Canyonlands By Night & Day — Local services in Moab

We decided on the Evening Dinner and 'Sound and Light' Cruise as we drove past the Canyonlands Store where the business is headquartered, and thought it would be fun. When we are places where getting down to water is possible, we like to do so, as being on it always gives a unique perspective. Getting a reservation for that night was no problem. The company offers lots of alternatives, (jet ski, rafting, hummers, full and half days tours) if the Sound and Light Dinner Show isn't what you are looking for. We were seated for dinner in the Dining Room on site in the order in which we lined up, so we were in the middle of a large tour group of mostly senior couples all traveling together. The boat would be full on the lower deck. We sat bunk-house style in a large dining room with long tables and were served in lines, buffet style. The food was good and there was plenty; it was an outside picnic type meal with cowboy beans and the pulled BBQ meat of your choice. Afterwards, we went out to the deck and waited while the boats were moved in and people were organized for seating. Since it was not yet dark, we cruised up river and the captain told legends and stories about the river and some of those who had lived along it. We cruised in slow not noticeable circles in a wider part of the river, while the captain told the stories and the light crew used music, shadows, very bright lights and optical illusions to ‘paint’ the scenes on the rocks, in the same way we use flashlights and shadows to make finger puppets on white sheets. Larger scale, of course. It was an enjoyable evening; dinner was good, the river was shallow and still, there were no bugs, and it was a great way to relax and cool off after the heat of the day in Canyonlands. I would recommend doing this, but making reservations farther ahead than we did, as I think we got lucky. I should add that there are no restrooms or beverages aboard the cruise. Bottled water is OK, and guests are encouraged to use the restroom before boarding. The water is quite shallow (in some places only knee deep), but since it's brown and murky, this is hard to guess. It is also very still. The cruiser moves slowly too, so those with motion sickness or water issues, will not...

Staff was very friendly and welcoming, directing you to your table, clearing away dishes, offering you to go get more from the buffet, etc. Dinner was nice, food tasted very good but seating was very crowded at long tables and you couldn’t leave an empty seat between you and the other groups you were seated near. Everyone had to sit in the three long tables, elbow to elbow, leaving the rest of the tables empty. The boat ride/"show" was disappointing. You don't go very far down the river and then just slowly float back to the dock during the evening. It begins with a guide talking a bit about the rock walls and geology, and that part was enjoyable and he was funny and interesting. Then the audio recording part of the show starts and it's outdated and uncomfortable to listen to because of its slant against the indigenous people who lived there first before the white settlers came to Utah. The pickup truck following along the shoreline with big flood lights to light up the canyon walls was distracting and the light show itself was not very impressive. Yes, the canyon walls look cool with the light and shadows, but in this day and age you expect more from a "light show". Most of the time we couldn’t make out the shapes and figures that the recording was trying to imply we were seeing. The storyline was vague and wasn’t an accurate account of Utah’s history. We didn’t learn anything worth remembering about the state.

Maybe 25 years ago this was a cool experience, but now it just got a little boring after 15 minutes, and there was still 1.5 hours to go. The plastic boat seats are hard/uncomfortable and crowded together too closely, you don’t get to see much of the river at all, and the whole presentation is just too cringey with the way the history, religion, and patriotism are portrayed. Wayyy too expensive for what it was. Just go to a restaurant in Moab (there’s many good ones) and park the car anywhere outside the main strip of town to look...

Jet Boat Tour Dinner and Light Show

Dinner: Dinner was before the boat tour, not on the boat. It was a buffet style meal. Nothing to write home about, but not terrible. It was in a HUGE room and yet we were all packed into a few rows of tables, squished together so much I was bumping elbows with a stranger. There was definitely room to spread out so I don’t understand the logic of making people uncomfortable.

Boat Tour:

We took about an hour to head upriver on the boat. Again, only about half the boat was filled yet we were all packed into the front like sardines. Tasha was an amazing tour guide. She pointed out rock formations and “faces” in the rocks with a green laser pointer. She was engaging and informative. And funny!

She did mention to please turn the flash off and brightness down on your phones and that professional photos were offered free on the website, so we were encouraged to put our phones down. As the sun set the light show began. The woman in the row in front of us had her phone up and brightness all the way up the entire time. It was distracting and rude. I thought the boat staff should have said something.

Light Show:

The light show was underwhelming. The site we booked on said nothing about the religious aspect. It was hard to sit through and the light show was a spotlight on the side of the mountain. Those kids driving the truck really put forth a great effort, but the program was sorely lacking. I would have rather listened to some peaceful music while stargazing and seeing the beautiful rock formations in the evening light. At one point in the show a gunshot rings out and it was truly frightening.

For how much was charged, I cannot recommend this activity. I hope they lower the prices or revamp the quality of the meal and light show.

Everyone...