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Hop aboard the Portland Spirit for a memorable river adventure, departing from Downtown Portland. See the city in a whole new light as you travel up river from the city center to the historic Milwaukie Waterfront. Cruises are about 2 hours long and we operate all year-round! Take a ride on the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler, an authentic paddlewheel replica built to historic specifications.

Departing from Cascade Locks, Oregon May through October. Our vessels are fully equipped with onboard galleys and full service bars.
Services
The Portland Spirit operates a fleet of five boats including the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler. Offering a variety of cruises including, Champagne Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Sightseeing and Holiday Cruises. Between the beautiful scenery, wonderful employees, fresh food, talented entertainment and modern vessels, we have all the ingredients for a great cruise experience.
Our crew enjoys providing guests with a unique river experience and appreciates our collaborative team culture, meals provided during shifts (boat staff only), family discount on cruises and beautiful river views. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and encourage applicants from all backgrounds, communities and industries to apply.
The best way to dine in Portland - on the Willamette River enhanced by dazzling city sights and lights. You'll enjoy an evening featuring a 2.5 hour cruise, Northwest cuisine (locally sourced and prepared fresh on board), live piano music and captain's narration on the outer decks. For a party of two to group of friends or co-workers, this is a quintessential Portland experience.
Take in the sights from a different perspective. Join one of our lunch, brunch or dinner cruises for some sightseeing, just without the meal. Enjoy the sights and captain's narration with access to our full service beverage service on board. Or, take advantage of our afternoon sightseeing-specific cruises in the summer with access to the entire boat!
Reviews (12)
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Tracey Prociw TraceyDon
Jun 14, 2022
We really enjoyed our day on the lunch cruise. It was so fun and we saw some great sights. The food and drinks were great and we will definitely. E back for the dinner cruise in the future!
Yinka Oluwa
Apr 28, 2022
Omg! I felt like a kid in a candy store. My planned "me time" led me to this website. The idea of dinner on the boat sounded marvelous to me. I was mesmerized by the night lights of Portland City. The beautiful homes that graced the river side. The pictures from this exploration on my social Media page made friends want to visit Oregon.
Lin Z.
Mar 07, 2022
It was my first time on this boat for a dinner cruise and I would recommend it! The food was fresh and delicious and the cruise up the river and back had beautiful views.
Elizabeth Brenneman
Jan 15, 2022
Such an enjoyable cruise! The dinner was delicious. Great customer service. Nice bar. Comfortable! Not too packed, good amount of space. Great seating up on the top deck if you choose to go up there.
Shelley R. Reed
Dec 24, 2021
The food was well prepared. Our service staff were excellent. My only problem was that the temperature of the dining room was very chilly. Many guests kept their coats on for the entire cruise.
Beth Buckley
Dec 20, 2021
If you've never gone on the Christmas day cruise then it's a must do for next year! We enjoyed the buffet. My favorite was the prime rib and the parsnips which were cooked to perfection. Tea and coffee are free, other drinks cost extra. There was a pre-boarding photo taken for an additional $15. The trip was so gentle I didn't even know when we left the dock.

There was live piano entertainment. We very much enjoyed relaxing and viewing Portland from the water, beautiful! We met the captain who was polite and informative. Overall the cruise was a hit with me and family.
Amy Van S.
Dec 13, 2021
After posting this review I was contacted by the manager who provided excellent customer service. I switched my review to 5 stars and we have another group attending the holiday cruise. The customer service has been excellent. They went above and beyond to address my concerns. I will definitely be spending many holidays and Sundays next year on the Portland Spirit.

Thank you to Dennis for responding and great leadership. Thank you to Leticia and all the staff in reservations. They have been superb at helping me. I think many of us are so used to having a bad experience and then having bad customer service when we give feedback. This wasn't the case at all here. They went out of their way to make it right. Thank you again.
Anthony Payne
Dec 07, 2021
I was very fortunate to attend a company holiday party aboard the Portland Spirit. Had there not been so many people getting obnoxiously drunk it would have been very romantic. The food was next level outstanding. The wait staff was very attentive and professional. If you have have the money to take this 3 hour cruise. Do it.
Christine Manongsong Alvarado
Oct 31, 2021
We definitely enjoyed our experience with Portland Spirit Cruises. They made us feel very special by sending a greeting as we celebrate our honeymoon and singing a song for us too! We went here for brunch and the serving is buffet style but with a server (for health protocol reasons). The Spirit boat is clean and cozy. Definitely a must-try if you wanna see the beautiful Portland. I think we saw 13 different bridges and got to enjoy the interesting homes there as well. The whole trip was about 2 and a half hour.
Stunning Portrait Photography Jennifer Piol-Wenger
Sep 28, 2021
My couple got married on the crystal Dolphin in Portland. The staff was unbelievable and were even kind and courteous to the vendors that came aboard. Highly recommend! For more pictures of this lovely couple's intimate wedding visit stunningportraitphotography.com
Daniel Siegel
Aug 18, 2021
The boarding process when smoothly, we was greeted and seated in a timely manor, our picture, had other's in the background, the food. it made my stomach roll, it didn't agree with my system. My date steered the ship, great experience for her. Nothing exciting happened, but overall experience was okay. Pry won't do it again. The biggest disappointment was, it wasn't a paddle boat. I expected to board in cascades locks on a paddle boat. Maybe that was my fault.
M. Guy M. Guy
Jul 04, 2021
My Mother suggested we try this lunch cruise! My daughter never been to west coast before! We had an amazing staff, talented pianist, fun waiter, the chicken was amazing, everyone was super friendly seem to love their job, which is becoming rare these days! Highlight was Captain Todd letting her take the helm for min and really drive the SPIRIT! She loved it they gave her a certificate too! A++++ highly recommend for ALL ages!