Waterways Cruises and Events

Experience Seattle by water

Chances are if you live here, you enjoy being near water. When you just have to be on the water, Waterways Cruises is there for you, whether you are part of a public or private cruise.

Hilton Smith and his wife Shirley Turnbow started Waterways Cruises in 1994 as a hobby, offering yacht entertainment charters. Within several years, the hobby turned into a full-time private cruise venture. In the beginning, they hired outside caterers to provide catering for the events, but eventually decided to expand the operations to include in-house catering. "Food prep and logistics are very different when you are on a boat," says Hilton. "We wanted to ensure a consistent catering execution on all our events, so having an experienced staff that is familiar with working on our yachts was an important step for growing our company. But no matter how much experience we have, we still try to improve everything we do all the time."

In 2008, the economic downturn affected the private yacht business. "We decided to open up our vessels to more public cruises," says Hilton. "In the past years we offered special event and holiday cruises and a limited number of dining cruises, but we have dramatically increased the public cruise schedule. Public cruises are not only a way to give people a great on-the-water experience, but also introduces our brand to a wider audience. People come on a cruise and end up booking a wedding or an office function. Our public dining cruises now include a variety of events for guest of all ages, from dinner and brunch dining to informal and fun happy hour and BBQ cruises, as well as special event cruises throughout the year. "

Waterways Cruises has three yachts, accommodating 10 to 220 guests. Their signature dining cruise product is the Sunset Dinner Cruise. It is a two-and-a-half hour fine dining cruise on Friday and Saturday evenings. Guests are greeted with a champagne toast upon boarding and enjoy a four-course plated meal with a selection of four different entrees, and live music. Other cruises include a two-hour Sunday Brunch Cruise with buffet, a two-hour Two Lakes Lunch Cruise with buffet on Saturdays, a one-and-a-half hour Happy Hour Cruise with an appetizer buffet on Friday and Saturday afternoons, a two-hour BBQ buffet cruise on Sunday afternoons, and Senior Discovery Lunch Cruises on weekdays that go to a variety of destinations (Kiana Lodge, Clearwater Casino, Elliott Bay to meet the fleet, Port Orchard, Port Ludlow) and may involve bingo, afternoon tea, or a murder mystery. There are also special holiday cruises. All boats are outfitted with individual tables (no family-style dining) and full service bars with beer, wine, specialty cocktails and non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase. Captains provide a narrative during the cruises.

"We offer an overall experience," explains Hilton. "We are like a horizontal Space Needle-another way to see the heart of the city. Our captains are very interactive; they have been in this area a long time and know it well. Parents can bring their kids into the wheelhouse and have their pictures taken with the captain. For private cruises, guests will often request a specific captain, and we have a captain who specializes in weddings. It's a fun business. We have had corporate CEO's, sports stars, the Vice President of the United States, and dignitaries from other countries onboard."

A heavily regulated business, Waterways Cruises answers to the Coast Guard, Health Department, and Homeland Security. "Keeping your environmental footprint to a minimum is just good business. We are very careful about our diesel fuel usage and we recycle everything, including our cooking oil. Last year we experimented with growing our own herbs; we will be expanding that program this summer. As much as possible, we use local distributors and products. Our menus change three times a year to stay seasonal."

With a goal of ensuring happy customers from initial phone contact to the moment they step off the boat, Waterways Cruises is a sure bet for a fun time with amazing views, tasty food and refreshing beverages.

Cruise departure locations:

North Lake Union