valley gem

We took the "maiden voyage" of the 3-day Pittsburgh trip. It was fantastic. They provided a nicely equipped bus with an excellent bus driver who took us to Pittsburgh. When you approach Pittsburgh from the southwest through a tunnel, and emerge from the tunnel, the skyline is so amazing you feel like you are entering the emerald city. We then had a very good tour of the city. Then we were dropped off at the Senator John Heinz History museum. The second day is spent totally on the sternwheeler. It is so relaxing. We had beautiful weather. The staff is excellent. The food they prepare themselves is excellent. I didn't add any seasoning, it was so well prepared. I enjoyed everything the captain talked about, even the technical stuff. However, you can't hear the PA system when you sit in the back near the paddle wheel. The third day takes you through a beautiful, rural section of the Ohio river. The staff worked so hard. "Chris", the tour guide was a blast. She was so excited about everything. All the logistics, were handled seamlessly - getting on and off the bus, and the baggage handling. There is plenty of comfortable seating, They even wipe off the morning dew and get all the chairs neatly arranged every morning. You can bring your own camp chairs, but we ended up not using ours. It is a family-owned and run operation. They love what they do. It is such an asset to the City of Marietta. We will definitely try to take another cruise with Gem Valley.

Very nice peaceful, relaxing cruise down the Muskingum to the Ohio River and back. Captain narrative was really good, although it didn't last the whole cruise. Would have been nice if once he was done talking maybe some music from the time that the sternwheeler would have been running would have added to it.

We have taken two trips on the Valley Gem. Once, about ten or more years ago and one Aug. 2014. Both time we enjoyed the relaxing pace of the cruise and the narration too. Each cruise took us to a different part of one of the rivers, one seeing the locks and the other the wildlife island reserve. Its a nice way to add a bit of history, nature and relaxation to your visit to Marietta.

I recently took a group of 42 ladies to Marietta. With the help of Shannon at the Washington County Travel and Tourism, I booked this trip. I thought the price was very reasonable and the food was good... We arranged for the Captains Buffet which was Prime Rib and Chicken Marsala and several sides and salad. It was a private cruise and the ladies were impressed enjoyed the Captains story of how the business was started by his father. We enjoyed the scenery along the Ohio River... I notice that some of the reviewers say it was boring but, it was a time to relax and socialize for us and to be on the water. We could have cruised the Muskingum River too... but chose the Ohio.

I expected this to be a boat ride for 90 minutes but didn't realize the cruise I boarded was the Lock Cruise which was for 3 hours. At the beginning, the captain talks for about 10-15 minutes It talks again when we get to the locks. There's really nothing to see and it really goes slow. There was a group of seniors on the trip and seemed happy just sitting there and talking with each other. I was sitting on a bench in the shaded area when the people sitting in the back decided it was too hot and bought all the chairs in a small area right in front of me. I moved downstairs to the front of the boat, bought one of the dining chairs outside where there was room and a breeze.We finally get to the locks and it's a manual operation where one guy opens each lock and closes each one. This takes time. We go up the river away and then turns around. We go through the same operation again. As we're leaving the locks, the boat gets stuck in sand. We were all told to get to the back of the boat. I stayed in front with 3 other people and watch a crew member try to dislodge the boat with a long pole. Then the captain comes down. Finally after 30 minutes we're free but then there's the long ride back to the dock. I missed a tour because of this and was very disappointed.

We experienced the same boat trip as bcbcbc reviewer.We, too, sat near where they sat.However, although we couldn't hear all the captain had to say, we heard some of the great story!We enjoyed the kids, too. Our own grandgirls joined in the spray of the water of the Valley Gem.They enjoyed steering this great boat on the return trip. The smiles they wore were priceless.We enjoyed seeing the gardens planted alongside the river on the return trip.We could see our hotel, The Lafayette, from our seats.We saw this lovely town through our grandgirls eyes...fun!

We had a nice 1 1/2 hour ride and the bar was average. There's not much to see so it's not real exciting. They talk about Marietta for the first 20 to 30 minutes which we enjoyed and then for the rest of the ride you just see trees on the riverbank and your informative part of the tour is over. It's nice but kind of boring. Once was definitely enough.

Maybe we just picked the wrong day for this trip. We were really looking forward to it after reading the reviews. I especially was looking forward to hearing the narration as we traveled. Before the boat left dock, we took our seats at the rail in the back. We sat back waiting to enjoy our leisurely trip and anxious to hear about the history of the area and expecting to see certain sights along the way. Unfortunately, there was a group of about 12-15 young children on the boat As the boat left, and the narration began, the children all ran to the back near the paddlewheel and squealed and yelled as the water hit them. They were having a ball, but unfortunately, nobody around them could hear a word the captain said. The “narration” went on for about 5-10 minutes. We did not hear a word of it. One by one, people started moving to other areas of the boat (the boat was pretty full). We squeezed our chairs into an area at the front of the boat near the wheelhouse. As soon as we sat down...the captain stopped talking. I asked him if he had a “written script” for what he had said because we heard nothing because of the children. I just got a curt “no.” He never mentioned another thing. It is a 90 minutes cruise and of course we did not expect, nor want, him to talk the whole way, but we sort of expected from time to time he would mention something or point something out. Nope, just the 5-10 minutes at the beginning. Of course, there is not a whole lot to point out, since the majority of the time, you are just looking at trees. Meanwhile, this group of children ran up and down the stairs, from the front of the boat to the back, etc., yelling the whole time. I do not mean to imply I do not like children. There were many children on this boat with their parents who were very well behaved and seemed to have a good time. Unfortunately, this particular group, although they had a great time, ruined it for many passengers. This trip might be nice on another day. I may try it again...or perhaps not.

The cruise my wife and took was very relaxing and informative. We enjoyed finding out about some of the history of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, and to just watch the scenery glide by...in a liesurely fashion. Cost was about $11-12 each. We would recommend it to others and would go again.

I have lived in Marietta for over two years and have just now gotten to doing the Valley Gem. It is a short 90-minute tour departing Marietta, going out the Muskingum River to the Ohio, then around the island and then it returns. It is an affordable way to spend an hour-and-a-half.

We took the 90 minute boat tour and enjoyed it thoroughly. We sat at an open-air table under the roof upstairs, had our drinks and learned about the history of the area. It was very nice and relaxing.

I've been on the Valley Gem many times and it's always fun to sail up and down the two rivers from Marietta. It's especially pretty in the fall.

Have ridden the gem several times, for several different events. They make it a memory. Great scenery, relaxing, and very affordable. I always take my friends when they come to town. There are many time frames to choose from as well.

We had our wedding aboard the Valley Gem and it was a disaster. They informed us two months before the wedding that they had acquired their liquor license and that we could not bring our own alcohol. We had already bought 4 cases of wine. Our rehearsal that we had planned for months got moved a week before it was set to happen because they booked another wedding. So people that we had coming in from out of town had to completely change their travel plans. My favorite part though was after we dropped our guest off my husband had to unload all of our decorations by himself because the staff wouldn't help him.

Went on a 3 hour ride for a wedding. Large enough for about 100 people with seating and moving space, it was really pretty. I would recommend that people try to have weddings on warmer days or tell their guests to bring coats because, after a very very warm fall, we had a cold snap that left most of the guests shivering in the enclosed first floor rather than enjoying the scenery or dancing on the second floor as they'd prefer.