Detroit Princess Riverboat

The stuff is extremely friendly & give you a easy relaxed experience. They went over & beyond working hard @ yesterdays lunch cruise. Thank you for great service! We loved the music & the band the "Prolifics" sparkled the right mood with great songs.
The boat is sparkling clean including the bathrooms. The buffet would need some improvement. Overall it was a pleasant experience for me & my honeys birthday.

Group celebrating NYE on the Princess. 3 seating levels for buffet dinner and dancing. Revolving entertainment of DJ and Motown band. Band was excellent and VERY engaged, I think lead spent more time on the floor than the stage. Food was ok, each level had own buffet. Service was good. Tables were too close together which became a squeeze and shuffle game to get in and out. Bar lines always looked long. Tea and coffee were cold. Enjoyed the evening, but won't do again.

The food was delicious. I went back for seconds of the cheese tortellini! We ad great seats for the usic performance but would've liked having the play while when we ate at 11:30, because once the boat was in motion at noon we wanted to sit on the upper decks and watch Belle Isle go by. Going under the Ambassador bridge was cool! Everything as well laid out. I just wish I'd had time to watch more of the band. We only heard two songs but they sounded good. My fiance and I brought my mom for something to do outside of the house and she loved the surprise cruise!

What a waste of money!! Recently attended the Father's Day Lunch Cruise. It a beautiful day for a cruise on the Detroit River. However, the food on the boat was HORRIBLE!!!! The advertisement listed vegetarian lasagna; there was none. There were overcook mushrooms, bland pale chicken, and a cheese tortellini that made me sick to my stomach. SOOOOO disappointed! Please hire a new check that can prepare tasty food for the expensive ticket purchased to attend this event. SO sad!

This was my first-time on the Detroit Princess. The parking garage was right by Hart Plaza, so it was a couple minute walk. The meal was grilled chicken, carving station, salad area, fresh veggies and desserts. There was also a bar for drinks, and a dance floor. Tons of celebrations, and a great view from the upper level.

I went on this boat for the first time for an event. First off, it was absolutely disgusting! It is so old and outdated. I didn't even want to eat the food because I was so grossed out. It is cash only which makes it an inconvenience for people in the 21st century that carry credit cards. I now know why they have a cash only because SO many people's purses were stolen that night. I saw one of the workers circling around our table-which was secluded in the corner and NO one else was around it. She kept taking our drinks that were CLEARLY full and just purchased. She came around again and BAM the purse was gone. The staff on the boat were very defensive saying that "our own people" probably stole it (meaning the people we were at the event with). I was extremely offended but apparently this has happened many times before. There was only one person walking around our section and it was a female staff member. As soon as the purse was stolen she was never to be seen again. If you are a smart, educated person you will not go on this boat. Not only for sanitary reasons, but for your own sanity. The security on the boat thinks they are the Detroit police and are very unprofessional and aggressive. I will never go on this boat again!!!!

I was thrilled to be included in a work outing on a Friday afternoon that included lunch and a river boat ride on the Detroit River's "Detroit Princess". For those with a little history in the area, the Detroit Princess is one of the former Boblo Island ferry boats.

Parking was a little challenging due to downtown construction. We parked in the parking deck adjacent to the west side of the RenCen.

We boarded right on time, greated by a smiling crew member (I think it was the Captain) and a ragtime band that was playing next to the gang plank. We were given a table assignment by a courteous hostess.

The first deck was fully enclosed, and was full of tables covered with linen tablecloths, stemware, and a cloth napkin folded in the glass. Several of us approached the bar for soda and / or drinks as we got underway. This was the first questionable staffing matter, that as a manager I had to question. There were literally a few hundred people getting on board, the majority of which were thirsty. A huge line formed at the bar. Plenty of room for at least three or four bartenders, but there was one. After a long wait I got my drink and returned to the table with the rest of my group. The waitstaff servicing the tables were, well kind of rude. Not a single smile, greeting, or offer of assistance.

The meal was a turkey dinner buffet. Think of Thanksgiving. I really like turkey. The staff tending the buffet kept up with the pressure, but again no one seemed very happy to be there nor to express any polite comment to us as guests. We pretty much went into the buffet line ourselves, as our server totally skipped our table in the call order. The meal was though very good. After some time the waitress brought us a refill of water in our pitcher, again no greeting or asking how anything was. Oh well.

Lunch was over, so outside we went to enjoy the rest of our voyage. We went upriver, past Belle Isle. The views were great, as was the weather. We were free to wander onto all decks except into the 2nd level which was reserved for a private party. The decks were definitely the place to be. Our staff wandered about, and we ended up on level 3 on the aft end of the boat. We turned around just prior to Lake St. Clair, and made our return voyage back to the docking area. It all ended too soon.

Again - wearing my manager hat I wondered why there was not a bar cart on the major deck areas. The single bartender was no where to be found at the interior bar. It just seemed like a huge lost opportunity to make profit, as beer cost $5 and well mixed drinks were $7. As I recall that was a standard on the old Boblo Ferry back in the day.

I would suggest that the Captain have a long talk with his staff, and some re-skilling in basics of customer service. That part could have been so much better to make the clients feel welcome and appreciated.

The boat itself was very well maintained, clean, brightly painted. It was a lot of fun!

I went with friends for the dinner cruise on the Detroit Princess Riverboat. After parking ($10) on the roof of Cobo Hall we walked a short distance to the Riverboat docked behind Cobo. The boat is huge & looks very old. There are tin ceilings & the floors are quite creaky. People were eating already at boarding time. The mediocre buffet was your typical buffet food, & most of it was not very hot. They did offer a skinny slice of prime rib, which you could get rare & it was very tender & delicious. The cash bar had a few different canned mi craft beers from the Atwater brewery, & they were delicious. After dinner the real star of the show beganincredible twilight views of the Detroit & Windsor Skylines, especially if you walked upstairs to the higher decks. The Motown review group was amazing! They really put on a show worthy of Las Vegas Casinos. They also interacted with the audience, & there was a dance floor so you could dance to the music. Well after the show was underway we ventured outside & again, we were absolutely awed by the gorgeous views of the RenCen & the entire river skylines. The boat even goes under the Ambassador Bridge. This Riverboat can really move smoothly. Besides the view & show, I have to mention the amazing hospitality & service of the Princess staff. So many staff members always available, the bathrooms had an onsite attendant. We always felt appreciated. Sodon't go for the food or the older but well maintained boat. Go for the views & bring your camera! You'll see the Motor City as you never have before. Go for the show, because Motown is our town. This music is in our hearts & memories. Go for the level of customer service, they truly make you feel special.

We went on the dinner cruise on August 28th, 2016. If you want to eat the best food on the fanciest boat then maybe this cruise isn't for you. But if you want a taste of Detroit, hear some solid stone soul male vocals, and party for a couple hours with some good time friendly folks, this is the cruise for you. I loved it!
I would be remiss were I not to mention the general hospitality of the city and citizens of Detroit. At the risk of redundancy, again, I loved it!

Just came back from a dinner "cruise" on the Detroit princess. It was about 2.5 hours & you can go out on the deck to see the coastline at night which was decent to see. The music/dancing was really great, very talented local band, everyone was having fun..the staff was nice enough, my only complaint is the food was absolutely terrible, Im sure how how the other reviewers are saying that the food was good, it was not even edible. It was cold, tasteless and I could not finish it up, needless to say, by the time the ride was over we were really hungry! Overall, I think it might be worth doing it once, but will not go again, its not worth the price in my opinion.