2-Hour Fairport Sunday Brunch Cruise

Sunday Brunch Cruise runs through Colonial Belle. Rated 4.2 across 53 reviews. Runs 2 hours. From $66.

Overview

On Sunday mornings the Colonial Belle, a canal tour boat docked at Packett's Landing in Fairport, casts off at 11:30 for a two-hour brunch cruise on the Erie Canal. Boarding comes first at the landing, then the boat settles onto the canal while brunch is served aboard. There is no lock passage on this sailing, so the trip keeps to open canal and ties up back at the same dock by 1:30 in the afternoon.

The format suits anyone after a slow start to Sunday rather than a sightseeing sprint. Families fit well: children 10 and under pay less, and ages 3 and under sail free. Fairport sits in the Rochester area on the northern edge of the Finger Lakes region, and parking at the landing is free, which makes the cruise easy to fold into a weekend in that part of New York.

Check the Sunday schedule before you set out. The operator runs either this brunch cruise or a shorter family special at midday, and it asks passengers to call or check its Facebook page for the Sunday plan. Reservations are suggested, online booking may shut off less than 24 hours before departure, and the office phone is the surest fallback after that.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at Packett's LandingThe cruise starts and ends at Packett's Landing in Fairport. Parking at the landing is free, and no hotel pickup is offered.
2. Board the Colonial BelleBoarding takes place at the dock before departure. The first deck of the boat is handicapped accessible.
3. Cruise the Erie CanalThe Colonial Belle heads out from Fairport along the canal. This sailing makes no lock passage.
4. Brunch on boardBrunch is served aboard while the boat is under way. The brunch cruise is sold as a single fare, unlike the operator's other sailings, which list meal packages separately.
5. Return to FairportThe boat comes back to Packett's Landing, the same dock where boarding started. Allow a few minutes to walk off with the other passengers.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points from the listing are worth knowing before you book.

• Getting there. No hotel pickup is offered. The meeting point is Packett's Landing in Fairport, and the operator provides free parking at the landing.
• Arrival time. Boarding opens 15 minutes before departure, so plan to arrive with a little slack. The sailing itself runs two hours.
• Accessibility. The operator lists the boat as handicapped accessible on the first deck. If your party includes a wheelchair user, it helps to raise that when you book so boarding is straightforward.
• Food and drink. Brunch is the reason for the sailing, and the fare works differently from the operator's other cruises. Lunch and dinner sailings list a base price plus a separately priced meal package, while the brunch cruise is sold as one fare.
• Lock passage. This cruise does not go through a lock, a point the schedule spells out. Travellers who want a lock crossing should pick one of the operator's afternoon or evening lock cruises instead, including the Sunday afternoon sailing with live music.
• Booking windows. Reservations are suggested. Online booking may be unavailable less than 24 hours before departure, and the Sunday schedule itself can shift between the brunch cruise and the family special, so a call to the office settles both questions at once.

Common issues. The listing is candid about the rough edges. A cruise can be cancelled for inclement weather, mechanical problems, or an insufficient number of passengers, and the operator says notification will be made when possible rather than promised outright. Online booking may shut off inside 24 hours of departure, so a late decision means phoning the office. Wheelchair access covers the first deck only, there is no hotel pickup, and the schedule is subject to change, so confirm the sailing before you drive to Fairport.

Choosing Your Erie Canal Cruise