If you're looking for a Gold Coast buffet cruise, there are two very different ways to experience it: during the day with a relaxed lunch on the Broadwater, or in the evening as the Gold Coast moves into twilight.
Both combine buffet dining with sightseeing and time on the water, turning the meal into part of the experience rather than simply another restaurant booking.
Boattime's Buffet Dinner & Lunch Cruise — Flavours of Australia offers both lunch and dinner sessions aboard Mermaid Spirit, with Australian-inspired dishes, Broadwater views and indoor and outdoor areas to enjoy throughout the cruise.
Here's what to expect before choosing your session.
What Is a Gold Coast Buffet Cruise?
A Gold Coast buffet cruise combines a scenic cruise with a buffet meal served onboard.
Unlike a conventional restaurant, your surroundings change while you eat.
Depending on whether you choose lunch or dinner, the experience may include:
Australian-inspired buffet dining
Gold Coast Broadwater sightseeing
Indoor and open-air areas
Licensed beverage service
Daytime or evening scenery
Skyline and waterfront views
Time to socialise with family or friends
Opportunities to spot local marine life
The idea is simple:
you aren't travelling somewhere to have lunch or dinner — the cruise itself is part of lunch or dinner.
Lunch or Dinner: What Are the Options?
Boattime's current Buffet Dinner & Lunch Cruise gives guests a choice between two sessions aboard Mermaid Spirit.
Buffet Lunch Cruise
The lunch session begins from 3 October 2026.
Current schedule:
Boarding: 11:30am
Departure: 12:00pm
Return: 2:00pm
Lunch is the more relaxed daytime option.
You'll cruise the Broadwater while there is plenty of daylight, making it a good choice for sightseeing, families and visitors who want to keep their evening free.
Buffet Dinner Cruise
The dinner experience currently operates year-round.
Current schedule:
Boarding: 5:30pm
Departure: 6:00pm
Return: 8:00pm
Dinner shifts the experience toward evening atmosphere, with changing light, waterfront scenery and Gold Coast lights becoming part of the cruise.
Both sessions use the same central idea — Australian-inspired dining while cruising the Broadwater — but the atmosphere can feel very different depending on the time of day.
What Food Is Served on the Buffet?
Boattime's Flavours of Australia buffet is built around Australian and Queensland produce.
The current menu includes a combination of cold dishes, hot dishes, salads, sides and bread.
Cold Selection
Current dishes include:
Local Queensland king prawns with Thousand Island dressing and fresh lemon
Chef's mango, lime and chilli mussels
Hot Selection
Current dishes include:
Queensland Bangalow salt and pepper pork belly
Australian lamb served with pan jus
Penne pasta with tomato Napoli sauce, Barossa reserve red wine and spinach
Sides
Current sides include:
Potato salad with herbs and mustard mayonnaise
Roasted sweet potato and cauliflower couscous with chickpeas, dried fruits and almonds
Australian green leaf salad with green goddess dressing
Warm bread rolls with butter
Menus may change depending on season, availability and operational requirements, so check the current booking page if a particular dish is important to you.
Why Choose a Buffet on a Cruise?
Buffet dining works particularly well for social cruises because guests can choose from several dishes rather than everyone being committed to the same plated meal.
That can be useful when travelling with:
Families
Groups of friends
Couples with different preferences
Birthday groups
Visitors
Multigenerational groups
It also creates a more relaxed style of dining.
Rather than structuring the entire cruise around several formal courses, guests can enjoy the meal while still having time to socialise, move around the vessel and take in the Broadwater views.
What Is Mermaid Spirit?
Both buffet sessions take place aboard Mermaid Spirit, Boattime's 30-metre tri-deck catamaran.
The vessel can accommodate up to 150 guests and offers several different spaces across its three decks.
Guests can make use of indoor and open-air areas, giving you flexibility depending on the weather and the type of atmosphere you prefer.
Some people may want to spend most of the cruise outside enjoying the scenery.
Others may prefer relaxing inside between trips onto the deck.
Having both options is particularly useful on a dining cruise because you're onboard for the complete lunch or dinner experience rather than simply travelling from one destination to another.
Where Does the Buffet Cruise Depart From?
Boattime operates from Sea World Drive, Main Beach on the Gold Coast.
Because both lunch and dinner are scheduled cruises, guests should arrive during the boarding period rather than at the actual departure time.
For lunch, boarding begins at 11:30am before the noon departure.
For dinner, boarding begins at 5:30pm before the 6:00pm departure.
Arriving ahead of departure gives you time to board and settle in before Mermaid Spirit leaves the berth.
What Can You See During the Cruise?
The Gold Coast Broadwater provides a different perspective from the beaches, roads and high-rise areas most visitors experience.
Depending on the route and conditions, guests may enjoy views of:
Broadwater waterways
Gold Coast skyline
Waterfront homes
Marinas and yachts
Islands and open water
Surrounding marine environments
The Broadwater is also home to wildlife including dolphins, turtles and dugongs.
Wildlife sightings are never guaranteed, but keeping an eye on the water can add another dimension to the cruise.
Is the Buffet Lunch Cruise Better Than Dinner?
Neither session is automatically better.
They serve different types of Gold Coast plans.
Choose Lunch If You Want:
More daylight for sightseeing
A relaxed midday experience
A family-friendly daytime activity
Lunch and sightseeing combined
Your evening free for other plans
Better daylight for taking photos of the Broadwater
Choose Dinner If You Want:
Evening atmosphere
Changing light and city views
Dinner combined with an activity
A more occasion-focused experience
Something different from a normal restaurant dinner
A social evening on the water
The best choice depends on what you want the cruise to add to your Gold Coast itinerary.
Is the Buffet Cruise Family-Friendly?
Yes.
Boattime currently positions its Buffet Dinner & Lunch Cruise as a family-friendly dining experience.
Current ticket pricing includes:
Adult: from $99 per person
Child aged 3–13: from $79
Family — 2 adults + 2 children: from $349
The two-hour format also makes either session relatively easy to fit into a family itinerary.
For younger families, lunch may be particularly convenient because it avoids a later evening.
Other families may prefer dinner because it turns the evening meal itself into the day's activity.
Is the Buffet Cruise Good for Couples?
Yes.
Although buffet dining often works well for groups and families, couples can enjoy it just as easily.
Lunch can work for:
Casual dates
Weekend activities
Holiday sightseeing
Anniversary lunches
Dinner can suit:
Date nights
Birthdays
Anniversaries
Holiday evenings
Relaxed celebrations
If you're specifically deciding between dedicated lunch and dinner experiences as well, Boattime also offers separate Chef's Table lunch and Chef's Table Dinner experiences.
Is the Buffet Cruise Good for Groups?
A buffet cruise is particularly practical for groups.
Everyone arrives at the same departure point, boards the same vessel and shares the same activity without needing to coordinate a restaurant and separate sightseeing plans.
That can suit:
Family gatherings
Birthdays
Groups of friends
Social clubs
Visitor groups
Work outings
Small celebrations
For larger groups, booking ahead is sensible because vessel and session capacity is limited.
Are Drinks Available?
Yes.
Boattime's current Buffet Dinner & Lunch Cruise includes licensed beverage service onboard.
Guests can purchase drinks during the cruise while enjoying the buffet and Broadwater views.
Specific drinks and packages can change, so check the current experience information if beverage options are important to your booking.
What About Dietary Requirements?
The current buffet includes vegetarian options.
Boattime asks guests to advise the team about dietary requirements when booking.
This is important on any scheduled dining cruise.
Unlike a large restaurant with a full kitchen menu available throughout the day, cruise catering is prepared around the guests expected for a specific departure.
Providing advance notice gives the culinary team a better opportunity to prepare appropriately.
Is Mermaid Spirit Accessible?
The lower deck of Mermaid Spirit is accessible.
Guests requiring mobility assistance are encouraged to contact Boattime before the cruise so the team can help plan their boarding and experience.
Because the vessel has multiple decks, accessibility to every area may vary.
If someone in your group has specific mobility requirements, confirming them with the operator before booking is better than assuming every deck will be equally accessible.
What Should You Wear?
You don't need formal clothing for a buffet cruise unless you're attending as part of an occasion where you personally want to dress up.
For most guests, smart casual and comfortable works well.
For lunch, consider:
Lightweight clothing
Comfortable shoes
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
A hat
For dinner, consider:
Smart casual clothing
Comfortable footwear
A light extra layer
Weather-appropriate clothing
Conditions can feel different on the water, especially on open decks.
Check the forecast before leaving.
How Much Does a Gold Coast Buffet Cruise Cost?
Boattime's current Buffet Dinner & Lunch Cruise starts from $99 per adult.
Current pricing also includes:
Children aged 3–13: from $79
Family of four: from $349
When comparing buffet cruises, don't compare the food price alone.
Your ticket also covers the overall experience of cruising aboard a large vessel on the Gold Coast Broadwater.
Look at:
Cruise duration
Buffet inclusions
Vessel
Seating and deck areas
Departure location
Beverage service
Sightseeing
Accessibility
Family pricing
Cancellation conditions
That gives you a much better idea of actual value.
Buffet Cruise vs Restaurant Buffet
At first glance, both experiences involve a buffet.
But that's where the similarity ends.
At a restaurant buffet:
The location stays the same
Food is the primary attraction
You generally control how long you stay
Sightseeing isn't part of the experience
On a buffet cruise:
The surroundings continuously change
Broadwater cruising is part of the ticket
Dining and sightseeing happen together
The experience follows a set departure and return schedule
Outdoor deck time becomes part of the meal
If your only priority is eating as much as possible from the widest possible selection, a restaurant buffet may be the better choice.
If you want the meal to be part of a Gold Coast activity, the cruise offers something fundamentally different.
Is a Gold Coast Buffet Cruise Worth It?
It depends on what you're comparing it with.
If you're comparing $99 purely with the cost of food, there are obviously cheaper places to eat on the Gold Coast.
But a buffet cruise combines several experiences:
buffet dining + Broadwater sightseeing + cruising + social atmosphere
into one ticket.
For families, couples and groups looking for an activity rather than simply a meal, that combination can provide much stronger value than judging the buffet alone.
When Should You Book?
Booking ahead is worthwhile if:
Your Gold Coast dates are fixed
You're travelling during weekends or holidays
You're organising a family or group
You're celebrating something
You specifically want lunch or dinner
You don't want to depend on last-minute availability
Boattime currently lists dining sessions on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The lunch experience begins from 3 October 2026, while the dinner cruise is currently operating year-round.
Check the latest session availability before finalising the rest of your plans.
Which Gold Coast Buffet Cruise Should You Choose?
The decision can be surprisingly simple.
Choose lunch if you want daylight, sightseeing and a relaxed daytime activity.
Choose dinner if you want evening atmosphere and would rather turn your night out into a cruise.
Either way, you're getting the same core idea:
Flavours of Australia served aboard Mermaid Spirit while cruising the Gold Coast Broadwater.
Experience a Gold Coast Buffet Cruise Aboard Mermaid Spirit
Boattime's Buffet Dinner & Lunch Cruise — Flavours of Australia combines Australian-inspired buffet dining with a two-hour cruise aboard Mermaid Spirit.
Guests can choose between a midday lunch session or an evening dinner session, with indoor and open-air areas, licensed beverage service, Broadwater scenery and a menu featuring Australian produce.
Explore Boattime's Buffet Dinner & Lunch Cruise — Flavours of Australia to compare current lunch and dinner sessions, pricing and availability.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a Gold Coast buffet cruise?
Boattime's current Buffet Dinner & Lunch Cruise starts from $99 per adult. Child tickets start from $79 and current family pricing starts from $349.
How long is the Gold Coast buffet cruise?
Both current Boattime buffet sessions cruise for approximately two hours after departure. Lunch runs from noon to approximately 2:00pm, while dinner runs from 6:00pm to approximately 8:00pm.
What is included in the buffet?
The current Flavours of Australia buffet includes cold and hot Australian-inspired dishes, salads, sides and bread. Menu items can change, so check the latest menu before booking.
Is the buffet cruise suitable for children?
Yes. Boattime currently positions the Buffet Dinner & Lunch Cruise as family-friendly, with child and family pricing available.
Where does the cruise depart from?
Boattime operates its dining cruises from Sea World Drive, Main Beach on the Gold Coast.
Is lunch or dinner better?
Lunch is better suited to daylight sightseeing and a relaxed daytime activity. Dinner offers more evening atmosphere and changing light. The better choice depends on your itinerary and preferences.
Can dietary requirements be accommodated?
The current buffet includes vegetarian options. Guests should provide dietary requirements when booking so the team has advance notice.
Are drinks available onboard?
Yes. Mermaid Spirit has licensed beverage service available during the cruise.