Steamboat Natchez

This was a fantastic ride down the Mississippi! My wife and I had a great time riding down the river chatting over a few drinks and touring the ships engine room. Really nice evening. The Dukes of Dixie Land played a set I wish I could see everynight!

This was one of my favorite activities we did in New Orleans proper. True, it doesn’t do much to win you at first, especially with the cattle call nature of boarding. But give it a chance and you will have a lovely time. I imagine if I lived long ago and was born in the South, I probably would have joined some sort of showboat troop just to stay cool. Because this is the only outdoor activity that you can enjoy in the summer and have a constant breeze to keep you from sweating. It seems expensive at first, but when you think about the fact that you are getting a boat ride, a meal, and a concert in the deal, I think it’s a fair price. Yes, we did eat the lunch. It wasn’t bad, either: fried catfish, red beans and rice, mashed potatoes and gravy, and bread pudding. Coffee, tea and water are the only free drinks (fine by me, since I’ve been training my kiddies to like tea), but soda and drinky drinks are available for a price. If you choose to eat before the steamboat departs, you get part of your meal narrated by the very knowledgeable captain. Once his narration is done, the jazz band takes over, The Steamboat Stompers, a fun band. We enjoyed watching them. At the end, you can purchase a family photo that they snap as you board, and it’s my favorite photo of the trip so far (they actually caught my youngest smiling, a rarity). A worthwhile way to spend part of your day.

Went on the Jazz dinner cruise. The music was great, but the food was not good as we were expecting considering the price. The steamboat ride up the Mississippi River and the Jazz music were a great experience. Would definitely recommend doing the afternoon jazz cruise instead.

Cool trip for the tour, the food is over cooked and the bloody Mary’s downright suck, BUT if you just want to do the steamboat trip it’s fantastic, but save your money and go to a better restaurant/​bar for food and drinks.

They say service can make or break an experience. The rudeness of the woman serving food was shocking. Travelers beware pick something else to do…

Cruise is good for the two hours you are on the river, the food though was terrible don’t spend your money on the lunch, don’t know how the dinner is but not worth the money I would think

This was one of the very best things we did in New Orleans! Well worth the money. Be sure to buy the meal available on the boat. It is a buffet with all the famous New Orleans dishes. So much food for your money! I enjoyed the narration during the cruise, learned a lot. The guys down in the engine room were happy to give me an explanation of how this authentic steam-​powered engine works. And the live jazz music in the lounge was also fabulous.

I do not get the hype. We actually VIP. We were met by an attendant and sat at a reserved table on the second floor of the boat overlooking the river.
We had open bar and it was limited in terms of what drinks you could get. The attendant placed white wrist bands on us if we wanted to go to the bar on the top floor and the bands were placed tight on our wrists. We ended up tearing them off soon after as they were too tight! We did not go upstairs.
The dinner left a lot to be desired. The shrimp cocktail was ok. The gumbo soup was decent and the fried fish was ok, yet all the sides were not very good.
The only cool part was getting a tour of the steam engine.
Overall, it was an average experience that we overpaid for via
and I would not recommend it. Just pay for the regular Natchez river cruise and do not expect the best food. I saw many reviews stating the food was outstanding. I live in Las Vegas and am used to amazing food so the food was anything but that!
I would not do this again.
Two stars as it was a Meh… Just ok but I have been to way better events/​experiences. The Jazz was also average and I heard way better on Frenchman Street.
Had I paid less, I may have given this 3 stars. VIP only gets you an average private table outside and an average private dining room table. No private lounge or long chaise… And as mentioned, open bar limited. We did get pictures for free that were taken before the cruise. You also get a gift bag and it has two champagne glasses (ours were slightly misshapen) and some little hand sanitizer and lip balm. We could have done without this.

Honestly, this was a waste of time. Don’t recommend. Information was pretty much useless.

Went on this afternoon cruise for a friends wedding in November 2015. The boat was comfortable for the amount of people onboard. There was a live band, lunch service, and a dance floor.
The interior of the boat was very warm as if they had the heat adjusted too high. The house band was good and the bride and groom enjoyed an impromptu dance with recognition from the band leader over the microphone.
The food was fried catfish and nothing spectacular. I suppose I expected more from the food as it would have made for a much nicer ambiance.
We were able to walk about the boat while cruising and enjoyed the steam organ performance atop the boat before departure. All in all, it is a fun group event and served as a place for us to gather and visit while celebrating the bride and groom before we left to go to museums.

We decided to do this tour on our recent trip to NOLA and we were glad we did. I did not buy tickets in advance because we were not sure which day we would go and if we would get lunch or not. We just brought the tickets right at the dock.
We chose to go on Friday on the first cruise of the day. Since we just had a big breakfast, we did not opt for lunch. We did walk by the buffet line going to the bathrooms though and the food looked ok.
The boat is one of only a couple steamboats still running so it is a unique experience. While you are waiting in line to get onboard, they have a calliope concert with the organ on board. It is super loud, which is why we are sure they don’t do it while you are on the boat.
Since we were not dining, we were able to explore the ship while people were eating. We did check out the engine room and got a good look at the paddle in action. We were able to get seats on the top deck in the shade. It was an overcast day with not much humidity so it was good day to be on the outside deck.
Part of the time, they have a band playing in the dining room and you can hear it via the speakers throughout the boat and part of the time they have a narrator giving you history and tidbits of info along the way. The narration is kind of cheesy, because he repeats a lot of things several times, but it was also entertaining to us. We laughed quite a bit.
This is definitely something everyone of all ages can enjoy. They also have a ramp so the boat is accessible.

The dinner cruise pros: evening time is better for cooler weather and a great view of the city lights upon return upriver.
The dinner cruise cons: the food was nothing to write home about.
My suggestions: Eat a hearty meal onshore then opt for the cruise only. If you decide to do dinner, book early and get the first seating (you eat before the boat leaves shore and will be able to enjoy the outer decks for the rest of the time!)
Be sure to seat yourself on the port (left side of boat), this is where you will see most of the interesting items pointed out by the announcer.
Bring your dancing shoes! The jazz-​band is amazing! Also, be sure to walk back and view the paddle, and downstairs to view the engine room; they create a very unique experience! Also, free WiFi!
Make sure to find a tour guide book– most have a $ 10 off coupon in then for the dinner cruise!

Highlight of our trip.
The evening cruise was amazing and everything you want from a small cruise experience.
The boat has plenty of seating and plenty of space to walk around. The engine room is open for viewing and is incredible to see in action.
Price was fair and the bars in board had local beers that were delicious. The staff will offer you pictures in various styles… pricey but a cool personalized touch if you want to purchase them.
Cruise lasts 1.5−2 hours and arrive early.

Please read this if you want some good tips.
My friend and I decided on the dinner cruse. The food really wasn’t that bad but there are some things you should know. First, if you want to dine while the boat is actually moving down the river choose the 2^nd seating not the first. The first seating means you just eat while it’s docked before the cruse. Very disappointing. Also, sit on the side of the dining room farthest from the bank (eastern side) if you dine while it’s docked. The sun absolutely bakes the dining room and there are no shades on the windows. We could hardly enjoy the meal as we were literally dripping sweat sitting by the windows on the west side. It was only a 78 degree day. I can’t imagine what summer would be like!
When the boat leaves on the cruse make sure you stay on the west (boarding) side. 90% of the things the tour guide points out are on that side of the ship. He talks most of the way down the river and when they turn around it’s just music playing on the way back so you will miss all of the highlights by riding on the wrong side of the boat.
I think it’s worth the experience but only if you how to make it fully enjoyable.

I’m on a boat, I’m on a boat is what kept going through my head as I was boarding this New Orleans beaut’ and in awe of it’s presence. Whether it’s your first visit to NOLA or you’re a resident of this beautifully cultured city, you’ve seen the Steamboat Natchez laying alongside the Mississippi Bank adjacent to the French Quarter.
The sounds of their steam organ fill up the air as you’re walking around (and for those of age possibly with a drink in your hand) the French Quarter. It’s a great picture opportunity but you must put it on your list to actually take the tour.
I’ve been to NOLA quite a few times and finally took advantage of the opportunity to enjoy their tour. As the last true steamboat on the Mississippi many people were whisked away on an educational tour that is so much fun.
Once you board the steamboat and find a place to sit; there’s plenty of seating area throughout the various levels including a bar and a restaurant! Attendees were able to decide from shaded areas or seats alongside the boat.
The captain of the boat has a soothing voiceover that provides you various tidbits of information. I enjoyed the information about the sugar factory, the boats used as water taxis, and the history of buildings.
For those who desire a drink I highly recommend grabbing their hurricanes. It was also neat to see how proud they were of one of their other drinks and had it labelled as a Unilocal Favorite.
A hidden gem of the tour was being able to go into the actual engine room on the bottom level. It gets very hot in there but it’s need to see how this boat actually runs! After the visit I was honestly in awe of the overall experience.

My fifth time aboard the Natchez in 25 years. A delightful excursion up/​down the river with a riveting and informative narrative. Each ride provides new detail.
Please — by all means — take the ride. It may be touristy as all get-​out, but so what. Think about it. There are Parisians that have never been to the Tour Eiffel. There are Manhattanites who have never been to the Statue of Liberty.
Just do it.

I’m so upset that I wasn’t feeling my best on my recent voyage on the Steamboat Natchez, the experience was so much fun and so informative that I used every ounce of my strength to hold it together just long enough to make it to the end of the trip.
As some others have pointed out, and the staff of the Natchez will remind you. This is the only and LAST real Steamboat on the Mississippi. The boat was so vintage and cool, and had I not been rife with the flu bug I may have taken more chances to explore.
The decks were great as they provided ample shade and sun exposure depending on your pleasure. The dining hall was like that of a fancy restaurant from a time gone by long ago. I didn’t partake in any eats but from what I saw it looked pretty tasty. The bar was well stocked and my Pimms Cup was just tops and totally refreshing — thanks for the bar staff for handling the crowds like real professionals.
My favourite part of the trip was our captain/​voiceover person who announced and described all that we were seeing along our trip and gave exceptional historical context to every part of our trip. I seriously think that guy has a career in voiceover work for commercials. That or I’d like to hire him full time to narrate my life day to day — basically almost a good as Morgan Freeman in my books!
Now I can’t be sure if this was caused by my flu, the heat, the boat — which seemed to move along smoothly, or a combination of all three, but sometime before we docked I got super woozy and barely made it to the little boys room before unleashing all hell. Yep I was the guy who threw up while on a boat — it’s never happened before and for some reason it happened this time. As a warning, if you typically get motion sickness, take a gravol before boarding — it might just save you from the same embarrassment I suffered.
I need a do-​over on the SN when I’m not feeling under the weather, however what I was able to experience was just tops. Thanks to the staff for being so friendly, I’ll definitely be back and recommend that all my NOLA bound friends check you out!

Whoa this is my 950^th review. Kinda bonkers. I’m very happy to be reflecting back on a beautiful week in beautiful New Orleans by writing this review for the lovely experience I had on the Steamboat Natchez.
This is the last real working Steamboat on the Mississippi, and it provides a leisurely break from the hum of the city. The narrator provides some amazing history, and the view along the levees gives a fascinating perspective on how the city has survived. It’s lovely to sit and enjoy the breeze on the river from the different balconies, listen to the live New Orleans jazz band and enjoy the affordable and tasty cocktails from the different bars. The staff were all super warm and charming and helpful and clearly care a lot about this living piece of history.
Highly recommended as part of time spent in New Orleans, take a few hours and have a peaceful adventure.

The steamboat was beautiful. Outside while waiting to board they had music. I thought «hey this is great». Since we had booked the jazz cruise I thought we were going to get the same experience on the boat, negative. We found seats onboard on the right side of the boat. Big mistake! Sit on the left. They only give information on the things to the left. I thought it was going to be more information/​history and it was just meh. Kept thinking to myself where is the jazz music. 30 mins into the cruise the man narrating the tour introduces the band and I don’t know if its because my daughter is a musician but her high school band plays better than these people. They could of totally gotten some kids from Jackson Square. Overall it was a YOLO moment but definitely don’t think it’s going to be a wow experience. Thank God for the open bar!

If you are under the age of 65, you will likely be younger than 99% of the passengers on this steamboat. But don’t let that deter you. Everyone was so sweet, and I wonder why younger folks don’t check this place out more often.
Cool things about the Natchez. It’s the ONLY steamboat on the Mississippi. Others will make similar claims, but this is the only real STEAMboat on the river. Secondly, it was built in the early 1900’s so it’s got this cool historical feel to it. It can hold up to 1,200 passengers at once, comfortably (with ample seating).
And last but most importantly, it has several bars and restaurants on board! :) Can’t speak for the dining hall, but the bars were decent and make the tour that much more fun and relaxing.
The tour itself was fantastic! I loved the captain/​tour guide, and I learned so much but about the old history of the city to interesting facts about Katrina and the new levies built, along with the largest supplier of sugar in North America (Domino sugar) that has been based in New Orleans for over 100 years!

I did the lunch cruise many years ago and had enjoyed it. I decided to take my husband to do the Valentine’s Dinner Cruise. We had a great time! We got all gussied up for the occasion, and expected a romantic evening. That’s almost what we got. The reason I say almost is because there was a large group of rowdy teenagers aboard. I can’t blame the company for that, but it did take a little bit away from the Valentine’s romanticism. The food was really good. The beef was perfectly cooked, medium rare. The pork loin was super tender and seasoned perfectly. My favorite thing served was the creamed spinach, it was out of this world! I was a bit disappointed in the fried fish. Definitely not a good representation of Louisiana. It was dry and flavorless. Everything can’t be perfect though. I ordered a bloody mary, it was perfect! Our waitress was very nice and came by to help us often.
My husband thoroughly enjoyed the self-​guided tour of the engine room. The captain popped in and took some time to share some information about the working of the engine room. We took a quick trip through the gift shop. They had normal gift shop trinkets. The live band was a nice touch. We had a great time and can’t wait to do this again.

I had such an enjoyable time riding on the steamboat. Guess what I didn’t even get sea sick.
Since on our trip to New Orleans that my boyfriend invited me on to celebrate his birthday our next stop was here.
I didn’t have to pay for anything; a nice free ride with free food and a beautiful view of the Mississippi River.
The dinner consisted of fried fish, soul food, sweet ice tea and dessert.
I fancied the meal since living in the south that’s my main favorite cuisine especially the fried fish. On top of that it was catfish! Yummy and my tummy!
Although, we got cramped in a spot behind a family of five and plus the ceiling was leaking over heads, we didn’t complain much as we just ate and walked around the boat.
I liked the idea of walking around the boat after you eat and plus they had chairs positioned near the railings, so you could get a better picture.
I located the Domino Sugar plant, a few small plantation homes, lots of big boats it ships and trees.
There’s a gift shop available on the boat and the prices aren’t outrageously expensive either. I bought a few knicks from the shoppe.
The ladies restroom was fairly clean and smelling nice. However, the other ladies restroom near the gift shop was so cramped it only had two stalls and a bunch of females and plus the toilets didn’t like to flush either. It was a train-​wreck!
Anywho, I can’t complain much about my ride as everything was very nice and accommodating. I can’t wait to try this again.

We ended our vacation with the Steamboat Natchez dinner cruise along the Mississippi. There was live jazz on the top deck, with a dinner buffet option inside that started roughly an hour after boarding. The jazz band was amazing, absolutely loved the clarinetist. It did get a little chilly, so we headed into the seating area for a bit. We ordered a bottle of wine and the dinner option opened up shortly after. The food was decent, nothing spectacular but not terrible. We were seated next to a couple who were coincidentally also from Chicago so we had some great company as well. The views of the river and scenery were fantastic, hope to return again someday —
Best,
Charlie

May 2013 tour highlights:
— Relaxing 2-​hour lunch cruise. Do yourself a favor and skip the buffet option, it is not tasty.
— Joy-​able afternoon of live jazz at the music hall.
— Fun way to learn about the Mississippi River, and the history and culture of New Orleans.
— Departs and returns to the French Quarter. There is no pickup/​drop off from the hotel.
— Don’t forget to pose for a photo as you board. If you like it, you will have to purchase it.
— Very cool, but a bit expensive.
Three Unilocal

Man wäre wohl nicht in New Orleans gewesen, wenn man nicht ein paar Meilen den Mississippi hinauf– oder hinuntergefahren wäre. Und dazu gibt man sich am besten die traditionelle Tour auf dem Schaufelraddampfer Natchez. Mehrmals am Tag kann man unweit des Jackson Square eine Rundfahrt auf dem nachgebauten Schiff beginnen, Tickets kann man vor Ort oder im Internet kaufen. Stromabwärts erfährt man einiges wissenswertes über die Stadt und seine BewohnerInnen, auf der Rückroute spielt dann eine Band.

Mauvaise expérience.
Pourtant il faisait beau. Pourtant nous étions en bonne compagnie.
Mais le diner romantique à bord, c’est un repas digne d’une cantine scolaire, et de mauvaise qualité. Faire la queue, se faire servir, ou plutôt se faire jeter dans l’asiette une louche de nourriture innomable et infàme…et né pas pouvoir se consoler avec un bon vin: infecte.
Heureusement, il y a l’orchestre de jazz. J’aimerais être positif: ils jouent bien. Ils sont bien rodés. Fiers d’annoncer qu’ils font ça sur ce bateau depuis vingt ans! Alors si vous voulez du jazz vivant, improvisant, chaleureux, oubliez ça. Si vous admettez le jazz précuit, embalé sous vide, stérilisé, alors ça ira pour vous.