Zephyr Cove Resort & Lake Tahoe Cruises Review

Was closed due to covid but google said it was open. Such a bummer

Cruise ships can definitely use some renovation. Compared to the price, the quality of the food and seats on the cruise are not on par with the price. The only reason why I give 2 stars is the lake and it's view.

Best cruise on the lake. I should know because I am 59 years young with so many on the Dixie.

We so enjoyed sharing our belated 15th wedding anniversary on the beautiful MS Dixie 2. I am a twice cancer survivor & being able to share a beautiful 5-course dinner with my very special husband, along with your wonderful staff, and kicking up my heels to your outstanding band & making new found-friends from Texas, well it was all just so amazing!! I thank you all and my beautiful husband (he's a manager at Timber Lodge) for making me feel so special!!!!

We went on the Ms. Dixie II dinner cruise which was well organized and all of our family had a great time. Band was great too!

Had a good time. Dinner was pretty good. Band was fun.

Had a very good time on this cruise,it is a 2 hour ride. They serve drinks and food and we had their chicken sandwich and it is really good.

This was an excellent experience!! Dinner was great! No motion sickness on the boat. Really smooth ride. Band played great music!! Fun was had by all.

This was an absolutely amazing cruise. The food was good, the service was amazing, the wine was okay and the scenery was absolutely indescribable. I was amazed at the beauty this lake has to offer.

Food was better than we expected and we had good weather.

We were on a "no plans" weekend getaway and so happy we decided to take the cruise around Emerald Bay! Had a great time!

Lunch cruise was very nice . Then did the Dinner dance cruise and it was very nice too with great food.

Went on the 11 AM cruise in late Aug / early Sept, and for the most part I think this was a good experience. It's primarily a sightseeing cruise to Emerald Bay and back, total trip time is about 2 hours. Tickets for the cruise are $65, lunch or drinks are extra once you're on the boat (and seemed a little overpriced). There is an evening cruise as well, but the tickets are almost $100 per person. There's some kind of pre recorded narrative of the history of Lake Tahoe and other stuff, but I really didn't care much for that, I just enjoyed being on the water more.

The line to get on the boat starts about 30 minutes PRIOR the boat taking off, but don't feel like you are missing out if you're not the first in the line, since I was on the back end of the line myself but still got all the pictures I wanted. If you're on the first ride (11AM), I recommend going to the LEFT side of the boat (when first boarding), since that side will be in the SHADE when going towards Emerald Bay. Someone in a previous review mentioned that they over pack the boat with people, however, on my tour it wasn't too bad (but still ALOT of people in general).

My biggest tip is to not worry about missing out on pictures, especially on the ride towards Emerald Bay. The boat takes the EXACT same path to and from Emerald Bay (straight line there and back), and in my experience, everyone was running around crazy the whole first half of trip, trying to squeeze next to people and get pictures, but once we arrived at Emerald Bay, everyone just stopped caring and either sat down, went inside to eat, or get drinks at the bar. I do want to make a note that it's cool that you can see the water go from deep blue to greenish once you're at Emerald Bay.

IMO, it's actually better taking pictures at the second half of the trip, since the back of the boat on the top deck is clear of any obstructions (like the loading path hanging in the front). However, I do feel like the tour should be updated so that the boat does take a DIFFERENT path back, just so that you get to see some other sights and maximize your time on the lake.

The main negatives from me is the price, ESPECIALLY during the summer months when the mountains are all covered in smoke / haze. I don't know if they increase the ticket prices even more during the winter or spring months (which is when I'd recommend you doing this, just because of how beautiful the mountains would be with snow on them), but I'd feel good about paying $50 per ticket during those times, and right around $35 per ticket during the summer. Also, taking a different route back would be an update I'd like to see to the tour. Finally, the parking IS NOT free (smh, really...?). I understand "touristy" areas do this all the time, but come on, you should have a parking pass included WITH your ticket if you're going on the ride.

I highly recommend wearing sun screen, and bring a light hoodie (or jacket, hat, and gloves in the winter time).

All in all, since I enjoy being out on the water so much, I still had a great time. It's very relaxing, and you do get to see Lake Tahoe from a different vantage point than just driving around the lake in your car.

We have been on many dinner cruises all over the world and enjoyed both the uniqueness and friendliness of everyone. The food was above average, too.

Yes. It currently costs $65.00 a person for adults to go on this boat. There is food and a variety of drinks available. I did not notice any rocking of the boat. No motion sickness. It is breath taking and beautiful. I enjoyed the video but wished that there was closed captioning as it was a bit difficult to hear what was being said. There were at least 3 speakers that were not working on deck 2. It was hard for me to hear the information. I wish the volume was jut a bit louder. Even with these two issues, it was still worth every cent I spent including the parking fee. I learned a lot and experienced Lake Tahoe and its beautiful essence. Thank you MS Dixie staff for such a great trip!!!

Had dinner cruise booked. Called ahead to confirm reservations. Good thing I did. They informed me that they were overbooked and had to cancel our reservations. Unfortunately it was our last day here, so we never got to go out on the lake.

This was spectacular. The views are beautiful. Fun to meet other fellow travelers. Highly recommend.

Our cruise on the Safari Rose was absolutely amazing. A great way to enjoy the lake and the scenery. The crew were the best.

Good place to past the time. Relaxing. Bartender was friendly. Wish they had more stuff for kids to do.

Food was very good, but seated very close to others. We had a very talkative tablemate, so couldn't hear anything the announcer was saying. Also, the cruise was billed as a sunset cruise, but it departed after sunset. Really didn't have any views to see. It was too dark. A little disappointing. They really need to depart at 4 when daylight savings time ends.

Everything was awesome. Food was very good. Staff was very professional and friendly. Everything was great

Wow, what an incredible time we had on the Safari Rose. The crew members were great! They Let us walk around and explore the entire vessel. Would definitely take that cruise again.

Great views. No rocking on the boat which was wonderful! The sunset cruise was great. Food was pretty good. I had a salad, diner rolls, salmon with mixed vegetables, and cheesecake with strawberry drizzle. I d rate the food a 4/5. I d do the cruise again as it was comfortable And having the food was an added plus. I wish the speakers outside were a bit louder as it was hard to hear the history of Vikingsholm with all the people on deck. Alcohol is served.

Decided to do this cruise at the last minute it on a trip to Tahoe. Brought along another couple friend of ours and had an amazing time. Only thing is I wish I had realized we could have gone to the top of the boat before dinner was over so we could have seen the view a bit longer. Unfortunately, by the time we got up there, it was almost dark. But overall an amazing experience. Food was great and service was attentive. Great deal for the price.

Evening cruise with a breathtaking views, live music was super fun, don t like the food. It was cold .

HAVE A SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY OR EVENT? TRY THEM !! YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID

My Amazing Husband of 25 yrs. Made the decision to charter their lake yacht for our vow renewal. The crew & evening was purely magical! The yacht was beautifully decorated with a beautiful rose for me. The Captain , Sam (bartender) Leslie & Cody (the lovely wedding coordinators) couldn't have been lovlier. Before the end of our trip, they were like family. The food was great!
The crew was adorable and took tons of photos, I can't wait to see them. If you have a special event & you want to do something special - DON'T HESITATE TO HIRE THE PEOPLE OF ARAMARK HELP TO MAKE YOUR EVENT BETTER THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE. Our 25 year Anniversary & Vow renewal was beyond anything we could ever have imagined. We will never forget you

Loved our cruise around emerald bay!!! My wife said we can come back next year because it was so amazing!

Wonderful experience, the food was amazing. Definitely an experience we will always remember and cherish.

The sight seeing cruise on Lake Tahoe is beautiful. They tell you the history of the lake and the area. I've taken this cruise three times as I take my friends who have never been so they can enjoy God's Wonderful Creation!

First off, WAY over-priced. The cruise itself is good. The scenery is beautiful but it just takes you out to Emerald Bay and back in. On the same path. Gets a little boring....a different route out and back would be best and maximize the sight-seeing experience. Drinks are expensive, but food prices seemed reasonable, though we didn't order anything. Lastly, they pack WAY too many people on the boat. The majority of people had to stand or sit inside where the view wasn't great. There was hardly any outdoor seating and people were fighting over it. I wouldn't ever do this again and don't really recommend it. The only sight worth seeing was Emerald Bay and it would be way cheaper to drive around the lake to go see it.

We were on the second seating for dinner and we were supposed to seat at 7:15 p.m. but we didn't get set until 8:15 p.m. Never got any drinks, and had to ask for water four times. One steak was supposed to be medium rare, it was well done. Never saw the waiter again to get it fixed until he hurriedly brought cheese cake to only three of us (out of four). We had to ask for the last cheesecake three times. At some point, prior to us eating, the bread was taken from our table ( I was going to eat it with the meal, not the salad).

We never could find anyone that would let us see the photo we took on the way into the boat. We were really interested in getting it.

Then, half way through our meal, the dining room filled with people that had already eaten, why I am not sure, but they kept bumping into us. The whole experience was terrible.

I recieved a survey aftewards asking for management to contact me. I have not heard from them.

The worst experience, poor customer service! Will never go again and would never recommend to anyone.

It is a beautiful place very good panoramic view of the entire lake and very good service

This cruise is great to see the mountains and clear water. Really fun for kids since it is a unique experience in the water.

The boat was so crowded, there was barely any outside seating. We sat inside, but the windows were dirty. The sound system was horrible and I could not hear. The TV was extremely low quality and the video quality was outdated and pixelated. The boat needs updating, considering how expensive ticket prices were!
Not very handicap accessible or stroller friendly!

Had to pay 25.00 to park after paying almost 100.00 each for the cruise and dinner!! Dinner was okay, music choice also just okay. My suggestion - get an evening cruise on the lake and skip the dinner.

It was a great cruise on a very senic lake. The food was outstanding!

The cruise is so beautiful! If it's your first time visiting Lake Tahoe I recommend this cruise.

Lots of fun and beautiful cruise itinerary across the lake to Emerald Bay. We did the 3 hour dinner cruise. The food was okay, beer and wine inexpensive, mixed drinks ten bucks. The band was enjoyable. A wonderful way to see the lake!

This is a beautiful way to see Lake Tahoe! Our server Samuel Nunez was awesome and kept our drinks full and the rest of the staff made us feel welcome! My only complaint is that online purchases don t offer the senior discount and the AAA discount you receive if you buy at the dock...Hope this gets fixed since it is a huge amount of cost savings and not everyone can get there before it sells out! Other than that issue we found this to be a favorite for sure!

Gourmet food appetizers , unlimited wine and champagne , very nice staff, and very accommodating staff. Did the sunset Cruise and would definitely go again! They even gave us blankets when we got cold towards the end .

The MS Dixie is one of the coolest trips you will ever take. We usually do the first seating for dinner.....last time we had the steak and it was delicious!!!! You finish dinner in time to get up top to do the turn around at Vikingsholm castle......then go down to the second deck for the live band and dancing. 3 person band can play anything....they do request....just a lovely time for all ages. We have taken as few as two people up to 18 people.....fantastic time!!

Great to ride the waters. The dinner food could have been improved but was ok.

We were ready to ship out but the captain said we need to cancel the trip do to the weather we will be back on our next trip in February.

We came raining Thanksgiving. Nice and friendly clews. Food service was good. Too cold and wet out side so stay inside with not enough chair to seat. Make sure weather.

Save your money and avoid this place. Here's the story - this past weekend my wife and I wanted to take this cruise. We were told that we could get tickets 1 hour before the time of departure - which is listed at 11AM. The next day my wife goes to the window to buy our tickets - which ain't cheap by the way - at 10AM for the 11AM cruise. After standing at the window for a period of time she knocks on the window to get the attention of the man inside who obviously had seen her standing at the window but just didn't want to acknowledge her or find out what she wanted . He finally comes over to the window and my wife asks when she can purchase the tickets for the 11AM cruise. He rudely says "the cruise is at 12 noon". She asks him when did that change? Again his demeanor was that she was bothering him and he told her "last week" - even though we were told the day before that the cruise was at 11AM. She then asks him if the cruise is sold out and he arrogantly stated to her "how am I supposed to know" ! Well I guess if you are employed there you should know. This guy was totally arrogant and seemed bothered that she was asking simple questions about this cruise. With employees like this who turn away paying customers the owner of this cruise line should have a better grip on their employee's customer service skills. Too bad - the lake is a beautiful lake but no one deserves to be treated like my wife was - especially when she had cash in hand !!! You have to wonder how many other customers walked away due to this guy's behavior.

Great scenic cruise of Lake Tahoe. Narration was very informative.

Did the Dixie Dinner Cruise which was awesome. Dinner was pretty good with a really good strawberry cheesecake for dessert. The views on the top deck were so relaxing and many opportunities for pictures and gorgeous views. The second floor had a live band which sounded good. We stayed outside for the views watching the sunset over the hills and water. So beautiful I would recommend for anyone to do this if you can.

Mark and I celebrated my 60 birthday March 20 2019 3 hour cruise the food Atompsher pefect. Mark Long and I had a week aawesome memories on MS DIXII 2 THANK YOU

It was informational. Very crowded but lovely scenery.

I went on the daytime sightseeing cruise onboard the M S Dixie during August. The tickets are $65, lunch isn't included, and the tour is narrated by what seems to be a recorded speaker. If anyone talks, it can barely be heard and I've got young ears. The menu was very small. One side of it was about ten choices altogether of simple lunch apps, salads, sandwiches, etc. The other side? Nothing but drinks of course. And I love a good cocktail bit I was hungry. I ordered a $12 meal of grilled cheese and tomato soup. The bread had grill marks and somehow the cheese was melted, but it was most definitely not fully cooked. My soup was obviously condensed and had not been properly prepared. It was lumpy, tangy and cold. I can say with certainty that way the worst meal I've had in Lake Tahoe.
On the other hand, the cruise itself was informative, beautiful and relaxing. In the right parts of the ship there are photo ops abounding. If it weren't for the poor meal experience, it would've been a wonderful excursion. So if you eat first, it'll be five stars!

The M.S Dixie cruise was amazing. Beautiful cruise until Emerald Bay, great boat, staff was friendly, they also have a bar and a restaurant. Definitely worth it.

The tradition my boyfriend and I have is celebrate our anniversary on a small cruise around the bay or wherever. We are from San Francisco Bay Area, and have done the Horn Blower for the last 2 years. We decided to switch it up and try the Dixie sunset dinner cruise, and honestly very glad we did! Beautiful views of Lake Tahoe and amazing food! One thing I was very saddened about was our photo, it came out so blurry and it was not the best photo, I couldn t purchase for the simple fact that I think my phone camera takes better quality photos then their actual professional camera does. My suggestion would be for them to maybe take a few shots of people and make sure photos are good quality especially for the price being spent to get on the cruise. Other than that, everything else was beautiful and a great experience.

Well worth the trip and it was reasonably priced.
The best thing was to pay for it and book it through the hotel so they can pick you up and drop you at Zephyr Cove and back to the hotel.
The mini bus driver was awesome.

Very disappointing experience. Had the lunch on the cruise. It was so crowded and the staff seemed to be overwhelmed by the crowd. The upper deck was so crowded that you had to stand in line just to get closer to the water. It was the complete opposite of relaxing.

We did this cruise for my mom's 80th birthday. Best time ever for all 28 guests in our party. Food was awesome and the service amazing. We will do this cruise many more times in our future. I can't say enough great stuff about this cruise.

I came to Lake Tahoe to relax, not to be surrounded by rude tourists and crying babies.

Food was good however they did not accommodate food allergies and my husband and I couldn't enjoy dessert.
View was amazing.

We took the cruise in September of 2018. Great views of Southern end of the lake. Comfortable sternwheeler cruise across and back took about 2 hours. On-line reservation helped ensure a seat as the boat was pretty full. If you are expecting to cruise the whole lake then this cruise is not what you want. We would do the cruise again.

3rd time our young daughters have done this with us in 5 years and we miss the Tahoe Queen. Ms Dixie II is ok, but they have 2 seating times and you dont know about ghis or get to pick prior to your trip. Bartender was devoid of any personality, upper deck dancing area is gone, and the food is not very good. Cheesecake was delicious but that was it. The view as always is what makes it worth it and our server was Emilio, quite nice. If you've never done it, set low expectations where i mentioned and enjoy the sights and your family.

MS Dixie Dinner Cruise was so much fun! Fantastic experience. Our little ones enjoyed every second as well. The boat is awesome, diner was nice, wish they had some interesting vegan option... The bend and music was fantastic!
The staff and service was amazing, so welcoming, friendly and smiling, trying to accommodate all your needs, even the little things that we didnt even ask for. The views and sunset was breathtaking.
Everything was great!! Worth every cent! We will be back soon! Thank you for such a wonderful experience!

South Lake Tahoe in El Dorado county in California state is a very popular fresh water lake in USA where the Cruise Ride is undertaken. The surface area of the lake is 191 square miles with a maximum depth of 501 meter which is second deepest lake in United States. Visitors from all over the world and particularly from Nevada and California use to visit the lake and ride the Cruise all through the year. We had been there on 6th October 2019.
A Cruise ride over the lake is arranged every day for about two and a half hours of duration. Visitors use to enjoy the beautiful scenarios of the mountains at a very close distance from the Cruise. Visitors can purchase their food requirements within the Cruise itself and spend their free times leisurely. They can also enjoy the beauties of the lake shores very happily.