We received tickets for a Showboat Branson Belle dinner cruise as part of #ExploreBranson, a promotional blogger tour of Branson, MO, through the US Family Guide. All experiences and opinions are my own.
A few years ago Hubs and I took a dinner cruise in St. Louis and I loved it. I quickly added a dinner cruise on the Showboat Branson Belle to my bucket list of activities to do in Branson, Missouri. I mean, who wouldn’t want to cruise on scenic Table Rock Lake on board a true stern wheeler, while enjoying a delicious meal prepared fresh in the ship’s on-board galley and served directly to your table? Especially when it’s touted as America’s Most Entertaining Dinner Cruise!
^^I just love my new Canon T3i DSLR camera!^^
The Showboat Branson Belle is 278 feet long (that is nearly the length of a football field) and 78 feet wide and weighs a whopping 2.5 million pounds. It was christened in 1995 and offers a lunch cruise at Noon, an early dinner cruise at 4 p.m. and a sunset dinner cruise at 8 p.m. We were on the early dinner cruise.
What started out as a dreary rainy day actually turned into a glorious day on the lake when the rain clouds cleared. Mister and Sister thoroughly enjoyed looking out from the deck and seeing across the lake. We were able to get a fabulous family photo on deck of the Showboat Branson Belle!
Okay, so how were things inside? Of course, since it was a dinner cruise, we ate dinner.
Our adult dinner consisted of fresh romaine and iceberg salad served with a Sweet Vidalia Onion dressing and homemade croutons, fresh hot dinner rolls, slow-simmered beef roast and honey-dijon glazed chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and sugar snap peas with Julienne carrots. Dessert was a golden Brittle Lemon-Berry Torted drizzled with caramel. The kids were served mac-n-cheese and chicken medalions and they had a confetti ice cream cake with chocolate sauce and garnished with gummy bears.
The salad was fresh and crisp, and the sweet vidalia onion dressing was wonderful. The honey-dijon glazed chicken was moist and tender, though less seasoned than I make my own. Hubs said the beef was delicious and in retrospect, I should have given him mine since I don’t eat beef (it doesn’t like me). The garlic mashed potatoes were delish. The tote that was served for dessert was yummilicous! The kids really enjoyed their entrees, as well.
Now, the entertainment was seriously spectacular.
Janice Martin, the world’s only aerial violinist, has a master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music. She played in the Army Band in Washington, D.C., as a violin soloist, after finishing basic training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. She has played at the White House, the Capitol, and the State Department as well as for President Bill Clinton and other world leaders. She decided to become an aerialist after attending a Cirque du Soleil show, where she was inpired.
^^Eeek! I took that photo with my new Canon T3i body and my Canon 75-300mm lens. I just love the lines in the photo!
The ShowMen, a five man team that are from all across America, pay tribute to Motown in their sets and have outstanding vocal talents and stage presence. Their harmonies are powerful and their solos are something to see, for sure!
Funny man, Christopher James, entertained all of us with his magic, jokes, and straight jacket routine– which Stefanie of Making of a Mom helped him with.
As we were leaving, the kids were thrilled to meet the captain.
When all was said and done, our entire family had fun and found it hard to believe that the two hour cruise was already over. This is one dinner cruise we would definitely go on again!
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Gosh I have not done the Branson Belle in a long time. I may have to put it on the list for next time.That food looks delish!
Looks like so much fun! We were just on a riverboat in Savannah- such a great experience.
I have always wanted to ride on one of these! What an awesome experience for the family.
I would LOVE this. I have wanted to take a ride on a boat like this since I was a kid.
Love that shot of the paddlewheel. You’ve got me wanting to visit Branson!
Wow what a great idea.I would love to go one this.How great for your kiddies to get to meet the captain.
Wow! That looks like so much fun. The photos are beautiful, too. I can’t get over that berry torte dessert. Looks delish. What a great family vacation! It’s like a mini cruise.
Now that looks like a jolly good time. Not only does the food look great, the entertainment looks fabulous too! What fun!
How cool is that boat! I’ve always wanted to do that!
So glad you had a great time! We went a few years ago and loved it!
That looks like so much fun! I don’t remember the last time I went out to dinner and a show!
I’ve never been on a showboat. Your photos are amazing! What a fun experience!!
That looks like a fabulous time. Eating and being entertained is good for the kiddos to keep them still:)
Looks like they really kept you entertained! Good thing the weather cleared up, too!
That sounds like a great dinner cruise! Sounds like it was very entertaining.
Oh my gosh that looks like so much fun! My whole family would enjoy The Showboat dinner cruise, we’ve never been on one sounds like an absolute blast!
That showboat looks really entertaining! I love the arielist!! Great recap!
Wow, you experiences so much on a showboat! I actually never have been on one, but you have inspired me to take my family
This looks so relaxing. I love dinner cruises.
looks like so much fun. I’ve never been on a dinner cruise
That looks like so much fun. I’ve always wanted to go on a dinner cruise.
I’ve never been on a dinner cruise, but that looks like a super fun time! The food looks outstanding, and I never thought the entertainment would be quite that fab!
That sounds like a ton of fun. My kids would love to take a dinner cruise.
I’d love to go on a paddleboat! It seems so fun!
We have a similar showboat in our home town but surprisingly I’ve never been on it. This made me think I should rethink that.
I love that showboat. What a fun idea for an afternoon.
Oh, that looks like so much fun! I’ve never been on a showboat. I love the picture of you and your family.
Oh I would so love to do something like this. I know my kids would love it. Seems like you had a great time as well.
I have always wanted to go on a dinner cruise. That looks like a lot of fun and the food looks really good, too.
That looks like so much fun. I have never been to Branson.
I’ve taken a dinner cruise, but never on a paddle wheel boat.
Your pictures are great.
(I still want to see sunglasses on your family – especially when you’re on the water like that)