Merinda River Cruises

Negative experience: while i enjoyed the ambiance if this cruise and it was ok for the cost of the cruise it is not a child friendly boat!, they were told when booking we had a 2 year old but not one person told us we could not bring a pram until we were boarding told it was a boat you know!, when i pointed out he needed his pram was told he should be right on a chair as no high chairs are provided either, also no change area for kids either this was all from the captian a very rude man, however the second in charge lachlan i beleve was amazing when i could not settle my kid he bought my pram over and heleped me get the child in after pointing out 2 other people had their prams onboard and were allowed to use it, the food was great and it was a relaxing experience but i do feel they should state it is not a baby friendly vessel

Fantastic experience: Thanks for a fun day out. Will return again

Fantastic experience: What a great cruise, nice Fish n Chips lunch, great commentary from the Skipper, great views and finished off with the stop at Nelligen and its history!

Fantastic experience: Very peaceful and informative River Cruise. CAPT & Mate were very knowledgeable and helpful. Fish & Chips were hot & fresh. Our first visit to Nelligen as well after driving past it for decades.

Fantastic experience: Great value for money. Lunch of fish and chips was delicious. Very informative commentary. Had a great time

Fantastic experience: Nice experience! Had some friends visiting Batemans Bay for the first time and we enjoyed the experience! Nice views of the water and the fish and chip lunch included was also delicious! Recommended for anyone wanting a fun and relaxing lunch on the water!

Fantastic experience: Fantastic - all aboard the MV Escapade! What a lovely day we had, weather was perfect, the crew were great, the ship was a beauty! A beautiful cruise up the Clyde River to Nelligen with a great feed of fish and chips from the Innes Boatshed. If you are visiting Batesman Bay this is a must!

Fantastic experience: This was a really good value for money activity. The fish n chips was super good - fresh, light crispy batter, really good chips and salad. Food provided by the Boat Shed right where you busted the cruise. Lovely entertaining love commentary by the captain was appreciated, much better than a recording. Very nice seeing the oyster farms up the river. Downstairs has table seating which is preferable with kids or older people.

Fantastic experience: Really enjoyed the cruise. We sat up top the whole trip and thought it was a better view than down below.

Fantastic experience: On the one whole day we were there and the purpose of our trip a 3 hour cruise up the river with lunch (fish and chips...very nice) unfortunately there were no dolphins at the bow (we've done this trip without lunch before) and the people behind me were not interested in the commentary so I missed half of it (they forgot to raise their voices through all of it) anyway I Loved the feeling of going over the water loved watching the deckhand trying to "rope" the pylon best of all was the captain stating that if anyone asked a question to whih she did not know the answer she'd make it up Good stuff Thoroughly enjoyed it

Fantastic experience: Schöne 3-stündige Flusskreuzfahrt mit interessanten Erklärungen durch Kapitän Andy. Er ist ein Naturliebhaber und weiß viele interessante Dinge über die Fauna am Fluss. Das Lautsprechersystem wurde erneuert und funktioniert jetzt gut. Zum Lunch gibt es leckere Fish&Chips mit Salat. der Fisch ist reichlich und knusprig und nicht zu stark von Teig umhüllt. Insgesamt ein reeller Gegenwert für die 65$

Fantastic experience: Lovely trip, good fish n chips

Negative experience: I would like to share the terrible experience our family had to endure with the Merinda cruises - run via the Inns Boatshed. We walked in and booked a cruise on the 21st Dec'24 for a family of 4 and we were told by the lady at the reception that the only seating available is the roof as we didn't have a pre booking. So we got the tickets and while going through the lower deck - which had pretty lush seating along with individual tables for each family or couple, we had the impression that a similar setting would be available at the roof as well. But to the shock of our lives found that the upstairs seating was just a bunch of plastic chairs nailed to the floor, topping it all was the steep staircase which was hard to get on and off specially with kids. Note - there were no tables at the roof and this is just a temporary setting. Comparing this with the seating on the lower deck would be like comparing night and day. You would think you have been taken for a ride specially when you are paying the same amount of money as everyone else - which was in my opinion a bit overpriced - 65$ for adults , 35$ for kids. This could have been easily communicated whilst booking itself, so families could make an informed decision but I guess they chose to neglect the truth as it seems more about minting money rather than providing any real customer experience. There was another family with children requiring special needs and they were offered the same seating as us, imagine the experience they would have endured, feel so sorry for them. This could have easily been managed if the management was transparent and had just asked customers to book in for another day in case they needed a better seating with kids. The lack of proper seating was felt when we had the food served. We had to come down to get the food and find a table on our own - hardly any vacant though. Huge thanks to the beautiful couple on the lower deck who kindly agreed to share the tables so that we could finish our food. It was windy soon so became hard to sit upstairs specially with kids and we had to juggle the whole time fiddling around the front and back of the ship on the temporary seating available. Because of all these experiences, the 3 hrs cruise felt like a nightmare for us and were hoping it finishes as soon as possible. For the amount of money paid and the experience, I would suggest skipping the same and find something more interesting to do. The feedback was conveyed to the management on our way back from the cruise, but the only thing the guy at the reception could do was feel apologetic for our experience. I don't think they have actually worked at fixing these issues as while writing this review I just found a similar review from 3 years back. Hoped I would have seen that review before I booked for this cruise.

Fantastic experience: Today I decided to take my partner, Fiona on a “river cruise” at Batemans Bay. We left the jetty at 1130hrs and cruised up to Nelligan. Food, tea/coffee was provided. The Captain gave us a running commentary about the area - all the way to Nelligan I’m very “tight fisted” with my money but I do honestly believe that the prices for the trip/ lunch are way under what I expected to pay. Overall, I rate this trip a 10 out of 10. Thanks to all involved and please have a Merry Christmas for 2024. Gary and Fiona.

Fantastic experience: Nice relaxing cruise from Bateman's Bay to Nelligen with lunch included.

Fantastic experience: Really great cruise. Crew were very friendly and knowledgeable. The luch was great, fish, chips and salad, plus soft drinks/coffee, tea. The trip takes 3 hours including a 20-30 minute stop at Nelligen. Just the right amount of time to buy an ice cream! We have wanted to do this cruise for a long time, finally got it together and went. Really glad we did. Most people we tell about the trip say the same - something they've always wanted to do but haven't. Well, DO IT.

Fantastic experience: Great relaxing cruise for 3 hrs, great staff, captain Billy Jean was terrific, very informative, fish n chips very nice, would highly recommend the cruise.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely fantastic 3 hour trip up the Clyde river to Nelligan from Batemans Bay and back. Superb fish n chips with salad served on board by great staff. Fantastic scenery as you cruise in comfort up to Nelligan. Very informative crew tell of the rich history of the area. Hands down the best value day trip out of Batemans Bay. Highly recommended. Well done and thank so much for a great day out.

Fantastic experience: This was a nice simple cruise which lived up to our expectations.

Fantastic experience: Best thing to do when you are here in batemans bay. The cruise is for 3 hours in clyde river. Delicious fish and chips served onboard. Have got a mini bar inside. Cruise leaves 11 AM everyday. $60 PP with lunch.

Fantastic experience: Relaxing and pleasant 3 hour cruise. Lunch and hot beverages provided. Excellent local fresh fish, hot chips and salad. Informative commentary. Helpful staff. Stop up river for 30 minutes. Well worth the cost. Fun day out.

Fantastic experience: For anyone wanting to have a private function that is a little different, you can’t go past hiring the Merinda for a three hour cruise. From the outset the staff were courteous, helpful and nothing seemed to be too difficult for them. Our late afternoon cruise was delightful and took in the sunset whilst we cruised along. The catering for this celebration was superb. Firstly we were served with our fresh oysters, prawns, grazing platter of cheese, meats and antipasto, chicken and a platter loaded with a variety of fresh fruit. Our second serving consisted of perfectly fried prawn cutlets, calamari rings, & fish which was accompanied by hot chips. There was also cold chicken and a variety of salads. On board was the well appointed bar for refreshments. Our party thoroughly enjoyed the ambience, the quality food and service. Definitely worth the five star rating.

Positive experience: Very pleasant cruise up the river, excellent fish and chip lunch on board on the trip up river. The lady skipper was a local and had lots of local knowledge/ commentary on the areas along the way. Half hour stop over at Nelligen at the turn around. This was a bit of a waste of time, not enough time for a good look around, all passengers just hung around the dock waiting for the return leg, also local Cafe closed on Tuesday's. Upper deck just has plastic chairs, but in the shade and a pleasant breeze, plenty of space to walk around and height to see the sights, no speekers at the rear of the upstairs ( speakers up front) makes commentry hard to hear, steep stairs may be a challenge for older passengers. Down stairs offers padded seats and tables. Friendly attentive staff, a very nice 3 hour experience.

Fantastic experience: It's a slow cruise and lazy cruising. Enjoyed the ride. Fish and chip were crispy and delicious - perfect lunch for Boston ride

Fantastic experience: Fantastic trip! The boat was specious, the food was great and the staff are lovely. Oh and there’s a bar and toilets on board. When so many tours squash you in like sardines, it was refreshing to be so comfortable. 10 points to the team!

Positive experience: Thank you to all the staff and crew for making it a lovely cruise. Our group thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing cruise and lunch. What a secret little river. Thank you from Resident's of Over 55's Lake Conjola

Fantastic experience: Loved it.. informative captain.. relaxing.. not a real lot so see but worth doing to learn and experience.

Fantastic experience: Staff could not have been more friendly and helpful. I have difficulty walking but they got me onto the boat and off again. They seated me near the bar and brought my drinks to my table for me. The fish and chips came with lots of lovely fresh salad. The fish was locally caught and the batter crunchy and delicious. The Captain gave a very informative commentary but the sound system let her down. It was often hard not to miss bits of what she was saying. I couldn't get off at the town they visited but got to sit out in the sun on the deck and take it all in. I met some lovely tourists to chat to. I'd love to do it again.

Fantastic experience: Lovely cruise up the river with a lovely lunch. Very good commentary.

Fantastic experience: Such a great tour. And the best feed of fish & chips I have ever had l highly recommend doing this!

Fantastic experience: Lovely afternoon. Lunch was delicious. The stopover at Nelligen was perfect for an icecream. Andy's commentary was funny and informative. The young assistant was very obliging.

Fantastic experience: Great little cruise with great fish & chips & for us vegetarians we had potato Scallops, chips and salad. They have a bar & tea & coffee too.

Fantastic experience: Excellent commentary on the local area and fish and chip lunch very good. Certainly worth a visit when in Batemans Bay

Fantastic experience: Nice cruise lovely lunch recommend highly

Fantastic experience: We had a great time again with friends great comantary by the captain done it twice now and still worth it and great food

Fantastic experience: I had a great time. Highly Recommended.

Fantastic experience: Great experience wonderful helpful and friendly staff Fish and chips were fabulous ?salad ??? Explanation of what was happening on the river as we travelled was appreciated and informative My Grandkids loved trying to count all the jellyfish Dipping toes in the river at Nelligan was a quick treat on a hot day before boarding for the trip back All in all a great day out

Fantastic experience: This was a great experience and a lovely way to spend a lunchtime. The crew were very professional, especially given the sea was a little rough at the pier, and it was entertaining watching them load up the lunch in that swell. As soon as we left the bay and headed upriver it was a very calm and peaceful ride. The captain gave commentary about various locations and events along the way. This was interesting, but you could ignore it and just enjoy the scenery if you choose, so it wasn't intrusive. The fish, chips and salad were fresh and tasty and there's a reasonable selection of soft and hard drinks to purchase onboard. The addition of coke no sugar would be appreciated however, since their only offerings for sugar free beverages was ginger beer no sugar or water. We followed the Clyde River for over an hour, pausing for 30 minutes at Nelligen, where there is a well-kept park with play equipment and a local store selling hot and cold food including icecream. The trip back was predictable but without any commentary, so I found it enjoyable to head up to the rooftop seating area and watch the very large jellyfish float by. Arriving back at the bay we disembarked one at a time due to the rough waves which had increased a little in severity, but the crew got everyone off safely including those older folks with walkers. All in all it was a good trip for my family.

Fantastic experience: Lovely way to have lunch and for the price.. perfect and they sell beer .

Fantastic experience: Really enjoyable scenic cruise and great tasting fish for lunch.

Fantastic experience: Do not miss this if you are in Bateman bay. We celebrated son's 6th birthday in the cruise and it was one of the best birthday we had. Crew was amazing, captain event let kids drive the boat. Can't recommend this enough.

Negative experience: The commentary was boring. It was a repeated , monotonic and uninteresting. We learned nothing about the area or the oyster farms. The staff didn't interact. The fish and chips warm and oily. Not worth $55

Fantastic experience: This is a nice cruise. Well run and very relaxing. Very nice lunch too. Lovely fish and chips with really tasty flathead fillets. The price is reasonable and the experience good. Recommended.

Positive experience: Captain and staff are great; they do share wealth information of the river. Food, coffee and tea are great and complementary but not water - a bit disappointing.

Fantastic experience: What an awesome lunch/afternoons cruise experience up the beautiful Clyde River. We were on board the Escapade expertly Captained by Billie-jean and skipper Max. Great commentary and local knowledge shared. Fish,chips n salad for lunch freshly cooked was delicious. Well done Team, you are a credit to the region and local tourism.

Fantastic experience: A peaceful way to spend a day. Leisurely pace, lovely fish and chips from the Boathouse. When we went the Nelligen stop was cancelled due to conditions at the dock. I can imagine little ones might struggle without breaking the trip up, but was perfectly fine for the grown ups. Suitable for wet weather too as there's plenty of shelter. I would say that if you're looking for an action packed trip, this is going to disappoint. If you're after a relaxing day on the water, spotting the odd sea eagle and enjoying the national Park, you'll love your day out (as we did).

Fantastic experience: Great day out today on the cruise,food was hot,fresh and tasty.Crew looked after us fanasticly. Special mention to Jill on her maiden voyage, she looked after everyone on the cruise and nothing was a problem to her

Fantastic experience: Great sevice lovely people beautiful fish lunch. Would certainly recommend this cruise.Wonderful commentary buy feamale capt.Billie -jean,and Riley,thankyou for a great day even know it was raining.

Fantastic experience: Great cruise, food good, staff friendly and helpful, a lot of history in the area, well worth the 3 hrs on the boat

Fantastic experience: I had such a lovely day. The captain and crew were great. The food was hot and yummy. The scenery was fantastic. I would go again and recommend to others. Cheers

Fantastic experience: Great way to see the river very knowledgeable captain was great trip

Fantastic experience: Very pleasant relaxing trip down the Clyde River. Good food. Lots of scenery.

Positive experience: Very delicious lunch

Fantastic experience: Awesome

Fantastic experience: Loved the cruise

Fantastic experience: The cruise was wonderful, staff were very helpful and knowledgeable about the local area and it's history, very informative and fun. Would recommend a river lunch cruise, even if you don't eat fish you can byo

Fantastic experience: Leisurely and informative boat cruise. Fish and chips with salad for lunch was freshly prepared and delicious.

Fantastic experience: We had a great time, the food was excellent and the staff courteous and helpful.

Fantastic experience: Although a fairly small boat, the cruise was a great experience. Weather was perfect, fortunately. The captain & his young helper were friendly & willing to help you on and off the boat. Fish and chips & a small salad was just enough for lunch. There was tea & coffee available with a biscuit after lunch. Bar facilities were also available on board. Our stop in Nelligan was perfect. Just enough time to look around at a few historical sites & then enjoy a yummy ice cream from the little shop, before getting back on board for the return trip to Batemans Bay. Would highly recommend this trip. Very relaxing & good commentary from the captain on the way up the river.

Positive experience: Cruise was 3 hour long with nothing exciting to see. Captain had very good humor and his talk was quite enjoyable. Fish and chips for lunch was very good and free tea/coffee with biscuits was also provided. Cost was bit expensive $50 per adult and $25 for kids as we had to seat Upstairs. Seating in downstairs is best. In upstairs seating arrangement is very poor and we had to use very steep stairs to get lunch and tea from downstairs. It would been great if Cruise was shorter with opportunity to view dolphins. Cost for Upstairs seating should be less than downstairs.

Fantastic experience: Very enjoyable, great value, lovely lunch, interesting local talk.

Fantastic experience: Had a wonderful cruise. Enjoyed the whole experience. Loved the fish and chips!!!

Fantastic experience: The cruise was great and i enjoyed the fish and chip lunch.. It was reasonably priced too i would recommend it to anyone visiting batemans bay

Fantastic experience: A lovely way to spend a leisurely 3 hours on the Clyde River . A generous lunch of fish , chips and salad is provided and drinks at the bar are reasonably priced . The captain provides a commentary on some of the significant historical facts about the river and the settlement of Nelligen . Overall a pleasant experience .

Fantastic experience: Fantasyic cruise, informatove staff and a great fish and cjips lunch.

Fantastic experience: Absolutely the best day out for all ages in my family...Highly recommended

Fantastic experience: Absolutely wonderful day up the river with delicious fish and chips! Very interesting and entertaining knowledge of the local area provided and a very relaxing family experience. A lovely stop in Nelligan too! This is our third trip we’ve done and I highly recommend everyone give this a go as it is excellent value for money and a beautiful experience to remember!

Fantastic experience: Great cruise and a very informative captain.

Fantastic experience: Had a wonderful day on the water, the fish and chips were lovely and the stop off in Nelligen for ice cream was great! Got to hear about the history of the areas. Thanks!

Fantastic experience: The cruise, the staff, the food everything was well worth the time and money. We simply loved the experience and would recommend to anyone around the bay!

Fantastic experience: What a wonderful day out on the Clyde River from Batemans Bay. Friendly staff, delicious lunch, beautiful scenery on a relaxing cruise to Nelligen. I enjoyed the interesting and informative commentary about the area surrounding the river. Highly recommended.

Fantastic experience: Thoroughly enjoyed our lunch river cruise. Captain provided an informative, entertaining commentary. Fish 'n' chip lunch was the freshest we've *ever* eaten. Definitely a relaxing way to spend an afternoon. We'd do it again for sure

Fantastic experience: Had a wonderful cruise, weather perfect, commentary interesting and informative, staff friendly, helpful and professional. Fish and chip lunch was lovely. Thank you for a great experience.

Positive experience: Nice cruisy cruise should be called Coasty McCoastface but, groovy baaaayyyybbbeee

Positive experience: A must do when visiting Bay

Fantastic experience: We had a fantastic time on the River Cruise! It was better than I had expected it to be. We saw seals, Ospray, Sea Eagles and heaps of jellyfish. The lunch was nice, and Andy and crew were really nice and friendly. Definitely going again!

Fantastic experience: Beautiful.

Fantastic experience: Beautiful cruise of the Clyde river. Great fish and chip lunch. Fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Interesting commentary by the Captain on various landmarks and history of the area. Really worthwhile.

Positive experience: Still good little cruise. Did cruise 2yrs ago. Was having breakfast st Starfish Deli.

Fantastic experience: Great 3 hours with the freshest fish and chips you can imagine. Entertaining commentary, very pleasant way to spend the day and reasonably priced

Fantastic experience: Lovely easy cruise up the river. Lots of jelly fish in the water which my 3 yr old loved. Top deck has nice views, staff nice and food good too. Great for a simple family day out.

Fantastic experience: Even though the cost seems a little high, I feel it was good value. The boat is spacious, plenty of room for all the passengers, a nice bar with drinks at a reasonable price (crownies $8.00). The captain have a detailed guide of the river and places along the river. The fish, chips and salad were beautiful, today's fish was Marlin.

Negative experience: What a wonderful idea it would be to advise customers at time of booking that the boat cannot go under the bridge and it will only do three trips up and down the river on the ocean side,how utterly boring it was.If we were told we would not have wasted our time

Positive experience: Great friendly crew, relaxed atmosphere. Lunch was really nice fish chips and salad, complimentary tea, instant coffee. Also sold wine beer and crisps. Stopped at Nellingen up river for icecream at local cafe and stretched legs. Lovely way to relax, especially on overcast drizzly day. PARKING: don't get caught in 3 hour zones. We parked behind soldier's club in all day parking. Ask locals where else.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic cruise. The staff were very friendly and the food was good.