F.A.Q.

RIVERSHIP ROMANCE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
and OUR SOMEWHAT SILLY, SMARTY PANTS and FOR THE MOST PART, TRUTHFUL ANSWERS:

Our company has been in business for 26 years. Many of us who answer the phones have worked here for at least 20 years. So, we won’t even go into how many times we’ve all heard the Gilligan’s Island theme song when we mention our 3-hour cruise. It was cute the first 800 times or so.

With tongue firmly planted in our cheeks, below we answer some of the most frequently asked questions. We realize that just because we answer these questions hundreds of times a week, if you didn’t know, you wouldn’t ask.. So please call us at 1-800-423-7401 with any questions. It may make a future list!

Below are the most frequently asked questions received by phone or email.

Often when people see the name Rivership Romance, they are not quite sure what is offered, - oh, my…thus a very common question is:.


Q. What is this?

A. This is a pronoun and most often an adjective, but THIS is a dining cruise ship on the St. Johns River out of Sanford FL offering lunch and dinner cruises. Even though we do offer a very romantic setting on the ship, the Romance refers more to the romance of the river and the olden days gone-by. If that makes no sense to you, you are young. Move on.


Q. What size is the ship?

A. Big. Really big…okay, sort of big. 3 decks, almost 100 feet long and fat in the middle. It’s really old and has some midriff issues, okay? Who doesn’t at her age? (Go to homepage & click on History…interesting stuff there.) She has a passenger capacity of 190.

Q. Where is Sanford & the ship’s port?

A. According to some -, the furthermost outpost of civilization in Florida. In reality, Sanford, FL is directly in between Orlando & Daytona 5miles east of I-4. Home port is the Lake Monroe Marina in downtown Sanford on the Riverwalk. Lake Monroe is actually just a widening in the St,. Johns river.. Once the ship cruises across the lake & sails under the I-4 bridge, the channel of the St. Johns River narrows.


Q. Where does it go?

Okay, side-bar……..from now on, we will stop using “it” to refer to the ship and use the old nautical term assigned to ships, “her”. This gal has earned some respect & we’ll get to ship VS boat, later.

A. So back to the answer: She sails north, across Lake Monroe, under the I-4 bridge and approximately 13 miles up towards the High Banks Marina in Debary to a widening in the river, turns around & sails back. There are no stops along the way & no, you can’t bring a fishing pole. Again, not a funny comment any more…lost its’ charm after only 3 or 4 times.


Q. What is the schedule?

A. The schedule is a listing of the days and times the ship sails and returns.
See SCHEDULE on the homepage. But, if you can’t be bothered or you haven‘t figured out how to get back to the homepage or what the homepage is….
Lunch cruises depart every day at 11am & return at 2pm or 3pm depending on the day. Evening Cruises are Saturday nights from 7:30pm to 11:00pm. (always check the website for exact schedule & any changes. Holiday & summer cruise schedules may be different.)

Q. How much does it cost?

A. 3-hour Lunch - $38.00 4-hour Lunch - $48.50 Sat 7:30pm dinner $53.75
Prices are per adult and you need to add $2.50 each port fee & 7% tax. That said, prices can change, but we will let you know. We are thinking about a surcharge for people who ask too many questions. Kidding…sort of.

Q. What do we eat?

A. On all but specialty cruises, passengers choose their entrée from a menu once they board. Choices such as beef, chicken, fish, pork or vegetarian are prepared fresh in the ships’ galley. Salad, rolls, potato, vegetable & dessert accompany your meal. Of course, we have a very creative chef who may change the recipes on a whim, but there is always a choice! Peas & toast! yummmm

Now let’s talk about our sticky buns, okay? Gobs of hot dough with butter, nuts, brown sugar & cinnamon…oh yeah! They precede lunch and can we just say double YUMMM.

Q. Is there a bar?

A. Well, Holey BudLight-a-moley! There is! Yep, there is a full service cash bar. Coffee, hot & iced tea are complimentary. Soft drinks & alcohol are separate. And yes, we have the same age restrictions for alcohol consumption on board…21 or older. There have been young passengers who thought it was different once we got out onto the River. Wishful thinkers and the reason we have handcuffs on board….and a mean Captain.

Q. Do you need reservations?

A. It is always better & we suggest at least a week in advance. You are always
welcomed to call our 1-800-423-7401 number to check availability on the day you want to cruise. We definitely advise you never drive over without checking because we are frequently sold out or may have a private charter. You could just show up and wave good-bye to the people who did plan ahead and will happily wave to you from the bow of the ship…your choice


Q. Do we have to pay up front and if so, how? Why can’t I just pay when I get there?

A. You may reserve up to a year before your cruise, but for individuals, it must be paid 2 days prior to the cruise…groups pay on a pre-arranged deposit schedule with final payment a week prior. You may pay over the phone with a credit card or in the office with cash.

Why in advance? There are only so many seats on the ship. If you reserve and don’t show, that is a table we could have sold and may have turned others away & then the boss is not happy. A full ship, is a happy boss.


Q. What is the cancellation policy?

A. Pretty darned flexible, we are happy to report! If you cancel 5 days prior to the cruise you will be issued a full refund. (Groups are 30 days prior for refunds) If you cancel after the 5 days prior to your cruise, you can reschedule up to a year without a penalty.

Since we can’t think of what you possibly would consider more important than the fun time you will have on the ship, you do need a note from your doctor, teacher, lawyer or mother. Ok, the last part may not be true, but you do need to call; no rescheduling for no shows on your cruise date.


Q. Do you still cruise if it rains?

A. Rain is water…boats/ships float on water, sooooooo kind of okay when we get rain. Since the ship is covered it’s okay and what else are you going to do on a rainy day? The only thing that stops us is a hurricane or freakishly high winds from a bizarre storm. But, we do understand that you want to go on a nice day, so as long as you call before the ship leaves, you can reschedule.

Q. Will we get seasick?

A. Not usually. We do understand the question & seriously don’t want to clean up after you anyway. The ship was built to sail on the Great Lakes…big lakes with huge waves. Our little Lake Monroe does not usually have waves big enough to cause a problem and once you are out on the river, it is usually very smooth. BUT, if you are really sensitive….Bonine or Dramamine…BEFORE you come.


Q. What is the difference between the day and evening cruise?

A. Mr. Sun and Mr. Moon
Day time….casual…see river and wildlife…all ages welcomed

Evening….possible beautiful sunset….dressy, but not formal…no kids


Q. Is the Saturday night dinner dance cruise just for couples & romance?

A. Saturday night dinner cruises are a bit dressy and designed for you to enjoy the music & dancing and soft lighting. While it’s a lovely, romantic setting for couples who enjoy their private table, it’s a great setting for a corporate party, client dinner or any special celebration.
(clue….go to homepage…go to specials….check out birthday special offer…yowza!)

On dinner cruises only, there are no children under 14 years old allowed. Was that a woot, woot we just heard from you parents, teachers & anyone who has ever been on a plane? We love kids, just not on night cruises.


Daytime cruises do have music, a 20 minute narration about the river, wildlife and history of the ship, is casual and ALL ages are welcomed. Family celebrations of all kinds, team building corporate outings, church & school groups, truly anyone enjoys the day cruise.


Q. Do you have a dress code?

A. Never wear stripes with checks & only winter white after labor day..but that’s just me. Actually, day cruises are casual and dinner cruises are somewhat dressy, but not formal. A tie is not necessary for gentlemen, but is a nice touch.
Always best to bring a light sweater or jacket as the dining room can be chilly with the air conditioning.

Q. Can I charter the ship for a private function?

A. With enough money and at the right time, you betcha!
The ship has a full seated capacity of 190. To charter during a regularly scheduled cruise time, you either have to have or pay for the equivalent of 150 passengers. During an off-schedule time, it can be the equivalent of as few as 50 to 75 passengers. All requirements for private functions are flexible according to the time of day, day of the week and time of year. You can call one of our cruise coordinator for details.

What is enough money? It actually is a lot cheaper than you may think and we’ll give you a free Rivership Romance pen and maybe a t-shirt and a very heartfelt thank you.


Q. How do we get there?

A. Go to Florida, turn towards Sanford and when you hit the river. Stop.

Or go to homepage, click on Directions and then to map. You can print out written directions. We REPEAT!!! Use OUR directions…we’ve been saying them for 27 years & since we work here, we DRIVE here. Or trust your bossy GPS and you may or may not make it. Seriously, can’t tell you how often people get lost because their GPS doesn’t get traffic patterns or new exits or construction or on & on. Or call us…. Oh smooth segway into next question:

What is your phone number?
1-800-423-7401 or (407) 321-5091
Okay, if you are phoning us…kind of wondering why you would ask us the number, but it happens. Used to happen when people actually used directory assistance….now, not so much. The office is open Mon - Sat from 8:30am to 5:00pm and 9am till noon on Sundays. (We are open until the ship leaves when we cruise later than 5pm.

Q. Is there air-conditioning or is it all open-air?

A. It is covered & climate controlled. Lots of windows, lots of air-conditioning…even heat for those odd-ball cold spells. That question always makes us ponder why anyone would want to eat a meal, dance and relax in bazillion degree heat with martian death humidity and pay for it… but guess we can understand if you haven’t seen the ship before or been to Florida – in the summer - ….so, yes…the ship is climate controlled.

Q. Is it/she a ship or a boat?

A. It is a ship because it could hold a boat and it carries passengers. But you can argue that it is a boat because it could be towed (on a gigantor trailer )…so six of one… what ever you want to call her, just not “it”!



Now, you know the old saying,“ There is no such thing as a dumb question.“

Well, yes there is and here are the top five:


Number 5
Q. How long is your 3-hour cruise?
A. Three hours…which is why it isn’t called the 3 hour and 27 minute cruise.

Number 4
Q. What is the weather going to be in 3 weeks when I want to cruise?
A. If we knew that, chances are we would be on a mountain somewhere, dispensing all manner of brilliant junk and not answering our phone because we would just “KNOW” what you wanted & beam you the answer.

Number 3
Q. Does the ship actually cruise… leave… or really go somewhere?
A. No, we stay at the dock and run by the windows with palm trees for 3 hours.
(okay, we do know some restaurants look like ships, but don’t sail…you get a pass for that question.)


Number 2
Q. Are we guaranteed to see alligators?
A. The St. Johns river has real live animals. They are not animatronic and try as we have, we just can’t seem to get them to show up on que. So, the answer is; up to the alligator. If you would like a guarantee, we will be happy to strap you to a pole with a raw chicken tied around your neck and dunk you in the river. Up to you.



AND THE NUMBER ONE ALL-TIME DUMBEST QUESTION…..
And REALLY happened one day as the ship sailed towards the I-4 bridge:

Q.“ Do we sail over or under the bridge?”

That was a new employee on her first day. We didn’t answer her. It was her last day.


Seriously, folks, we hope you had fun reading these slightly smart-pants answers, but sincerely thank you for your business and want you to call any time with any question. We actually get new ones all the time. We will be happy to answer and won’t make fun of you….well, at least not until you hang up….tee, hee.

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