So very hard to find. Was boring. So hard to get any pictures or see anything because of sitting. Had to fight to get pics I did get. Being your own water and snacks.. Water was 4.50 a bottle 😳 I was soooo looking forward to this. So very disappointed. Do not waste your money.

Was invited to a group birthday party, all was paid days ahead, yet we arrive there on the day and we are told to pay again as the boat staff could not verify payment from his system. Dealing with a rude and unprofessional employee, we paid again for 18 people.... the mood was ruined but we went ahead anyways. Next day, we called the cruise line, they admitted that they made a mistake, and said they will issued a refund for the duplicate payment. So far 15 days, and refund is not sent... we called them multiple times to check on this refund that is not processed, they said that it takes few days for refunds to show up.... We are not settled yet, still waiting for this refund.... but never again will deal or book any group tours with this unprofessional company. All 17 cruise guests will be adding their individual reviews and experiences with this trip..

Hopefully Brennan will be your tour guide because he made this trip 100% amazing! You learn so much of the history, but we were laughing so much our faces hurt! Best money ever spent 💕. Just wish I could give better than 5 stars.

We totally enjoyed the cruise. Brennan is an amazing Guide and made the entire trip an awesome experience. He is funny and entertaining. This is not a historical cruise it is simply entertaining and fun. There is a washroom aboard but bring water/snacks as they are costly on-board. It is worth the price.

Thanks to Ana for the amazing tour! She’s a great guide - friendly, knowledgeable and very entertaining. We enjoyed the cruise, views, and learning about history. Trip is around 1.5 hours. You can purchase drinks and snacks at the boat and there’s a very clean washroom inside. We had a great time!

We visited Ottawa and had planned to go for the boat cruise to learn more about the city and the Rideau Canal. The boat ride was very fun, it was nice to see the riverside views. It was also entertaining, although, if there's nothing factual to talk about Ottawa, why make up "alternative facts?" Because of the amount of "alternative facts" that were told, I don't know how much of the information from the tour was true. I would say which ones were alternative facts, but I don't want to spoil others' experiences. Please tell more factual things about Ottawa and the Rideau Canal. I know this was done to entertain people and let them enjoy their time, but people also want to learn about the history of the city. Like I don't know how/why it's a laughing matter when experts, children, and adults end up actually believing the alternative facts, or why it's a proud moment for the speaker to find that out. This was glorified throughout the ride. The speaker was proudly saying that these alternative facts help increase Ottawa's tourism.

Directions for accessible access are confusing. It is a long walk to and from the ramp to get to canal level - leave lots of extra time to get to the boat if you need to go this way. There was a large school group on our tour that was a bit noisy, so it wasn't the relaxing tour I'd hoped for. The guide did ask them to be quiet during the first half of the tour so people could hear the commentary. The return journey, when everyone could talk freely, was loud. An evening tour would hopefully be quieter. The commentary was informative but I imagine you could find the same overview on the internet. If you are trying to decide between this and the river cruise, the river cruise is much better.

Very rude and threatening staff, completely disrespectful company. While there were boats all the way through Rideau canal, the Queen Elizabeth, that company’s cruise boat, went all the way long with very loud rock music playing and drunk people shouting the songs, AT MIDNIGHT. They were passing a few meters away from all the other boats (full of asleep people), their intense noise resonating under the tunnels, and once the boat was at its dock, their music and shoutings kept going on. After a moment I got up and went there to speak with the staff, but the music had stopped, and 2 employees whom I spoke to had a completely contemptuous attitude, one asking where was my boat in a threatening way. I’ve been very polite with them, asking them if they found it respectful to make that much noise first, and especially at midnight. I only had insolent answers from them, and at the end, the threatening one told me to leave the dock, -which belongs to Park Canada-. Aweful persons, not even able to communicate politely and apologize when they lack of respect -big time- to dozens of persons.

We booked a cruise in April for my brother's 75th birthday. First Rideaux Canal was closed to all for the Civid 19 Pandemic. Our trip was slated for Sept 18th for 7 days. When I called in July after sending in $2000 I was told not to worry, we will work with you. Then we were told that US visitors would be held to a 14 dayvquarsntine..my group was in their midv70's. All of a sudden we will work with you became we won't rweturn your deposit! It appears the quardntine will remain in effect. Canada has a Doctrine of Frustration that resembles the Force Dejeure principal of when something like acts of God that were unforseable occurr contracts may be broken. I do not find this company responsible and would recommend not trusting them. They appear not to be reputable. Expecting US citizens to be held up for 14 days in a foreign Country. Particularly high risk seniors is deplirable.

There is a ton of cultural activities to experience in Ottawa. I never thought about doing a cruise on the Rideau Canal, but it was actually a unique way to view the city from another perspective. Rideau Canal Cruises invite you to travel back in time aboard an electric boat while discovering the wonderful Rideau Canal, from Dow’s lake to the Ottawa River. There are about 30 sites that have marked the history of the city included during this 1-hour and half tour. The guide I had during the tour told unique anecdotes, which you won’t find on Google, fun guaranteed! Find more pictures on my Instagram (kelledstyle) and more info on my blog :)

The cruise itself and info was nice but we were kicked out of our seats for a group of people that “reserved” where we were which is not even possible to do. If we stayed in our seats, probably wouldve given it 5 stars

We were visiting Ottawa from Montreal just for a couple of days and took both Ottawa canal and river cruises. It was a good experience, the canal one was an excellent and relaxing way to spend 1.5 hours on the water. Ana, Johnathan, and Logan did a great job! Narration was excellent, bar prices - reasonable, and the all electric boat was just a perfection. We too a 7.30pm cruise and there was not many people, which made us feel like it’s a private cruise! I recommend.

(Translated by Google) Excellent one hour and a half comfortable boat ride. The boat serves soft drinks and beer (for a fee) and there is a toilet. The restaurant takes cash only. I recommend that you sit on the right side of the boat in order to better see the attractions mentioned by the guide throughout the trip. (Original) Excellente promenade en bateau comfortable d’une heure trente. Le bateau sert des boissons gazeuses et bière (payant) et il y a des toilettes. Le resto prend l’argent comptant seulement. Je vous recommande de vous assoir du côté droit du bateau afin de mieux voir les attraits mentiinnés par le guide tout au long du voyage.

Not recommend. 1. Boat was packed. No distance, no ability to hide from the sun. 2. Extremely boring. If you have never seen canals or bridges before - you may like it. Otherwise, you have a lot more chances to enjoy the city just walking around. Most of the boat trip you’ll be looking at bikes passing you by, trees, recreational trails. 3. Overpriced. It’s too expensive for sad experience you get. Not worth it. Simple comparison: mind blowing museum of nature $17 cad vs boring boat tour for $38 cad.

It will be slightly boring tour, apart from tour guide’s funny jokes. Suggested for grand parents and kids below 10, they will also give tattoos/stickers.

The views were slightly blocked off by trees making it hard for good pictures, the drinks are a bit expensive but that's to be expected, price comes with convenience. Masks are mandatory and are strictly implemented.

Very relaxing boat ride down the Rideau Canal. Sit on the right side if you like to take pictures. Most of the angles are only available from the right when the boat is on the first half of the journey.

The highlight of our Ottawa trip. Wonderful guide, Jaime told us captivating stories of the canal, unlike most tours and very engaging and relaxing way to see such a spectacular feat of engineering

It is the worst cruise that I have ever been to. It is better to walk or bike along the Rideau canal. Total waste of time and money. Not worth it.

The Rideau canal trip experience was amazing with full information about the canal .. The views are beautiful, the guide were friendly and knowledgeable, explaining thoroughly the history of the canal both in English and French, they even came and chat with us individually which was nice ..

Not much fun

Very nice experience. Do not buy tickets with site getyourguide tickets are more expensive

Very loud guide who is not informative. Loud mainstream pop music is played at the end of the tour. Boring and tiring.

I took the Ottawa boat tour. Overall, this was an enjoyable experience. There are a lot of wonderful and educational landmarks along the Ottawa and Gatineau rivers. Gliding août the Ottawa river was relaxing. It could have been an hour longer and I would have enjoyed it just the same. I appreciated the information shared by our wonderful tour guide, Andi. She was engaging and kind, and truly seemed to enjoy her job and sharing Ottawa with her guests. A star has been reduced due to limited seating available. It is not the number of seats, but rather the type. I feel as though the seating could use an upgrade.

I must admit we were underwhelmed with our Ekeau tour. While being a great concept (emissions free tourism!), the canal cruise itself felt really impersonal. The seating was cafe style chairs placed around the boat. We had a stack of chairs right in front of us which impeded our view. One of the crew could see us struggling to gain visibility and made no effort to help or move the chairs. We eventually moved. The most jarring part of the experience was that some guests were discourteous (talking loudly, rushing to get on and off the boat, walking around with shoes off). There was little effort from the team to guide guests through house rules to make it a more pleasant experience for all on board. The tour guide did a great job and shared lots of fun canal facts. There was also a small bar on board which could be used throughout the journey. In hindsight, I would have much preferred to ride a bike along the canal instead. It’s a flat, dedicated bike path. It’s still emissions free, you can hire it from the same spot as the cruise, and you can do it at your own pace.

Had a great time. We had Brennan for our guide. Highly recommend him. He says there is a 70 ft eel living in the canal. Be sure he tells the story. Had difficulty finding the boat launch area and had to reschedule. Thanks to Samuel and Thea. It’s near the National Arts Centre (that side of the canal). We had to figure out a way to drive a wheelchair close to the boat. Heading NW on Elgin, after the Arts Centre, turn immediately to the right, partway through the intersection. Easy to miss. Drive down to the bottom and the gate should open automatically. It’s there to protect cyclists and pedestrians. Drive to the bottom of the ramps (couple of these, see map) and unload the wheelchair. Note that there is also a parkade entrance near the bottom. There should be an easy ramp for the wheelchair down to the canal walkway. Loading the boat should be straightforward once you have gotten down there. The parkade is accessible.

Nice tour of the river but they charge you around $45 promising they'll give you a 1.5hr tour. The tour itself lasts less than 45mins. We stopped at the Gatineau deck for a good half hour for other people to embark the boat. We were also back at the starting point after an hour 15mins. That means stealing 15mins from our tour + 30mins wasting our time stopping at the Gatineau deck to get money from other people. Don't waste your money/time.

Enjoyed the canal ride, its almost 1.5hrs. Guide was really good, explained everything in details (with some fun facts and fictional stuff). Book in advance and note down the boarding point. Be there 15/20 mins before starting time so that you can pick seat of your choice. They do have different packages, i opted for canal and cruise ride.

Finding the cruise can be a bit tricky so make sure you give yourself sufficient time. The boarding area is just below the Plaza bridge. You can easily locate one of their mobile booths on the Plaza bridge and ask the staff for help. Staff and crew were friendly and provides clear instructions. I had my initial cruise at 4.30 pm but missed it as I could not find a parking upon returning the next day the staff were really helpful and reaccomodated me in the 10 am cruise. The tour guide was just excellent and made the 1.5 hour trip quite fun. Finding a parking can be a bit challenging as well.

Learned so many interesting details about the history of Ottawa... Our guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Had some difficulty locating the start of the tour - went to the wrong side of the canal but found our way & didn't miss the tour!Loved learning about the city!

Ottawa Boat Cruise is extraordinary experience of travelling along one of Canada's Grand Emblems : The Ottawa River and Rideau Canal. Our guide was very nice and interactive..I don’t remember her name but she was awesome 👍

This boat ride is a must do in Ottawa. It’s like the first introductory thing, like a handshake with the history and culture of the city. Ben, the tour guide was absolutely delightful! He will tell you the history of the canal, thereby of the city itself. He will also give you headsup to lovely photo points during the ride! I would recommend to go for the last ride, which is the 6.30pm slot, because then you see the day time view as well as sunset and night view. I’ve shared all photos and videos below so you know what I’m talking about 😊😊

We had a great experience. This was our second time on the tour and we still had a great time! Mélodie was a lovely tour guide and made the trip so fun. We were a group of 12 with a wheelchair user and they accommodated us very well. My only negative commentary is that if you do not know how to access the canal via the bike infrastructure from the NAC, you might assume the tour is inaccessible. Better signage for wheel chair users and people who need a ramp would greatly improve this!

Melody was phenomenal as a tour guide. Engaging, funny and very high energy. I would have liked a space on the boat to sit that was away from speakers to not be blasted with music on the way back and perhaps enjoy the sounds of the water and city. Otherwise a great experience for tourists and locals alike.

We took the 5.30 PM Canal cruise on July 1. The part leading up to the cruise was completely chaotic. The instructions for boarding were pretty unclear and people ended up facing in two different directions for the same queue. When we tried talking to the others, it only added to the confusion. The ticket agent waited till we asked explicitly to clarify the situation and even then wasn’t too helpful. The actual cruise was fun however- we went past many picturesque landscapes and historic sites. The guide was quite engaging and enthusiastic and shared many anecdotes. There was well-versed multi-language guidance. Not worth paying the additional fee for priority boarding though.

Beautiful in the summer but not so much during a heatwave (plus masque) it would be amazing during the fall

Great date option even if you've been in the city your whole life. Try to go around sunset for the best photo opportunities!

Went on the Ottawa Boat Cruise Rideau Canal cruise. It was very nice and relaxing. Terry, our tour guide was very good and informative on the history and was also quite funny. The day was quite pleasant and not hot, so it was very enjoyable. The only complaint we had was the parking. If you own a truck (that pulls a travel trailer or 5th wheel) you can't fit in the parking garages and if you park in a open parking lot you need to know how to use the lots Parking App. But the cruise was enjoyable.

Brennan was such a wonderful guide! A tour that otherwise could have been boring he made so full of energy and laughs! The whole family enjoyed it and not to mention we learned a lot. With a group of both locals and tourists it was a nice experience. His story about the mysterious canal eel was crazy, you must hear it for yourself!

Our family recently moved to Ottawa and this was the perfect introduction. Wonderful staff and such a smooth great ride along the canal on this electric boat. The staff were welcoming and our tour guide Madison was phenomenal. I highly recommend!

Boat ride is good. Slow and steady ride where the guide shows the Parliament, Supreme Court, residences of prominent government people like Ambassadors, Prime Ministers. Boat is good and we went for 7.30 pm ride and the sunset was beautiful. It was a scenic ride.

Rideau Canal Cruise. Very popular activity. You may need to book early. I was not able to get on the boat. I came here one hour earlier but fully booked. Only last time is left for 6:30 pm. I’ll come here again tomorrow morning. There are five times of schedule tat starts 10:00 am. Next schedule is 2-2.5 hours later.

Super cool to ride through the canal right in Ottawa

This is probably the best part of my trip in Ottawa! I visited here during covid time so I wasn’t expecting this cruise trip still open. I was happy to find out not only this cruise trip is still going on with combo pricing, but the staffs really taking extra precautions to their clients. The boat was being cleaned in between sections. The tour guy we had on the Rideau Canal trip was amazing! He is Brandon and he definitely made the trip a great and enjoyable experience! Wearing a mask for 90 minutes can be challenging sometimes but Brandon was wearing this for the entire time during the trip while still giving a nice tour. The nice lady on the river trip is probably the owner. She is super nice and knowledgeable! You can really ask her any history about Ottawa and Gateno, and she is more than happy to answer any of your questions! Overall this is a must have experience in Ottawa! Attached a few pictures from the cruise trips

Brennan is a great tour guide. Although there isn't a ton to see on the 1.5 hour tour he made the most of it and kept us laughing. The tour is worth it for his seasoned storytelling alone. It's a relaxing tour and something worth checking out atleast once.

Brennan was our tour guide and he was amazing!! Such a good storyteller - I hope he makes it into showbiz. The rest of the staff were lovely and I learned a lot about our city on this tour. Had a great time! Highly recommend

Just tried it last night at 6:30pm. Brennan is very funny. I enjoyed the ride but wearing mask for 90 mins can be a bit tough. I can’t imagine riding it during very hot days. I think 6:30 shift is the best choice. Must be a tough job wearing mask as a tourist guide for 7-8 hours. Very peaceful experience. Great view to tour the canal.

We did the canal trip and the all experience was amazing. The views are beautiful, the guide was friendly and knowledgeable, explaining thoroughly the history of the canal in English and French, the important things to see and having fun at the same time.

Great tour. Had alot of information about the canals, buildings, nature and structures. Plus Terry was funny. So please listen to him when he is speaking english or french. TERRY! TERRY! TERRY!

Very informative; and our tour-guide announcer made the experience enjoyable with great comical wit. highly recommended.

Very nice experience. Terry was a great guide and it’s worth the money. Ottawa is a lovely city.

Great tour! Our guide was enthousiastic and very sweet. Boat is open air, clean, and very covid-friendly.

Location was little bit confusing for boarding Amazing views I recommend taking the night cruise around 5-7 when you get to see the sunset

Nice, calm tour with an energetic your guide

People are great

Worth it.....awesome way to see ottawa

Memorable and incredible experience! Turned out to be a 2 hour trip which was even better! Brennen was our guide and was world class! This trip is narrated live by your guide and is packed with such interesting knowledge of the canal, Ottawa and surrounding areas. So many historical and significant locations are passed while on-board. Highly recommend, a must-do when visiting Ottawa. Easy and convenient boarding location right near the Chateau Laurier.

Very knowledgeable guide and a relaxing cruise.

Easily one of the best 'cruises' I've ever taken. The Guide gave it his all and was absolutely hilarious. Many of his stories and one liners will have you laughing out loud. Make sure you pay attention throughout in order not to miss anything. Wonderful stuff and heartily recommended.

One of the best in Ottawa.... evening in the cruise boat ..relaxing in the river breeze.. having coffee or a drink in the boat ..while beautiful lights of the city reflects in the river....it is a marvelous experience..very relaxing...never miss it

super recommend it

(Translated by Google) Very well explained and rest to see (Original) Très bien expliqué et reposent a voir

(Translated by Google) It is really a cruise at 15 km / h for 1h30. It was getting a bit long at the end and there is not much to see. On the other hand, if you are looking for something really calm and you really have the time, this is for you. (Original) C’est vraiment une croisière a 15 km/h pendant 1h30. Sa devenait un peu long a la fin et il y a pas beaucoup a voir. Par contre, si vous recherchez quelque chose de vraiment calme et que vous avez vraiment du temp, cela est pour vous.

Good experience if it's your first time in Ottawa. I found it to be a little long though especially since its the same trip back, wished they stayed longer in the open lake. Also it's a little crowded, would've been nice if you could get up and lean over the rails wherever you'd like.

Always great fun to Cruise the Canal

Fabulous tour guide (Terry) provided lots of information on our tour in English and French. Bathrooms available. Drinks available for purchase. Wonderful way to relax and see the sights as well as get ideas for what to see next. Only problem was one group on the boat who made it difficult for others to hear.

AMAZING experience to see the famous Rideau Canal on a river cruise with family. Nice to see how many people they host, the lil cantine for bevies & treats and even a washroom. Cruise was on time, easy to find where we embark. Quick and easy boarding but definitely go a little earlier if you are with a big crowd to snag seats together. Took us a bit to get organized and hang with eachother but still not all together. We ended up at back of boat, not horrible but a little close to the speakers so was rather extra noisy. As the emcee was friendly and great explaining history, buildings and sharing tons of knowledge, we did find it long-winded to have approx the entire 1.5hrs of non-stop chatting. Would've been great to be able to visit amongst ourselves as it wasn't required to have the emcee over the loud speaker to fill in void air. So this tour is definitely a tour! Happy we experienced it but would explore the canal differently next time. Thx for a good tour!

Enjoyed our time

Awesome

It was great. If you visiting Ottawa you should go staff was friendly and our guide was great.