Port of Melbourne and Docklands Sightseeing Cruise

While booking the Docklands and Port Melbourne cruise we saw on viator website that the last tour was at 4:30 pm on weekends. I booked the same for a group of 5 people via direct phone call to viator office. I specifically asked the person on the line to confirm if the 4:30 pm is indeed running. I was told straightaway that it was, no worries, so went ahead and booked that time. I was also told to reach the departure point at 4 pm. Upon actually reaching there, found that the on the spot office was closed just before 4 pm. We waited there till the previous cruise returned as there was no one else to talk to there. The boat captain told us that 3:30 pm is the last tour. I was shocked to say the least at the way I had been assured by the viator person that 4:30 pm was the last tour. We were a group of 5 people coming from different suburbs in Melbourne, and were hugely inconvenienced with this just because viator were not in synch with Melbourne Cruises. Had to plan again to visit the place about 3 hours in advance to finally be able to ride the cruise.

Joined family and friends on the cruise along the yarra, the experience was delightful and the kids really enjoyed themselves, the staff were very friendly and entertaining. The complimentary tea and coffee was and add extra, overall very pleased with the cruise experience, will definitely do it again.

It was interesting and informative. The fellows running the ship were helpful and had terrific manners. Thank you.

When we arrived they said they couldn't get us on the 3:30pm cruise, even though we specifically booked it with Viator for 3:30pm. MElbourne cruises said that's not their fault as we didn't book directly with them.... after reshuffling other people, they got us on board, however, the nice long river boat we should have been on had an issue with the motor, so we had to go on an old, small, damaged boat with limited outdoor seating and no commentary if you were lucky enough to sit outside. We travelled just the other side of the Baulty Bridge and back..... overall uninspiring and very expensive for the experience. I wouldn't book this again.

views were spectacular, narrator was excellent. would definitely recommend to a traveller

Its South Gate, not South Bank! We found it with help. We got there, but our cruise wasn't running, so they gave us a free upgrade to go on a longer cruise. That was the good point. The boat doesn't have seating fixed in place just chairs, luckily the boat ride isn't rough. It had serve yourself coffee and tea. The tea was very nice. It had a toilet so that was good! Our trip to Williamstown was an interesting one! The person washing the boat and the driver seemed to be a bit off. They were very rude. When we took off he pointed out sights in Melbourne that were broken like the big Ferris wheel and how much it cost and what a waste of money. Then he kept pointing out things like the two towers either side of a bridge, with a cost of X amount total rubbish. He told off the rowers on the river in a derogatory manner. He told off a fisher man fishing off a wharf we were coming to in a derogatory manner. We were wondering what sort of cruise we had booked. We were not impressed! I wish I knew the name of these persons I would certainly complain to the manager. But I wasn't game to get their names in case we were told off. Our trip on the way back was much better! The driver and his co-driver were much better! They pointed out sights of Melbourne giving us historic information and trivia information about the different things and bridges. Nice ferry ride back to Melbourne, but being a person from Sydney these cruises could really lift their game! And have boats with fixed seating.

It was a really nice way to spend the morning. The staff were really helpful and friendly.

This trip was great. You get a totally different view from the water than you do from the roads and bridges. The captain was very informative, he knew the local history well and his commentary created a pleasant atmosphere. Great value for money.

The boat was hopeless to get on and off. Many people complained they weren't sure if we could all get on! The trip itself was good but I would not recommend it to anyone because of facilities or lack there of.

This is a wonderful way to see parts of Melbourne that you don't see on walks. The Williamstown cruise is a must-do, the scenery is so beautiful. Skip the on board coffee; you have to get it yourself and it's bad. Leave the coffee break for when you dock in Williamstown and enjoy a lovely coffee and meal at one of many well priced cafes or restaurants.