Holiday Lights Cruise: Newport Beach Spectacle

Experience the magic of the holiday season with the Newport Beach Harbor Cruise of Lights. Marvel at the elaborate Christmas light displays, enjoy the boat parade, and be captivated by millions of holiday lights. A must-see for the holidays!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Balboa Fun Zone - Children can enjoy an arcade, ferris wheel, large bounce trampoline and other fun activities. And, of course, the ever famoun, Balboa Bar (chocolate covered banana).
  • Balboa Pier - Embark down the beautiful Balboa Pier where Rubys Diner awaits at the end with a delicious burger or milk shake.
What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Driver/guide
  • Port pickup and drop-off
  • Local taxes
  • Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
  • Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
  • Food and drinks (available for purchase)
  • Transportation to/from attractions
  • Gratuities
  • Parking may be challenging during the week of the boat parade and weekends- please arrive early
  • Rideshare is recommended on the weekend or arriving extra early for departure
Additional Information

What will you be doing this Christmas? The holiday season is a time to spend with family, eat big & delicious meals, exchange gifts, and go to holiday office parties. Of course, you won’t want to miss out on festive holiday lights and decorations either. The answer, The Newport Beach Harbor Cruise Of Lights has it all. Elaborate Christmas light displays of bayfront estates with their Ring Of Lights competition and one of the largest decorated boat parades in the country. Hundreds of decorated ships of all sizes compete for top awards in over a half dozen categories. The Newport Beach Boat Parade is viewed by over 1.5 million people each season and is one of the largest boat parades you will likely ever see. Millions of holiday lights are a part of the Newport Beach Boat Parade and Ring Of Lights decorations making Newport Bay a “must see” for the holiday season.

  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Closed toed shoes and a heavy jacket are recommended
  • Minimum drinking age is 21 years
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Refunds will not be issued if tour/activity is missed due to late or non-arrival of cruise ship
Location
400 Main St
Main Street
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
3.0
(4 Ratings)
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Michelle
Dec 22, 2017
Christmas boat parade - Great experience. The Christmas boat parade is once a year, one week before Christmas . It runs from Thursday to Sunday. We had tickets for Thursday the 8:30 pm departure( everything else was sold out). Not only that we were part of the parade, we got to see all the beautiful decorations from the mansions on Balboa Island and from Lido. On the boat was playing Christmas music and the atmosphere was very festive. The boats were decorated with hundreds of lights and some of them used special effects. The ride was 90 minutes but it felt like 30 minutes. On Thursday at 6:00pm and Sunday at the last departure they have fireworks. If you want to see the parade Saturday or Sunday you have to buy tickets around Thanksgiving time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Live2trade
Dec 18, 2017
Christmas Boat Parade - Had a great time with friends watching the Christmas Boat Parade from this boat. Great outdoor deck perfect for viewing the parade:-)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
F9936izgregp
Dec 21, 2023
Terrible - Since this company requested a review by email here they have it. I went on their Christmas lights cruise on Wednesday. The crew was polite. No complaints there. However, the conditions were not appropriate or safe to take people out that night. There was a rainstorm that night. Most people were huddled in the galley where you could not see the lights. That defeated the whole point of going on the cruise to begin with. I get that this company makes good money from these lights cruises. Still, it felt like they placed profit over their guests here. There were elderly guests and passengers with little children. They should have done the right thing and cancelled that night.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rachael
Nov 25, 2017
Bait and switch - don't pay extra for Legacy boat - Christmas boat parade... Depending on which phone representative you talk to, they DON'T all say paying extra for the Legacy Boat is not guaranteed. "Company has the right to move you to another boat (fishing boat, not nice Legacy) depending on availability at that time." Paying $14 more for thinking you will get the Legacy, company will make it a longer trip 8:15 departure vs 8:30 departure. Ole, bait and switch - save your money! Keep looking!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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