Ohio River Cruise with Buffet Dinner Cincinnati

Newport, Kentucky and the riverboat landing

Your cruise departs from the riverboat landing at Newport, Kentucky, on the southern bank of the Ohio River, facing downtown Cincinnati. Newport grew in the nineteenth century as a river town and today is known for its lively waterfront entertainment district, with an aquarium, shops and restaurants just a few steps from the landing.

Before boarding, take a moment to enjoy the view across the water. To the west, the pink-and-purple-painted pedestrian bridge, a former railway bridge, links Newport with Cincinnati and is a favourite spot for evening strolls. Arriving early gives you time to take photos of the skyline as the sun lowers over the river, a great start to your Cincinnati dinner cruise.

The Ohio River

The Ohio River flows for about 1,580 kilometres from Pittsburgh to its meeting with the Mississippi, and it was one of the great highways of nineteenth-century America. Steamboats carried passengers and goods along it, and Cincinnati became one of the fastest-growing cities in the country thanks to the river trade.

The river also has a powerful place in history as the border between free and slave states. Many people escaping slavery crossed it to reach freedom in Ohio, a story told in the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center on the Cincinnati riverfront, which you see from the boat. Barges still push cargo up and down the river today, and watching them pass is part of the experience.

The Cincinnati skyline and its bridges

As the boat moves along the river, the Cincinnati skyline rises above the water, from Art Deco towers of the 1930s to the modern skyscraper crowned with a glass top inspired by a tiara. The riverfront is open and green, lined with parks, fountains and walkways that glow with lights in the evening.

The star of the cruise is the blue suspension bridge, opened in 1866 as the longest of its kind in the world and a model for the famous bridge later built in New York. Several other bridges cross the river here, each with its own character. You also pass the city's two riverfront stadiums, where its professional baseball and football teams play.

Covington and the Kentucky riverbank

On the Kentucky side, the cruise passes Covington, one of the oldest cities in the region, with tree-lined streets of nineteenth-century houses, church spires and a riverside walkway. Along the floodwall, a series of large painted murals tells the story of the area, from its Native American past to the steamboat era.

Behind Cincinnati, the green hilltop neighbourhood of Mount Adams looks down on the river, its houses and terraces lighting up as night falls. The view of both cities facing each other across the water, with bridges linking them, is one of the most beautiful sights in the region, and it is best enjoyed from the deck of a riverboat.

Dinner on board: the Admiral's buffet

The Admiral's dinner cruise offers the fullest menu on the river. The buffet includes fresh garden salads with dressings, chicken piccata in a lemon sauce, potato-crusted salmon and peppercorn ribeye carved by the chef, served with potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a basket of bread, followed by a sweets table. Menus may change with the season.

Coffee, tea, iced tea and water are included; soft drinks and other drinks are available to buy on board, and the boat is cashless, so bring a card. There is no dress code, so come in casual or smart clothes. To be seated together, everyone in your party should be on the same booking. Things to do in Cincinnati rarely feel as relaxing as this.