I have taken this cruise a few times. It's a relaxing ride on the river. The captain narrates the sights as well as tells corny jokes. How can you not like that? There is also a snack bar and a drink bar on board. They have the best Bloody Mary! This trip is exceptional in the fall with the trees turning color.
They tell you to make a reservation and even if you do they may not go......so you will not know until it's time to leave....if you are not up to maybe being disappointed then don't go....if you don't care then take a chance.....blurting me it was a HUGE disappointment.....planned this trip with the grand kids and they were so excited then the let down....to me go somewhere else where you know they run no matter what.......
We decided to do the scenic tour in the fall which we did see beautiful fall colors! It got a little boring though...by the end of the trip we were so ready to get off. They did have good entertainment on the boat though! If you like sitting on a boat for two hours and looking at the scenery, then I recommend this tour.
I was a little worried when we arrived for our reserved boat ride. The gift shop seemed a little chintzy, so I worried the ride would be the same. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The staff were all very friendly-from the captain greeting you and wishing you a goodbye, to the bartender and snack bar worker-everyone seemed to want to do a good job and make our experience an enjoyable one. The ride itself was a relaxing and informative 2 hours. Other reviewers noted that the captain made inappropriate jokes, but on our tour I didn't notice any. The musical entertainment wasn't too "in your face", it was a guy singing mostly country songs; though I will say he wasn't exactly kid friendly-almost all of his songs had curse words in them. I didn't have any kids on board, but I might've been upset if I had. He sings on the top, so go to the bottom if you don't want to be too close. All in all, we had a nice time, bring some friends and get some drinks and you'll have yourself a nice couple of hours.
The River Boat was a great place to be on a rainy, chilly day. The staff was exceptionally friendly and helpful. We enjoyed drinks from the bar, snacks from the snack bar and live entertainment. We plan a return visit!
We were in Oscoda for our anniversary and thought we would give this 'Love Boat' a chance. I was glad we did. We sat on the lower level in front. Got us away from the engine noise, and out of the direct sound of the One Man Band. Were still were able to hear the jokes from the captain, and the band doing oldies over local speakers at a more comfortable level. The two hour trip is mostly uneventful. Enjoyed hearing about the area and seeing scenery. The boat moves painfully slow, and is quite stable. Was very relaxing, and enjoyable. The cost was very reasonable, especially for seniors ($10). They have a drink bar, snack bar and restrooms available. We will most likely do this again if in the area. Be sure to call ahead and make reservations. And, check back. They have a minimum before they sail, and they will cancel if the minimum is not available.
The River Queen is a must do when in the Oscoda area. It is nice to have a pleasant relaxing 2 hour ride on the AuSable river. Any time is good but it is especially nice during the fall color season in Sep-Oct.
Beautiful AuSable River cruise with great folks running it! Snack, drinks,entertainment ...invite friends or make new ones on this 2 hour tour. I even got our new puppy from these fine people!
My sister and I took my Mom on this trip during the Fall of 2012. What a fantastic trip this was for all of us. It was raining on the morning we were to go, I thought for sure they would cancel the trip but NOPE, thank goodness these guys aren't afraid of a little rain, it was so fun! What a perfect way to spend a couple hours on a rainy Sunday. Too bad so many people chickened out just because of a little rain, how did people get to be such babies, I mean seriously it's just rain people and the boat is inclosed, it's not like you were out in it. Anyway, the bloody mary's were the absolute best I ever had, the gentleman playing the guitar and singing was great, sang a beautiful song about our fallen heroes that should be heard by everyone in the world. What a great piece of history this is, take the kids (leave the techno gadgets in the car), get real and enjoy each others company and the beauty that is Michigan, it's all here take the time to come see it! So, make your reservation, come to the boat (even if it's raining), have a bloody mary or two, enjoy the company of those around you, tip the bartender and the entertainer, take it all in, enjoy it, photograph it and tell your friends (like I'm doing now), this is something that needs to be preserved and continue for generations! Thank you to the staff of the River Queen, you guys ROCK (even if you did kick me off the boat for boarding too early :). PS: The gift shop is great! Really good quality shirts, jackets, etc and the prices were great! Those souveniers were a big hit and believe me we bought a lot of them! Don't let a little bad weather scare you off, it's Michigan for the love of Pete, enjoy it!
I was very pleased with the cruise as I wanted to cruise along the river looking at the fall colors. The staff was very helpful and I had no problem finding the location with my GPS (Verizon navigator). I was traveling with my dog and asked if I could take her on the cruise and surprisingly they agreed as long has she behaved. The captain does tell many semi funny jokes but it goes with the territory. The ride is 2 hours and it goes really slow up the river but I did learn a lot of interesting things on the boat ride. They serve snacks and drinks on the cruise. The boat ride goes very slow but this provides an opportunity to really enjoy the beautiful scenery.