We were in Portland for a couple of nights to celebrate my 70th birthday and
decided to make reservations even though the weather was iffy (Oregon-typical!),
Captain Richard cheerfully greets the passengers at dock side before "we walk the
plank''. Fair warning -ramp to the ship is very steep! High-heeled boots not
advised.
We had a great table -but any table next to the large windows is great. Cieci (l'm sure I am misspelling her name) arrived at our tableside with "champagne" and OJ at the ready. She was very attentive and just happened to be my birthday "twin"!)
We confess to being wine snobs and the bubbles being poured were not up to my birthday celebration palate...we ordered the Argyle sparkling -a local winery that produces excellent vino. The Cruise Manager, Travis, was kind enough to rescue our well-iced Argyle for which we had impatiently waited - and Travis kindly accommodated our request to take our pic.
We found all the staff to be friendly, attentive without being intrusive, allowing the passengers to enjoy the ride. The narration and the views are fantastic -looking at Portland from the Willamette was truly interesting.
Normally these types of cruises are not about the food - and often the fare is mediocre at best. However, we had the Steelhead and, being the salmon fanatics we are, were pleasantly surprised at how perfectly the fish was prepared. The veg was asparagus and perfectly done, the heirloom salad delish.„..no mediocrity here. They work on a buffet principal -which means you can order anything else and as much as like from the menu. We had the crepes with berry mascarpone as our dessert, and when a mini-dessert plate appeared, and we made oinking noises as we demolished that!
There were several other passengers celebrating October birthdays as well as anniversaries, etc. which were announced from the stage, where some lovely piano music emanated from.
The Beverage Manager, Coby, who visited our table as we docked, was cordial and enthusiastic about his job. He and hubby had a lively convo about alcoholic beverages (hubby's in the biz). All around terrific time and I give it 5 stars-definitely recommend this attraction for a Sunday diversion -rain or shine!
