Operating on the tranquil waters of the Diyawanna Oya, adjacent to the Urban Wetland Park in Nawala, Garton’s Ark provides a unique dining experience with luxurious interiors, cutting edge exteriors and eco-friendly designs. Guests can enjoy a la carte, set menu or a special dinner buffet cruise amidst beautiful surroundings aboard Garton’s Ark while sailing on the five km long course.
A friend’s daughter celebrated her 16th birthday on the cruise liner Garton’s Ark recently. My children who attended the celebration could talk of nothing else but ‘the party’ for quite some time. It had really been memorable with the total liner hired for the party.
For my son’s birthday this year his wife booked us a table on Garton’s Ark.
Although the cruise was to commence at 8.30pm, it did not do so as some guests were late. There were many young couples on board with two of the young men celebrating their birthdays. They were intimate celebrations with the couples not wanting anyone else butting in, I guess.
My little granddaughter (the only kid on the cruise) was enthralled with the lovely music on board(Garton Ark’s playlist is superb) and kept everyone entertained with her dancing and playful antics.She was thrilled when the captain called her to sit at the cockpit to launch the cruise. The staff took pictures of her, with the captain’s hat on, doing the honours.
The food was a la carte and was good. As the food is not all you’re paying for (and to be honest, as far as cruises go, this may be the most affordable cruise most of us could go on), I think it was worthwhile. The ride was so smooth that we hardly noticed that we were moving.
Garton’s Ark, consists of an air conditioned lower deck able to accommodate 64 persons seated and an upper deck which can accommodate 30 persons.
After dinner we went onto the upper deck.The Cruise on the Kirulapona Canal took around two hours. Despite the fact that all we got for a view was overgrown shrubs and littered water, the cool, crisp evening breeze on our face made the cruise enjoyable. In terms of service the cruise was excellent. The manager was friendly and went out of his way to please us. Since there were not many on board, needless to say, we got extra special service. It was a quality experience.
Garton’s Ark is an ideal place to celebrate a family event. It sails on a daily basis unless there are obstacles obscuring the process like storms, bad weather or floods.