Paddle steamer Lake Lucerne using restaurant

My friend and I have both done the Gotthard Panorama Express before. He really enjoyed the lunch on the paddlewheeler experience, and doesn't necessarily want to repeat the train portion of the journey. Is it possible to do just the meal and then return to Lucerne without booking the entire Gotthard Panorama Express? Or does one have to book the whole thing and then just not board the train at Fluelen, and instead return to Lucerne by boat or train? Other options? Thank you in advance for guidance.

The paddle steamer between Luzern and Flüelen is just a regular boat service on Lake Luzern. You can’t “book” seats on it but you need a 1st Class ticket to access the upper deck and dining room. You can boat to Flüelen and train back to Luzern or the other way round. The boat that connects with the Gotthard Panorama Express just happens to cover the lunch time journey. The full trip used to include a lunch package but that got dropped a few years ago. There are other departure times.

Depends when you are travelling as paddle steamers don’t operate during winter.

Check the timetable for your dates of travel at www.lakelucerne.ch/en/timetable-fares/timetable/.

Thanks, Rockoyster.

When we did this trip a couple years ago, lunch was offered for a price, and it appeared that tables were reserved. Am I correct in understanding that the table is not reserved in the Gotthard Panorama package? If I go first class on the paddle wheeler, but not do the Gotthard Panorama, I can do the dining room meal? Do I just grab a table? Is a meal served only over lunch, or during all trips across the lake?

Sorry, lots of questions.

Just to make clear again what Rockoyster has already told you. If you just want a boat ride, ignore the concept of the Gotthard Panorama Express (GPE *) completely

The Lake Luzern steamers are completely separate from the Gotthard Panorama Express. The steamers on the Vierwaldstättersee (the correct name - Lake Luzern is an unofficial English language term) have been operating since 1836. The steamers provide a public place to place service on several routes across and around the lake, as well as serving the needs of tourists.

Food provision is explained in the Company's own site here:

www.lakelucerne.ch/en/gastronomy/

History of Steamer company: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schifffahrtsgesellschaft_des_Vierwaldstättersees

(* The GPE is a recent innovation partly invented to keep something running on the Gotthard mountain route following its replacment with the Gotthard base tunnel.)