Gateway Arch Riverboats

Let me preface this by saying I love guided tours. Especially boat tours since my husband loves being outdoors and on the water and when we’re on vacation it’s a nice way to get a little of what we both enjoy in a short amount of time. This was not enjoyable for either of us. The information is hard to hear, and what I was able to understand wasn’t very interesting. The boat in itself is dirty and looks old fashioned more so in a dated way than by design. You travel a short distance at an extremely slow pace, so there isn’t much to see. The facts that it was cold and rainy that day and part of the view is under construction didn’t help our experience. There are snacks available, but they’re overpriced. We had considered taking the dinner tour, but after seeing the dank vessel, I’m glad we switched.

This was an enjoyable tour as tourists and my wife and I loved it. It’s $ 25 per adult and you can get a $ 3 discount by purchasing tickets with the Arch «Journey to the Top». She actually bought the tickets to surprise me so we could get away from business and just enjoy the city. If you are staying close or have a cab or Über drop you off at the Arch you will want to walk all the way down to the riverfront back behind the arch. The area has a lot of construction going on which looks like it is going to make S Leonor K Sullivan Blvd even more beautiful.
The Café is most certainly worth eating at if you need something while waiting. They have wine as well. There are two steamboats, the Tom Sawyer and the Becky Thatcher. They have been operating this tour since 1964. We rode Becky.
Keep in mind that if rain is expected you can stay inside but who wants to tour the riverfront inside? Sure enough right when we launched it started to rain so everyone ran downstairs. It quit in just a few minutes so the 60 – 70 some odd riders made their way back up top. The crew did not have enough towels to wipe the water off of the seats so they need to improve there.
The Captain was relaxing to listen to, trip felt very safe and his narrative was educational.
One thing to keep in mind if you are getting married on board is to make sure you know what state you are in when you say «I do» or you could accidentally get married in Illinois, not Missouri. The very center of the Mississippi River is the state border line separating Missouri and Illinois (you can see the lines and signs on the bridges overhead). I know 100% for sure (by my GPS) that during part of the return voyage we were in Illinois. We actually crossed state lines several times.
Didn’t care for the fact that they took our photo and then tried to sell it to us. (Who doesn’t have a selfie stick these days?) LOL!
Overall a nice fun experience and one we will always remember.

I adored this tour. I was visiting from Baltimore and my fiancé, who lives in Kansas City, and I road tripped up to STL for the weekend. We went to the courthouse to purchase the tickets and then walked toward to arch. There was much construction. I look forward to seeing how it will turn out next year. We stopped at the Arch to take some pics and then walked down to the boat. There are some food vendors at the dock and a gift shop close to the boat. We just chilled around there until departure time. It was a pretty large crowd and once we got on the boat, there weren’t anymore seats outside, so we had to stand. If there is a large crowd, try to get on the boat pretty soon.
Staff took our picture, we boarded and we were off. There isn’t much to see other than the Arch. We went under some bridges and learned about the barges and all the imports (petroleum, coal, etc.) The captain was very knowledgeable and seemed very excited about his job. The whole cruise was about an hour. Once we disembarked, the pictures were available for view and purchase. They came out really nice but my fiancé and I were pleased with the pictures we took ourselves. This was a cool activity for tourists and highly recommended.

I was just married there on Sunday, October 18^th and everything was amazing! The band was great, my coordinator, Lisa Marie, was great! Everything went off without a hitch. She made everything happen without being in the way. All of my family and friends said this was one of the best weddings they had ever been to. I would definitely comeback for a dinner cruise.

We went on an Oktoberfest cruise that included a German lunch buffet. While the people who led us onto the boat were very nice, this was not the case with the staff on the boat, especially our main steward. I also did not find the customer service person I talked to by phone afterwards to be helpful or welcoming.
The cruise was two hours long. I think one hour would have been sufficient, without the meal.

Currently it is really hard to get to due to constructions that will make this city look even more beautiful. Boats are in decent shape but not new. It can be a great experience to do something you don’t do every day especially with a large group of friends. Great new angle to view sunsets and city lights.
If the water level gets too low, certain boats will not be allowed to depart.
We had a blast at the «Caribbean Night On the Mississippi party». Spectacular night of salsa dancing, eating, and mingling while cruising into the sunset and city’s lights sparkling reflection.

We did the 1hr cruise (no kids with us). It is affordable and they give you a pass to go to the top of the arch. You do hear some St. Louis info. & history, however it might be difficult to hear depending on where you sit. I am not sure what it is, maybe generators? They were blasting out heat at the top of the boat while we were in the sun. The boat could use some lovin’ and some updates. This area of the Mississippi is not the most beautiful and there are not many attractive sights to see from the river. The most attractive sights have better views from elsewhere in the city. We were not out much money or time so it was okay. We originally wanted to do a dinner or brunch cruise, perhaps those are better? I honestly do not care to find out at this point.

Great experience and good views! Although, the condition of the boats interior could use a face lift and preserve the «old» style look.

On a trip to Missouri, my friend decided it would be a cool idea to check out the Gateway Arch Riverboat tour so we could see the river and the Arch. A total of eight of us went and the tour wasn’t very busy. Probably a combination of the end of tourist season and it being a weekday.
The tickets are sold in the gift shop and the man at the booth was nice. When we weren’t sure whether we were going to go up the Arch (if you purchased both tickets together, you save $ 2), he said we could buy our tour tix then and show the person at the Arch our ticket stubs to get the discount on the Arch tour.
Overall, the tour was okay. I think I thought that there would be more to see; I hadn’t realized that the Mississippi was along such an industrial part of the city. There was only anything to see on one side of the river; granted, this was not the riverboat’s fault. It was cool to see the bridges, the Arch, and to ride on the riverboat. The speed of the boat varied– it went really slow in the beginning and picked up speed during the second half of the ride. The captain was knowledgable and shared about the history of the city, the sights, and even the other boats and cargo we saw on the river. You can get some lovely pictures of the bridges if the sun is right. It was pretty windy and chilly though; definitely recommend a coat, shoes, sunglasses.
The company takes a photo of your party before you board the boat (ours was named Tom Sawyer) and offer to sell you the picture after you disembark. It is $ 15 for a 5×7 and $ 20 to add a few wallets to make it a package. Our pic turned out really nice and a few people in the group bought it. However, other members of our group felt pressured to purchase by one of the workers and noticed that the man had food in his beard, which was a little gross.
Overall, not a bad activity. Its right next to Forest Park, which was beautiful with the fall foliage and colors and sun. Also close to great places to eat in downtown. I wouldn’t do it again, but its a decent tourist thing to do.

They started talking about the history and I just happened to be one the wrong side (sigh). The guide knew his information, but it was kind of boring. My mom fell asleep, it was raining. It’s a boat ride nevertheless, nice views, entertaining kids to watch, that’s about it folks. You get what you paid for. The good thing is in the rain, they do have covered areas with chairs placed to let you sit comfortably to look at the views.

Skip this. Really.
We had a large family reunion group who all booked the boat tour. Unfortunately half of the group was unable to go on the booked tour, because it was very difficult to find and get to the parking location for the boats. There’s a lot of construction in the area, and the directions to the garage were not good. Thankfully the ticket booth staff rebooked those of us who missed the first boat to go on the next one.
Once on the boat, it was a pitiful boat trip. We had a great view of the skyline and arch, but everything else was just a few power plants and bridges… and empty industrial riverbank lots. It was definitely not as exciting as other riverboat cruises I have been on in other cities.
I gave it an extra star due to the accommodating and understanding staff who rebooked us. Otherwise, the actual boat tour was lame.

We called, we checked the website. As we were looking for the ticket place we found out they were closed, due to weather. Sunny and 84. Not bad weather at all. Granted we came from IL but this just feels like a waste of time.

I had a grand romantic illusion of going for a riverboat cruise on the Mississippi with wonderful scenery on each side of the river. I guess it’s my own fault for not doing my research on what is on either side of the river, but I figured if there was nothing to see there wouldn’t be a riverboat cruise. How wrong was I?! While it was nice to go out in one of these old boats, the only noteworthy thing to see from the river was a different angle of the Arch and the Old Courthouse. Everything else is very industrial… plus old bridges and half finished bridges. It was quite a disappointment. Don’t waste your money.

We booked a sunset dinner cruise and it was a nice experience. I did expect to actually be on the river for the sunset though but instead we were on the river in the dark. It still had nice views of the Arch though.
The food was pretty good (we had the chicken champagne dinner). Cocktails were offered for an additional $ 5 but their liquor was «house liquor» and was NOT GOOD AT ALL. I’ll stick with water next time.
The people were friendly and they took pics of you before to boarded the boat. Selling them at the end, they were pretty cheap which was a good thing.

I’ve actually been on a Blues Cruise 3 times, and have won tickets or in some other way ended up going for free. Would I say it’s worth the $ 36-​$ 40 per couple otherwise… hmmm.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun night with music and dancing, but the drinks are ridiculously expensive, $ 4 for a can of beer (cash only BTW) and they even charge money for that crappy oddly yellow colored popcorn that most bars give away for free.
What is cool, outside of the music, are the pictures that you can snap of the riverfront/​Arch from the top of the boat. It’s definitely a novelty, and not really a cruise… I mean, the boat goes up river a ways, does a U-​turn, floats back, does another U-​turn and drops you off.
If you decide to go, throw a bottle of «water» in your purse, order some juice at the bar and… well, you get the drift!

Cheap. About $ 10. An hour long tour. Really, my priority was taking pretty photos. Got good photos of the Cityscape/​Old Courthouse/​Arch. Got cool photos of a riverboat on the Mississippi.
Now, the tour audio was very difficult to hear. Quality of the speakers were not that good. The interior rooms looked old and worn down. But, the photos I captured were of the exterior of the boat and the City were well worth it. They made for a cool photobook, plus I’ve never been on a riverboat on the Mississippi…
Would recommend.

If you get a chance to go to the Lou and ride the Riverboat I say go for it! It allows you to see the Arch from a different angel and get some great shots also you get some fun facts about STL!
I wouldn’t call it a cruise though but a great Riverboat excursion!
The captain was funny and he kept us laughing!!!
We were very blessed to go out on a beautiful November day! I believe November 23 & 24 of 2012 is last weekend this year for the Riverboat ride but if you are planning something for next year you should add this on the list of things to do.
The hour goes by so fast!
We didn’t stop by the Café but next time that is on the to do list!

My husband and I try to do a dinner cruise in every city that offers one, so last August my husband surprised me with a dinner cruise on the river as a wedding present.
In terms of other dinner cruises I have been on, this one tends to be more on the casual side. When I’ve been to other city cruises, people get really dressed up… but this is St. Louis. Therefore, don’t feel the need to get dressed to the 9s. In fact, if you do, you might feel out of place. My dad stepped on with sandals and jeans once and was in no way out of place. This can either be a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you want and your expectations.
I would say the one bad thing about this cruise is the view. While I really liked the view of the Arch from the water, that is where the good views end. The problem is that St. Louis doesn’t have an amazing skyline and there were a few eye sores along the dinner cruise (e.g., working factory). Not much the cruise can do about it, unfortunately.
With all that said, I thought the food was pretty good, including the cheesecake we had for dessert. They even gave us an extra slice since they had some left over. They allow you to choose from among a few entrees for dinner (similar to other cruises). I ordered the chicken and found it tasty. Another positive of this cruise is that they have a live bluegrass band on board, which I found unique and fit well with the cruise. We were able to request a song and took advantage of the dance floor on the bottom deck. Finally, the price is pretty affordable for a dinner cruise and they have a huge deck upstairs. I think it is definitely worth trying while in St. Louis.

If you’ve ever wanted to ride on a riverboat since you read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Gateway Arch Riverboat Cruises can indulge your wish. While the sightseeing cruise is well worth the time to take, the dinner cruise was one of my more memorable dining experiences to date. It’s not cheap, but I was very pleased with their prime rib. And I’m normally not a prime rib fan. Good food comes with great, attentive service that lets you focus on the food while you try and remember to look out the window at the St Louis waterfront at night. If you let your mind wander you can imagine what life was like for someone riding a steamboat back in the day and having dinner with a real jazz band playing in the background…
Definitely a nice indulgence above the already nice sightseeing cruise. And it’s a way to see St. Louis that not many people see anymore as they drive across the bridges. 4 Stars.

My friend had her wedding reception on the Tom Sawyer. The food was excellent. Everyone working on the boat was friendly and very helpful.
I get really sick on boats, so I took Bonine and asked the captain if there was anything else I could do to feel ok. He told me that it might be a little bad while tied to the pier, but it should be a smooth ride. He was right! As soon as we started cruising, the ride was fine and I felt totally ok. Several people remarked that they were suprised at how it didn’t feel like they were on a boat. It was great!