Dandy Restaurant Cruise Ship

This lunch trip was a birthday gift to my uncle. We were a party of eight. Four of our friends were not there on time and was about to miss the trip. The captain accepted my plea to wait a little bit for them. Their general rule is no waiting, so I was overjoyed when he complied, yet nervous as I didn't want them to miss the trip as payment was non-refundable. Thankfully, they did not miss the boat. Inside the boat was nice. The table setting was lovely. Narration started with safety procedures. Right after we got our salad with very delicious freshly made bread, so good, we asked for seconds. Then on to the main course and appetizers, which was all very good. The service was good. The narration with historical facts and anecdotes was clear and well explained. At the turnaround point at the top of the river, we were free to go up on the deck for a panoramic view of everything alongside the river. Light music was in the background. At the end of the trip we got souvenir pictures for a price of $20. The pictures were in a very nice cardboard frame. We got 4 pictures for that price in 3 sizes. It was quite a nice trip with very nice staff. My uncle enjoyed it and that's what matters to me. I would do it again.

I wish I could give it 3.5 stars. General Facts: 1. The dinner cruise is about 3 hours long and travels about 14 miles round trip. 2. The only thing that is paid for with ticket purchase is the salad, entree and dessert.  Coffee, soda, all alcoholic beverages are extra and billed at the end of dinner. 3. Rolls are endless and the butter is delicious. 4. The pianist plays for about the first half of the cruise. Then, modern pop music is played. 5. Pictures are taken at upon entering the boarding area on first arrival.  The photo bundle contains one 8x10, one 5x7 and two wallets for $20. 6. Wine runs from $250 - $22 per bottle. From my perspective: 1. My date ordered the salmon, which was slightly over cooked.  The crab stuff shrimp was excellent. Only 4 of them though. Red Lobster would have been a better choice. 2. There were mosquitos in the boat dining room, which ended up in the butter and other items. ...So be vigilant. 3. The cheesecake cannot compare to cheese cake factory cheesecake, but it was ok. 4. I understand it's supposed to be super formal, but some people wear jeans or shorts and flip flops. 5. Lack of A/C. Addressing other reviews: 1. There were some complaints in other reviews about the staff. In general I found them to be friendly. I requested a song from the pianist, who played soon after requested. One staff member was on his phone watching videos hidden away in a tiny closet with the door open. 2. About the boat upgrades, I do agree. The boat does need to be upgraded, but it wasn't terrible. Recommendation: The dinner cruise is really very pricey for what you get.  If a bottle of wine was included, then I would consider going again... But, it would still be a waste of money. Go with someone who could be locked in a room with for 3 hrs without any other kind of entertainment.

A Groupon experience. We had a nice time on the boat, surprisingly the food was delicious. The Alexandria pier is fifteen minutes away from National Harbor. The view is spectacular, National Harbor, Reagan airport, the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, etc... 1st...Parking is limited. Its best to arrive at least an bour before departure to find on the street parking or lot parking. The port is being upgraded therefore some streets have limited parking. Street parking is by the hour, lot parking is by the hour and limited. The lot by the port, if you mention your taking the Nina Dandy cruise parking may only be $7. If there is an event taking place you may not find close parking. 2nd...The boat is dated meaning it's not a state of the art cruise ship. This cruise ship is NOT wheel chair accessible. The restrooms are located on the lower level of the boat if you have difficulty with steps. 3rd...Open seating, 1st come 1st choice. Window seats limited and the first to go. 4th...There is a bar serving alcoholic drinks, NO OPEN BAR. All other drinks except water are a fee. Ice tea and coffee are only refillable. 5th...The garden salad was okay. The stuffed shrimp with crab over rice with greens beans was satisfying and filling. The cheese cake is also good. Didnt care for the raspberry drizzle it left an aftertaste in the mouth. During dinner the pianist plays after dinner various genres are played for guest to dance. Different ages were on the cruise, families, couples, singles and seniors. Overall, a nice experience, worth the price we paid. The views were cool, the staff friendly and pleasant plus the boat stayed afloat. Lol Something different to do...give it a try but be opened minded.

Went on the Saturday dinner cruise and it was storming outside. We saw this dinner cruise on Groupon and decided to try it out. The staff weren't top notch but tolerable. The food service was strange; they served one side of the boat first and then the other side. Their salads were small and drowning in sauce. Only got two cherry tomatoes and two slices of cucumber. I got the stuffed shrimp with crab meat,rice, and green beans as the side. Seemed like their best dish because everyone seemed to be getting it. The fiancé got beef burgundy which was kind of lacking to be honest. Very hard to eat with a fork. Dessert came out and I got the chocolate "ganache" cake. All it really was, was chocolate sauce drizzled on top with a small slice of strawberry. Their chocolate mousse was pretty good but small portions. Overall the boat was old, cold and small. Probably will not cruise with them again.

Bought tickets for Sunday Brunch cruise on Gold Star. It cost of tickets were decently priced for a party of 3. There is parking less than a block away. The cost is $6. Prior to boarding, a photographer will be standing by taking group photos. We were seated and had a great window seat. A soft piano was playing by a live pianist. The music was comforting and not loud. We were called up by tables to head to the buffet. The buffet had a huge selection from waffles, fresh fruits, bacon, potatoes, beef stew, stuffing, macaroni & cheese, turkey and ham. The food was delicious. The temperature of the food could have been warmer as my stew was served room temperature. Dessert was chocolate pudding. Very limited on dessert selections. If you have been on brunch/dinner cruises before, this cruise is by far the most chilled out of all of them. If you want quiet and not loud music playing, this cruise is for you. I would've preferred a balance of quiet soothing music to start and fun and entertaining music on second part of the cruise. It started to get pretty boring on the second half of the cruise. I would try this place again but this time for a dinner cruise.

We took the dinner cruise in early September 2013. The ship is showing its age, but it was fine. The dinner area consisted of a series of tables around a dance floor. A piano player played melodic versions of popular songs. The staff welcomed us aboard and led us to our seats. The food itself was good, not great. The prime rib was not exactly cooked to order. "Medium rare" apparently means blood all over the plate. The noodles that came with the chicken were dry and tasteless. (Ramen noodles taste better, in my opinion.) My drink was refilled only once. My friends, who were drinking alcohol, had their refilled constantly. Overall, the staff were good and so was the setting. The weather was very nice and the views from the river as we sat in comfort were good. The food, however, left much to be desired, especially at the price. That's another thing... Come prepared to spend a lot of cash. Our final bill for four people came to just under $500, including the tip. For that amount of cash, the food could have been better, and there could have been less spiders about. (There were spiders hanging off corners and from light fixtures.) Also, I could have had my soda drink refilled more often.

Firstly, the boat is extremely old and the decor is so dated. Windows are scratched up. Secondly, the boat doesn’t even go close to anything. Barely see any monuments or anything special as they advertise on their website and ads. Not worth it at all. Did not get to see anything special AT ALL. Only the food was good. Not amazing, just alright. I will not recommend this cruise to anyone. Nothing special at all here.