Lake Tahoe Dinner Cruise on the M.S. Dixie II

Price and length comparison

The dinner fare bundles the meal into the price, so the sticker is the full cost unless you order drinks or travel as a party of 8 or more. A sunset cruise without dinner costs less and lets you eat on shore before or after: see the Lake Tahoe sunset cruise options.

Ticket tiers on the operator page are listed by age, with reduced fares for children.

Dinner cruise versus sunset cruise

Choose the Sunset Dinner Cruise if you want the evening planned for you: a 2.5-hour sailing, a served meal and a table on the water for $170 per person. Pick a sunset cruise if you would rather keep it shorter and eat on shore. A champagne sunset cruise from Ski Run Marina is timed to local sunset and runs about 2 hours.

Evening cruise lengths

The Sunset Dinner Cruise runs 2.5 hours on the M.S. Dixie II. The Sunset Champagne Cruise from Ski Run Marina sails 4:00pm to 6:00pm, a 2-hour window set to the local sunset.

Lake Tahoe is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide with 72 miles of shoreline, so an evening covers one stretch of it rather than the whole lake. The basin sits at about 6,225 feet, so expect cool air on deck even in summer.

Seating rules that surprise people

Dinner seating is at community tables of 6 guests. A couple books two seats and shares the table with four others. If you want a table to yourselves, buy all 6 tickets.

Parties of 8 or more pay an automatic 20% gratuity, pre-paid on arrival. Factor that into a group budget on top of the $170 per person fare.

Shuttle and parking

On-site parking at Zephyr Cove is limited. A complimentary shuttle picks up from select Lake Tahoe locations including Harrah's Lake Tahoe, Hotel Azure, Beach Retreat, Lakeland Village, The Landing, Station House, 3 Peaks, Edgewood and the Golden Nugget. Opt into the shuttle when you book.

Shuttles run from 45 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes before departure, so allow the full window. If you drive, arrive early to find a spot before the 30-minute check-in. Alternative departure points on the South Shore include Ski Run Marina at 900 Ski Run Blvd, where the Spirit of Tahoe sails daily year round, and Tahoe Keys Marina and Yacht Club at 2435 Venice Dr, home port of the Bleu Wave.

Rules that affect your evening

Booked through this site, the cruise carries free cancellation 48h ahead. No-shows get nothing back, so build weather and traffic slack into the day.

Accessibility is mixed: the boat has a handicap-accessible restroom and wheelchairs are permitted, but there is no elevator to the second deck. Security screening applies before boarding, smoking is not allowed on the cruise and there is a security procedure at check-in. Gratuity is not included in the fare for small parties, and parties of 8 or more pay a 20% gratuity pre-paid on arrival.

A quick fit check

It suits families and groups of six or more, who can fill or exceed a community table and spread the cost of a private table. It suits couples who enjoy meeting other travellers over dinner. It suits anyone staying at a shuttle-served South Shore hotel who would rather not drive at night.

Skip it if you are on a tight budget, since a sunset cruise without dinner costs less on other boats. Skip it if you want a quiet table for two without paying for six seats. Skip it if you cannot do stairs comfortably, because there is no elevator to the second deck.

If you would rather see the lake in daylight, the Daytime Scenic Cruise on the same boat runs to Emerald Bay and Fannette Island, the only island in Lake Tahoe.