ChesterBoat
About
We're a family business, running half-hour and two-hour sightseeing cruises along Chester's beautiful River Dee. We also host special events, such as afternoon teas, fish & chip cruises and curry & quiz nights for an outing with a difference. And when the sun goes down, we're ready to party! We run a wide range of party themes with disco, on-board bar and buffet supper. Book cruise, event and party tickets online and save! We have three boats in our fleet - the Lady Diana, the Mark Twain and the Jackie - which can all be chartered privately to create your own bespoke celebration.
Chester, Cheshire, England

Awards
Travellers' Choice
2023

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(19 reviews)
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.0
436 reviews
Excellent
219
Very good
129
Average
54
Poor
21
Terrible
13

GoPlaces793357
8 contributions
Nov 2023 • Friends
We were so looking forward to having an amazing night celebrating our friends 40th birthday. The blurb did not live upto our expectations.

The "barbecue buffet" consisted of a cold burger, frozen bread bun and a insipid sausage. 2 sets of fairy lights a a very small disco area apparently constituted a party boat.

We will definitely not be partaking of another "party boat" experience as £36.50 was completely wasted.

Please do not waste your money
Written 6 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lakeslass1
Lake District, UK14 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
We had a really enjoyable cruise along the River Dee with Chesterboat. The crew were all friendly and the commentary informative, and the Mark Twain was a comfortable vessel to sail on.
Written 5 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Karen B
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Family
What an incredible visit we had to Chester on 19th October, made even more special by the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff at ChesterBoat. My husband and I have travelled extensively, to six of the seven continents, and would highly recommend ChesterBoat's half-hour River Dee tour that deftly combines history and natural beauty with liberal doses of wit. Well done!
Written 28 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

The.Yes.Life
5 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
Came to Chester for a very civilised hen weekend with my friends and family. They know I love being on the water and that it would be an highlight of my trip and asked in advance if there would be refreshments on board as they were told that a private hire was not possible.
Got on the boat to be told the cafe was closed, the guided commentary lasted all of 10 minutes and to be honest; there are better ways to spend £8.50 in Chester. Really disappointed
Written 30 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your review. The crewmember explained that she would open the bar as soon as possible, but had to help the skipper with a mechanical issue on the upper deck. When she was able open the bar, she made the decision not to serve alcohol due to a member of your party swearing at her. The duration of the recorded commentary is 22 minutes in total across the half-hour cruise. I hope you enjoyed other parts of your visit to Chester.
Written 3 October 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Lady P
5 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
We booked Mark Twain for a 30 minute boat ride along the River. The experience from stepping aboard, commentary on historic City of Chester to disembarking was a pleasurable trip. The highlight was skipper Lisa. Oh boy was she exceptional and made our trip the best. We were celebrating our mum’s 80th and 85th. She organised a happy birthday 🎊 sing -a-long 🎶 served us 🥂and was first class service with a smile! Thank you Lisa.
We needed mobility access and this trip accommodated this requirement. All aboard and enjoy!
Written 27 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Pazza1970
Neston, UK92 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
We went on the 80s night cruise!
On arrival we had a “very small” complementary wine.
We were seated on the lower deck close to the bar.
Once we set sail the bar was opened,prior to this we were informed the bar was cash only,not the case.
2 vodka & cokes £8.25 each
so it’s not the cheapest,baring in mind we paid £36.50 each for the cruise.
Buffet was announced and table by table made their way up to the top deck.
We were greater by a bloke stood behind a table handing out burgers and sausages!!
All in all,certainly not worth £36:50 for a boat ride,small wine & a burger!
The advert stated it was a bbq buffet!!
Written 17 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We're a bit confused as to why your experience warranted a one-star review when it sounds like everything was exactly as advertised. The website says "a light BBQ style buffet supper" - what did you think the "bloke" (ie. caterer) would be BBQing, if not burgers and sausages served with baps, salad and coleslaw?! 125ml is a pretty standard serving size for wine. It sounds like an unexpected bonus that they were able to take a card payment for your double vodkas (this is not always the case, as signal is often unavailable for the majority of the cruise) so I'm not sure why that was an issue. It sounds like this activity was simply not your cup of tea and I hope you found something else to enjoy while in Chester.
Written 25 September 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Happywanderers20
Happywanderers213 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
What a fantastic 2hrs cruise on the River Dee on the Princess Diana boat. Big shout out to Captain Mike who gave us an informative and entertaining commentary. Also to Sarah who worked hard and engaged with her passengers - encouraging 70th birthday dancing celebrations !!!!
Good luck to Sarah, who leaves this week to join the Navy
Written 8 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stephen P
Mumbai, India30 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
The views on the boat were nice. The problem is that there isn't much variety if you do the 2 hour tour. There are some nice houses and gardens, but not that many to make it worth it. I would suggest the 30 minute tour instead.
Written 3 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

11Raval
West Midlands, UK145 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
We enjoyed the basis of the boat ride, however we found the talk over very boring and hard to listen to with the noise of the people on the boat. Also, some of the information provided didn’t seem to completely add up, eg dates and events.

It is a beautiful little trip, especially on a sunny day.

Worth the experience at just £8 a adult, with offers if you buy a bus and boat ticket together .
Written 27 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sioned E
16 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
Very relaxing
Friendly staff
Lot's of information
Really enjoyed it Very
Recommend on a warm dry day
Written 24 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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CHESTERBOAT (Chester) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go