The options for Chao Phraya River cruises are numerous, with many dinner cruise ships available for visitors in Bangkok. Discover all the Chao Phraya River dinner cruises in one place at Dinner Cruise BKK, and choose the best Bangkok dinner cruise for your taste and budget.
To ensure you pick the right cruise for your taste, consider a few key factors that are detailed below. The main points to keep in mind when choosing a Bangkok dinner cruise are:
- Cruise type and ship.
- Cruising time and duration.
- Price of the cruise.
- Departure pier.
- Cruise inclusions (food, drinks, entertainment).
- Seating.
1. Bangkok Dinner Cruise Type & Ship
The majority of dinner cruises on the Chao Phraya River are provided by large cruise boats serving buffet dinner. It’s the most affordable option, which is very popular with travelers, so cruise boats can get quite crowded.
Even if most Bangkok river cruises present themselves as luxurious, it might not always be the case. If you are looking for the most luxurious Bangkok river cruise serving buffet dinner, check out Horizon Cruise, The Opulence Cruise, and the new Bangkok Chaophraya Cruise.
If you want more romantic atmosphere and prefer higher-class dining experience, choose one of Bangkok dinner cruises managed by 5-star hotels and serving set dinner, such as Saffron Cruise, Apsara Cruise, or Manohra Cruise.
2. Cruising Time and Duration
Dinner cruise is the most common Bangkok river cruise option that is offered by all cruise boats. Such a cruise starts around 19:00 and ends around 21:00 and lets you enjoy the night view of the city with its most important landmarks being nicely lit up.
Some of the Bangkok dinner cruises are also offering the earlier cruise option, which is commonly known as the sunset cruise. Such a cruise normally starts around 17:00 and ends around 19:00 or a bit earlier, meaning that you are boarding the boat in the daylight and the sun sets on the way back. The sunset cruise is a cheaper option that normally comes with a smaller selection of meals, more limited entertainment, and sometimes even a shorter duration.
Bangkok river cruises that are offering both sunset and dinner cruise options are Chao Phraya Princess Cruise, White Orchid River Cruise, Meridian Cruise, Royal Princess Cruise, The Planet Cruise, and some others.
The most usual Bangkok dinner cruise duration is 2 hours, even if most of the sunset cruises now are shorter and last for only 1.5 hours. The longest cruise duration (3 hours) is currently offered by Saffron Cruise.
3. Price of the Bangkok Dinner Cruise
Most Bangkok dinner cruises offer a much better price for online bookings. The best offers for a wide selection of Chao Phraya River cruises can be found via the following link:
By price, Bangkok dinner cruises can be grouped the following:
- High-end dinner cruises with a price of more than 2,000 THB per person
- Mid-range dinner cruises with a price between 1,000 THB and 2,000 THB per person
- Affordable dinner cruises with a price under 1,000 THB per person
The high-end Bangkok dinner cruises are the ones offering set dinner menu for around 3,000 THB. These Chao Phraya River cruises are operated by luxury Bangkok hotels and you can choose Saffron Cruise and Apsara Cruise by Banyan Tree Hotel, Manohra Cruise by Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, or Horizon Cruise by Shangri-La Bangkok.
The selection of mid-range dinner cruises in Bangkok is much wider, as almost all buffet dinner cruises fall into this range. The best-rated mid-range Bangkok river cruises are The Opulence Cruise for around 1,800 THB, Bangkok Chaophraya Cruise for around 1,550 THB, and the Chao Phraya Princess Cruise for around 1,200 THB with online booking (less for the sunset cruise).
Affordable Bangkok dinner cruises let you enjoy the Chao Phraya River cruise experience for less than 1,000 THB with online booking. Some of the most popular budget cruises in this price range are White Orchid River Cruise with free-flow beer, Meridian Cruise for under 900 THB, and Royal Princess Cruise, which is the most popular cruise that can fit in 1,000 THB price range with a dinner cruise.
4. Bangkok Dinner Cruise Departure Pier
There are several piers on the Chao Phraya River for boarding the Bangkok dinner cruise. You might wish to choose the cruise with a more convenient departure pier, as getting there from your hotel on time sometimes can be complicated, so you might risk missing out on boarding the cruise due to being stuck in the traffic.
ICONSIAM Pier is the most popular Bangkok river cruise departure point. To get there, you can take an ICONSIAM shuttle boat from Si Phraya Pier, CAT Tower Pier, and Sathorn Pier (located next to BTS Saphan Taksin Station), or take BTS to Krung Thonburi Station and then transfer to Gold Line Train, which takes you right to ICONSIAM.
Asiatique The Riverfront Pier is another busy cruise pier in Bangkok. To reach it, you can use a combination of BTS SkyTrain (Saphan Taksin Station) and the Asiatique free shuttle boat departing from Sathorn Pier or simply take a Bangkok taxi.
River City Pier is another option for boarding the Chao Phraya River cruise. To get there, you can take BTS to Saphan Taksin Station and then take the Chao Phraya Express Boat (Yellow, Orange, and Green Flag) from the nearby Sathorn Pier to Si Phraya Pier.
Other piers that are Bangkok river cruise departure points:
Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort Pier on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River used to board Manohra Cruise, operated by Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort.
Terminal 21 Rama 3 Pier, which is located in a bit more remote part of the city and used to serve the Chao Phraya Princess Cruise (Indian buffet option) and New Horizon Cruise.
5. Bangkok Dinner Cruise Inclusions
Bangkok river cruise food, drink, and entertainment inclusions vary quite a lot.
When it comes to food, majority of Bangkok river cruises serve a buffet with a combination of Thai and international dishes and seafood (usually only grilled prawns and mussels). More luxurious cruises are offering a slightly wider choice and higher quality of food. Several cruises, such as Saffron Cruise, Apsara Cruise, or Manohra Cruise, are offering set menu dinner for a special dining experience on the Chao Phraya River.
Most Bangkok dinner cruises only include a welcome drink (usually just a small glass of juice or mocktail), drinking water, coffee, and tea, while all other drinks need to be purchased on board. Some of cruises, such as Meridian Cruise, also include soft drinks. The exceptional ones, such as the White Orchid River Cruise and The Luxury White Cruise, also include free-flow draft beer, enhancing the experience for beer lovers.
For your entertainment throughout the evening, all Bangkok dinner cruises are offering live music on board. Some of them, like The Luxury White Cruise, also extend the program with Thai classical dance performances, Khon Show performances, or even cabaret show.
6. Seating on Cruise Ship
The cruise ships operating on the Chao Phraya River normally have 2 or 3 levels that offer a combination of closed air-conditioned and open-air seating options.
If you would like to be seated on the specific level, make a special request at the time of booking. Even if the seating is not guaranteed, there’s a high chance that they will take your request into consideration.