Riverboat Queen brunch cruises begin on Mother's Day

Mother's Day, May 13, marks the return of the brunch and dinner cruises aboard the Riverboat Queen, the SkipperLiner paddle wheeler that chugs along the Christina River.

The popular cruises at the Wilmington Riverfront have been a fixture in the city since 2009, though operations were halted for two years in 2015. 

The Riverboat Queen resembles a much smaller version of an early-American grand riverboat. Built in 1988 by SkipperLiner Inc., in La Crosse, Wisconsin, the boat was once known as the Belle of Graton and later Pennsylvania’s Spirit.

It docks at the Wilmington Riverfront behind Joe’s Crab Shack and Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant on the Christina River in the 600 block of S. Madison Street.

The boat offered all-you-can-eat crab dinners for six years, but the service stopped when former owner Lt. Steven Barnes, a Wilmington police officer, decided to retire. 

The Riverfront Development Corp. of Delaware purchased and refurbished the 80-passenger commercial boat in 2016 and rebooted the Thursday evening dinner and Sunday brunch and supper cruises last year. 

Riverboat Queen back to cruising the Christina

The boat's major upgrades included structural improvements, new paint, a new awning, carpeting, fixtures and an overhauled bar area. 

The Riverboat Queen is not really a floating restaurant. Coast Guard regulations don’t allow cooking.

The food served on the double-deck vessel, which has two heads (restrooms), is prepared by a culinary team from Sodexo, based at the Chase Center on the Riverfront.

The cruises include one hour of docked eating and about two hours of cruising.

Sunday brunch cruises, which include jazz entertainment, start May 13 and run through Sept. 30. Boarding begins at 11 a.m., and cruising is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 

Sunday supper cruises also begin May 13. Boarding is at 3:30 p.m. and cruising is from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.  

The first Thursday sunset cruise is May 17 and the season runs through Sept. 6. Boarding for Thursday sunset cruises is at 5:30 p.m., with cruising beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The buffet menu for the Thursday sunset and Sunday supper cruises includes barbecue chicken, hamburgers, veggie burgers, smoked baby back ribs, rolls, coleslaw, potato salad, watermelon and assorted desserts.

The Sunday brunch buffet offers fresh-baked pastries, muffins, Danish, croissants, seasonal fruits and berries, whole salmon with panko dill crust and balsamic drizzle, scrambled eggs with chives, bacon, country sausage, roasted potatoes O'Brien, pan-seared chicken marsala, pasta primavera with tomato basil sauce, seasonal vegetables, sweets and cookies.

The cost for all the cruises is $45 for adults and $22.50 for children. A cash bar is available.

For more information about the Riverboat Queen, go to wilmwaterattractions.com/riverboat-queen/ or call (302) 425-4890.

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Contact Patricia Talorico at (302) 324-2861 or ptalorico@delawareonline.com and on Twitter @pattytalorico