I must if visiting York - everyone driving these boats, including my group, were smiling. Easy to drive and great fun. Suggest booking for the whole hour rather than half an hour - you see more and its not much more to play. The time goes quick when having fun and you will be sad when its time to moor back up.

Book a self drive cruise in York via Groupon, on the morning of cruise we got an email from city cruises saying that due to high water it had been cancelled, very frustrating as I'd booked the day off work and taking the grandkids. We accepted it as we thought another date would be available going forward. When i did ring city cruises to book another date i was told that because my Groupon had expired I'd have to contact them for another Groupon voucher number, i explained that it was city cruises who cancelled the original date and not Groupon. But they wouldn't accept this and i lost the money paid out to Groupon which was redeemed with City Cruises. Very annoyed

It was a gift from my daughter in Australia....it was a lovely trip, fish n chips were delicious and really hot. the staff were lovely too, giving us a commentary about York,as we cruised down the river, eating our fish n chips.....and washed em down with a lovely cup of tea

Took my mom for a day outing with a lunch. Booking was user friendly, when I called for confirmation due to bad weather, they were very helpful and thorough , answering all of our questions. On the day, we were greeted and made to feel extremely welcome, fish and chips were served promptly and it was piping hot, like we had just bought it out of the kitchen. Food was excellent quality 👌 Tour on board was so lovely and informative, we were super relaxed and soaked in all rhe beautiful winter views. All in all, it was a wonderful experience to make memories with my mom.

45 minute festive sightseeing cruise.. spent 20 minutes waiting for a mulled wine (wouldn't have bothered but was part of ticket price) and basic shop bought mince pies. Guy behind the bar miserable and obviously frustrated at the slowness of the mulled wine machine.. didn't seem in a festive spirit. Not much to see and commentary not all that informative. Wished we would have spent the money on something more exciting. Shame because we love Christmas and this was our first York trip.. really disappointed and not exactly cheap.

It was so thrilling to navigate along the River Ouse, the same river that brought Vikings to York back in 866 AD. We were able to explore the river and the beautiful city in a new and unique way. The timing couldn’t have been better as a day earlier I’d completed a revised copy of my novel Scott McNally’s Mystery, a tale of three children who set out on their own nautical adventure. Once again, I felt that thrill powering up the throttle and looking at what seemed like an endless expanse of water. I’d love to own my own boat someday so I can explore as well as write. Perhaps when I retire?

Booked the Santa experience cruise with my 2 boys - it was awful. Crowded, badly planned, unable to see the lights/views of the river & surroundings due to the windows being so smeared and steamy. Gifts were rubbish for the ages. Santa was poor quality. Overall a stressful and unpleasant experience

Had a lovely family trip on the festive sightseeing cruise. We found every member of staff to be really friendly, welcoming and very professional. It’s very relaxing to sit in the boat which has been decorated for Christmas and listen to the mix of commentary and festive music. A mince pie and hot drink is included and overall it’s great for getting you into the Christmas spirit.

A really lovely evening watching my grandchildren smile and enjoy the magic of Christmas. Cold wet and dreary evening but a warm friendly welcome and a nice sparkly area to wait before boarding. Unfortunately due to the weather and the river being high the boat could not sail, there’s no way we’d fit under the bridges. We were informed via email during the day and again on arrival so good communication. The kids didn’t notice, Pete the skipper was really friendly and welcomed families on board. We were shown to our table, the boat was nicely decorated and our table had a gift bag for the kids and a hot drink and mince pies and chocolate. All the Elves, Twinkle, cranberry & north were friendly and engaging with all the families. I would think maybe 60 people aboard, this felt just about right, watching the delight on my grandchildren’s faces when Santa and his sleigh ‘landed’ on the roof made my day. Santa himself was fun, engaging and recognised when to be loud and when to be gentle in his approach. I would have loved to have maybe sung a few more Christmas carols maybe something for next year? The crew Heather & Finn were helpful and friendly, serving drinks and snacks and made sure we left the boat safely. I made a point of noting down the crews names as It’s been a difficult weekend in York for attractions due to the weather and a lot of places have had to shut, these guys did a great job on a wet and windy night!

If I could give this trip no stars I would. We had booked online for the 11.15 tour but on arrival was told there wasn't one at that time and to come back for 12 o'clock. The boat was very cold, the staff lacked enthusiasm, the windows were so misted up we could barely see, the mince pies were cheap, mulled wine too sweet!! As for the sights and commentary- poor!!! Probably the worst city tour we've been on!!!

We had a great time hiring a boat and exploring the river. Helpful staff explained things to us. Fun to be able to do it at your own pace.

Dire, boring and unimaginative. Total waste of money. Nothing to see, low level music. Maybe in summer might be OK, but winter, non starter.

This was 45 minutes well spent! Gorgeous day in York, needed to rest the feet so went on this cruise spur of the moment & it was very enjoyable. Captain Josh was hilarious! Witty & full of interesting historical facts. Highly recommend this. Follow up with a wee drink in The Star Inn the City! Thank you Josh & co :)

What a waste of money…no commentary which is stated but instead there was too loud tinny music all the way there and back. Nothing to see at all apart from trees and darkness! Awful experience.

Absolutely awful! Waste of money! We did not see any sights, there was no commentary and we looked at bushes the whole time. Scam, waste of money and I would demand a refund