Chaophrayacruise — Restaurant in Wat Phraya Krai Subdistrict

If you have no expectations, are very easy going and like loud music pop/techno then this Cruise is for you. If you are a bit more sophisticated, want something quieter, romantic than look somewhere else.

We booked this cruise online, 1500B, per person, the international one. Food wise, the variety is quite limited, You have a few main dishes, a few tiny desserts, and a few fruits. For this last one, I personally would have appreciated more tropical/local fruits. As soon as the buffet is available, most of the dishes are already cold (pasta, French fries, veggies..). They can cook beef as requested, but it is very chewy and hard.

Regarding drinks, water is free and refilled by the staff. Coffe and tea are also free, but all the other beverages (soft drinks, alcohol, smoothie..) is extra.

The cruise lasts for 2 hours but everything goes super fast.The staff is friendly, mainly smiling. We got in at 7h15 and left shortly after that. Once on board, 2 ladies dressed in "traditional " costumes danced for a couple of minutes, and that was it for the Thai dance. Then a singer and musician take over. It was nice, the music was a bit loud, sometimes it was difficult to talk and hear each other and then the last 20 minutes, it got very loud, pure techno or gangnam style. At some point, people started to do the conga line dance..

Regarding our personal experiences, when we booked and when we chatted by email, we mentioned that it was our wedding anniversary, and they said that they took it into consideration. On their website, they specify that they celebrate special events such as birthdays or anniversary.

In the middle of the cruise, the singer started to sing a birthday song along with the musician playing the same tone. Another couple was here for their wedding anniversary. They offered them cakes, small present and the musician came play a bit at their table and some staff congratulate them. But they totally forgot us !!

We haven't mentioned it thinking that it might come later on, but nothing. The cruise was over, so we went to speak with the manager. He was confused and apologized a few times. First, he wanted to offer us a bottle of wine, but we refused as we had to take a plane on the net day. Then he offered us a name card where he wrote 2 free invitations for his cruise next time we come back..

To be honest, this cruise didn't match our needs and was kinda touristy, and forgetting our event didn't help us...

We had a very bad start before getting on the cruise. This is not my first time on the cruise but there has not been any improvement in managing the crowd / que for patrons getting on the boat. To make it worst, the staff who claims to be the manager, was so rude it was beyond me. We were a group of 16, who as early as 6.30pm had started a line as Pier 1 as told. We were early. Then cam the staffs in traditional Thai uniform who told us that the que was not where we were standing. So we moved. At 7.15pm, a representative, the said Manager started a different line, where we were initially standing telling us to move. It was upsetting cos it will mean that we have to move to the end of the que, not fair for us. The manager had a bit of an altercation with one of my friends, she walked pass my friend, turned around and shouted saying my friend pushed her. It was uncalled for and not true. Anyways, we were angry with the poor treatment. With the messy arrangements. Why could they not demarcate and place the que bollards if they were so concerned about where patrons que. It was totally unacceptable to be rude to patrons. I do hope thy look into better crowd control and be more understanding. They created the confusion so don't take it out on us. The said manager is a lady probably in her 50s, short hair, on the plump side. Totally unprofessional. Sad excuse of a manager.

Having said all the above, i have to say the experience on the boat was pleasant. The service staffs and entertainers were wonderful. That was the...

Didn't really live up to my expectations. The main issues are

You can't select seats while booking tickets (at least not via an agency). The top floor of their boats all seem to have roofs, which really makes the experience much less novel. It not only makes it more claustrophobic (roof height is approx 1.90 cm) but it also severely limits the sights. For example, you'll only see the base of Wat Arun unless you are lucky enough to be assigned a window seat. The music is too loud, at least in the front half of the boat. You can carry on a conversation at times, but expect to be shouting most of the time. It really was a relief the few quiet seconds between songs. The cruising speed was way faster than I expected. Dip one sushi piece in soy sauce for too long and Wat Arun will be long gone... I'm usually no fan of aircon, but it really gets hot at the second floor, especially when people started dancing after the dinner, it was like turning on a heater since our table was next to the dance floor!

That being said, the food, service and music quality is actually really good, so do try it out but don't expect an open air dining experience with quiet background music.

Personally, I'm glad I tried it but I won't do it again. I think the money is better spent on a river front restaurant with a nice view, or a roof top bar. It'll get you a really decent meal and drinks for the same price - even when considering the discount...