Danversport — Attraction in Danvers

I'm going to preface this review with the fact that I myself am in the service industry and have been for about 12 years. I have worked many events and have experience in how things can and should be run.

The location is lovely as is the space itself, but the service, food, and event coordinators are not. The servers were very young and while that is absolutely not a problem their age seemed to be a factor in this case. One of them had sunglasses on her head the entirety of service and they hung around the bar slacking on table maintenance until their shift was coming to a close and it was time to clean up, in which case they suddenly became extremely efficient. We had the space from 12-4 but servers started clearing everything- and I do mean everything, including waters- from the tables around 2:30. I was perplexed as we still had the space for an hour and a half and guests were still trying to enjoy dessert and so I asked them to leave the dishes, waters etc. The server with the sunglasses responded that she had to take them as staff was leaving at 3 PM. At this point I was confused and thought I must have gotten the end time of the event wrong because I have never, ever left guests during an event before the end of contracted time. Turns out I had not confused the booking, evidently that's just how they do things there? The fact that servers would be clearing everything 1.5 hours before the event ended and then leaving was never communicated with me. Not only was it not communicated with me, but when I looked around for someone to discuss this with it turns out the event manager was also either gone for the day or left to tend to another event without a word to us which is a disgrace.

Now I understand they had other events there but that should have been discussed prior i.e. "we do have a wedding to set up right behind you, please be aware of x, y, and z" or even just being honest and saying something along the lines of "we recommend the event for 12-3 as we do have other events and staff will be needed elsewhere" etc. I also know the service industry is pretty desperate for staff at the moment so maybe their options aren't the best, but those in leadership positions should be even more aware of goings on in that case.

Overall I would not recommend booking this venue for an event that is important to you. Another guest made the observation that we're just dollar signs and between the experience itself and the repeated assertions of excellence from management in the comments, despite evidence to the contrary, it could not be a truer...

I just had my wedding here this past Sunday. Danversport and their staff made it EVERYTHING I dreamed it would be. The venue is gorgeous, the food was delicious, the wait staff was great. So was my coordinator, Nancy. I got compliments from guests that this was some of the best wedding food they've ever had. (As many know, sometimes food at weddings are very hit or miss) and there's 2 things people remember: the food and the reception music/vibe. Danversport hit everything out of the park. No issues were brought to my or my matron/best man's attention which says a lot. One thing I am particularly impressed and grateful for is their level of expertise and professionalism. Often the couple is running around so much with everyone vying for your attention. While it's awesome and fun it's alot. Often brides and grooms don't get to eat. Well Nancy and the Danversport staff made sure that was not the case for me. They made sure we got time to eat our food, & skillfully redirected people who tried to walk up to us when we sat down to eat without simply warding them off or offending anyone. They just pointed them to the photo booth or the bar or something else. It was impressive. Members of our wedding party told us we're the first bride and groom they've ever seen that are their whole entire and even got a slice of their cake. All I had to do was drop off my favors and describe what I wanted and they executed it to a T. I had no worries. And thoroughly enjoyed every second of my special day. This was amazing for a pandemic wedding that was postponed from last year. They handled 140+ guests wonderfully. For all this, there was a set price with no hidden fees, extra costs, no surprises whatsoever afterwards. I actually came in well under budget because of their straight forward pricing and explanations.

Danversport Events, I can't thank you & your staff enough. You helped give me my dream wedding, even after I had to postpone it a whole year. So easy to work with. I can not recommend this venue enough for your wedding, baby shower, prom, whatever occasion. If you want a classy memorable event, Danversport Yacht Club is the...

The best decision we could have made for our wedding was choosing Danversport as our venue. Crazy enough, while we were touring other venues, we saw the sign leading to Danversport and decided to pop in since we had heard about it on “The Knot.” The second we walked onto the property, we were in awe. When we stepped into the Harborview Ballroom I knew that this venue was it. The chandeliers and cathedral ceilings literally took my breath away. Don’t forget about the sundeck and unreal waterfront view! We didn’t have an appointment so we were trying to stay out of everyone’s way just admiring the space, and Ron, the Director of Special Events introduced himself and literally guided us around as he prepared for another couple's wedding. He had us head over heels for the venue by the time we left. Of course, we finally set up an actual tour and saw both the ballroom and waterfront ceremony space and we knew it was meant to be. The staff was so beyond attentive and compassionate through the entire process.

In our opinion, the venue speaks for itself and was absolutely everything we could have hoped for. Danversport made our dreams come true and all of our guests were truly in awe. We still have guests telling us it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to, from the atmosphere, to the service, and especially how AMAZING the food tasted. My family is still going crazy about the fillet!! Our wedding day was everything and more with the help of Danversport. One staff member who really stood out was "Lynn," (the day was such a blur so I hope that's her name!!). She had me take a deep breath moments before I walked down the aisle, made sure we both ate, and assisted us with every little detail. She was such a sweetheart and a blessing to our big day!!

It’s truly a day we will never forget. Ron guided us through the day with ease and his experience really made the day a breeze. Obviously, we’ve never done this before haha!

Thank you especially to Ron Bildeau & staff for making this day happen even through the ups and downs of COVID!

Love,

The Johnsons 06.26.2021

Photo Credit: K....