This cruise ship is not handicap accessible as they claim. My partner is in a wheelchair, and even though I called before getting on the cruise to confirm that there were handicap accessible ways to get on the boat/enjoy most of the activities/use the bathroom, the bathrooms were not accessible at all. Getting physically on to the boat was fine, but getting from the on-ramp area into the first floor cabin was tough. We had to really squeeze the chair through the door to get it in.
From moving chairs to sit at a table was fine, but the bathroom situation was the worst. There were two small single-stall rooms. The men's was completely inaccessible to a wheelchair, and the women's was supposed to be "handicap accessible". I informed the crew that I didn't think that a chair would be able to enter the bathroom and close the door, and they insisted that it would be fine. They asked if we would be able to fold the chair to bring it into the room..... to which I had to explain that my partner cannot use their legs so there is no option to fold the chair because they need to be in the chair when entering. They said that they could have the makeshift solution of keeping a further up door open, blocking view of the women's bathroom, and they could have the kitchen keep the galley door closed to give my partner privacy in case the door didn't close. I still didn't believe the chair would fit so I had my partner try to enter the women's room..... the chair didn't even fit through the door frame. Meaning that this cruise thought it okay for my partner to relieve themselves in a hallway?
So yes, you can board the boat in a wheelchair, but you'd need a bladder of steel during dinner and drinks to survive because the chances that you'd be able to use the bathroom are slim unless you have a child-sized chair. I am most disappointed in the poor expectation setting when I called, and the fact that the onboard crew insisted it would be possible to fit a wheelchair in the bathroom.
On a separate note, the food wasn't good. We rented out the boat and had a prefixes menu with four options. I can confirm that at least 3/4 were bad. The teriyaki salmon had a sauce that was sickeningly sweet. The prime rib seemed tasteless. The Portobello mushroom dish tasted like everything had been marinated in straight balsamic vinegar for days. On positive note, The views of the lake were fantastic, and if you were able bodied this cruise would be beautiful. But don't come for the food. Come for...
Read moreWe made the amazing decision to host our wedding reception of around 50 guests on the Tahoe Gal and it was easily one of the best decisions we could’ve made. We had the privilege of working with Jamie as our coordinator for the boat who made the entire process seem effortless. We were initially concerned because we reside about 8 hours away from Tahoe City and planning a destination wedding did not seem convenient. However, Jamie’s open and continuous communication along with her kind and genuine personality took most of the stress out of our planning. Jamie would always answer my questions (no matter how silly or how many I had). She also gave great insight to help us create an event that would translate well on the boat. Jamie’s communication, professionalism, and incredible leadership made our experience on the Tahoe Gal unforgettable.
We also recommend the Tahoe Gal because of their incredible crew members (Captain, servers, bartender, and other staff members). Everyone was so friendly and attentive to each of our guests and to ourselves. The captain even offered to steer us in a certain direction for our sunset photos so that we would have the moon in our photos! It’s that thoughtfulness and attentiveness that made our wedding reception so incredibly special. Food was also delicious! We went into our reception without having done a tasting prior to wedding day, which can be risky—but for the Tahoe Gal, was no problem at all. Our guests loved every single dish that was served (prime rib, chicken, and salmon). My husband and I had the prime rib and it was cooked to perfection, juicy and tender. Drinks and cocktails were a 10/10 as well! We absolutely recommend the Tahoe Gal for private charters and their scheduled...
Read moreWe did the lunch cruise around emerald bay and the views are fantastic and the captain’s narratives were interesting. A few important notes- it was way too long to bring kids under 12. They were bored and ended up sleeping through the second half of it so that was a complete waste of money. More importantly- the food is atrocious. Plan to eat a hearty meal beforehand because you’re basically held captive for three and half hours during lunch time and $22 for literally the worst nachos you can imagine (think less-than movie theater quality, stale chips, cheap store bought queso, and low grade store bought salsa (Note to owners- Costco has way more authentic salsa options that are probably less expensive to keep in stock) and no available additions like guacamole or sour cream) and the pizza was $20 for only four tiny slices (enough for one kid, definitely not big enough to share) and only bearable because we were all so hungry. The sandwiches were only OK but much, much better than the previously mentioned items. Overall, I’d say for the cost of the ticket and the cost of the food, it is definitely not worth it. Especially if you have hungry kids. To the owners- please invest in a professional chef to create an easy menu that has quality food, or cut the prices of the food in half because the quality for the price is simply not justifiable, especially when we aren’t permitted to bring our own food on board. If the food were better than I would say it was worth the cost of the entire experience. Perhaps just book a shorter trip not focused around...
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