathrooms are very small so if you are claustrophobic this might be an issue for you. The drinks cost $7 and up. Only one pitcher of beer is available and sold out in the first 15 mins. The tour itself lasts from 7 to 10 pm. We just had dessert, pumpkin pie with whipped cream and New York cheesecake with caramel sauce and whipped cream, it was tasty but you can tell it was store brought. The DJ, Dave was fun. The music starts in the 60's and works it way up to present music. Overall it was a fun few hours on the river.

We bought the discount tickets at the Travel zoo. They showed a paddle wheeler boat offering the Ladner cruise. W arrived on the port, and we found out that that kind of ship doesn't go there. We took a smaller boat. The top deck is good, but the seats were taken immediately by the people lined up before us. The lower floor is OK. You can stay in the top front of the boat for 20 minutes at the time. The food was good. The captain, waitress, cook and guide were superb. The Travel Zoo website misled us. The Paddlewheeler website doesn't state that the trip in on a regular boat either. I was not disappointed with the tour. I had different expectations.

Cruise: ok, I thought I ordered DT sea cruise, but I was wrong, my bad. On fraser river it is industrial part, not such nice sunset romantic views. Not this company fault though. Captain was nice and kind
Food: poor, I was disappointed, salmon dry and without taste, looked like that cheaper salmon sort. Beef was fair, edible. Desert was great.
Servers: nice and kind
Other: It was very hot on top floor, I like warmer temperatures and hate too much AC, but this was too hot even for me

Their "Pitt River Wilderness Tour" exceeded my expectations! I'm a local who's lived in this area for more than 25 years. I joined this 6-hour tour last minute because I was recently injured in a motorcycle accident, and was going cabin-feverish not being able to walk without a cane or ride my bike.

The adventure vessel is smaller than the huge paddleboat (which would be more intrusive in the wilderness). It has a top and lower deck with covered café seating, and outdoor seating front and back. We traveled northeast up the Fraser River, up the Pitt River, and then halfway up Pitt Lake.

On the way we passed under railway swing bridges, past historic shipyards, tug boats and log booms, and plenty of gold fever history. Our commentator, Ethan, is a history major, who enthusiastically shared tales of colonial and Indigenous culture, wildlife, and geology.

As we motored further north, civilization dropped away and we were surrounded by flowery meadows, towering forest, and ranges of jagged mountains. Stunning!

From the vessel we sighted herons, osprey nests with chicks, a young mother bear and her cub, a deer swimming across the river, gigantic sturgeon jumping out of the water, a thundering waterfall, and ancient Indigenous pictograms.

The cruise includes a full lunch with dessert. Coffee, tea, beer and wine are available. The head (toilet) is clean.

For those with accessibility challenges: the doorways, as you might expect on a marine vessel, are small with sills you need to step over, and low headroom. The stairs can be steep and narrow, but have handrails and you have the option to just stay on the main deck.

This is a locally-owned business that's been operating for more than 50 years. The staff serving the food, the commentator, and the captain, are all local, authentic and friendly. More than one of them offered with a grin that they have the best job in the world!

Fun date night or group fun. Older crowd & lots of throwback songs. Food was decent, not too many options. Drinks are really good here! Really recommend this tour

Went on an evening cruise for my gfs 30th birthday. It was a blast! Great drinks, great variety of music and a bunch of dancing! I would highly recommend for a date, party, a girl's night out etc. I think a day time cruise would be great too so you can see all the sights!

Staff are great and helpful. Boat we were on was clean and well taken care of. It was a great excursion on the river.

Most enjoyable Cruise on a sunny afternoon to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. The narration was very informative as well during the cruise.

I attended a wedding at the Paddlewheeler as a member of my friend’s bridal party and I can honestly say I was totally disgusted with the level of service and treatment received from certain members of the venue’s staff. DO NOT PLAN YOUR WEDDING OR ANY OTHER SIGNIFICANT EVENT HERE. The cold and unreceptive ‘welcome’ from ‘Helga’ (boat owner?) was apparent from the outset. To the point where she didn’t even want us to come on board once we arrived! Despite having agreed for months prior basic preparations such as tying chair sashes to chairs, arranging a seating plan, putting table decorations down - this particular member of staff tried to obstruct us at every point! I was completely shocked at how rude this woman was, particularly to the bride’s mother when trying to negotiate trying to tie on the table sashes. Coming all the way over from the UK, this was a terrible reflection of Canadian hospitality - and all the more upsetting given that it was my close friend’s special day. The impression I was left with was that these people were simply trying to bleed you dry of money, being rude and abrasive in the process. Avoid this venue at all costs (emphasis on the costs!)

Very disappointing for a wedding reception. Of course things can go wrong from a venue point of view, but much can be forgiven if the manager is apologetic and kind and does their utmost to make amends. In this case, agreements made months before hand were not honoured about time of access, lay-out, time of meal, provision of coffee and decor provision. Regrettably the manager took it upon herself to argue the point (during the event) responding that the bride was at fault. I felt unwelcome and that our party was an inconvenience to be shuffled off at the end of the night as quickly as possible. The two servers did their best in a kind and efficient manner and the buffet was good.

I would very strongly recommend against booking a tour with this company. There is a good chance you'll trek out to New West, only to find out your trip has been cancelled on the day.

For more detail: The organisers cancelled the riverboat tour on the day because of a lack of other people wanting to go on the tour. This was despite the fact that the tour had been booked weeks earlier and that it was one of the warmest days of the year. Because of the lack of notice, there was little time to make other plans of something to do.

Surely, if even one person turns up for a trip having pre-booked, that should be enough? Don't advertise a date and time if there is no intention to acknowledge it. The tour was scheduled to leave in the morning - so emailing earlier that same morning to say it's off isn't good enough.

Book something else.

Deeply saddening experience - What was meant to be a special day for a friend was met by chaos and rudeness from the staff…

I was recently a bridesmaid at my friend’s wedding and experienced some shocking treatment during the reception at the Paddlewheeler. Firstly, I’d like to mention that for the most part the staff were friendly and accommodating. However, the main manager/organiser on the day was not only incredibly rude but also had one of the worst attitudes I have come across in my 7 years of working in hospitality and events.

When we arrived, it was quick to see that the place was running very behind and things seemed shambolic. Myself and other members of the bridal party were quick to offer a hand and ask what needed to be done as fundamentally the main aim was to get the boat set-up before guests’ arrival, despite the obvious organisational issues on the Paddlewheelers behalf.

This was met with an awful response from the main manager on the boat who proceeded to complain that they needed us out the way to set up. This was unacceptable as there was a very clear running order to the day, arranged with the boats events team and the bride and agreed far in advance of the wedding day. We waited a while, but it was clear that we needed to start decorating if there was any chance of having some decor before the 1st guests arrived. We expressed this to members of the staff and began the rush to get the decorations up. At this point we also then found out that all the groomsmen had also very rudely been banished from the boat and told they were unable to come on board until their set-up was finished. This added further chaos to what should have been a smooth process and with the bridal party now dispersed, this was yet another unnecessary stress added to the occasion.

Through the help of everyone from our party (even guests as they started to arrive), we managed to get most of the set-up done but everything from the boats side and operationally was still far behind schedule! The actual reception experience was good (though timings were pushed back a lot), but the horrific attitude of the main manager continued to be astonishing! Her dealings with the bride were rude at best and whilst I was getting a plate of food for the bride’s Mother (who was looking after the young children), I was shocked that the lady commented openly and rather vocally to her staff that I was so greedy for getting two plates at the Buffet! I have never experienced anything like it before and was rendered speechless.

Honestly, this should have been a memory that is never forgotten for all the right reasons for my friend’s special day but the treatment has just tarnished the whole reception and I am deeply saddened that an establishment like this could deliver such bad service to their clients.

I recently was the photographer at a wedding whose reception was on the Paddlewheeler. I have been in business for 18 years and was a bit surprised by a few things that I witnessed. The bride that I worked with, was incredibly sweet and VERY organized. Before the big day, I had a detailed itinerary which included the timeline for the reception. This was based on her conversation with the people from the Paddlewheeler. Most of the wedding party and myself, came on a private bus and we were slightly later than we had said. The wedding party was supposed to do the decorating. Us being slightly behind, just meant that the staff had more time to get their end set up. When I went on the boat, things were in chaos. Staff were running around, things weren't set up and ready for the decorating to get started. The bride had given instructions on where she wanted the dancing to be, on the upper deck. It was set up with table and chairs. Myself and one of the bridesmaids asked on behalf of the bride for these to be moved. We were met with rudeness and comments like "no one else has it this way". Professionally, I was startled by how I was treated. I go out of my way to help my clients even if it isn't my job. Dinner was to be served at a specific time. Because the tour / reception ends at a specific time, the timeline for the evening is crucial to make sure everything gets done. Dinner was almost 1 hour late. That meant that the rest of the vendors (me included), had to improvise. This should be a well-oiled machine. The set up should have been complete before we got there and there is NO excuse for dinner being that late. As a photographer, I make it my job to get to know family and guests. I heard a lot of chatter about the unprofessionalism. Would not recommend for any upcoming wedding clients.