Dinner Cruise along Manila Bay

For my 26th birthday, my boyfriend treated me to a dinner cruise along Manila Bay. We availed the package offered by Sun Cruises. There's another company offering the same package- Prestige Cruises.

The yachts for the dinner cruise are docked behind the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The easiest way to get there is if you have your own ride. For our part, we hired a cab from SM Manila to CCP Complex. With light traffic, the ride cost P90.00. There are also some jeepneys from Taft that pass through CCP Complex.

docked ship for dinner cruise

Sun Cruises prefer prior reservations but they also welcome walk-ins as long as there are available spaces. It's a good thing that it was a Thursday when we had the cruise. There were less people and we're all in the upper deck. For peak seasons, try to arrive early so you can choose your place. The cost of the cruise is P550 per pax.

The best things about the cruise are the view and the experience itself. For more than an hour, you get a good glimpse of the Manila Bay shores- the buildings, the ships and the sunset. The trip starts from CCP to SM Mall of Asia. 

before the dinner

staring at the sunset

They have daily trips from 4:30 to 10:00 pm. They have three trips. If you're sailing to see the sunset, board the 4:30 trip. But I think the best time to sail is their second trip, 6:30 pm because it's just right for dinner with the darkness and light playing hide and seek. The third one is rather late but best for a romantic ambiance scheduled at 8:30 pm to 10:00 pm.

view from the deck

sunset view from the deck

There's also live entertainment.

As for the food, it's a big disappointment. We were served with a salty watery bowl of soup, a plate with a cold cup of rice and two dishes. There was also a small serving of gulaman dessert. The worst thing is, drinks are not included. WTH! When is a dinner served without drinks?

The seamen aboard the cruise were friendly and helpful. Ironically, the waiters were not so friendly. They did not offer a welcoming smile. While eating, we also heard them talking about the guests aboard the ship. Tsk, tsk bad manners!

So in conclusion, it was a good experience for a first-timer with a few downsides that did not necessarily spoil the fun!

taking a shot on the open deck