Cabaret dinner cruise · Sydney Harbour
A seated three-course dinner, then a one-hour cabaret show on a theatre-style paddle-wheel boat sailing past the Opera House.
Billed as the harbour's longest-running cabaret show, played on board with the skyline in the windows.
The evening
Sydney Harbour is the common name for Port Jackson, a drowned river valley with a single entrance between North Head and South Head. The Sydney Harbour Bridge, which opened in 1932, and the Sydney Opera House stand on its shores, and the cruise is billed as sailing under the bridge and seeing the Opera House close up. Darling Harbour, where the boat leaves from, is a pedestrian and entertainment precinct that was redeveloped from a working port in the 1980s.
Cabaret is a theatrical form of music, song, dance and recitation, usually introduced by a master of ceremonies, and its audience sits at tables while dining or drinking. The modern form is traced to Le Chat Noir, which opened in Montmartre in Paris in 1881. This cruise keeps that format afloat: a seated dinner, then a one-hour show on a stage, performed by an Australian cast.
The operator's history page says the Sydney Showboat was launched in 1987 and inspired by 19th-century American paddlewheelers. The ticket describes theatre-style interiors with large panoramic windows, a stage and a pillarless layout, with outer decks and wrap-around verandas that serve as viewing galleries.
The harbour, sight by sight
The ticket's itinerary lists a run of Sydney sights, from the wharf where you board to the amusement park on the north shore. They are set out here in the order a cruise from Darling Harbour tends to meet them, with a line on what each one is.
The itinerary marks every sight as optional and subject to change, and the route depends on the boat, the night and the weather. Read this as a map of what the harbour holds and not as a promise of a fixed route.
Boarding
The meeting point is King Street Wharf 5, on the eastern side of Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour takes its name from Lieutenant-General Ralph Darling, a Governor of New South Wales who renamed Cockle Bay after himself.
First stop on the quays
Circular Quay lies in Sydney Cove, between Bennelong Point and The Rocks. The First Fleet landed at Sydney Cove in 1788, and the quay now serves the commuter ferry wharves and a passenger terminal for cruise ships.
Overhead
A steel through arch that opened in 1932, built by the British firm Dorman Long and nicknamed the Coathanger.
Close up
Designed by Jørn Utzon and opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1973, it became a World Heritage Site in 2007. The roof shells carry a chevron pattern of glossy white and matte cream tiles.
On its own rock
A small harbour island known early as Rock Island and later as Pinchgut. Convicts were punished there from 1788, the fort was completed in 1857, and its tower is the only Martello tower ever built in Australia.
North shore
At Milsons Point, opened in 1935. Its main entrance is a large face in 1930s Art Deco style, and the park stands where Dorman Long set up its Harbour Bridge workshops.
Mosman shore
Opened in 1916 on the harbour shore at Mosman. Taronga is an Aboriginal word meaning beautiful view, and the zoo has views of the harbour and the city.
Back at the wharf
The cruise ends where it began, at King Street Wharf 5. Darling Harbour is a pedestrian precinct of restaurants, bars and public spaces, redeveloped from a working port in the mid-to-late 1980s.
Your table
What the evening gives you is a reserved table, a set dinner, a bar and a boat built around a stage. On the GetYourGuide ticket these are the four things to know before you book.
The ticket lists reserved tables for dining and full table service for the length of the cruise, with the dinner served by waiters at your table.
A restaurant-style three-course dinner that opens with a shared entrée platter. The ticket also lists a vegetarian menu and a kids' menu, which is pre-ordered at no extra cost when a child ticket is selected. The kitchen is not allergen free, and requests for dietary substitutions are politely declined.
The ticket lists a fully licensed bar with a curated wine list, and drinks are available to buy on board. They are not part of the fare, and the NSW rules on the responsible service of alcohol apply.
Air-conditioned, theatre-style interiors with large panoramic windows, a stage and a pillarless layout, plus outer decks and wrap-around verandas for the view.
On the harbour
The Opera House and the Harbour Bridge at dusk, the bridge lit at night, King Street Wharf, Fort Denison, Luna Park, Circular Quay, the Opera House after dark, the view from Taronga Zoo and the showboat itself.
Cruises to compare
| Cruise | What it offers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Cabaret show cruise with a three-course dinner | A seated three-course dinner and a one-hour cabaret show on a theatre-style paddle-wheel boat from King Street Wharf, with drinks bought on board. | Guests who want a stage show with dinner on a classic harbour boat. |
| Plated dinner cruise with a 3, 4 or 5-course menu | A dinner aboard the MV Sydney 2000 from Captain Cook Cruises, with sunset, starlight and degustation menus, optional paired wines and live music on Saturday and Sunday nights. | Guests who want a restaurant-style meal and the harbour view without a stage show. |
| All-inclusive three-course dinner cruise | A three-course dinner with beer, wine, soft drinks and tea or coffee in the fare, sailing from Darling Harbour past Taronga Zoo and Luna Park. | Guests who want the drinks covered by the ticket. |
Harbour dinner cruises
The first card is the cabaret cruise this guide covers. The second is a plated dinner cruise on a different boat, and the third is an all-inclusive dinner cruise from the same side of the harbour. More Sydney activities follow in the strip below.
A seated three-course dinner and a one-hour cabaret show on a theatre-style paddle-wheel boat from King Street Wharf, with drinks bought on board.
See sailings ↗A dinner aboard the MV Sydney 2000 from Captain Cook Cruises, with sunset, starlight and degustation menus, optional paired wines and live music on Saturday and Sunday nights.
See sailings ↗A three-course dinner with beer, wine, soft drinks and tea or coffee in the fare, sailing from Darling Harbour past Taronga Zoo and Luna Park.
See sailings ↗More to book in Sydney
Before you board
The meeting point is King Street Wharf 5, Darling Harbour, 32 The Promenade. Look for the red and white paddle steamer in the tourist area between Darling Harbour and Barangaroo.
Be at the wharf 15 minutes before the boarding time on your ticket. The boat will not wait for anyone more than five minutes past the departure time, and a guest who is later is deemed a no-show. Your confirmation gives the exact time.
The operator's own page recommends smart, dressy clothing and says thongs, singlets and beachwear are not allowed.
Vegetarian guests should speak to the cruise director on boarding. Requests for other dietary substitutions and menu changes are politely declined, because the kitchen is not allergen free.
Drinks are bought on board from a fully licensed bar, and the operator says bringing your own food or drink aboard is not permitted.
The cruise is not suitable for wheelchair users. Wheelchair passengers must be able to access the vessel by the gangway on foot, toilet facilities are not available from the dining floor on the main deck, and non-folding wheelchairs and strollers are not allowed.
The boat, the show and the table: guides
Which cruise to book How to choose a Sydney Harbour dinner cruise with a cabaret show: what the evening is, what the ticket includes and how it differs from other harbour dinners.
Read the guide → Getting there and boarding How to plan the Sydney Showboat cabaret cruise: finding King Street Wharf, boarding, what to wear, what you see on the water and who the evening suits.
Read the guide →Questions
Plan on about three hours. The ticket shows 2.5 hours in its duration field and describes a three-hour cruise including boarding, and start times differ by date.
Yes: three courses, opening with a shared entrée platter, at a reserved table. The bar sells drinks separately, so wine and cocktails cost extra.
The operator's show is called Voyage of Love, a cabaret of about one hour performed by an Australian ensemble. It is staged on board, and guests watch from their seats.
King Street Wharf 5, Darling Harbour, 32 The Promenade. Look for the red and white paddle steamer between Darling Harbour and Barangaroo.
The operator recommends smart, dressy clothing and says thongs, singlets and beachwear are not allowed.
No. Requests for dietary substitutions are politely declined, and the kitchen is not allergen free. A vegetarian menu is available, and vegetarian guests should speak to the cruise director on boarding.
The boat will not wait for anyone more than five minutes past the departure time. A guest who is later is deemed a no-show, so be at the wharf 15 minutes before the boarding time.
No. The ticket says it is not suitable for wheelchair users, and wheelchair passengers must be able to access the vessel by the gangway on foot.
Each price is for one adult, quoted in US dollars; your own currency appears once the booking page opens.