2.5-hour Dinner Cruise on Willamette River

Badge of Excellence

Portland, USA

High interest

Booked 5+ times today.

2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travellers loved this

4.4

· Wesley_B ·

Mar 2026

Beautiful setting excellent service And the food was delicious. I proposed and the crew went above and beyond with champagne and a card signed by all crew members to commemorate the special occasion! Oh, and they finished it off with a love song for the two of us. I highly recommend this cruise. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

· Anish_G ·

Mar 2026

Very courteous staff and impeccable service Live music great views great food overall a great experience and evening

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Overview

Whether you want to relax after a long day of sightseeing or need to unwind at the end of your workweek, a sunset dinner cruise along the Willamette River is sure to do the trick. The journey offers spectacular views of the Portland skyline and city’s main landmarks. Listen to live music while you enjoy a freshly cooked Pacific Northwest meal.

Eat a dinner prepared with local ingredients
Relax as you cruise down the Willamette River
See Portland from a unique perspective
Enjoy live entertainment while you dine

What's Included

Fresh prepared three-course dinner including bread, salad, choice of entrée and house dessert
Private reserved table (window seating not guaranteed)
Live piano music
Historical narration available on outer decks (or bring headphones for your cell phone)
Dinner

House Dessert (other desserts available for purchase)

Appetizers (available for purchase)
Beverages (available for purchase)
Service gratuity
Souvenir photo

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

1010 SW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR 97204, USA
Please note: A member of the Portland Spirit customer service team will contact you if there are any changes to your boarding location.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Make your own way to the meeting point in time for your evening tour departure and board your cruise ship with space for up to 280 passengers. Take your seat at your private reserved table (window seats not guaranteed) and enjoy live piano music as you set sail along the Willamette River.

During the cruise, tuck into a delicious 3-course dinner of typical Pacific Northwest cuisine, served with bread, salad, a choice of entrées, and a house dessert. Head outside to admire views of the Portland skyline from the open-air outer decks, where you can listen to recorded commentary (also accessible via your cell phone).

Pass by Portland landmarks, including the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Oaks Amusement Park, Elk Rock Island, and the Portland Oregon Sign, and enjoy magnificent views of the city as the sun sets over the water. After about 2.5 hours on board, return to the meeting point, where your tour ends.

Salmon Street Springs (Pass By)

Hawthorne Bridge (Pass By)

Marquam Bridge (Pass By)

OMSI (Pass By)

Tilikum Crossing (Pass By)

Ross Island Bridge (Pass By)

Oaks Amusement Park (Pass By)

Sellwood Bridge (Pass By)

Sellwood Riverfront Park (Pass By)

Waverley Country Club (Pass By)

Elk Rock Island (Pass By)

Lake Oswego (Pass By)

Foothills Park (Pass By)

Morrison Bridge (Pass By)

Steel Bridge (Pass By)

Burnside Bridge (Pass By)

Portland Oregon Sign (Pass By)

Tom McCall Waterfront Park (Pass By)

Moda Center (Pass By)

Oregon Convention Center (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Pushchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Transportation is wheelchair accessible

Most travellers can participate
Gluten Free options available
Vegan Options available
Wheelchairs are able to come aboard the enclosed lower deck — please notify us when booking. Stairs are required to venture to the upper decks.
This is a NON Smoking Vessel
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 280 travellers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveller's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveller's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveller's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveller's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveller's review)

Featured review

Sherrie_D

The cruise ship was well-staffed. We were attended to promptly and we had ample space for privacy, on all decks. We sailed out as the sun was setting but were still able to enjoy the views. We each ordered the chicken entree and found it to be really tasty. The serving was a lot and neither of could finish it. I would recommend this adventure and use this company again.

Reviews

4.4

based on 508 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Dinner Cruise

Charlotte_C, May 2026

From the moment we walked up to be greeted by the Captain, this was a really enjoyable experience. The crew were all very friendly and helpful. The food was good, drinks marvelous and the piano player played some great numbers. The best part though, was watching the river as we traveled. The sunset and sky were spectacular. Thank you Portland Spirit crew!

Mom’s Day with godchildren, Great Food, fabulous scenery and so enjoyable!

Wendy_F, May 2026

The sunset cruise what’s a beautiful way to end our time in Portland. We’re traveling with our two godchildren and thought this might be entertaining. The food and drinks were fantastic. Amazing options and well prepared. The pianist was a sweet audition to an already lovely evening. Lots to see and gave us plenty of time to sit and visit before exploring the ship.

Portland

Darrick_B, May 2026

The cruise is pretty awesome, you really get to see and experience the river and surrounding neighborhoods. Food was ok , my chicken was dry and the panko fell off like a mush . Probably shouldn’t order that one, unless you like it like that ?

Response from Host, May 2026

Thank you for cruising with us and for sharing your feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed the overall experience and the chance to see the river and surrounding neighborhoods from the water. We also appreciate your comments regarding the chicken entrée. We’ll be sharing this feedback with our culinary team, as consistency and quality are very important to us, and we're always happy to remake an entrée on board if it is not to your liking. Guest feedback helps us continue improving, and we truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back aboard again in the future.

Highly recommended!

Matt_T, May 2026

Staff were great and friendly - our skipper Richard was a gem. Live piano music from Jono was awesome! He takes requests! :) Food and drinks were terrific. I had the parmesan artichoke chicken breast and buttered gnocchi, and my wife had the rack of lamb with vegetables. Everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The cruise was very smooth - you can barely tell you're on a boat. The engine noise was minimal. The cruise was a good mix between daylight and night time. The views were amazing - lots of gorgeous waterfront buildings. We got to see some regatta rowers practicing, as well as some sailboats. At night you get to see the bridges all lit up. Some cruise-goers were dressed quite fancy, and others were in street clothes. There is an audio tour available through an app, if your company is boring. ;)

Response from Host, May 2026

What a fantastic review, thank you! We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed the food, drinks, music, scenery, and smooth ride along the river. Richard and Jono will especially appreciate the shoutout. We love that you highlighted the mix of daytime and nighttime views, including watching the bridges light up. And thank you for mentioning the relaxed atmosphere on board too. We want guests to feel comfortable celebrating however they’d like, whether dressed up for a special occasion or simply enjoying a fun night out on the river. We truly appreciate you cruising with us and hope to welcome you back aboard again soon.

Great way to see the city...

Nicole_F, May 2026

Great way to see the city from the water. My dinner (fish meal) was amazing! I wouldn’t recommend doing this as a solo traveler though.

Response from Host, May 2026

Thank you for joining us! We’re so glad you enjoyed seeing Portland from the river and that the fish entrée stood out as a highlight. We appreciate the feedback as well, and we hope we’ll have the chance to welcome you back aboard again in the future.

Food poisoning

RaShar_H, May 2026

Steelhead was undercooked and not teriyaki glazed. My husband had birthday 🎂 celebration there and now we are in local hotel and he has been sick ,vomiting and cramping with bad migraine in hotel bed. 1.5 stars is generous.

Response from Host, May 2026

Thank you for cruising with us and sharing your concerns. I’m very sorry to hear your husband became ill during your trip. We understand how upsetting that must have been, especially while celebrating his birthday. We take food safety extremely seriously and are proud to maintain an A score with the Oregon Health Department. After reviewing the date of your cruise, I found that we served 14 steelhead entrées that evening with no "send-back" food orders. We also called all guests who booked directly on our website from that evening cruise and received no negative feedback. Additionally, several crew members ate the same steelhead entrée and reported no illness. Because the steelhead fillets are prepared and baked together in batches, we would typically expect multiple guests to be affected if there had been an issue with the product itself. While it’s natural to associate illness with the most recent meal consumed, symptoms typically appear 1 to 2 days after eating contaminated food. That said, we certainly do not want to dismiss your experience, and we appreciate you bringing it to our attention. We have shared your comments with our culinary and management teams. If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact me directly at Mandy@portlandspirit.com or 503-224-3900 and I would be happy to speak with you personally.

Incredible staff,...

Alecia_M, May 2026

Incredible staff, delicious food, talented pianist, and definitely the sight seeing stole the show. Would go again and again!

Response from Host, May 2026

Thank you for such a great review! We’re so happy you enjoyed the food, our talented pianist, and of course, the sightseeing! Hearing you’d come back again and again means the world to us. We look forward to welcoming you back soon.

A Lovely evening.

MercedesN_F, Apr 2026

It was a very enjoyable way to celebrate our wedding anniversary, it was nice to be able to see the area from a different perspective. Our waiter was attentive, we enjoyed being by a window but we missed the explanation of the sights; It would have been nice to have headphones. Having the piano music added a touch of festivity to the time. Overall, it was a great experience.

Response from Host, May 2026

Thank you so much for celebrating your wedding anniversary with us. We’re honored to have been part of such a special occasion! We’re so glad you enjoyed the experience, especially the window views and the festive atmosphere with our piano music. It’s always fun to see the city from a new perspective. We're sorry you didn't have headphones to listen to the narration from our app. We recommend bringing headphones in the cruise description under "what's included" and the confirmation email, but understand those details can be easily missed. If you ask our staff, we have an ipod available to check out for those who don't have headphones. We also play it on the all the outer decks. Thank you again for joining us, and we hope to welcome you back in the future!

I’d do it again.

Valerie_J, Apr 2026

Wear a jacket. It gets cold on deck when the sun goes down. Take ear buds so you can hear the narration of the history. Food and entertainment were top notch. Excellent service and fun crew.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you for joining us on a Portland Spirit dinner cruise! And those are great tips for future guests, especially about bringing a jacket for the cooler evening air and earbuds to enjoy the narration. We’re so glad you had such a great experience and enjoyed the food, entertainment, and service from our crew. Hearing you’d do it again means a lot to us. We look forward to welcoming you back aboard for another fun evening on the river!

Fun night

Jim_H, Apr 2026

Staff eas friendly and attentive. Their love for their town and river come through in their conversations

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you for the kind words! We’re so glad you had a fun evening and felt the friendliness and attentiveness of our team. It means a lot to hear that our crew’s love for Portland and the river came through. We hope to see you back on board again soon.

A great ,refined experience for an adventurous family.

Julia_N, Apr 2026

Amazing experience! I came with 3 others and they had so much fun. And the music and pictures were mazing. They texted me this morning and said how great it was.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you for much for joining the Portland Spirit dinner cruise! We’re so glad you and your group had such a fun evening, and it’s even better hearing they were still talking about it the next day. We’re happy to hear the music, photos and overall atmosphere made it special. We’d love to have you all back on board again in the future.

Pampered

Monica_H, Apr 2026

The entire staff was so nice and caring. The boat was very cool and the scenery was amazing along the river. The food was delicious and the wine of nice quality.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

We’re so happy to hear you felt pampered! That’s exactly the experience we aim to create. We're so glad you enjoyed the scenery, delicious food and quality wine, along with the care from our crew. Thank you for joining us, and we hope to welcome you back aboard again soon.

Portland on a Sunset cruise

Greg_C, Apr 2026

A wonderful way to see Portland! Very friendly staff, knowledgeable captain, beautiful scenery, excellent food and drinks well worth the money.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

What a beautiful way to describe the experience, thank you! We’re so glad you enjoyed seeing Portland from the water, along with the friendly crew, knowledgeable captain, and great food and drinks. We appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back in the future!

The 2.5 hr dinner cruise is a must do.

Helen_P, Apr 2026

It is well worth the money, food was good, and staff members were very helpful and friendly. I would recommend to friends and family members.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you for the great recommendation! We’re happy to hear you found the experience well worth it and enjoyed the food and friendly, helpful service. It means a lot that you’d recommend us to friends and family, and we look forward to having you back on board again.

Relax on the River

Amy_F, Apr 2026

Everything about this experience was incredible. Educational if you wanted, relaxing, a whole vibe. Staff was incredibly friendly.

Response from Host, Apr 2026

We love this — “a whole vibe” is exactly what we’re going for! We’re so glad you enjoyed the balance of relaxation and learning, along with the friendly service from our crew. Thank you for spending time with us on the river, and we hope to welcome you back aboard again soon.

Great Experience but I was Cold.

Mrs_G, Apr 2026

The boat gets cold. Too much AC, then its cold at night. Great food. Lemon cake wasn't my favorite. The piano player was also a great touch. Service was awesome

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We’re so glad you enjoyed the food, service and live piano music. It’s always nice to hear those highlights stood out. We appreciate your feedback about the temperature on board. We aim to keep the cabin comfortable for everyone, but it can vary throughout the evening, especially as it cools down outside. We’ll be sure to share this with our team. And thank you for the note on the lemon cake as well. Feedback like this helps us continue refining the menu. We’re glad you had a great overall experience and hope to welcome you back aboard again soon.

Caution. Small boat cruises in Portland Or.

Janet_E, Apr 2026

Worst table on the boat. We booked3 weeks in advance. Our table was assigned next time to the entrance / Exit. We stared at life persevere and mops prior to my getting up and closing the curtain. View from the windows restricted. Nit a nice situation. Too bad. Possibly because we booked with viator instead of direct. Humm.?

Response from Host, Apr 2026

Thank you for sharing your feedback, and I’m sorry to hear you did not enjoy your table location. I’d like to clarify that your table was selected with the intention of providing a window view. That particular window faces the seawall while at the dock, which can feel limited before departure, but once the boat is underway it does offer unobstructed views of the river. That said, we completely understand that the initial impression matters, and we’re sorry it detracted from your experience. Seating assignments are not influenced by booking through third-party platforms like Viator. Most window tables are reserved in advance as pre-paid upgrades, but beyond that, our team does its best to assign tables thoughtfully based on party sizes and date booked. Most importantly, our crew would have been more than happy to move you to another available table if we knew you were unhappy with the table while on board. We always want our guests to feel comfortable and fully enjoy the experience. We truly appreciate your feedback, as it helps us improve how we communicate and manage seating on board. We hope you enjoyed the rest of of the cruise, from the meal to the service to the sunset views.

Food was great the whole...

Christopher_O, Mar 2026

Food was great the whole thing was super fun the captain let my wife honk the horn is was so much fun

Response from Host, Mar 2026

We love this! Thank you for sharing. We’re so glad you had such a fun time and enjoyed the food. Getting a chance to honk the horn is definitely memorable, and we’re thrilled the captain could make that happen for your wife. We hope to welcome you both back aboard soon!

Friendly and welcoming...

Lubia_S, Mar 2026

Friendly and welcoming staff. Good food. Great musical entertainment. Lovely scenery...didn't know it was so beautiful.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

We’re so glad you joined us for a Portland Spirit dinner cruise, and discovered just how beautiful the river can be! It’s wonderful to hear you enjoyed the friendly service, food and live music along the way. Thank you for sharing your experience. We hope to welcome you back aboard again soon.

Take this cruise!

Paula_R, Mar 2026

Great food, great service, beautiful scenery. What's not to love? The bridge lights were especially beautiful. Highly recommend.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for the enthusiastic recommendation! We’re delighted you enjoyed the food, service and scenery. The bridges really do put on a beautiful show at night. We appreciate you cruising with us and hope to welcome you back again soon.

Dinner cruise

Anish_G, Mar 2026

Very courteous staff and impeccable service Live music great views great food overall a great experience and evening

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for the kind review! We’re so glad you enjoyed the courteous service, live music, beautiful views and great food. We hope to welcome you back aboard again soon.

Beautiful setting...

Wesley_B, Mar 2026

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Congratulations on your engagement! We’re honored that you chose to propose on board during our dinner cruise, and are thrilled to hear our crew helped make the moment even more special with the handwritten card, champagne toast and love song. Thank you very much for the recommendation. We’d love to welcome you back aboard again soon!

Daughter's 50th Birthday

Richard_L, Mar 2026

A very nice experience. The wait staff was great and enjoyed the food. My next experience is a daytime lunch cruise.

Response from Host, Mar 2026

Thank you for choosing to celebrate your daughter's milestone birthday with us! We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the food and that the service helped make it a pleasant experience. We look forward to welcoming you back for that lunch cruise in the near future!

Great experience!

Sharon_S, Jan 2026

Food, atmosphere and all over experience was great! The food was perfect and the wait staff paid great attention to detail. It wasn't too crowded so you could enjoy conversation with others!

Response from Host, Jan 2026

We’re so glad you had a great experience aboard the Portland Spirit! It’s wonderful to hear that you enjoyed the food, atmosphere, and attentive service, and that the relaxed setting made it easy to enjoy good conversation. Thank you for joining us for a dinner cruise — we’d love to welcome you back aboard again soon.

Nice evening dinner cruise on the Willamette River

Crandall_A, Jan 2026

The cruise is advertised as a sunset dinner cruise with a 6 PM start but when we went in January, it was well past dark. The food was good. The service was good. The entertainment was good. In my opinion, two hours would’ve been better than 2 1/2. I felt it was slightly overpriced.

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you for sharing your thoughtful feedback. We’re happy to hear you enjoyed the food and found the service to be excellent, and we appreciate your comments about the entertainment and cruise length. You’re absolutely right that during the winter months, sunset happens earlier. We don't advertise a sunset dinner cruise on the Portland Spirit official website (we call it a "City Lights Dinner Cruise"), but we're review the Viator listing for our dinner cruise to make sure it doesn't promise a sunset. Your pricing and timing feedback is helpful as we continue to evaluate and refine the experience. We truly appreciate you joining us and hope to welcome you back on another cruise in the future.

Great Experience

Quinn_M, Dec 2025

Seth was amazing! Top notch service, funny, and professional! Really made the whole experience worthwhile!

Response from Host, Jan 2026

This review made us smile and Seth will be thrilled to hear your kind words. We’re lucky to have such a professional and personable team, and we’re glad his service helped make your experience memorable on the Portland Spirit dinner cruise. Thank you for cruising with us, and we hope to see you again soon.

Disappointing

Susan_A, Dec 2025

We went on the night cruise in December hoping to see holiday lights. The unnecessarily bright inside light reflected off the windows so we could not see outside. They dimmed the indoor lights briefly, which improved the view, but turned them back up after a few minutes for no apparent reason. When we went to the outdoor observation deck, there were few holiday lights on the route (obviously not something the tour operator could contol). The food included in the fare was awful, though the drinks, appetizer and dessert for which we paid extra on board were good. The ramp to board is very steep for people with mobility challenges. Our server was attentive and personable. I was glad we did not pay the supplement $72 per person as of Dec 2025) offered a few days before the tour. It provided a guaranteed window table, one free drink, and a couple of other freebies I can't recall. Almost all of the tables are window tables anyway and the drinks are about $15 each.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re glad to hear that our server provided attentive and personable service. We’ll be looking into the lighting on the evening of your cruise. We have to strike the right balance between having enough lighting to see the tables and walkways, but low enough to ensure it doesn’t interfere with the views out the windows. Regarding the holiday lights, we recommend booking on a Christmas Ship night, when a parade of decorated boats is on the water and can be enjoyed up close. Those nights can be booked direct on our website portlandspirit.com as they are not offered on 3rd party platforms. We’re sorry that the included entrée didn’t meet your expectations. We’re also happy to remake an entrée or swap to something else on board if a dish isn’t to your liking. Did you server check in with you regarding the meal? If you have any specific feedback about the entrée, we’d love to hear it as we continually make improvements. Many of the upgrades we've made are thanks to guest input. We can be reached at reservations@portlandspirit.com or 503-224-3900. We appreciate your notes about the boarding ramp so others are aware. We have a wheelchair caddy to assist guests with mobility challenges, and our crew is always happy to help.

It was relaxing and the...

ann_C, Dec 2025

It was relaxing and the food was great. The first time was 30 years ago spring the day and I had been meaning to come back. This time it was at night.

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thank you so much for joining us on the Portland Spirit again — and after 30 years! We’re truly honored that you chose to return and spend an evening with us. It’s wonderful to hear that the cruise felt relaxing and that you enjoyed the meal. We hope it won’t be another 30 years before we get to welcome you back!

A Must Experience

Karen_H, Nov 2025

The experience greatly exceeded our expectations! Service was outstanding plus the dinner was yummy!! The piano player set a romantic mood and it was truly beautiful to cruise at night with all the glimmering lights of the city.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

We’re so happy to hear your evening aboard the Portland Spirit exceeded your expectations! It’s wonderful that you enjoyed the yummy dinner, the attentive service, and the piano music setting the perfect romantic mood. There’s nothing quite like seeing the city lights from the water, and we’re thrilled you got to experience it. We hope to welcome you back for another cruise in the future!

Great dinner! Loved the...

Larry_H, Nov 2025

Great dinner! Loved the piano music, and the lights reflecting on the water was beautiful! Also met a nice couple who were celebrating their 60 years of marriage.

Response from Host, Nov 2025

Thank you for joining us for our Portland Spirit dinner cruise and for sharing such a sweet review. We're so glad you enjoyed the piano music and those sparkling water reflections, It really is a special atmosphere at night. And what a treat to cross paths with a couple celebrating 60 years of marriage. We hope to see you on board again soon!