Spirit of Brownville — Attraction in Nebraska

My husband and I stayed at the River Inn Resort for a couple of nights in early August, so I decided to make reservations for a dinner cruise on the last evening of our stay. While waiting to board, we met other folks who came from nearby towns and such, who weren't staying at the Inn. When they opened the gate, everyone boarded the paddlewheel a few at a time, starting at 5:00pm. The tables are set up across an aisle from each other, and each table sits about 6 people. We chose a table towards the back of the boat. We noticed two other couples had come onboard, and they were looking for seats, so we asked them to join us, which was a treat. We struck up a conversation and all seemed to enjoy the company. We even took a few selfies and sent them to each other! You can purchase a specialty drink called Paddlewheel Punch, or they have other options such as beer or wine, sodas, etc. They explained how the buffet works and then chose tables to go up one at a time to serve themselves. (meats were cut and served by the staff.) The captain started the vessel and we got underway at about 5:20pm or so? I was having fun, so I didn't pay a lot of attention to the time. Since our table was towards the back, we were some of the last to get our food, but there seemed plenty of it, from what I saw. After every table was finished being served, they gave options of going back for seconds on anything left over. The meal was delicious--and we found out that a sweet young lady by the name of Addie, made the entire dinner by herself! Great job, Addie! After finishing our food, my husband and I went to the top deck to look around and I took some videos of the boat and views of the river. I made the mistake of wearing a flowy skirt for the cruise, which turned out to be a mistake. (Note to self: don't wear a skirt on an open boat!) It gets pretty windy out on the river! The paddlewheel goes up the river first, then turns around a few miles upstream--then it takes very little time to return to the dock, as the Missouri River is very fast-flowing. The dinner cruise was an enjoyable experience and they even rent the whole barge for parties,...

Booked a room and dinner cruise for my grandmother and I and it did not disappoint. The room was very clean with an incredibly comfortable bed and pillows. Well laid-out so with a walk-in corner shower that easily accommodated my grandmother. The rooms were quiet with excellent blinds. Outside seating on the deck provided an excellent place to relax, chat, and watch the river go by. The dinner cruise was well organized with a delicious meal. All staff was very friendly and made us feel comfortable and they ensured we had a good time. Morning breakfast was superb and very filling with blueberry muffins to rave about. From booking online to check out, the whole experience was fantastic. Marty, thank you for answering all my booking questions, being so accommodating, making us laugh, and sharing so much information about the area and the boats. Lisa, thank you for the laughs and making us feel like we were friends of yours welcome any time. You went out of your way to make sure we were taken care of without making it seem like you were going out of your way. We loved the background you gave on how the Inn came to be. James, we truly appreciated and loved all of the stories you shared about your history as well as the history of the Inn, the Spirit of Brownville, and the town. Rob, thank you so much for your extra efforts with my grandma and I on the dinner cruise and making things much easier for us. Those little actions go a long way! Last but not least thank you to Tracy for the great cleaning she did ahead of our arrival to make sure our room was clean, tidy, and smelling fresh and clean. Very well done by all staff and I highly recommend a cruise and stay at the...

This was our first experience on the spirit of Brownville. The cruise itself is nothing special, but does not mean it’s not a good time. The negatives do definitely outweigh the positives though. The food is OK at best drinks not included, which is not stated anywhere. So be sure to bring cash as their card reader does not always work to buy a drink to already kind of an overpriced dinner. The boat itself is in very rough shape though. Please be advised on a hot summer day that there is no air-conditioning. I can’t necessarily say I would recommend it though. The money there’s a lot better things to do probably not in Brownville as there’s nothing to do there, but just kind of expensive for what you actually receive. I would recommend buying their cruise only ticket and...