Savannah River Cruises With Food

Not every Savannah river cruise includes a meal — and if dining on the water is the point of your outing, it pays to know exactly which cruises serve food and what is on the buffet. This guide covers the meal cruises on the Savannah River, from a midday southern lunch to an evening dinner with live entertainment.

Which Cruises Include Food — and Which Don’t

The single most useful thing to know up front: the cheapest, most popular cruise is not a meal cruise.

The Riverboat Narrated Harbor Sightseeing Cruise (1.5 hours, from $42) is narrated only — its description states plainly that it does not include the lunch buffet, though Bar & Grille items are available to buy on board. The Sunset Cruise (from $55) likewise has only an onboard bar and grill. If you want a sit-down meal as part of the experience, you want one of the buffet cruises below.

The Sightseeing Lunch Cruise

The Sightseeing Lunch Cruise (2 hours, from $63, rated 4.6/5 from 795 reviews) is the daytime meal cruise — and at 4.6/5 it is the highest-rated cruise in the river-cruises lineup after the Monday Gospel cruise. You cruise down the Savannah River past the modern port and Old Fort Jackson, hearing the fort’s cannons and the captain’s commentary, while a southern-style buffet is served.

The sample buffet menu includes:

• Signature Savannah shrimp and grits
• Southern fried chicken
• A chef’s specialty station
• Creamy macaroni and cheese
• Southern greens and squash casserole
• Sweet potato soufflé
• Fresh fruit, assorted salads, and dessert

It is the cruise to book if you want the full sightseeing route — port, skyline, Fort Jackson cannons — combined with a relaxed midday meal.

The Buffet Dinner Cruise

The Buffet Dinner Cruise with Live Entertainment (2 hours, from $93) is the evening meal cruise. You dine in a climate-controlled ballroom while the riverboat glides down the Savannah River, then a live entertainer plays music from the 1950s through today’s hits and there is room to dance.

The dinner buffet menu includes:

• Signature Savannah shrimp and grits
• A beef carving station
• Fresh catch of the day
• Lemon and artichoke chicken with spinach
• Potatoes au gratin
• Squash casserole and seasonal vegetables
• Fresh garden greens with dressings

It sails year-round Sunday through Friday, boarding at 6:00 PM and returning at 9:00 PM.

The Sunday Brunch Cruise

For a Sunday trip, the Sunday Brunch Sightseeing Cruise (1.5 hours, from $77, rated 4.6/5) serves a southern brunch buffet in a climate-controlled dining room while the captain narrates the River Street landmarks. The brunch menu features southern fried chicken, honey-glazed spiral ham, Savannah shrimp and grits, ham and broccoli quiche, assorted breakfast items, and desserts. It is a one-of-a-kind option that combines the sightseeing route with a leisurely southern brunch.

The Monday Gospel Dinner Cruise

The Monday Gospel Dinner Cruise (2 hours, from $77, rated 4.8/5) is the highest-rated cruise in the river-cruises section. It pairs a southern buffet — southern fried chicken, pulled pork, barbecue, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, southern greens, coleslaw, biscuits, and desserts — with live gospel music. As the name says, it sails on Mondays only.

What the Buffets Have in Common

Across the lunch, dinner, brunch, and gospel cruises, a few signature dishes appear again and again — they are the backbone of the Savannah Riverboat Cruises kitchen. If you have eaten on one cruise, you will recognize the menu shape on another.

• Savannah shrimp and grits is the signature dish, served on the lunch, dinner, and brunch buffets.
• Southern fried chicken appears on every meal cruise — lunch, dinner, brunch, and the gospel cruise.
• Macaroni and cheese, squash casserole, and southern greens are the recurring sides.
• Desserts are included on every buffet.

The difference between the cruises is less about the core southern menu and more about the centerpiece and the setting: a beef carving station and fresh catch of the day on the dinner cruise, honey-glazed spiral ham and breakfast quiche at brunch, pulled pork and barbecue on the gospel cruise. All the meal cruises serve their buffets in a climate-controlled cabin or ballroom, so the dining is comfortable regardless of the weather outside.

Meal Cruise or Snacks-Only — Which Makes Sense

If you are weighing a meal cruise against the cheaper snacks-only cruises, it helps to think about the full cost of the evening rather than the ticket price alone:

• The Harbor Sightseeing Cruise ($42) and Sunset Cruise ($55) cover only the cruise — you would still need to find dinner on River Street afterward, where downtown restaurants add to the total.
• The meal cruises fold the dining into one booking. The Lunch Cruise at $63 and the Dinner Cruise at $93 each bundle a full southern buffet with the sailing, so there is no second reservation to make and no walk to a restaurant afterward.

For travelers who already plan to eat a sit-down meal that day, the meal cruise is often the simpler and more comparable choice once the cost of a separate dinner is counted in.

Choosing Your Meal Cruise

All of these cruises are operated by Savannah Riverboat Cruises, depart from River Street downtown, and include free cancellation up to 24 hours before sailing.

Ready to Book?

Whether you want a southern-buffet lunch, a leisurely Sunday brunch, or a full dinner cruise with live entertainment, there is a Savannah river cruise built around the meal. Compare menus, times, and prices on our Savannah river cruises page and book with free cancellation.