Spirit of Jefferson

I was finally able to do a tourist thing with my mom after a week long trip! My mom was attending a training thing in Louisville so I tagged along for a free vacation and to keep her company. I was disappointed it was the smaller vessel that was available for a friday night dinner cruise but that was the time she wanted to go. The other vessel had a private event. It was still a nice experience. The buffet portion was first. The food was ok. Not something i’d want to eat again. After dinner, we stepped out and enjoyed the scenery. Kentucky is so pretty! it was a nice end to our trip.

After a long vacation with two small children, we wanted one Louisville experience that wouldn’t exhaust us but would entertain the kids. I was really pleased with this trip. The views were magnificent and we found a place to sit where my two and four-​year-​olds were far away from everyone else. I liked the open-​air section on top best.
We took a lunchtime cruise, but didn’t pay for the buffet. Instead, we had brunch beforehand. For us, this cruise was all about relaxing and seeing the sights. I do wish the DJ had told us more about the area as we cruised along, but my kids liked the music and danced wherever they were.

The two hour cruise starts out with a 30 minute lunch buffet which has a decent selection of food. On our cruise they had chicken, hot browns, vegetables, two pasta salads, ceasar salad, and rolls. For dessert they had flavored pound cakes/​breads. The food is all catering quality so it is okay but not excellent. There is a live DJ who does take requests and I suggest that you make requests because otherwise he has a tendency to play country music songs from the 1980’s and 1990’s. The DJ and the Captain also announce significant landmarks and historical information over the loud speaker. However, while there are a few downfalls like the music and the food, it is very nice to sit up on the top deck of the boat on a nice day and watch the river go by. Overall it was an enjoyable experience and I walked away thinking that I wouldn’t mind doing it again.

This was REALLY fun. I give the experience 5 stars, the food/​entertainment 3.5÷4. This is a 2 hour dinner cruise with a buffet and a DJ. The buffet lasts 30 minutes and the rest of the time you can sit on one of the boats two upper levels and hear some history and watch the beautiful scenery. The buffet itself was okay. The green beans and ravioli/​pierogi thing were really good, but all the food seemed pretty heavy. I would have loved a salad/​fruit option. They also have a pretty impressive cash bar whose prices were, surprisingly, the same as the local bars and not super gouged. While my boyfriend and I were by far the youngest people on the boat, it was still a great time. The DJ attempted to play music for every age group abroad and did a pretty good job. Word of advice– don’t pay the extra money for a window seat on the boat. We didn’t, and got a window seat anyway. The buffet only lasts for 30 minutes and after that you have an hour and a half to sit wherever you’d like.