White Orchid River Cruise — Local services in Talat Noi Subdistrict

Generally the cruise was good. Not bad view - similar for such cruises, facilities, show and service were good but the food was a big letdown.

I paid 1615BHT for two on the top deck of the White Orchid Cruise - dinner slot. 2hrs with singer (no band) and small cabaret show. Welcome drink was juice and a large western/Chinese/Thai fusion dinner buffet served with almost no veggie options. Details below:

The staff work really hard, our entertainer on the boat was excellent and she sung popular songs in 3-4 different languages. Her music came from a guy on the keyboard who also had a try at singing. He was ok, but some advice - don't try singing the BeeGees, especially if you don't know the words... -There was also a cabaret show with some good dancing (on a boat in high heels!). 1 act at the start, 2 towards the end. It was one girl dancing in a super costume to some funky music. -The waiters are very good, swift, efficient, attentive and not pushy with drinks (like some cruises). Good job from the staff overall. No one pushes for tips and it feels like smooth service all over. There was a photography 'thing' where they take pictures of you on the dock before boarding. They then print and frame the photo and try and sell them on the boat. Stop this - 1) Its a waste of time, money and resources to print things very few people buy. 2) Why take a picture on the dock, everyone wants a picture on the boat! 3) Why not set up a booth on the boat for people who WANT the photos. 4) Think of all that photographic paper going in the trash - isnt the world dirty enough? The boat itself was lovely. It was low season so they put everyone on the top deck. Wooden chairs and tables. Assigned seating which is given when you check in. I peeked downstairs and it looked ok, but the view from the top was much better. Try and get upstairs if you can. Toilets clean and modern. The view was ok. River cruises all suffer the same problem - the city isn't made for them! However you got a good view of some key places including the Royal Palace and a bit of excitement from the low bridge! View is on par with other cruises I have taken. The 'entrance' the boats make deserves a mention too - pulling into dock with party music playing and guys wailing on the saxaphone. Good entrance guys. Good entrance... Checking in is a bit lengthy. You have to check in 1hr before the boat arrives. I understand why, but then you are left with lots of time to kill in the super expensive shopping centre. There is a bar, but be prepared to pay... The food. Massive letdown: Firstly, only 1 hot vegetarian option - stir fried vegetables. Its 2019 people, update your lives. Even the papaya salad had prawns in it. I bet no one even noticed them, you could have taken them out. Offer more veggie options or make all the sauces veggie and put meat on the side. Second, Lots of the food wasn't great - the beef was tough, the chicken sauce needed rethinking, spaghetti should not be served in a steam tray... etc. Thirdly, why are you ashamed of your heritage? I haven't come to Thailand to eat western food that you cant cook! Give us green curry, pad thai, regional dishes we don't know about! Be proud and cook the food Thailand is famous for (after all, its what you promised on the itinerary). It will be cheaper, better quality and everyone will be happier (see comments elsewhere of everyone complaining about getting food from the own country).

Switch the menu and you might just have a...

I booked the Chao Phraya White Orchid Cruise from Asiatique The Riverfront Pier for the 19:45-21:45 dinner cruise via Klook for 899 THB. The main reason I chose this boat was that it’s the only one with an open top deck, allowing for unobstructed views of Bangkok’s skyline and landmarks. However, the booking process was frustrating, as there was no option to guarantee a top-deck seat—something I was even willing to pay extra for. I contacted Klook support, but they couldn’t help, and after reaching out to the cruise operator directly, they confirmed they would notify the team about my preference for a top-deck table by the barriers. Still, there were no guarantees, which made the process stressful.

Check-in & Boarding Experience

The ticket instructed us to arrive between 18:00-19:20, which we did. However, upon arrival, we were told that boarding wouldn’t start until 19:45, so we had to wait a long time. To board, you first need to exchange your online booking for a physical ticket at the check-in booth, which was easy to find. The pier is busy with many different boats arriving, so you need to wait for the right one. Boarding was quick and smooth, though we departed about 10-15 minutes later than scheduled.

Luckily, I got a table on the top deck, but it was in the middle rather than by the side near the barriers, which was disappointing—especially since I noticed several empty tables by the railing that remained unoccupied throughout the cruise.

Food & Service

As soon as you enter the boat, the buffet is ready, and people immediately start serving themselves. The selection was good for the price, with a variety of Asian dishes, some European options, sushi, sashimi, grilled shrimp, soups, salads, fruit, traditional Thai desserts, and even ice cream. There was unlimited water and beer, while other drinks were available for an extra charge. However, some food was cold, and the quality was just okay—nothing spectacular, but acceptable given the price. That said, I wasn’t here for the food; I came for the views.

Each deck had its own buffet and entertainment, and the staff were efficient, constantly refilling food and cleaning up tables.

Views & Entertainment

The views were stunning, especially when passing under the bridges and near landmarks like Wat Arun and the Grand Palace. This is why I highly recommend requesting a top-deck table—it makes a huge difference in the experience. The wind made the temperature very comfortable, so it wasn’t too hot despite being outdoors.

The live entertainment included music and dancing, but since our table was far from the stage, we couldn’t see much. There was also a designated smoking area on the boat.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I enjoyed the cruise and thought it was a good value for the price, especially for the views and atmosphere. However, I do think the cruise should be longer—at least another hour. The first hour is spent focusing on food, leaving too little time to fully enjoy the sights and entertainment.

⭐ Rating: 4/5 ✅ Pros: Open top deck for great views, smooth boarding, decent food selection, unlimited beer & water, good service. ❌ Cons: No option to guarantee a top-deck table, food quality was just okay, long wait before boarding, cruise duration felt too short.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but only if you can get a...

Extremely disappointing and frustrating experience.

I can see from other reviews that I’m not the first to go through this. Despite receiving two email confirmations from the company and a payment confirmation from my credit card, when I arrived with 8 friends, we were told the boat was already full and they couldn’t accommodate us.

I tried to explain and show my confirmations, but one of the attendants was completely uninterested in listening. She simply told me to “call my agent” — which frankly should have been her responsibility in the first place. If they knew there was a problem with the booking, they should have contacted the agents or made arrangements instead of letting paying customers just show up and be turned away.

The reservation system is outdated and unreliable — I saw it with my own eyes: just pieces of paper with handwritten confirmation numbers. If your booking happens to be missing from their list, you’re out of luck. No alternative dates, no backup plan, just a flat “sorry, the boat is full.” For anyone on a holiday with limited time, looking forward to a nice evening cruise, this is simply unacceptable.

To make matters worse, if you booked through headout.com, avoid it at all costs. Their office isn’t even in Thailand — when I called, I got redirected to Singapore. Emails went unanswered until, out of the blue, I received an email two days later saying my refund was being processed. It then took 10 days before I finally got my money back.

This experience ruined part of our trip, and I would strongly caution anyone considering White Orchid cruises (and booking via headout.com) — the risk of being turned away despite having full confirmation is very real. Save yourself the stress and look elsewhere or try another experience that has a non-primitive...