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Things to know when planning a company holiday cruise during the Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade Of Lights
Article contributed by Newport Landing

The Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade is the premier Christmas event not only for Orange County and Los Angeles but Southern California. With a 100 years of history the Newport Harbor Christmas Boat Parade and viewed by over a million people each year, the Newport Beach Christmas Parade Of Lights is not only the oldest but largest boat parade on the West Coast.

Some companies offer cruises in the parade which are very popular for company holiday parties. Along with the novelty of having a holiday party that is actually cruising in the Christmas Boat Parade, a holiday cruise is a great choice for cost conscious groups.

There are some important details to know when planning your holiday cruise.

While Friday and Saturday night of the Christmas Boat Parade are the most requested dates for company holiday parties, the other days of the parade offer some distinct advantages. Parking can be especially challenging during the Friday and Saturday nights of the Boat Parade. Guests can always see if their cruise provider will accept prepayment and arrangement for local parking facilities. Another great option is to rent a bus and come in as one group.

Unlike Friday and Saturday, the other nights of the parade offer all of the décor and parade happenings with less of the congestion traveling to the Balboa peninsula and when looking for parking. Prepaying parking is still a great option, but is not necessary. Once the parking has been solved for the rest is smooth sailing.

When planning your holiday party cruise, consider the topic of food and what format is the best for maximizing the holiday party cruise experience.

Sit down dinner options are popular, but you might find that buffet or even hors d' oeuvres allow for more mingling and the flexibility to move around the boat to view all of the festivities. An added plus with the buffet option or hors d'oeuvres is that the cost per person is usually much lower than a full sit down dinner option.

Along with the food come the drinks.

A full service bar with bartender is included with every cruise. The question for many company holiday planners is how to structure the bar. An open bar or unlimited available drinks for your guests can sound like a very expensive proposition, but in reality rarely is. Most guests on a holiday cruise are going to not abuse complimentary drinks either for fear of later embarrassment or just as good form. The result is on average open bars result in about 2 drinks per person. For guests that can push the drinking envelope we can provide a drink package with a fixed cost regardless of what is consumed.

Other options include drink tickets or drink credit after which the guest pays or just a cash bar option. But for the added cost the open bar is a nice gesture and a good cost/benefit decision.

A simple yet often overlooked detail that adds value during the holiday cruise and long after is pictures.

There is nothing that creates more buzz than taking pictures of the parade, décor, and most importantly the guests. Pictures capture the moment and with all of the visuals and guests that are in a different element the resulting photographs take on a presence of there own. A number of companies that have come out with us were surprised and how long after the holiday season the pictures of their holiday party were the topic of discussion in the lunch room. And for those companies inviting key customers or vendors sending pictures to them even via email is a great way to tie the event into a long lasting memory. Nothing fancy is needed and sometimes is nice to have several individuals with digital cameras (recommended type) and you get a different flavor of photos from each individual.

Article contributed by Newport Landing Sportfishing

Newport Landing offers cruises in the parade which are very popular for company holiday parties. Along with the novelty of having a holiday party that is actually cruising in the Christmas Boat Parade, a holiday cruise is a great choice for cost conscious groups.

We have several other suggestions to make the most of your holiday cruise event, but if you touch on the topics above when planning your holiday cruise you will be well on your way to a fun and memorable holiday company event. Please give us a call with any questions when planning your holiday cruise our check out our website www.christmasparadeboats.com