How far out should I make reservations?

We recommend making reservations as soon as you know you want to come to BB Riverboats. Our cruises sell-out quite often and if you don't make your reservations early enough, you could be left out. Additionally, we use our reservation numbers in order to make decisions about cancelling cruises. We have to have a minimum number of passengers for the cruise to sail, so your early reservations can make a big difference.

What is the 15% Food Service Fee?

The 15% Food Service Fee is a fee for your food service and is split between everyone that has something to do with providing the meal. Gratuity is not included on any additional purchases made on board the boat such as appetizers, soft drinks or alcoholic beverages.

What is the 1.5% Port Charge?

The Port Charge is a tax imposed by the city of Newport on all attractions in the city. If you visit an attraction in Newport, you are paying this tax. Some attractions may include it in their price and others show it separate, but all of the attractions must pay it.

Does the boat sail in inclement weather?

We sail rain or shine. In the event of severe weather or dangerous river conditions, it is up to the captain of the boat to make that decision. There are times where storms can roll through the river valley and can cause a cruise to be delayed, but that is usually only for a short amount of time. If the situation exists where we are unable to cruise, we will arrange an in-dock event.

Do you have a dress code?

We do not have a dress code. Our customers dress in everything from casual to formal. We encourage everyone to dress based on the situation you are celebrating.

Are you handicapped accessible?

Yes we are handicapped accessible. We have ramps that lead onto the first deck of every boat. On the Belle of Cincinnati, we do have an elevator available that makes it possible to go up to the second and third deck. The River Queen and Mark Twain do not have elevators. Accessible bathrooms are on the River Queen and the Belle of Cincinnati.

Where will we go on our cruise?

It all depends on the length of your cruise. A typical lunch or dinner cruise will go 5-7 miles up the river and back. A sightseeing cruise will stay mostly in the downtown area. All of our cruises provide the best viewing possible of the Cincinnati area.

Is smoking allowed on the boat?

Yes, smoking is allowed, but only on the outside decks. No smoking is allowed anywhere on the interior cabin of the boat.

Are drinks included with a dining cruise?

Coffee, tea, and water are included with all dining cruises. A cash bar is available on all cruises for the purchase of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.

Where do we park?

We have free parking at our dock on Riverboat Row. If that parking lot is full, which does happen on busy days, there is additional parking further down Riverboat Row into Taylor Park. There is also a surface lot on Columbia Street that you can park in, but there is a fee to park there.

Are there nearby hotels that we can stay in?

Yes, there are quite a few hotels for you to choose from. Click here for more information on hotels in the area.

What are your office hours?

Our office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm year around. During our summer season those hours extend to 7:00pm and move to 7 days a week. When we have cruises available during our off-peak times of the year, our office hours will extend depending on what we have available. Basically, if we have public cruises, our office will be open.

Would BB Riverboats be willing to donate to my organization's event?

BB Riverboats donates tens of thousands of dollars every year to numerous organizations in the Greater Cincinnati Area. With that said we get around 10 donation requests a day and cannot afford to fulfill many of them. In order to request a donation, you must mail a letter and include a self addressed stamped envelope to our donations department. The requests are looked over and the donations are sent out if they are approved.

Do you offer any discounts or coupons?

The best way to receive special deals for BB Riverboats is to be a member of Club BB, be a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter. We send special deals specifically to these two groups. We do offer coupons in local print publications as well, but your best deals will come as a member of these two groups.

In the past, you used to offer four Harbor Cruises each day during your season and now you only offer one. Are there other options if we do not want to do a meal cruise?

After 2009, we revaluated our regular season cruising schedule and have decided on this new schedule. We are only offering one Harbor Cruise each day, BUT are now offering sightseeing tickets on all of our lunch, brunch, and dinner cruises. Because of this change, we are actually offering three Sightseeing Cruise options a day instead of four, but are just combining them with our meal cruise schedule. This allows us to be more efficient and keep the cost of our cruises as low as possible. Also, since most of our Harbor Cruises were scheduled on the Mark Twain, customers who do not want a meal cruise will have a better opportunity to ride on one of our larger boats, the River Queen and Belle of Cincinnati, which are normally reserved for meal cruises and private parties.