Hornblower Cruises & Events - Chicago

ceremony aboard the boat. First, we boarded 15 minutes late, which meant as my husband and I were waiting to board all of our guests started showing up so I wasn’t able to get out of sight before people arrived. Once on the boat, the coordinator I had worked with beforehand was not the same person on the boat and it didn’t seem like any info was passed to the new person because there was no coordination of the ceremony. And lastly, and most upsetting, the sound didn’t work during the ceremony. On a boat on the Chicago river sound is pretty important, but it didn’t work and the DJ did nothing to attempt to fix it. No one knew I was starting to walk because they couldn’t hear the music. It was so upsetting because we were so excited about the boat. The Odyssey was a cool venue otherwise, but the ceremony was a mess. I would NOT recommend getting married on the boat, but would be great for any other wedding-related event when those can come back full steam.

denly faced planning a whole new wedding. I had read horror stories from brides and grooms losing money on vendors during COVID, but Hornblower was nothing short amazing. They were flexible and understanding. Serena helped me throughout the months in creating the wedding of our dreams set for October 3rd. We were even offered a substantial discount due to our changing guest count. We ended up with an intimate and beautiful wedding, just as glamorous as originally planned, with a venue that offered it’s own unique perks for guests- a night on Lake Michigan, with the city skyline in the background. Despite the difficulties of this year, we could not be happier with how our wedding turned out and it was done in a fun but safe manner and was the highlight of everyone’s year.

lking about almost a week later (and undoubtedly be recalling years to come). The ship was beautiful (and immaculate) with spectacular views of the Chicago River, but what really made the event special was the staff. Every team member who I worked with and encountered was outstanding: • Natalie and Serena, who provided advanced coordination, made the entire process of booking and planning so easy. They focused on every detail and made sure that my requests were their priority. This allowed my husband and I, as hosts, to actually enjoy the evening and not worry about any surprises or unexpected circumstances. Thank you for everything you did to make this happen, from your flexibility and advocacy when plans needed to be adjusted, to your excellent and timely communication. • Nicole and Alberto, who provided oversight and coordination of service and food while onboard the Odyssey, made sure every planned detail was precisely executed from the minute we boarded until we departed. Thank you for your personal attention, excellent service, and incredible food. o The service was outstanding—people were amazed by the staff—so professional yet personable—making each guest feel like they were the most important passenger onboard. They anticipated our needs before we even had a chance to ask. o The food was outstanding. Typically, when you order from any restaurant-type menu with several options, you expect one or two standout items. Every menu and dessert item selected and sampled by our guests was exceptional—everyone was raving (and almost debating) that their entree had to be the best choice; that their dessert was the greatest. • Patrick, our DJ, rocked. The music (and sound system) were excellent. I had some unique requests, which he happily (enthusiastically) made happen! In this time of COVID, it is a challenge to host a gathering which feels special and intimate, while maintaining a safe environment (with social distancing), but the “advance team” and onboard staff worked together to accomplished this. I know our invited guests (as well as my husband and I) expected the “ride” and views to be the highlight of the evening, so when everyone experienced this stellar service and fantastic cuisine, they were amazed. Thank you to every single staff member at Hornblower Cruises and of the Odyssey for making our rehearsal dinner such a special and memorable event. We cannot wait to cruise with you again.

music and staff on site was a major bonus. We were given the option to provide our own desserts which helped us feel as if our own touches could be included with the evening. The boat, bar, and skyline spoke for themselves so having little details accommodated provided for an unforgettable evening! I highly recommend this venue for your wedding. If I could go back in time I would choose the Odyssey Chicago River again without question!

st, I came across Odyssey Cruises and found out they were introducing a new river boat in Chicago. With architectural cruises being one my favorite things and seeing the renderings of the soon-to-be boat, we couldn't think of anything else. Our wedding exceeded our expectations, it was perfect. The boat is beautiful and no other venue could compare with the views. We had beautiful weather, but I really think either way the day would have been wonderful. The food and drinks were delicious (we had the brunch menu) and all of our guests had an amazing time. So many people told us it was the best wedding they've attended and some are considering the Odyssey Chicago River for future events. The staff and crew on the cruise were absolutely top notch. We'd like to give a shout out to our DJ, Chaz, who really helped us stay on schedule and was so helpful throughout the day. He also did a wonderful job with the music selection when the guests were boarding, eating and dancing. Throughout the process we worked with four women who helped answer all our questions and really made our dreams come true. Tiffany and Ashley helped us in our beginning stages and then Rachael and Becca helped us to finalize all our details and delivered on all our requests. Becca was our day-of coordinator and there was not one problem that she didn't help us to solve. I was adamant about having waffles and she made it happen! She was upbeat and truly a pleasure to work with. We had a total of 136 guests and it felt like a perfect size for the boat and what we wanted out of our event. There was room for dancing and we had a sweets table with our cake, a favors table, and a cards/gifts table. The aisle was a tad narrow for couples to walk down, but it only felt that way during the ceremony. We're waiting on our photos from our photographer, but the photos we've seen from our guests have all been beautiful. I really could go on and on about how amazing and wonderful our wedding was, there's no doubt we would recommend this venue to others.

el at ease immediately. We really appreciate you guys, your company's quality work, and professionalism. We wouldn't have rather gotten married anywhere or any other way, and we're truly blessed that we came across your venue. Simply saying "thank you" doesn't do justice to the way we actually feel in our hearts! We strongly recommend this venue to any and everyone. Our wedding day was genuinely one of the greatest days of our lives!

tures. I could not have imagined it better!

st romantic backdrop for our big day. I would recommend this company to any bride getting married!

n a wedding while still in medical school and in the midst of graduation. The Odyssey is just such a beautiful venue especially with the backdrop of Navy Pier from the top ceremony deck, and when we decided to sign our contract for a June wedding, we never imagined that it would rain on our wedding day! I was having anxiety about the weather for days leading up to our wedding day. Amy was there with me from the very beginning, reassuring me that it was my night and they would make it special rain or shine. Mother Nature tricked us into thinking that the rain had passed and that we would be able to get through our ceremony without it raining again. So when I made the call 20 minutes before the start of our ceremony that I still wanted to proceed with having the wedding outside on the top deck, the Odyssey crew made it happen and in record time set up 150 chairs so that our guests had dry chairs to sit on. In fact, our ceremony actually started five minutes early to try to beat the rain. We were able to get all our guests seated, and the entire wedding party down the aisle without a drop of rain. However, the moment my song started playing and I was walking down the aisle with my mom and dad, a fat drop of rain hit my face and I knew it was coming! My officiant just went with it, and I was drenched by the time umbrellas made their way to us (the Odyssey brought out a ton of umbrellas for our guests too), but it was just so beautiful and so much joy and laughter was caught in pictures and video as we got married in the rain. I had so many guests tell me that our wedding was the most memorable and unforgettable wedding they have ever attended, and the most fun they have ever had at a wedding, beginning to end. It was also a plus that everyone dried off pretty quickly once they got inside for the reception, and the staff had coffee and tea ready. I had guests texting me even days after our wedding complimenting the appetizers and the food. We had an open bar all night and the bartenders were great, the DJ was amazing as was our live band, and the two giant macaron towers that they put together for us were beautiful and delicious. The rain cleared up pretty much right after the ceremony and it turned out to be a beautiful evening, so the Navy Pier fireworks show still went according to plan! It was the best day of our lives for sure, and so many people told me that they had never seen my husband smile so much. Only issue I can think of bringing up is that there were some communication issues with the Odyssey staff and our photographers and videographer, and they weren’t informed that the plan was to start the ceremony five minute early (to try to beat the rain), which led to our videographer not catching my husband and his mom walking down the aisle, along with the first couple of people in our wedding party which we are pretty bummed about. There was also some miscommunication regarding the meals we had ordered for our vendors, and with the craziness of the evening, they ended up not getting a chance to eat. However, we also know that the weather that evening threw off our meticulously planned schedule. We can not wait to be back for our one year anniversary cruise!

omer service, excellent views of Chicago, and the food was AMAZING! Best place to get married if you want it all done in​ one place with not a lot of hassle.

e staff is top notch, their attention to detail is incredible. Alberto ran the show like a boss. In fact, the whole experience was so amazing, we started to worry that it would overshadow the wedding day! All I can say is highly, highly, highly recommend. Would do again.

amazing it was we would have chosen odyssey for our wedding as well. Food was also amazing. I have absolutely no complaints. I am very picky and this venue was PERFECT!!!!

entire day. The elite gave us multiple options for rental duration, food, and liquor packages. All of which were very fairly priced. The staff at the elite were all very friendly and helpful. Tiffany Chin and Lyndsey Dixon were exceptional at making us feel comfortable. They made up for our lack of preparation with their professionalism . They went above and beyond to make sure my wife and I could party with our guest, worry free. I highly recommend anyone interested in hiring one the city's best wedding crews to give the elite a call/tour. Having Chicago's beautiful skyline as a backdrop is a pretty cool bonus.

ony and reception all in one place. The city was the the perfect backdrop for all our pictures It was so convenient! the package we went with included everything. Ceremony, dinner, cake, event planner, guest favors and so much more was all included. Rachel was great and very helpful.

ons of compliments about how attentive the wait staff was throughout the entire event and how delicious the food was. My coordinators also worked with me to find a comfortable budget. The (also included) DJ was tons of fun! There is no better venue for a busy bride-to-be that wants a positive, beautiful, low stress wedding!

nths later. Couldn't of asked for an easier, accommodating, venue. Highly recommend Odyssey cruises if you are looking for a unique unforgettable experience!

wedding package is so awesome, giving you basically EVERYTHING you need to plan and set up the perfect day, without needing to go through a million different people to plan/set up all of the things at your wedding. It was truly an amazing day, and the pictures you get on the ship are to die for. We couldn't have had a more perfect and beautiful wedding. We thank Odyssey so much for everything they have done for us! We HIGHLY reccomend this venue to anyone looking around. Please check it out, you will not be dissapointed.

hey made us feel special and taken care of at all times, and our guests were super happy, too. I highly recommend this company for a unique, fun, intimate day!

ding, accommodating and so much fun to work with. As I assume most brides are- I was on edge leading up to the big day, hoping I remembered every little detail. Tiffany was a rock star and remained my sense of comfort up until our date. Day of coordinator, Reece, was fabulous! He was attentive, helpful and made sure our champagne flutes never went dry ;) It was as if he was in every meeting with Tiffany and I. The communication between staff was excellent. Can't thank them both enough! Ambiance- exceptional. Food- absolutely amazing (still getting compliments on it!). Music (DJ Chaz)- fun, fun, fun! We loved that we were able to put our touch on just about everything and really customize our special day. Our guests had the experience of a lifetime, as did we! Can't recommend Odyssey Cruises enough. An experience I will truly never forget.

ands-on" DIY bride, but when it came to the day, I just pretty much gave them my wedding décor and let them go with it. Our ceremony was beautiful and so was our reception area. Lyndsey's suggestions made everything come together perfectly! and Andres' attention to detail was on point! He made sure our reception went smoothly, incredibly attentive to us as the Bride and Groom, he was on top of everything! Our guests are STILL talking about what a beautiful wedding and venue we had and our wedding was a month ago!

, we had a great time, and so did our guests.