The cruises compared here
The dinner cruise in the catalogue sails on the Gróf Széchenyi, a two-deck paddle boat moored at Akadémia Dock 2 near the Chain Bridge. It is run by Hungária Koncert, the company behind the Rajkó folk ensemble that plays on board. So this is a concert organiser's product with a boat attached, and it helps to judge it that way.
Before you book, compare it with the obvious alternative: an hour on the evening cruise and a restaurant of your own choosing.
1What you get for €79
The price from €79 covers the sailing, a four-course dinner, a welcome glass of prosecco or juice, and the music and show. The listing gives three set menus and asks you to pick one when you reserve. Menu A is beef goulash soup followed by pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes. Menu B is tarragon poultry soup and chicken paprikash with potato gratin. Menu C is the vegetarian one: vegetable cream soup and marinara pasta. All three start with aubergine and paprika dips and pink hummus and end with Somlói sponge cake.
The operator's own page lists the same dishes and calls it a served dinner. The word buffet in the Civitatis title does not match either description, so expect plates brought to the table.
2What is not covered
One welcome drink is the only drink on the included list. The listing says nothing about wine, beer or water with the meal, which normally means you order and pay on board. Factor that in when you compare the price with a restaurant.
There is no commentary of any kind. The operator describes the sailing as a non-guided sightseeing cruise. If you want to know what you are passing, this boat will not tell you.
3How much of the river you see
According to the listing, dinner is served in a glass-enclosed room that is heated in winter and air-conditioned in summer, and after the meal you can go up to the upper deck for the Parliament and the bridges. That is comfortable in January. It also means that for most of the sailing you are looking at the city through glass, across a table, with a band playing.
The duration needs a note. The listing's description says two hours, while its duration field says 90 minutes and the operator's page says 90 minutes too. Plan around the shorter figure. Four courses and a show in 90 minutes does not leave much deck time.
4The cheaper way to get the same view
The Legenda evening cruise leaves from Dock 7, further south along the same bank, and costs from €25 with a drink and an audio guide. It scores 8.6 from 17,606 reviews against 8.0 from 1,120 for the dinner cruise. The €54 difference in starting prices buys a full meal in the city.
The Silverline site also sells its own dinner cruises from Dock 11, but those are not the product in this catalogue and are not compared here.
5Who should book it anyway
Book it if the music is what you are after. A cimbalom and a folk ensemble playing a few metres from your table is something the sightseeing boats do not offer, and the old paddle boat with its two decks is part of the appeal. It also solves a cold or wet evening neatly, since everything happens indoors.
Families should know that children under six sit on a parent's lap and do not get their own seat. Wheelchair users should know the cruise is listed as not accessible.