Expensive, but good way to see the city
Overall I enjoyed the gateway clipper Dinner and dance cruise. I wouldnt recommend wasting your money on any of the 1 hour cruises, this one is the only way to go. It was pretty expensive, and the drinks prices were high (10.00 a drink!) but I guess thats about the same for any event or fancy outing. Im not from Pittsburgh, and I always thought the city is one of the dirtiest, most run down cities I have ever been in, but seeing it from the clipper fleet on the river makes it look so nice. The food was all very good, and I was shocked that after I loaded up on the buffet they cleared it out and then served dinner. I thought what I had just eaten WAS dinner. That was nice, you definitely get fed well. If you have the money, take the long cruise, its very enjoyable. I only found 3 things wrong with the trip, but nothing major.
1 - assigned seating. This was so dumb. Why is there assigned seating? There were plenty of open seats, and for the hundreds of dollars you pay it would be nice to not get stuck sitting next to some loud hick or screaming child.
2- When we went the band they had sucked. It wasnt that they played bad music or I didnt like the songs. They chose good songs, they just did a horrible job. I've heard better high school garage bands. They really should have done better, especially for the sky high prices you pay
3 - Dress. This really bothered me, I paid a lot of money to go on a nice, fancy cruise on the river. The boat was nice, the food was good, it was very up-scale. About 90% of the people were dressed appropriately. My party wore suits and dresses, and a few people there had polos and slacks which was fine. On the other hand, a few people were on the ship wearing flip flops, sleeveless T-shirts and jean shorts! When you buy the dinner dance cruise, they tell you its semi-formal. Most people go for a nice night out on the river, I have no idea why people would even show up dressed like they came right out of the trailer park. Gateway Clipper really should enforce the dress code. No one wants to slow dance with their wife in a $1600 suit next to the guy in the Miller lite shirt and jean shorts. It just ruined the experience. Show up with a collar or GTFO.
Other than that, expect to leave broke, but its a fun time. Definitely go if you are visiting the city.