Lake Tahoe · Zephyr Cove
A three-course dinner aboard the M.S. Dixie II paddlewheeler, with live music and Vikingsholm Castle drifting past.
Likely to sell out. Choose your main: ribeye, salmon, chicken or a wild mushroom ragout.
The evening in four facts
The lake
The M.S. Dixie II is a 500-passenger paddlewheeler, the largest cruising vessel in South Lake Tahoe. She was built in Wisconsin, launched at Zephyr Cove in 1994 and took over from the first Dixie, which sailed the lake from 1972 to 1993. Inside there is climate-controlled seating and live music, and outside there are open decks for the views.
Lake Tahoe sits 6,225 feet above sea level and is the largest alpine lake in North America. It is 1,645 feet deep at its deepest, which makes it the second deepest lake in the United States, and about 22 miles long. The Sierra Nevada crest rims it on the west, so the sun goes down behind mountains.
Emerald Bay is a glacier-carved inlet and a National Natural Landmark. Fannette Island, the only island in the lake, sits in the middle of it, and Vikingsholm, a 38-room house in the Scandinavian style built in 1929, stands on the shore.
Dinner is three courses with a main you choose, and an audio guide is part of the ticket. After dinner you can go out on deck, or stay in the warmth and listen to the live music while the light changes over the water.
Emerald Bay views
How a dinner cruise from Zephyr Cove tends to unfold, from the pier to the last light on the lake.
Departure times, the order of dinner and sightseeing, and what you see all change with the season and the weather, so treat this as a guide and check the time on your booking.
Check in at the dock 30 minutes before departure and collect your boarding pass. Guests with prepaid reservations can wait for the boarding call at the end of the pier.
The M.S. Dixie II casts off from the Nevada shore. The boat has indoor seating, open decks and a third deck, so you can watch the lake from inside or out.
Rolls and a salad, the main course you chose and a cheesecake with berries, served while the live music plays. The bar sells cocktails and wine.
The boat heads for the bay on the southwest shore, with Fannette Island in the middle. A ruined stone tea house stands on the island summit.
On the bay shore stands a 38-room house in the Scandinavian style, built in 1929. Guests describe a narration of the history as the boat passes.
From the open decks or through the windows, watch the light change over the Sierra to the west. How much sunset you see depends on the season and your departure time.
Aboard the Dixie II
Each part of the ticket, and the extras you pay for on the night.
Rolls and a salad open the meal on the 2026 menu, then comes your main course and a cheesecake with berries. The menu is the same for everyone except the main.
Pick a cowboy ribeye, a roasted chicken breast, a broiled salmon or a wild mushroom ragout. The operator asks you to choose at least 24 hours before departure.
These come with the ticket, along with an audio guide, restrooms on board and all fees and taxes.
A full bar runs through the evening, and alcohol is not included. The 2026 menu says on-board purchases are by credit or debit card.
A singer or band plays after dinner. Listen indoors in the climate-controlled seating, or step out onto the deck.
The resort lot is limited and its daily fee is not in the ticket. There is a pickup option, with its own conditions.
The bay in pictures
Photographs by other people, showing the bay, the castle and the lakeshore along the route, not the boat itself.
Which cruise
| Option | What it covers | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Sunset dinner on the M.S. Dixie II | A 2.5-hour cruise from Zephyr Cove with a three-course dinner and a main you choose, soft drinks, coffee, tea, an audio guide and live music. Cocktails and wine are for sale, and there is an option with pickup. | Couples, families and groups who want a seated dinner with Emerald Bay on the route. |
| Sunset cruise on a 1966 yacht | A 2-hour cruise from Tahoe Keys Marina on a classic yacht, with snacks, soft drinks and one beer, glass of wine or glass of champagne included. Cancel free up to 24 hours before; payment can wait until later. | Travellers who want a smaller boat and a drink, and will eat dinner somewhere else. |
| Daytime cruise on the M.S. Dixie II | A narrated daytime cruise of about two hours from Zephyr Cove to Emerald Bay and Vikingsholm, with snacks and drinks to buy on board and an option with pickup. | Anyone who would rather see the bay in full daylight than sit down to dinner. |
Check dates, departure times and the pickup option on the same GetYourGuide listing ↗
Three ways onto the lake
A paddlewheeler dinner from Zephyr Cove, a sunset on a 1966 yacht from Tahoe Keys, and a daytime sailing to Emerald Bay.
A 2.5-hour cruise from Zephyr Cove with a three-course dinner and a main you choose, soft drinks, coffee, tea, an audio guide and live music. Cocktails and wine are for sale, and there is an option with pickup.
Check open dates ↗A 2-hour cruise from Tahoe Keys Marina on a classic yacht, with snacks, soft drinks and one beer, glass of wine or glass of champagne included. Cancel free up to 24 hours before; payment can wait until later.
Check open dates ↗A narrated daytime cruise of about two hours from Zephyr Cove to Emerald Bay and Vikingsholm, with snacks and drinks to buy on board and an option with pickup.
Check open dates ↗Other things to do around South Lake Tahoe
Planning the evening
Be at the dock at 760 U.S. Highway 50, Zephyr Cove, Nevada, 30 minutes before departure to collect your boarding pass. The ticket is a mobile ticket, so nothing needs printing.
The operator asks you to contact it at least 24 hours before departure to pick a ribeye, chicken, salmon or mushroom ragout. Mention any allergy in the same message.
The cruise is a sunset dinner, but what you see depends on the season, the departure time and the weather. Some guests say the sun was nearly down by the end of dinner, so check the start time for your date.
The pickup option has to be confirmed at least two and a half hours before departure, and the shuttle only stops where a pickup was confirmed. Parking at the resort is limited and costs extra.
Dress as you would for a casual restaurant and add a layer. Indoor seating is climate controlled, and the open decks are cooler once the sun drops, even in summer.
Wheelchairs are permitted on board, but no elevator reaches the second deck. A major storm can cancel a sailing, and free cancellation runs up to 2 days before.
Notes from a South Lake Tahoe instructor
Dinner on the Dixie II paddlewheeler or drinks on a 1966 yacht: what each Lake Tahoe evening cruise includes, what costs extra and who each suits.
Read the guide → The practical sideWhere the Dixie II leaves from, how boarding works, what to wear and which months give the best light, from the resort's own visitor pages.
Read the guide → The dinnerRolls and salad, four mains, a cheesecake: what the 2026 menu on the Dixie II looks like and how to choose your main in time.
Read the guide → The sceneryHow glaciers cut Emerald Bay, why Fannette Island has a ruined tea house, and who built the Scandinavian castle you pass on the cruise.
Read the guide → Getting thereHow to reach the Dixie II dock from South Lake Tahoe, Reno or Carson City, how the pickup option works and what to expect with parking.
Read the guide → The lakeThe numbers behind the view: how deep and how big Lake Tahoe is, the mountains around it and the steamboats that sailed it before the Dixie II.
Read the guide →FAQ
A three-course dinner with a main course you choose, soft drinks, coffee and tea, an audio guide, restrooms on board and all fees and taxes, on a cruise of about two and a half hours with live music. Alcohol and parking are not included.
Yes. Cancellation is free up to 2 days before the cruise, for a full refund. This booking has no reserve now and pay later option, while the yacht sunset cruise on this page does.
No. Signature cocktails and wine are for sale at a full bar on the boat, and the ticket covers soft drinks, coffee and tea. On-board purchases are by credit or debit card.
You pick one of four: a cowboy ribeye, a roasted chicken breast, a broiled salmon or a wild mushroom ragout. The operator asks you to make the choice at least 24 hours before the cruise, so do it the day before at the latest.
The M.S. Dixie II leaves from Zephyr Cove, Nevada, at 760 U.S. Highway 50. Arrive 30 minutes before the departure time on your booking, and collect your boarding pass at the dock.
Not for certain. How much sunset you see depends on the season, the departure time and the weather. Check the start time for your date, and expect an earlier sunset in autumn and winter.
Yes. One version of the booking includes pickup. You must confirm your pickup at least two and a half hours before departure, and the shuttle only stops at pickup points confirmed in advance.
Wheelchairs are permitted on the boat, but there is no elevator to the second deck. The cruise is marked as wheelchair accessible, so ask the operator which areas you can reach before you book.
The price depends on the date, the seat and the version you pick, and GetYourGuide shows it in your own currency before you pay.