City Cruises — Attraction in San Francisco

The City Cruises San Francisco brunch is one of our favorite ways to celebrate our wedding anniversary and to treat family members or out-of-town relatives. We love the festive atmosphere inside the boat, and the staff were friendly and always smiling. The buffet offered a great selection of fresh, high-quality food. The unlimited mimosas or champagne and coffee were a fantastic touch. Our waiters and waitresses were always cheerful and attentive. Being on the open deck of this cruise is the best way to view the spectacular Golden Gate and Bay Bridges, as well as the beautiful San Francisco city skyline. There's usually a live piano player (Paul) entertaining the guests with his "magic fingers," or he sometimes provides DJ music for those in the mood to dance. A few years ago, I requested that Paul play our wedding song, "Careless Whisper." He said he had never played it before, but he tried it on the spot for us anyway and did a good job rendering it in his own piano-playing style. This past July, my wife and I returned for our 35th wedding anniversary, and I wanted to request our song again. We didn't have any cash, so I approached Paul while he was playing and asked if he would accept tips via Zelle or Apple Pay. Paul said he couldn't and told me not to worry about it. I walked away without making the request because I didn't feel right. I wasn't sure Paul remembered me, but about 10 minutes later, I heard a familiar piano note. My wife turned to me and said, "That's our song!" I held my breath and listened, and sure enough, Paul was playing his own version of "Careless Whisper." I went back to tell him, "You still remember the song! That's our wedding song!" I also told Paul that next time, I'd make up for the tip. Paul's fingers just kept moving on the keys as he told me thank you with a big smile. It was a very memorable moment for us. As my wife and I wandered up and down the boat decks to enjoy the spectacular views of the Golden Gate and the San Francisco skyline, we could still hear Paul's piano rendition of "Careless Whisper" echoing through the staircases and twisting with the winds on the upper deck. In our earlier City Cruises, we usually purchased a Portrait Package from the professional photographers on the boat. This time, we regretfully declined because we had taken so many photos with our phones. We also realized that the portraits we had purchased in the past were still in their envelopes and had yet to be shared or displayed in our house. Parking at Pier 3, the Hornblower Landing, is very convenient. The fees were $12 in 2024 but increased to $20 in 2025. The parking attendant, Cliffordnel, was one of the highlights of our cruises because of his friendliness and his personal interest in my Vietnamese imported electric car. The first time he saw my (loaner) blue VinFast VF8 was in 2024. He told me he had just learned about the Vietnamese EV brand and was excited because VinFast was interested in the Philippine market, his native country. A year later, Cliffordnel saw my gray VinFast VF8, and this time he was even more excited because he had a friend in the Philippines who owned a franchise VinFast Auto Dealership. I can't wait for our next City Cruise and for all the good memories...

Update: I am confused why City Experiences asked me to reach out to resolve the issue. I did so, and they made absolutely no attempt to rectify the situation. They offered me nothing more than "I'm sorry your are frustrated". I have to wait 3-5 days to see my $2,214.87 payment refunded. I am losing my $200 deposit on the limo I rented unless I can come up with another plan at this late date. If they cancelled for weather or if the boat broke down, I would have totally understood, but they cancelled because they didn't want to spend the money to take the boat out because they didn't have enough patrons. Isn't that just the cost of doing business? Keeping your word and honoring a contract (which is what that reservation/tickets were) should be their highest priority. They honestly couldn't care less! Customer service is a resounding ZERO! I will NEVER trust this company with a special event again!

Original Review: While I can't comment on the quality of the cruise or dinner experience itself, that's precisely the issue here. I booked a premium reservation for our company's 25th anniversary celebration, with employees traveling from out of state. I even arranged and paid for a limo. Just a week before the event, I received a call letting me know the cruise was canceled. The reason? Another group canceled their reservation, and without enough patrons, it was deemed not cost-effective for the cruise to proceed with only our group and a few others. So, our plans were effectively canceled due to another party’s actions. Saying I'm disappointed and angry is an understatement. Now, I'm scrambling to find alternative plans, and securing a reservation for our group has proven nearly impossible. If you choose to book with City Cruises and have your heart set on a memorable evening, be prepared with a backup plan—unfortunately, I wasn't, and I'm now left in a very difficult and...

I had to lower this rating because the salmon was over cooked and I had to spit it out. I saw one guy holding his mouth like he was going to vomit running across the dance floor when I was coming back to my table right before the salmon was served, and now I know why the guy was holding his mouth. It tasted like chalk. It was so dry and that’s a sign that it’s over cooked well it could’ve been Recooked? I’m a five star chef, so I know good food the steak, however was amazing how they could serve two different dishes and be so different? The chocolate cake also gave me a feeling of vomit. The food that I do recommend is the steak and the fruit and the salad. The salmon, the soup and the cake. We’re all really bad I’m sorry to say. I’m guessing it was Costco type cake I would give this cruise a five star for the experience and the free bar but the food was so bad and we spent $300 each for a ticket to people. in San Francisco. we have plenty of good chefs here. There’s no reason I have this kind of salmon served in San Francisco. The bartenders however were the same way happen half good and not so good so that was my experience july 4 cruise We were underneath the fireworks, and then they pulled away from the fireworks, and we are about 5 miles away from the fireworks by the end of the fireworks, so how do you have a fireworks cruise that pulls away from the fireworks that was an oddity to me? I am glad I was the first one on the boat because you want to make sure that you are there early. You do not want to miss one second of this, especially after spending that much money. I broke my heel on one of these stairs. There’s three or four staircases to go to the different levels to go to the different outdoor decks so you should know that it’s all stairs and if you’re handicap, you’re not going to be able to get to the...