The cruises compared here
The four-course dinner cruise is the most expensive shared cruise in the Amsterdam catalogue, from €89 per person. That is more than six times the price of the one-hour sightseeing boat and two and a half times the cheese and wine cruise.
Whether that is fair depends on what you count. Below is what the listing and the operator, Lovers Canal Cruises, say you get, and the conditions that are easy to miss.
1What the ticket includes
Two hours on the water, a four-course dinner, and a selection of wines, beers, soft drinks and water. The drinks are part of the price, which is the strongest argument for the cruise: there is no bar bill at the end.
The operator lists three menus: meat, fish or vegetarian. The Civitatis listing does not print the dishes, so do not book on the strength of the word "gourmet" in the title. If you have allergies, raise them before you pay, because neither source explains how they are handled.
2The conditions that catch people out
Tables are shared. The listing says so in its small print, and the operator adds that tables seat up to six and a private table cannot be guaranteed. A couple booking this for an anniversary should expect company.
Cancellation is stricter than elsewhere. This is the only cruise in the comparison that needs 48 hours' notice for a refund on Civitatis; the others need 24.
Age limits differ by source. The listing sets a minimum age of 5 and the operator's page says 12. If you are bringing children between those ages, ask before booking. When checked in October 2026 the operator showed departures on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7 pm, so it may not run on your night.
3Dinner cruise or cheese and wine cruise
The two are run by the same company from the same dock at Prins Hendrikkade 25, and both seat you at shared tables on an evening sailing. The cheese and wine cruise lasts 90 minutes and includes a cheese and charcuterie platter with unlimited wine. It costs from €35.
It is also better liked: 8.8 from 913 reviews, against 8.2 from 274 for the dinner. The €54 difference per person buys half an hour more on the water and a full meal in place of a platter. That same €54 buys a good dinner in a restaurant you chose yourself, before or after the boat.
The cheese and wine cruise has one restriction the dinner does not: it is for adults of 18 and over only.
4Who should book it anyway
Book the dinner cruise if the appeal is exactly the combination: you sit down once, the canals pass the window for two hours, and food and drinks arrive without decisions. It also suits a group of four to six, who can fill most of a table themselves and make the shared seating irrelevant.
Give it a miss if you are choosing mainly on food, if you want to talk privately, or if two hours at a fixed table sounds long. In those cases take the cheese and wine cruise, or the one-hour sightseeing boat from €13.49 and spend the rest on dinner ashore.