Amsterdam Light Festival Cruise By Captain Dave

Amazing tour. Guide was kind, funny and very knowledgeable. Highly recommend. He also helps us find a good place to eat afterwards.

It could be that I had to big expectations due to the high ratings. Captain Dave did not join us this evening and his replacement was a nice guy , but a very ‘fast speaker ‘ He also was a bit stressed I think… Forgot to mention that we needed to help our self with the drinks since he was busy being the captain. The lightarts was beautiful, but not spectacular. Nice to have a boattrip on the canal so we will for sure do that again when we come back to beautiful Amsterdam in spring.

Captain dave light fest tour was fab. We had gone last year with them too and this year even better- the commentary/skipper on board karim but also captain dave mgmt/hospitality/troubleshooting. Comfortable warm boat in freezing weather. A must to go again and spread the positive word.

The Amsterdam Light Festival Cruise with Captain Dave was truly a magical experience. Our captain navigated the boat, which, despite its nearly 100 years, is still in impeccable condition, with remarkable skill. The intimate atmosphere of the small tour, with only five passengers aboard, made the experience even more special. Captain Dave, an incredibly knowledgeable and charming woman, shared her extensive insights about the city and the stunning light art, entertaining us wonderfully. Included in the price were delicious snacks and an excellent selection of beverages, which made the journey even more enjoyable. This tour is a fantastic opportunity to explore the city from the water. We wholeheartedly recommend Captain Dave!

Beautiful boat! Our guide was wonderful. Beverages and snacks were better than expected! This is definitely worth going on, small private group experience is worth it.

Tour Operator was awesome. The light display not as advertised on the various booking sites. Not much to see.

It all sounds spectacular--Amsterdam Light Festival-- but it was rather unspecial. We remained inside during the wintry cruise and the views were limited because of the windows, the rain, and all the other passengers. Our Captain was good at the steering wheel but referred to everyone as "Guys" about a 100 times during the hour+ trip. The wine/food offerings were meager: stale Pringles and questionable vintages. It could have been better with Christmas jazz and bigger windows. The lights were pretty but not breathtaking.

Great experience. Researched different boats and picked Captain Dave. It’s a smaller boat (12 people) than most of the massive commercial tours and we were able to take some side options while others were waiting in traffic on the canal. Lots of great/fun/interactive information. Didn’t need a boat with all the food, we had snacks and plenty of drink options. Would definitely recommend Captain Dave and crew. Fantastic!!

The Light Festival boat tour with Okka as our captain was a wonderful experience. Having a small group was perfect. It combined informative commentary with breathtaking views of the canals and light art. The boat was comfortable and warm, with an outdoor deck for fresh air, and offered a nice variety of drinks and light snacks.

I had a great time on this cruise. Easy meeting instructions, very friendly captain and a lovely boat. Very comfortable, plenty of drinks and snacks. Captain (Roman) had plenty of interesting stories and was happy to answer questions about the boat and Amsterdam in general. The group was very small (max 12) which made the experience even better - we sailed past many other much larger canal boats and I was very glad to have chosen Captain Dave instead. Would recommend!!

Every time we are in Amsterdam, Captain Dave is a must. Knowledgeable, funny, and an absolute character, he knows the city and its history inside out and delivers it all with great humour. We always book him for a few hours, laugh non-stop, learn a lot… and then we’ve had enough fun and stories to last us another six months 🤣 Friendly, entertaining, and genuinely memorable — wouldn’t do Amsterdam without Captain Dave.

Excellent informative tour. A warm welcome on to the boat great range of drinks and snacks were delicious. Great night enjoyed by all five of my family!

Lovely historic boat, great guide, a lovely 1.5hr night cruise around the canals of beautiful Amsterdam

Everyone enjoyed themselves. Christmas lights were beautiful and the captain was informative and entertaining

Outstanding! Roman was the best host. Quaint boat with lots of hospitality! Highly recommend ! Warm and toasty as we rode through the canals.

The boat was smaller than most and cozy. I first sat out back in the open air but couldn’t hear the guide Roman and couldn’t actually see as much. Roman took care of us with mulled wine and cookies. The hot chocolate dispenser was broken which was a problem. Roman was fun and knowledgeable and overall the tour was nice.

Jan was great! Friendly, personable and knowledgeable! He made the experience so pleasant! We would recommend him and Captain Dave’s to our friends. And the boat’s history was amazing too!

First class operation, and zero Disneyland feeling. A classic boat, excellent narrative from our captain, we had a meaningful experience . These folks know their business

The small groups was great! Our tour guide, Hussein was funny and very knowledgeable about everything Amsterdam! Lots to drink, but snacks were Dissapointing, only chips. All-in-all it was a very positive experience and would recommend.

Very good value. This canal tour was about 2 hours and we were able to see many Christmas lights and art works. Snacks and mulled wine was provided. Roman was very entertaining and quite knowledgeable. Would very much recommend this tour for families.

Jan was an excellent guide with a great personality and knowledge of the local landmarks and architecture. The light installations were beautiful and the entire tour was interesting and informative. Loved the boat and hope to return to this beautiful city and take this tour of the canals and harbor again on Captain Dave’s canal tour.

The guide is tremendously knowledgeable about everything in the canals. The boat holds 12 passengers and it's really nice to travel through the canals with limited people. The only thing that would have made this trip better ould if it wasn't raining. On a personal note, I misread the instructions and had it standing at the wrong place. Captain Dave and his staff work non-stop to ensure we were at the right place so we would make our cruise time.

We loved our cruise and our captain! It was a beautiful and informative tour of the canals. We would recommend everyone to take a Cruise by Captain Dave!

This canal cruise was perfect! Great captain, beautiful boat, and the perfect amount of information and stories while viewing the light festival installations. It was a smaller boat which lead to a more intimate setting. A great opportunity to get away from the louder crowds and pack them in bigger boats. Would highly recommend and cruise on Captain Dave’s boat!

Comfortable and Fun and Interesting Good Gluwein and cookies. Cool boat. Great evening with friends.

We had Jan as our captain for the Light Show, and he was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful, answering all of our questions. There was plenty of wine and cookies for everyone, with some left over! The boat even has a bathroom, which is a big plus. Even though it was winter, the boat was fully covered and equipped with a heater. The back of the boat opens up to a deck where you can also enjoy the show from outside, though it was far too cold to do that this time. Overall, it was an excellent experience—highly recommend!

Jan was our captain, and he was amazing! He is very knowledgeable about the canals, art and architecture, and Amsterdam as a whole. He was engaging and funny, and handled the boat with aplomb. If you are in Amsterdam, do not miss Dave's Canal Cruise.

Fantastic canal cruise. Only 5 of us plus our Captain for the evening. This was our 1st evening in Amsterdam and Kareem was a great captain. Funny, informative, and everything was relaxed. We all laughed and really had a great time. Other boats were jam packed with people who looked bored as we past by them. Perfect way to see Amsterdam and I highly recommend you go at sunset. Free beer and wine, and soft drinks, too.

Took the 8 am tour. Absolutely amazing. We had beautiful weather and Gisela, our guide, was engaging and provided a wealth of information. We highly recommend Captain Dave’s. A great way to start our Amsterdam adventure.

Captain Jack put a lot of energy into the evening. It was a lot of fun and an interesting way to see the sights of Amsterdam. He bonded us as a group, was entertaining and informative. The group was a good vibe.

Great time on board with Jan! Very knowledgeable about all things Amsterdam, and was a great snapshot of the city via the canals. Comfy & cozy way to enjoy a couple of hours in Amsterdam.

Booked based on other reviews, would advise others to do the same. I managed somehow to mess up the booking but Dave kindly put on another boat in the evening for us, and by the sounds of it let another couple off the hook as well so we only had 4 people on the boat. I wanted a cruise where we could see the sites, have a drink but it wouldn't be full of people that just wanted a booze cruise. Our host was informative, fun and engaging throughout. Lots of local facts, history and personalisation of the story throughout. Warm inside, mulled wine, some bottles of beer, wine and snacks. I was hoping the night lights would be a little more interesting, but that's not on Captain Dave! It's still worth going regardless as the majority is about seeing Amsterdam at night and the conversation.

We all were a little surprised this wasn’t the real Dave. But Jan was the most astonishing alternative replacement. His knowledge, humour especially his experience made this one of the most unforgettable moments of our entire trip.

It was a fun way to spend our last night in Amsterdam. Boat was lovely, host made sure we had everything we needed! Though it was chilly, we decided to sit outside and had the back of the boat to ourselves. It was a perfect place to view all of the lights. The blankets they provided kept us nice & warm.

My mom and I had a great time with Tony! The boat was cozy and comfortable with the mulled wine and beer and other drinks flowing. We loved the Dutch gingerbread. My favorite part was how well Tony described the history of the canals and of Amsterdam in general. He showed us a great time and the lights were wonderful.

We learned a lot about Amsterdam from a local that you won't typically learn. Captain Dave's excursion was informative and fun. Of course, we loved seeing the sights by night and the Light Festival was beautiful.

An amazing way to see the lights and hear about the history of the city. Was warm on the boat however there were blankets available if needed. Mulled wine and soft drinks were included which was a lovely touch. Would highly recommend.

Cruise was great. Captain was fantastic and the boat was very nice…having an available toilet after a beer and some mulled wine was very much appreciated!

We had a great time with Captain Dave's team. Tony was our Captain. Gave us a great history of Amsterdam while viewing the lights. Would definitely recommend!

Our family had a delightful experience with Captain Roman of Captain Dave’s Boat Tours. We took the 4:30pm tour of the Lights Festival. The timing was perfect, seeing the city at dusk, just as the lights came on. Roman was a gracious host on the boat, answering our many questions and very accommodating to the children on board. We enjoyed the ambiance of the boat, drinks, snacks and the lovely ride around the canals of Amsterdam. We highly recommend this tour! A+

We had a wonderful experience. Very informative guide and a fabulous way to be introduced to the canals of Amsterdam.

Great tour guide and the most comfortable seats. Small group which is great. Very comfortable boat!!

We had a wonderful time on our Amsterdam Festival of Lights cruise. Our captain, Hassein, was personable, funny and extremely knowledgeable about his favorite city in the world. Our starting location changed from what was originally communicated when I booked the tour. Captain Dave reached out directly with clear and concise directions and address. Highlight recommend this tour! It's a great way to experience Amsterdam.

We enjoyed a fantastic cruise on a beautiful, historic boat. Our Captain, Jan, was a great host. He was fun and his knowledge of the canals, houses and art works was so informative. The illuminations were a delight and it was great to gain a different perspective of Amsterdam from the water. Impressive and highly recommended!

Really recommend. Our captain for the evening (Hassan) was incredibly informative and engaging throughout the tour with great knowledge and insight of the area and history of Amsterdam. Highlight of our trip.

It was a great tour. Small group, so not busy or noisy. Snacks and drinks were also nice touch. The boat is a beautiful 100yrs old boat with smooth motor. The light arts were so beautiful. Kudos to Capt Tony for making it a memorable trip.

We had an awesome experience on our canal cruise! Jan was outstanding: he was extremely knowledgeable about the Light Festival and shared a lot of history about Amsterdam. Highly recommended!

I am still trying to get a full refund from Caption Dave. I agreed to a change of boat that was supposed to be the same as the boat I had made reservations for. Instead another captain showed up with an inferior boat-fewer windows to view the lights and no skylight. It looked nothing like the picture he advertised. We did not take the cruise. Captain Dave is still trying to not give us a refund.

My wife and I took the light festival cruise December 4th. We had the pleasure of meeting Captain Jan (Captain Dan's other boat Captain). He was well versed with all the art pieces as well as in the history festival the area itself. We were in Amsterdam for 9 nights and took this light festival cruise on night 9. We couldn't have picked a better way to finish off a great vact. Thank-You Captain Jan!