Summer Sunset
Cocktail Cruise Newport Beach
I
was looking for fun entertainment on a hot summer night, and
found something interesting while surfing the ‘net—a luxury
yacht cruise in Newport Beach. Whisked away for a relaxing
two hour escape complete with food, cool breezes and
breath-taking surroundings, the new Summer Sunset Cocktail
Cruise launches each Thursday during the summer months at
6:30 p.m., just in time to watch the ‘beer can’ sailboat
races in the Newport Harbor. This latest offering from
Hornblower Cruises &
Events is affordably priced under $30, and includes many
meat appetizers, vegetable snacks and dips.
The appetizer menu varies but usually includes favorites such
as chips and salsa, fresh garden crudités with herbed ranch
dressing, Jamaican seasoned beef skewers with
mango-pineapple salsa, firecracker chicken with chili cream,
and vegetable spring rolls with ginger plum sauce.
Free food
is an added bonus to a pleasant ride--well worth the cost of
a ticket, according to those I spoke with. Escaping the
heat from places as far away as Phoenix, AZ, and as close as land-locked Sierra
Madre, Riverside and Corona, guests said that the ride,
itself, seemed like a good value and any extra perks such as
appetizers--well,
those were just 'gravy'.
One woman
who works with multiple handicapped individuals in a group
home in L.A. told me that she and her life partner sought
affordable activities near the coast during a week-long
vacation. They had never taken a Hornblower Cruise and were
impressed.
“This is real life!” she said with contentment, as I
watched her relax, soaking up the cool weather and
multi-million dollar mansion views surrounding us in the
Newport bay.
The
Wild
Goose yacht we rode is an historic and star-drenched vessel once belonging to
famous celebrity actor John Wayne, who owned a home on the
Newport Beach waterfront. Part of the fleet operated by Hornblower Cruises,
this luxury yacht is also used for weekend brunch and dinner/dance cruises.
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What's great about this new Sunset Cruise?
The luxury yacht experience - offers an upscale setting on a luxury yacht, versus budget boat rides in the harbor
Affordable price -
under $30, guests receive a full evening of entertainment in
a very special setting
Convenient schedule -
allows guests to board after work or other activities, then
get home or back to a hotel at a decent hour (yacht
disembarks around 8:30 p.m.)
Having tried nearly all the California cruise destinations
offered by Hornblower Cruises & Events, I prefer Newport
Beach as my
favorite Southern California cruise experience.
Marina del Rey is the L.A. choice with its own brand of
exciting entertainment in a bay that features a five diamond
Ritz Carlton hotel. And San Diego, California's top vacation
getaway, offers a cruise filled
with action in a busy harbor with the warmest weather,
thanks to its southernmost location near Baja Mexico.
Like
so many guests I met and spoke with on board the Wild
Goose,
I searched for affordable things to do, and was glad to
discover the Summer Sunset Cocktail Cruise. Named for the
tasty cocktails, beer and wine sold during the excursion, it struck me that this
event is custom-made for
business people seeking unique places to wine and dine
clients. In addition to several levels of outdoor decks guests can wander, the top
floor offers unassigned table seating for those who want to
sit, talk, work, relax, eat or just chill on a perfect
Newport Beach night. It’s absolutely paradise!
Make
it an overnighter: When seeking a truly complete getaway,
the cruise passes within view of a luxury hotel,
Balboa Bay Club and affordable
Holiday Inn Express on Pacific Coast Highway.
In
addition to its Newport Beach location, Hornblower Cruises &
Events offers cruise brunches, dinners and special
events in San Diego, Marina del Rey, San Francisco and
Berkeley.
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