MV Mary Ann Cruising Restaurant

Lovely lunch and cruise along the river. Well priced.

Our first experience having meal in boat. Very ambiance place. Lovely meal. Definitely coming back. But need to take a long travel to reach the spot. Lol..

When looking up 'Best Breakfasts in Echuca' I was genuinely shocked to find you could get a river cruise and morning meal for $29 ($15 for kids). You had me at hello, MV Mary Ann. Though the price (what a bargain!) got my interest it was the experience that won me over.Our group tried the bacon and eggs (classic and yummy), the ancient grains (delicious with the addition of lamb) and the Mary Ann BLT (also good). The food was basic but delicious: think typically cafe fare. The coffees were well made and the beverages prices were standard.The crew were all lovely and the service exceptional.However the real reason to visit is the wind blowing through your hair and the unbeatable atmosphere as you cruise down the Murray. The addition of brekkie is just a welcome plus. Keep in mind though the MV Mary Ann is not a paddle steamer, if that's what you're after.I can see why this came up number one, honestly I can't think of a better way to enjoy your morning meal. We'll definitely be back.

We looked at the Saturday dinner cruise however it booked out fast!Three friends and I settled on the Sunday Café 1hr cruise at 10:30 and we all were very impressed :)The food was tasty, fresh and and very good size portions! The team were just amazing also with all the team only to happy to help with anything.We will be coming back up from Bendigo for a day trip soon and this will be one of our must do items! :)Thank you to all the team at the MV Mary AnnP.S the eggs benny was a treat!

Very peaceful and smooth cruise. I went midweek on the noon sailing, and had a nice lunch: beer battered flat head. The fish was a little disappointing, as it was not very hot, and the batter was a little soft, as if it had been out of the fryer for some time. The fries and dip, and salad were lovely. The staff were very friendly and attentive. There's a little bit of commentary on the PA that tells a little bit about the history of the place, as well as some of the boats. Definitely would recommend this to anyone visiting the area.

Wonderful morning spent on the Murray, a great experience and exceptional value for money. Ticket included a beautiful breakfast (waffles pictured below) and drink and fantastic customer service. Loved going out onto the outside deck for some sunshine. Air-conditioning was great, maybe even needed a jumper!

Excellent cruise. Great value for money and a wide variety of food to choose from and not your usual Parma’s.Staff are super friendly and plenty of additional food and drink to choose from beyond the setmenu.

It proved to be an interesting experience.It's only fair to talk about the restaurant and the cruise separately, however I need to point out that it's a shared experience and should be considered two parts of a whole.The cruise itself was quite bland, although I'm not local I have spent some time on the Murry and love the river. The cruise is realistically a boat trip of around an hour up the river, then you come back and spend around half an hour turning about and docking. Sunset dining is lovely, and you have both the advantages (air conditioning and it's quite quiet) of enclosed dining and its disadvantages (you've come all the way out here and miss out on alfresco). There is no commentary or real staff interaction, as they're waiters and not tour guides. So don't expect anything, similarly if you're after some photo opportunities with the exception of landscapes you are going to be disappointed. Having said all of that I would like to underline that this is essentially a FREE trip, so you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth either.Getting on to the restaurant part is perhaps a bit more difficult. The food is definitely very good, carefully prepared and appearing in a timely manner throughout our trip.We shared a trio of dips for starters, which arrived with warm toasted bread and the obvious selection of dips. They did not taste like they've been bought at the supermarket, being very nice. Personally the toasted lentils were the best of the bunch for me.The steak was actually cooked as ordered and the snapper was not overcooked or dry. We also had some chips and broccolini on the side. Chips were crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. However the broccolini was quite disappointing, being a standard mix of steamed veggies without any real garnish or dressing. A balsamic vinaigrette would have gone a long way to lifting that dish.Lastly we enjoyed a selection of cheeses for dessert. It was again quite lovely over all, however missing small details that would make a big impact, using flavoured crackers instead of the plain ones or perhaps some fresh fruit on the side. The platter itself came with a bed of salad leaves, a few strawberries and some dried fruit scattered throught.That essentially summarises my experience, the entire experience is definitely good. However it is priced at a premium which it definitely fails to achieve. The problem is that it's essentially a 3 star restaurant charging 4 star prices.Given the cost, I expect perfection, and it's the little details that often make you feel special. This is something that is missing almost entirely, realistically they either need to improve the service significantly or drop around $10 off each menu item. I would have been delighted with $20 cheeseboard for two that average, however for $30 again I want perfection.