Reviews
Additional reviews can be viewed online at:
- Review of Skansonia Ferryboat of Seattle on AvantBride.com
- Review of Skansonia Ferryboat on Yelp.com
Client Letters
"I just wanted to let you know what a fabulous time we had at our event! The Skansonia staff was so wonderful and made our evnt run seamlessly. Thank you especially to Shauna, Amber, Noah, & Jesse! Everyone in our group was impressed with the boat, the food, and the service. I will definately recommend the Skansonia to anyone looking for a special place to have an event. Thanks again!"
-Nicole Pierson, GHD Corporation (January 2010)
"We had 150 guests and we've had nothing but compliments about the service, the staffing, and most definately the food! The quality, the presentation, and the quantity of the food met and even exceeded our expectations. Our menu of Salmon, Santa Fe Rice, Pear Salad, and Quesadilla Bar satisfied everyone- including the vegetarians. We've heard several guests say it's the best food they ever had at a wedding. We have to say the food served that night was even better than what we had at the Food Tasting event. Kudos to the kitchen!
And extra thanks to the catering staff who dealt graciously with our cake table. Our ten homeade cakes made extra work for them- making sure each guest got a slice of their choice! The bartenders kept the Sangria mixed and ready to pour, and they even put out our milk and cookies at the end of the evening.
Thanks to Shauna for her help keeping things moving smoothly and to Tamara for her help in advace planning. The wedding was everything we wanted it to be. All in all a remarkable team completing their work efficiently, seamlessly, and good naturedly added greatly to our enjoyment of this special event."
-Carlene Canton & David Fuller (November 2009)
"We had a wonderful experience on The Skansonia. The reception was lovely and the food and service was excellent. Everyone was so helpful...we certainly would not hesitate to recommend your venue for others seeking a place to party! Thank you for helping make our reception a hit!"
-Carolyn Osaki (August 2009)
“I just wanted to let you know that you and your staff were so amazing! You took such good care of all of us, your bartender Josh was the BEST! I had such an awesome time and I will never forget it! I will recommend the Skansonia to EVERYONE I know getting married or wanting to have a party. I had the best wedding ever!”
–DeeAnna Curnew (May 2009)
“Thank you so much for the wonderful event of Jeff and Mellissa’s wedding last night. Everything was just lovely, from the food to the setting and especially the weather; thanks for your assistance with that! Your staff was all very friendly, helpful and professional. They were very responsive to every request, worked quickly and efficiently and went above and beyond my expectations. The food was great; many of our guests commented about how good everything was and the display was beautiful as well. Thanks again, and please know we will gladly recommend you and your facility and staff to all of our friends.”
–Judy Burdin (April 2009)
“I wanted to thank you and your entire staff for a wonderful evening. The Skansonia made our reception the most beautiful seamless evening we could have dreamed of. Your Catering Manager in particular, Shauna, was outstanding. We showed up on the boat about 3pm with our cake— which had slid off of it’s foundation and was approaching a disaster. She immediately took time to help Scott and I “right” the situation and when we came back about 30 minutes later for another delivery she’d taken lily’s and hid everything— it was beautiful.
Your bartender and staff were courteous, professional and fun interacting with our guests. You have a wonderful balance of tried and true experience which puts your clients at ease – and yet truly made the experience one of a kind for Scott and I. We’re incredibly grateful for our evening and would recommend the Skansonia for any and all special occasions. She’s beautiful in the evening city lights! Please know I’d be happy to be a recommendation for any brides to be or other guests you may have. Thanks again.”
–Scott and Tara Beeby (March 2009)
“Amber and I just had our wedding on the boat (June 2nd 2007) and I personally just wanted to say thank you. The Skansonia was the perfect venue for our wedding. Our wedding day will always be cherished and a big part of that was because of this place. Amber and I are glad that we chose no place else. All the great feedback we have received from our guests about this place has added to the joy of our wedding day. Not only the uniqueness of the boat was great, but also the food. We had the Salmon and it was delicious. Not only did we enjoy the food, but also our guests. Our guests just raved about the boat and the food. Of course, I was already happy just being able to marry the woman of my dreams, but because of this place, it only made it better. The uniqueness of the boat, the backdrop, the good food and also the price has made my special day into a great one. I hope that the Skansonia will be around for a long long time as hopefully one day, we will be able to celebrate on it again in the future. Thanks for so much for letting us come aboard and thank you for your service!!”
–James (Jimmer) Ross
“In addition to the excellent service, the dinner was outstanding and the desserts were fabulous! As the evening turned to dusk and the lights came on over the city skyline, the Skansonia took on a new glow. We’ll definitely be back!”
–Char Gordon, Master Builders Association.
“I am pleased to report that you got rave reviews on the food, facility and your staff from the guests and Microsoft staff, as well. It is refreshing to have people like yourself and staff a part of my team on an event such as this.”
–Wendy Padie, Janet Church & Associates, Inc.
“Thank you again for making this event a memorable part of Intern Retreat week and ‘ordering’ such spectacular weather for the evening!”
–Pam Burke, Children’s Hospital & Medical Center
“A great time was had by all! Thanks to a terrific staff for helping to make the night the success that it was.”
–Sally Clark, Chicken Soup Brigade
“Over the years, the banquet has become so popular with our employees that attendance has doubled. This is directly related to the welcome feeling we receive at the Skansonia.”
–Marsha Failor, University Book Store.
“Our employees are still talking about the good time they had. The boat is a unique place to have a party – the decor is classy and the view is the best.”
–Sherine Woodey, The Bon Marche
“What a magnificent setting! There really isn’t any event location that says ’Seattle’ better than the Skansonia, nor which suits such a wide range of attendees. They mingle formally or get down and party... it all seems perfectly fitting aboard this dockside classic.”
–Kerry Wyndham, Banquet Guide
The Wedding Went Ferry Well, Thank You
Jon Hahn is a staff columnist who writes three times a week in the P-I.
He can be reached at 206.448.8317 or e-mail him at johhahn@seattle-pi.com
Misplaced modesty prevents my sharing the recent photo of yours truly decked out in rental tux with a riverboat gambling vest and – gasp! – matching bow tie.
Well-intentioned and semi-threatening friends and family pressured me into wearing the complete monkey suit on the occasion of the Heir Apparent’s April 11 wedding to his Montana sweetheart. More than a few guests at the ceremony and reception aboard the retired Ferry Skansonia on Lake Union volunteered: “You know, Hahn, for a fat old bearded (bleep!), you clean up pretty good!”
The visiting folks from Montana made us all the happier for the bride and groom because of the fine family from that side of the Rockies. When families mix well, it’s a good sign for the marriage.
The “kids” planned most of their wedding, with little direction from the older generation. Which might be why it went off so well. As parents, all we had to do was show up and have a good time. And that we did.
A Seattle Ferry boat wedding, with a mostly clear skyline, is something you can tuck away in your memory and not soon forget. Especially when the ceremony’s music is provided by the entire string base section of the Bellevue Philharmonic!
And for a fat old lady with more miles than most of her age, the Skansonia also cleans up pretty good. The vintage appointments were enhanced by some truly amazing floral arrangements done up by Lisa Krober, who used to peddle flowers at Westlake Center before she rose to her true calling with fresh flowers. And the Skansonia buffet table groaned with goodness, so much so that we were sent packing at midnight with enough leftovers to help me gain seven pounds over my short absence from this space.
The the wedding out-of-towners had never been to a ferryboat wedding before – one of the many shortcomings of living along the Rocky Mountains or in the midwest – and were as pleasantly surprised by everything – from the Skagit Valley tulip fields to the winery and brewery tours. To a person, even those from Montana, they were impressed with “how green it is here!”
Not that it was all slick, travel brochure activity: one Chicago nephew managed to get a Seattle traffic ticket and be propositioned by some fellows all in one quick trip to the Pike Place market. Another reported that a taxi trip from downtown of the University of Washington cost about 50 percent more on the way there than the return trip. Their Chicago cabbies probably taught ours.
And more than a few out-of-towers managed to wander our roads a while, trying figure out why there would be an intersection of 124th and 124th respectively.
While visitors were wandering their way back to their motels and other lodging after the wedding, “the kids” spent their wedding night aboard a B and B vessel on the south end of Lake Union. Of course they’d been a tad too busy to remember to stop by that afternoon for a key to the dockside gate so they had to stand on the dock at midnight and use their cell phone to call for entry.
The next day everyone was back on time and even ahead of schedule for the Easter brunch at Shea Hahn in Woodinville. Before the newlyweds took the float plane from Kenmore to Victoria, they had time to visit with about four dozen guests and scarf down a goodly amount of goodies prepared by a small committee of Woodinville friends. The morning after a wedding, you shouldn’t be surprised when midmorning guests grab Marion Arlin’s decadent chocolate fudgies in one hand and a hard boiled egg in the other.
“The kids” returned from Victoria with his-and-hers sinus infections and still aren’t done packing gifts and trying to figure out how to use the electric ice cream maker. With any luck, they should find their marriage license and wedding certificate somewhere in all that wrapping paper and plastic packing peanuts.