Dandy Restaurant Cruises

The other posts regarding this cruise were spot on. Way overpriced for what it is. If you are looking for the stereotypical banquet food and venue, this would be it.
My wife and I just finished the dinner cruise. Quite honestly, we were not expecting much… and this definitely delivered those low expectations. The reason why we went on this was because we had a $ 100 gift coupon which was won at a silent auction. That $ 100 did not even cover ¹⁄₃ of the final price. We still ended up spending over $ 200 for a appetizer that consisted of a slice of cantaloupe and 4 grapes and a salad which was a few lettuce leaves, 2 slices of cucumber and two cherry tomatoes doused in Wish-​bone salad dressing. I had the ‘main course’ of a fatty piece of ‘prime rib’ with a baked potato and oversauced green beans while my wife had a chewy piece of overcooked cod, 2 mini potatoes, and 3 pieces of very hard steamed broccoli. Fortunately, she asked for the ‘white wine sauce’ on the side as it was a thick cream sauce that should not be called a white wine sauce. The best part of dinner were the warm dinner rolls and the dessert which was a slice of apple pie and a slice of cheesecake.
The music on the ship was so predictable. A DJ was nowhere to be found, instead they just piped in music throughout the ship which started after dinner. A total of approximately 10 songs were played, half of which was Frank Sinatra. It astounded me that there was a baby grand piano sitting at the front of the dance floor, but was roped off with nobody playing it.
The cruise itself was fine as we sailed up and down the Potomac. The ship though, felt like a banquet hall stuck in the ‘80s. The ship needs a major refurbishment.
I have to give this 1 star because if a place wants to charge these type of prices, they should back it up with décor, entertainment and/​or food. Dandy falls short on all of those. If you are going to spend this type money, I would recommend a nice dinner at a fine restaurant in the DC area. Stay away from this cruise.

Last Saturday evening we boarded the Dandy River Cruise on their Nina vessel with some friends from out of town. Reservations are made by calling their number found on their website. Most likely you will have your order taken and that time and have your credit card charged so be prepared. The pickup location is on the Old Town waterfront and parking was easily located just on shore adjacent to the boat. This cruise is around three hours and lasted from 6:30 to 9:30 for us. Overall we had a great time with our friends and will be an experience we will remember for a long time. I have decided to break up the review into things we enjoyed and things that we did not.
The night started with getting pictures made in front of the boat typical of other large cruises. Most of the seating is within a large single dining room with a bar and dance floor. Our servers could not have been more friendly, timely and helpful. Our cruise started north toward DC and hit sites such as: Nationals Park, DCA, tidal basin and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The deck above is wide open for great opportunities to see all of these spots. Also, as often may go unappreciated is the fact that the crew and captain kept us safe during our travels and had no incidents that effected our dinner or enjoyment negatively.
The cost of this experience will be about 100 per person after the 20 dollar fuel surcharge which was a slight surprise and seemed a little high but still worth the event in my opinion. The boat itself is a little outdated and could use some remodeling for esthetic purposes. Our food was prepared well and served correctly but quality in flavor and excitement was severely lacking. We ordered the rib eye as I could not justify paying 100 dollars for some of the other options (cod, pasta or salmon). It does help to remember that you are paying for an experience but I felt there could have been easy cost effective dishes that can still impress and be within budget. We ordered a bottle of their Cab Sav wine. I’m by no means an expert on wine but it was almost undrinkable. I’m a huge fan of highly rated bottles under 10 dollars (which are super easy to find) and after being so unimpressed I decided to look up the one we ordered. I have a hard time telling what is good or bad with wines but a quick Google search showed that the bottle sells for 2.89!!! I cannot imagine the profit margins you are trying to hit by serving such a cheap wine. Also, what does this say about the quality of ingredients in the kitchen?
Overall despite some culinary shortcomings we had a great evening. The main attraction to this night is the novelty of being on the river and getting to see sites that are hard to come by on land. I am pleased with our decision but it is something I would probably not do again for a while. It is the perfect choice for showing out of town friends the DC waterfront area but may not impress in much else.

The ambience is like that of a hole in the wall southern restaurant. Odyssey was extremely classy in comparison.
I want to say it directly, that the experience was very underwhelming. Lot of things made this event seem not worth it. I paid 216 $ for two. I am listing a few of them down:
1. No proper sign indicating the docking area for the cruise.
2. No person actually at the entrance who would confirm the guest list or show us inside. (We did get in and had one of the guys show us where we were to be seated)
3. The window where we sat, was not washed and had dirt all over it obscuring the view of outside.
4. The person who came to take our order was very unprofessional. Did not help with the order and the chicken listed on the menu that my girlfriend wished to order was «Unavailable» yesterday.
5. The food was extremely horrible to say the least.
a. The «Fresh Fruit» was frozen fruit, and over ripe (almost spoilt) 2 strawberries. (I think we are in cooler weather now, and should have been served soup)
b. The salad was ok. Bread rolls were warm.
c. Both the Entrees were very bad. The spanakopita and the fish were both very bland.
d. The desert was good but the pie was cold, again we can say it was frozen.
6. There was no live music (as advertised).
7. Even coffee had to be paid for. The person serving it did not make it a point to mention that we will be charged for it.
8. It was cold outside and we had air condition blowing inside.
9. Right from the captain’s initial announcement, it was a dead atmosphere.
In all I want to say, that they charge a lot of money for the three hour cruise. But they provide an extremely horrible service and product for that money. People will be willing to spend that kind of money on special occasions and their lack of professionalism and poor quality spoil those occasions.

The food and service were great. However, the boat is old and the ladies room smelled horrible. Our table was at the top of the stairs to the bathrooms and we could hardly eat because the odor was so bad. We finally moved, but could no longer sit by a window. They had a piano player during dinner, but was recorded music the rest of the cruise. Also, very small deck to stand out on. We had a groupon, but even with that, I would not do this again. Want a great cruise, take the odyssey. Great food and service, live music and lots of deck space to enjoy the views.

After scheduling a family reunion cruise months in advance we were told a few days before that date that the boat was being scheduled to be repainted for that day. When I said that out of town family members were only in for that weekend, we were told tough. Terrible customer service and insensitive to the needs of customers. I would not deal with a business who is so uncaring to its customers. I thought it was a rip off to charge a fuel charge when fuel prices have gone down. I should have taken the hint that this was an unsavory company.

Not pleased. Groupon customers beware they get the full price of the ticket on a fuel surcharge. It says on the Groupon it won’t exceed 5 dollars. It ends up being 30 dollars. Since we used Groupon we got only two choices for lunch. Other guests got to choose from other courses. It was either the dry tasteless chicken breast served with canned green beans and your choice of boiled rice or sauceless noodles. The beef dish wasn’t any better it was basically stewed beef which had to have been strained because it came competly dry. It was served over the same boiled rice or noodles but since you didn’t get any of the gravy you get to enjoy plain food. For dessert my wife had gritty chocolate moose and I had flat store bought apple pie. The only redeeming quality is the captain gives a nice overview of the histrionic events as you travel down the river.

Went on the dinner cruise for a Valentine’s Day weekend. The appearance when you arrive is a little to be desired. The dock was a little outdated and there is no true waiting area for you and yours except in the office, however the night got better. You take a couples picture before you get on the boat they check your coat and you find your assigned seating… Some will like this and others won’t it depends on your seat haha… It is a cozy setting as far as the lighting and the décor. the wait staff will take your drink orders while the pianist plays her selections which are somewhat «drab» however it all makes for a good date night. The food was good in a general sense and once you get out on the water eat dinner and do some dancing it all makes for a good romantic experience. The seating and the music selections were a little less than desirable by fun nonetheless if you and yours know how to let loose and have fun.

I had an incredible evening aboard Nina’s Dandy this past Sunday for a Dinner cruise (June 28, 2015), celebrating with my family our twin Nieces birthday !
I have been aboard many times and they have renewed the décor and it is lovely.
The Wait Staff is very friendly and Professional and was happy to accommodate my special requests for my meal… Which was awesome! I had the Pasta Primavera and not only was it delicious but it was almost too pretty to eat!
I love their Piano player! WOW! I think she could play any request!
For me one true test of restaurants or hotels, is the Restroom!!! I was not only pleased with the cleanliness and fresh smell, but it is pretty too! Makes me feel pampered.
I would recommend a cruise on the Dandy for anyone who wants to feel «special», Iike their being aboard really matters! A rarity these days!
Thank you to the Captain and the entire Dandy crew for a beautiful & memorable evening upon the Potomac River!

Where should I began… I boarded the Nina Dandy on Father’s Day as they were offering an amazing special (Dad’s are FREE just as long as there is one paying adult to accompany the FREE dad). With one full price ticket without taxes came to $ 88 bucks… with taxes, surcharges, gratuity, and boarding fee per one ticket everything came to $ 132.32 per one ticket… Not bad but definitely not worth it. For starters the appetizer was a Cantelope cut in a circle with 1 very tart strawberry in the middle of it… So much for assorted fruits as they state online… Never received the cheese and crackers… Then up next was a very bland salad with the dressing being oil and a light vinegar… Yuck!!! The bread and butter was a good come back after having two prior disappointments with the fruit and salad. Now to the good part… the MAIN ENTREE… I opted for the prime rib which came alongside green beans and a baked potato (the prime rib was very juicy and the best I have had hands down ever minus some dry and tough parts towards the center portion of the rib). Onto desert… I opted for the Apple Pie and let me say this, it was very bland and basic, and my partner had the Strawberry Cheesecake, needless to say they both were horrible. I mean awful and not to my liking… You had better be a water lover because for $ 132.32 you do NOT get any free drinks only water. For that price I should have atleast gotten one free drink… smh IF YOU WANT A FOUNTAIN DRINK, JUICE OR AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE, YOU HAD BETTER BRING YOUR COINS… SO RIDICULOUS I THINK… THAT’S THE WORST. WHOMEVER CAME UP WITH THAT POLICY HAS GONE MAD I TELL YOU… NONE THE LESS THE VIEWS WERE SPECTACULAR ON TOP OF THE BOAT AND AT NIGHT THE SCENERY IS AMAZING… THAT’S THE ONLY REASON AS TO WHY I GAVE 3 STARS. THE STAFF WAS SUPER AMAZING AND PATIENT. THEY EVEN TOOK PICS FOR US… NEXT TIME I WILL OPT FOR THE ODYSSEY CRUISE INSTEAD. Oh and yeah please stay far away from the lady who offers to take your picture prior to boarding in front of the boat for $ 20 bucks…

Disappointed. For one thing, the window by the table we were seated at was either dirty or had soap remaining. This detracted from the view of sites, which was the basis of taking the cruise. We were informed when we came near Roosevelt Island then bridge but which Roosevelt they were named after was not stated, so accuracy is questionable. The info seemed to have been read out loud and though somewhat informative there could have been more charisma incorporated.
It was very overpriced.

Wow … This was definitely an experience. I’m really glad I got a groupon so the whole thing was only $ 110 (not incl. the Bs $ 50 addl charges when you make your reservation for a «fuel surcharge» and some other bogus thing.
When you first walk in, it looks like a cafeteria on a boat. All of the tables are squished together. I asked for a wine menu and the server who barely spoke English said there wasn’t one tonight … Uhhh. And then he couldn’t even tell me what there was. 10 mins later I noticed a wine menu on the bar.
The worst part was the food. This was one of the worst meals I have ever eaten in my life. It was all bland, the salad was overdressed, and my boyfriend’s prime rib came out bleeding. He ordered it medium rare and it wasn’t cooked at all. He sent it back and it was slightly more cooked. This was after the waiter tried to argue with him about it.
The only redeeming part was the upper deck. It was a beautiful night. But I do not recommend and it is absolutely not worth the price.

My boss bought us tickets to this cruise dinner. We are terribly disappointed with the service, food, and experience. For $ 108 per person for a meal, the food was awful. My husband’s chicken was so tough from being way overcooked, it was unreal. I had the crab stuffed shrimp and they were okay. The rice and noodles for the sides were extra bland. The salad was probably the only okay tasting food we had.
The wait staff taking our order were totally clueless of the beer menu. He struggled to name three. The waiter mixed up the wines between two of the people at our table.
Please note, there is a surcharge for fuel per person. The dinner meal was $ 108 per person and that did not include taxes and gratuities. For prices this high, the food should be fabulous. Save your money and spend it at a nice sit-​down restaurant with good quality food.

We had a lovely day. Weather was perfect. Cruise staff friendly and professional and fun because we were! We had a party for 12 for a special birthday and 2 of our group were stuck in traffic. After alerting the staff we were waiting the Captain, during his safety announcements, said we weren’t leaving quite yet; «Because we’re hoping to be joined by more friends». That alone has earned them 4 stars. The food was perfect. Everyone had a lovely lunch and groupon deal was okay. It is costly with the extra fees of taxes, gratuity, $ 5 fuel charge for each person. But because of our great experience it was fine. The only thing we didn’t love was how loudly the speakers were during Captains history lessons on the way around. I was surprised his information was all announced by the Captain himself. He even does accents and female voices. That was funny.

The Dandy Cruise was very nice. We just went with a ½ off groupon. The staff was very attentive and the inside of the boat was nice. It’s not super fancy, but like a nice restaurant would be. A woman was playing a grand piano for about 2/​3rds of the time and once the meal was through, they turned on dance music. We are typically very sensitive to loud noises and my husband is partially deaf, but we had no issues with hearing/​being annoyed by others.
Seating: sit on the shady side! Even on this first weekend in April, the sun was cooking me. Food: It was the main reason I gave this cruise 3 stars – I wasn’t impressed. Other people’s meals looked great – mine was not (I had the braised beef – should have gotten the cornish game hen or something). Salad was fantastic and my chocolate mousse dessert was great. You will pay for any drinks – every soda, coffee, etc. Boat smell: My husband said he could smell the diesel and I am super smell sensitive and I could not.
All in all, I spent about $ 200 total for this and it was a nice night out. [Funnily, Duke D. was apparently on the same boat trip and really was unhappy… he had the exact same meal as me and totally didn’t like it. The Groupon details clearly indicate the fuel surcharge, etc.)

Total RIP OFF!
Charges mandatory $ 5 per person fuel surcharge. (when diesel fuel is all time low) and even for coffee! And AWFUL disgusting unpalatable food — wouldn’t be surprised if some people got sick eating what they offered!
I mean it’s only going up river for 8 miles and they HID $ 5 fee too. When I confronted the manager and reminded them that this Groupon terms and conditions he wouldn’t take it down! What a SCAM!
To make it worse food was AWFUL! Few tiny bits of meat and noodle and chocolate mouse was a JOKE. Asked for apple pie and man it was REALLY bad like it tasted stale — where do they get this stuff. Salad was few pieces of stale looking greens with mystery dressing (if you can call at that.). Yeah they even charged for coffee!
Add to this old outdated smelly «boat» — thank goodness they claim to have life vests or something. But wait — did not see any life boat.
Avoid at ALL cost!!!

I went on this cruise having too high of an expectation. Not saying I did not enjoy myself, because I did, how ever because of pricing I expected more. The boat had elegant interior, however the spacing between table and aisle were very slim. You’re practically eating with your neighbors. There was not a variety of food to choose from, however the prime rib was tasty, the seafood soup underseasoned, and the cheesecake was bland, i specifically did not like the raspberry drizzle paired with the cheesecake. I did enjoy socializing with companions and boarders. Took some nice pictures and after a few glasses, uncoordinatedly line dance with patrons alike. So all in all not a bad time.

My husband and I took the cruise to celebrate our 1^st anniversary. It’s very romantic. My husband liked the steak. I found my pasta Primavera flavorless, but the desserts made up for it. The service was excellent. They were super attentive. They even gave us an extra dessert because we couldn’t make up our mind. I loved the music. A piano plays while you eat. Then a dj comes out and plays a variety of music. They even played a Merengue song, which I love because I’m a Latina. We’ll be back for lunch in the summer.

Food was good that’s why I gave a 2 star rating. We booked a cruise and specifically stated it was our 19^th wedding anniversary. We were booked with school kids .this was supposed to be a romantic fun night .we left our 16 and 12 yr old home 3 states away. HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED. The school was book months in advance we book 2 – 5 days earlier and was not told it will be filled with kids 11 – 16 yes old .we would have booked another night .I DEMAND A REFUND. MY ANNIVERSARY WAS RUINED By A BUNCH OF SCREAMING JUMPING PRE TEENS and Teens. I COULD HAVE STAYED 3 SYATES AWAY!!! UNACCEPTABLE

My husband and I went on this dinner cruise last night and loved it! We were welcomed by a photographer (you’re not obligated to buy) and welcomed by the friendly crew. You are treated very nicely. The music was fabulous. It was mostly 70’s 80’s music but since we grew up in those eras, we loved it! After dinner they turned the music up and you were welcome to get out on the dance floor. Great fun doing line dances! I would recommend this to everyone. We plan to go again and take our kids. They bring your bill out before you get back to the dock. I would recommend printing out your confirmation payment just in case.

I’ve been on now 3 dinner cruises. 2 with the Odyssey, 1 out of DC & the other out of Baltimore. Both of those were buffets, this wasn’t it was definitely a turn off, but I boarded for a friend’s bday dinner, so it wasn’t up to me. $ 130 for dinner? Terribly overpriced aboard the old vessel. They charge extra for coffee, I mean come on. It was 4 courses, the 1^st we got our choice of lentil or seafood soup. The seafood soup was terribly under seasoned which is surprising for a soup, right? Next was a salad, it was fine. Then I had the basil chicken which was served w/​rice or noodles, I had noodles. It was tasty but again needed a little salt, I opted out of adding more salt since I did w/​the soup. They also had rolls on the table. The champagne was really good too, it was sweet which I liked. After that the apple pie, it was freezing cold. Who eats cold apple pie? My slice unfortunately went to waste because of that, but I will say it tasted good. It was humid on the ship and again the boat was old so it was a bit of a sight for sore eyes. The best dinner cruise is out of Baltimore because it’s in a nice area. Also, it was an older crowd.