So who has the best dinner cruise in the Tampa Bay area; Starlite Cruises, Yacht Starship Cruises, Show Queen Cruises?

Well, I would have to agree with the readers of Tampa Bay magazine and choose…

Drum roll please…….

Starlite Cruises!  My wife and I have been on all the major dinner cruises in the area and we both agree that this boat gets our top pick.

We took the Starlite Majesty, one of the their cruise ships on our 1^st anniversary and I must say it did not disappoint at all.

We were concerned initially because we were unsure of how to dress on the cruise.

So I wore a suit and a tie, waited in the parking lot to check out how others were dressed going on the ship.  I was going to take off my jacket and tie if I was overdressed.

From my observations I quickly came to the conclusion that the attire ranges from casual to somewhat dressy (suit and tie for men and something comparable for women).

So what makes Starlite Cruises better than all the others?  Well, I would say the view, the atmostphere, and the food.

View

The view of the Gulf of Mexico was gorgeous! 

We saw an absolutely stunning sunset while aboard.  Just watching the sun over the beautiful water of Clearwater Beach almost takes your breath away.

We cruised along the bay while sailing by Sand Key Beach and observing the beautiful green landscape on the shore.

However, I must say being a person that loves skyscrapers somehow I wish there was a skyline that I could have seen on the trip.

The view of the water was beautiful but a nice skyline would have made it even more enjoyable, for me that is. 

Even so, there has been some development on the Clearwater Beach shore so there may be more scenery to view now than when we took our cruise.

Food

I must admit that I am no food critic when it comes to fine dining. However, I thought that the food was pretty good. 

I say that as my disclaimer so that you don’t get upset with me if you don’t agree.

I am usually more of a casual dining kind of guy growing up in a southern town in North Carolina.

However, over the years my taste buds have transformed as I have been exposed to a wider variety of restaurants.

If it helps any my wife, who is a little more discriminating in food choices, seemed to have enjoyed the food as well.

We started off with a house salad which tasted crispy and fresh. Then when the meal came I was surprised that I rather enjoyed it.

I ordered grilled chicken that was pounded and rolled with spinach stuffed inside.  Afterward, I found myself wishing that I had more.

This was not even because I was hungry, but because I simply enjoyed the food. 

Atmosphere

The atmosphere was the highlight of the boat.  There was music playing aboard. Some people danced and we enjoyed watching the dancing and talking with another couple from out of state.

After we ate we went on the top deck to observe the view of the beach.

That is where we witnessed the breathtaking sunset as we cruised around the gulf.  The view of the sunset alone was worth the price of the dinner cruise.

Price

Starlite Cruises have the most reasonable prices out of all the cruises in the area.

For the price of what you may pay at many restaurants we received a cruise, music, and dinner.

I liked the fact that there was a menu to order whatever you wanted to eat.  This is good just in case you want to keep down costs and order one of the less expensive items on the menu.

The price of the cruise is $17.75 per person for adults and $8.88 for children.

Then you pay for whatever food that you order from the menu.  The menu items range in price from $11.75 to $29.95.

Currently there is a discount of 25% off the cruise amount (excluding the food) if you book online at their site.

It states that it is for Florida residents only, however, it has been my experience with other businesses that most businesses give these discounts to whoever asks for them.

So get ready, get dressed and prepare for an eventful evening on one of the Starlite Cruises.  Oh, and don’t forget the camera so that you can capture that magnificent sunset!

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