A private Amsterdam dinner cruise or a shared boat?
Boat Boys hires out a whole boat with dinner for the evening, while the other three cruises sell seats on a shared boat. The private price covers the boat, not each guest, so the sums change with the size of your group. Divide first, then compare.
What the private cruise includes
The Boat Boys private dinner cruise from ~$432 is priced for the whole boat on Viator. It scores 5.0 from 73 reviews there, and 5.0 from 3 reviews on GetYourGuide. Viator lists 2 hours, while GetYourGuide offers 2 or 3 hours.
Before the cruise you choose one of several Amsterdam restaurants for the group. On board, each guest orders two courses à la carte from it. Viator's sample dishes include pumpkin soup, seabass and a cheese platter.
That setup differs from every shared cruise on this site, where the menu is fixed or chosen at booking. Here each guest picks on the night from one kitchen. Ask about dietary needs when you choose the restaurant, since the options depend on it.
The captain doubles as your guide. The boats are covered, heated saloon boats with an open area, and GetYourGuide says they fit up to 12 guests. Smaller boats are used for two.
The two listings disagree on drinks
GetYourGuide includes a welcome drink, coffee or tea, water and gratuities. Other drinks come from a minibar at a cost.
Viator lists wine and beer as included, with champagne by the bottle at extra charge. Which version applies depends on the page you pay on, so read the inclusions there before you book. Our page on drinks included or extra compares all four cruises.
The route and the dock
The Boat Boys route covers the Prinsengracht and the Herengracht, the Anne Frank House, Magere Brug (the Skinny Bridge), the Houseboat Museum and the Maritime Museum. There are no stops to get off, so you stay aboard for the whole evening.
Boarding is at Oosterdokskade 8, on the wooden dock next to the floating Chinese restaurant Sea Palace. The cruise ends where it starts. Our guide on where the boats board covers the other three docks.
Cost per head against a shared seat
The private price is for the boat, so the useful figure is that price divided by your group. Viator's ~$432 is the base price for the smallest group, and the total can change with your numbers. Check it on the listing for your exact head count.
Set the result against a shared seat. Our full breakdown of what a dinner cruise costs adds drinks and tips to each price.
| Cruise | Priced as | From | Drinks | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boat Boys, private | The whole boat | ~$432 | Listings differ | 2 hours (3 on GetYourGuide) |
| LOVERS, four courses | Per person | ~$99 | Beer, wine and soft drinks poured | 2 hours |
| Aemstelland, three courses | Per person | ~$134 | One Prosecco, then bought on board | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Stromma, pizza | Per person | ~$39 | Wine, beer and soft drinks poured | 1.5 hours |
For a couple, the boat price split two ways usually costs far more than two seats on a shared boat. The private boat is then about privacy and an occasion, not value. Our page on a dinner cruise for two weighs that choice.
For four, six or ten people, the split narrows the gap quickly. Divide the boat price by your group and set it beside a LOVERS seat at ~$99 with drinks poured. Then add a share of any paid drinks on the private side.
Length matters in the sum too. The 3-hour option on GetYourGuide gives a group a longer evening aboard, which no shared cruise here offers. Compare its price per head with the 2-hour version before you decide the extra hour pays off.
One table, one boat, your group
Boat Boys boards your group at Oosterdokskade, with your chosen restaurant's food aboard and the captain at the wheel. Price the boat for your exact group size on both pages, since their drinks lists differ.
When a private boat makes sense
A group of six to twelve gets the most from it. You talk across one table without strangers at the next one, and each guest picks their own two courses. Birthdays, family reunions and small work dinners fit this shape well.
Families with small children also gain from it. Nobody minds a restless toddler on a boat you hired, and our guide on a dinner cruise with children compares the shared options.
When a shared boat is the better call
Couples and small groups on a budget usually do better on a shared boat. LOVERS pours beer and wine with four courses, and Aemstelland gives each party a private window table on a classic saloon boat of no more than 20 guests.
A shared boat also has more evenings on offer and a fixed menu with no planning. If you would rather book in a minute than pick a restaurant, take a seat. Families on a budget can try the Stromma pizza cruise, the cheapest of the four, where each booking gets its own table.
Before you book a private boat
The Boat Boys cruise is not wheelchair accessible, according to its listings. The listings we read allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before, but check the terms for your group size too.
Message the operator after booking if you have a birthday or a surprise planned; we cannot promise what they will arrange. For the evening itself, our guide on what to wear on board covers the open deck and the windy quay.