Vancouver Brunch and Lunch Cruise

I was concerned because of less than idyllic weather. This is West Coast BC after all. It was a special day for a great-great-Grandmother on her 90th birthday. The staff were so positive and welcoming for my whole family (with a 9 month old) they just swung me into the right mindset. The service was personal and great. The live music was more than a typical person. He had some real music talent. The matriarch gave the food a double thumbs up, and she is really hard to please. It was very relaxing. I would recommend no mater what the local weather ends up being. It is BC after all.

Good viewing from top deck as well as from all dining tables. … The ships horn blasts are unannounced and can be startling !

Overall, we had a really enjoyable experience. The views were beautiful, the cruise itself was lovely, and it made for a nice Father’s Day outing with my family. We were disappointed with how the buffet was managed, though. We specifically booked the Father’s Day brunch for my dad, and while he normally doesn’t eat dessert, cheesecake is the one exception. We were excited to see it on the menu, but while waiting in line for dessert, we watched the person in front of us take the last slice. When we asked the crew, we were told they had run out and that was all they had. There was also a long line of people behind us who were equally disappointed. It felt a bit unfair because tables are called up at different times to go dish up, and while some tables were still busy with their main course, others had already moved on to dessert. If the buffet is going to be staggered like that, there really should be enough of each menu item for everyone. The potato salad listed on the menu was also nowhere in sight when we got our food. The cruise itself was great and we’d still recommend it for the scenery and overall experience. Just be aware that some of the items listed on the menu may no longer be available by the time your table is called.

The staff were excellent and went out of their way to accommodate guests. They kindly moved our table to the upper deck, assisted elderly passengers with navigating the steep stairs, and regularly offered extra water, tea, and coffee throughout the trip. The scenery was beautiful, and the tour was enjoyable, although the commentary could be improved by providing more detailed information about the history, geography, and points of interest along Indian Arm. The salmon was quite good; however, the overall food quality was disappointing and consistent with concerns raised by other reviewers. Several dishes were overly salty, the chicken was rubbery and chewy, and the salad looked wilted and tired. The bread was basic, and the desserts—particularly the chocolate cake and cheesecake—were of low quality and tasted like supermarket products. In fact, we chose not to eat the desserts because they were quite disappointing. I hope the company will invest in improving the food service, as this change alone would significantly enhance the overall cruise experience and make an already scenic and relaxing tour even more enjoyable.

A very nice 4 hour trip on a stable 3 deck ship. Up the south shore of the Burrard Inlet then north into Indian Arm where we were served a delicious buffet of chicken and or fresh baked salmon. Three types of salads with choices of rolls and drinks brought to our table Choices of 3 or 4 deserts and seconds if you wished. Three items the operators could improve on. The music dockside while waiting to embark was too loud and the same issue on board. The booking did not inquire as to mobility and of course some passengers could not do stairs. The AC was not used during a very warm day and no refreshments were offered after the meal, during the north shore return

Well organized and assigned sitting. The scenery was fantastic. The lunch buffet was mediocre at best. Would highly recommend some narrative on the sights (eg. Vanc confence centre, Pan Pacific cruise centre, memorial bridge, deep cove, cates park, marine life, ie moon jelly fish, etc.

The cruise in itself was wonderful. The ship Britannia have been cruising Indian Arms for years . It would have been engaging had the captain or a crew commented on views of the area like Burnaby Mountain, there was a distinct building on the right of Indian Arms, was it a reservoir? Is it Second Narrows or Iron Workers Memorial bridge. The ship nicely got as close to the waterfall as possible. Was it the Silver or Granite Falls. Many other sites that one question, what is that? Most disappointing is the food. They ran out of chicken before a quarter of the passengers got to the buffet table. Butter? No butter for the rolls. The buffet table was set up on the lower deck. There were more passengers on the second deck but while second deckers were queueing for their first servings of the lunch buffet, first deckers were queueing for second serving which is likely another reason why second deckers didn’t get any chicken. The crew had to be coaxed to replenish the rolls platter. I felt sorry for the buffet staff coz people were asking, where’s the chicken? No more chicken? Then a staff came out with a platter of 2 small chicken legs☹️ They could only shrug their shoulders coz they served what was available. It’s not as if this is a maiden voyage on Indian Arms by Harbour Cruises. This is a major fail for Harbour Cruises. The crew made up for the faux pas.

We never got to see the views. We booked the four hour Indian arm cruise and their ship broke down one hour into the ride and had to go back to port. They didn't check their ships before leaving port. The captain said one of the engines had smoke coming out. Also no water for the rest of the ride at that one hour mark. They charge you +18percent for service upon purchasing the ticket. Yet they fail to deliver the service. They have such a monopoly over the market so they don't care on how they deal with their clients. Imagine not seeing what we signed up for and their style of emails is a negotiation by setting their first email in the tone that you as the client should not get some refund. I would NOT recommend booking with them as they poorly handle customer service considering the failure is on their end.

Harbour Cruises of Vancouver completely failed to deliver on the promise of their Indian Arm cruise. They claimed smoke in the engine room and limped back to port before we even turned into the Arm. Other reviews have reported unexplained itinerary changes that eliminated the main part of the trip. One has to wonder if they don’t go up the Arm simply to save money when it’s not fully booked or if their boats are that unreliable. While I understand mechanical issues, their compensation policy was completely inadequate. They offered a free drink on board and a coupon for 15% off a future cruise. Anyone booking on the internet can get a 20% discount off any cruise! After much back and forth they finally offered a 20% refund. The final price after this discount was approximately double the price of a narrated harbor tour. We received an un-narrated tour of the container port instead of a tour of the natural environment, which is what we were promised. We feel cheated by Harbour Cruises of Vancouver. Sail at your own risk!

The lunch was fantastic, the cruise around Burrard Inlet was serene, the staff very helpful. Great experience!