Marina Del Rey: Christmas Eve Buffet Brunch or Dinner Cruise

Christmas Eve on the water gives you a festive setting without asking you to cook, wash dishes, or squeeze another meal into an already busy holiday. This 2 to 2.5-hour Marina del Rey cruise pairs a decorated boat with a buffet, music, harbor views, and indoor comfort when the evening air turns cool.

I like the guaranteed table for your party size, which keeps the meal simple for families and groups. I also like the choice between a brunch with unlimited champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider, or a more traditional dinner with turkey, stuffing, salmon, and tri-tip. The main drawback is the fixed, non-refundable price of $143 per person, with dinner drinks purchased separately.

Key points to know

• Two holiday formats: Choose a daytime brunch or an evening dinner, with starting times varying by date.
• Marina del Rey views: Watch the harbor, Burton Chace Park, lights, and possible sea life from the boat.
• Brunch includes free-flowing drinks: Champagne, mimosas, sparkling cider, coffee, tea, iced tea, and water are included.
• Dinner feels more traditional: Turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, salmon, tri-tip, and seasonal desserts fill the menu.
• Comfort comes first: You can move between a climate-controlled interior and open-air rooftop decks.
• Plan carefully: The cruise is non-refundable, and beer, wine, and cocktails are not included.

Christmas Eve on Marina del Rey Harbor

The appeal here is less about a long sightseeing route and more about changing the setting of your holiday meal. Instead of sitting in a restaurant, you eat while the boat moves through Marina del Rey, with harbor lights and waterfront views providing the backdrop.

The cruise lasts about two to two and a half hours. That gives you enough time for a full meal and some time outside, but it is not a full-day excursion. I would think of it as a special Christmas Eve event rather than a sightseeing tour with many separate stops.

The boat offers both an indoor dining area and open-air rooftop decks. The indoor space is climate-controlled, which matters on a December afternoon or evening. The roof is the place to go for fresh air, photographs, and a wider look at the harbor, but you can return inside when the temperature drops.

You may see Burton Chace Park and other marina sights during the cruise. The setting also offers the chance to spot sea life, though this is not presented as a wildlife-focused outing. The scenery is pleasant and atmospheric, especially when the port lights begin to show after sunset.

Choosing Brunch or Dinner

The brunch and dinner sailings offer different moods. Brunch is lighter and more social, while dinner leans into the classic Christmas meal.

The brunch option works well if you want to keep the evening open for another family gathering, church service, neighborhood lights, or quiet time at home. It also offers the strongest drink value because champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider flow freely, along with coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and water.

Dinner is the better pick if you want the cruise to serve as your main Christmas Eve celebration. The menu includes familiar holiday dishes, and the evening setting should provide the most festive views of marina lights. Beer, wine, and cocktails are available for purchase, but they are not part of the ticket.

Starting times vary, so check the available date before planning the rest of your day. The cruise itself is short enough to fit into a larger holiday schedule, but you should allow extra time around it for getting to the marina and handling the busy Christmas Eve calendar.

What Appears on the Brunch Buffet

Brunch begins with familiar morning foods. You will find assorted muffins and danishes, smoked salmon with cream cheese, shaved red onion, capers, tomatoes, and bagels. Scrambled eggs with American cheddar, bacon, pork sausage links, breakfast potatoes, and French toast with whipped cream and maple syrup round out the breakfast choices.

The menu then moves into lunch-style dishes. Caesar salad, Greek salad, sun-dried tomato pasta salad, and baked orecchiette provide several meat-free choices. The orecchiette includes parsnips, roasted kale, ricotta, and sage, while the pasta salad includes olives, bacon, garlic aioli, and fresh herbs.

For the main dishes, you can choose from birria-style chicken, oven-roasted salmon, and hand-carved tri-tip steak. The salmon comes with roasted bok choy and a miso citrus soy sauce. The tri-tip is served with caramelized onions and a balsamic beef demi-glace.

Families with children have a separate station with chicken tenders and French fries. That is a practical touch on a holiday meal, since younger diners are not always interested in smoked salmon, roasted kale, or miso sauce.

Dessert includes individual sweets and seasonal fruit. The buffet format lets you try a little of several dishes, which is useful when your group has different tastes or dietary needs.

The Dinner Menu and Traditional Holiday Plates

Dinner starts with Greek salad and a roasted vegetable and grains salad. The second option combines watercress, quinoa, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, mixed seeds, and sumac vinaigrette, giving you a lighter choice before the main plates. Fresh bread and butter accompany the salads.

The main buffet is built around classic comfort food. Three-cheese baked macaroni uses American cheddar, aged Reggiano Parmesan, and Monterey Jack. Garlic mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, haricot verts, and traditional stuffing make the meal feel recognizably seasonal.

The hand-carved turkey comes with cranberry sauce. You can also choose oven-roasted Atlantic salmon with roasted bok choy and miso citrus soy sauce, or hand-carved tri-tip with caramelized onions and balsamic demi-glace.

Potato gnocchi is available by request from your server rather than directly from the buffet. It is served with roasted squash, Parmesan, arugula, and pistachio pesto. This is a useful option for someone looking for a meat-free main course, although the listed ingredients include nuts.

Dessert includes apple crisp with a gluten-free oat crumble and cinnamon, plus a display of assorted cakes, brownies, pastries, and seasonal fruit. Dinner dessert is pre-selected in part, so you may not have the same freedom to load a plate with every sweet as you do at a standard dessert buffet.

A Table, Music, and Room to Move

A guaranteed table for your party is one of the more useful features of this experience. You do not need to build your Christmas Eve meal around finding open restaurant seats, and your group can sit together rather than splitting up.

The atmosphere includes holiday décor and music entertainment. The music is there to set the mood, not to replace the harbor views or the meal. If your ideal holiday is quiet conversation, keep in mind that any music-based event may feel more active than a small restaurant dinner.

The boat gives you several ways to spend the time. Sit inside for the meal, head to the rooftop deck for a look at the marina, and return indoors for coffee or dessert. This movement helps break up a long meal, especially for children who may not want to remain seated for two hours.

The cruise is listed as wheelchair accessible. A passport or ID card is required, so bring an accepted form of identification even though this is a domestic harbor experience. The live guide language is English, and the available language information lists English only.

How the $143 Price Makes Sense

At $143 per person, this is not a cheap way to eat brunch or dinner. You are paying for the setting, boat ride, holiday service, buffet, entertainment, and the fact that the meal and outing are combined into one reservation.

The value is strongest for brunch if you plan to have more than one mimosa or champagne serving. Unlimited brunch drinks are included, as are coffee, tea, iced tea, and water. For a group that wants a festive daytime celebration without arranging a separate meal, the combination can be reasonable.

Dinner value depends more on how much you care about the harbor setting and the convenience of a Christmas Eve event. The food covers the main holiday bases, but beer, wine, and cocktails cost extra. If several people in your group want paid drinks, your final bill will rise beyond the advertised ticket price.

I would not choose this cruise simply to save money. A regular restaurant meal may cost less. I would choose it because you want the meal, views, music, décor, and boat ride in one package, and because organizing a holiday gathering yourself would be more work.

Food Choices and Dietary Notes

The menu includes vegetarian and vegan-friendly items, along with gluten-conscious choices. Brunch has Greek salad, baked orecchiette, breakfast potatoes, salads, vegetables, salmon, and fruit. Dinner includes roasted vegetables and grains, salads, mashed potatoes, haricot verts, and some vegetarian dishes.

The menu marks several items as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, or containing nuts. Still, the kitchen is not gluten-free, and cross-contamination is possible. If you have celiac disease or a serious allergy, you should treat the gluten-free labels with caution and ask about your needs before booking.

Nuts appear in some dishes, including the brunch pastries, dinner gnocchi with pistachio pesto, and parts of the dessert selection. The menu also flags certain items as containing nuts, but you should still check with the service team if an allergy is important to your safety.

The buffet helps flexible eaters, since you can select from many dishes. It is less ideal if everyone in your party needs strict food separation or highly customized preparation.

The Best Parts of the Setting

The strongest atmospheric detail is the view of the marina lights. An evening cruise gives you a changing waterfront backdrop while you eat, and the open-air deck lets you see more than you would from an enclosed restaurant.

The port views are also useful on brunch. Daylight makes it easier to see the harbor layout, Burton Chace Park, boats, and the surrounding waterfront. If you like photos, the roof deck should provide better angles than the dining room.

The decorated boat adds a clear Christmas feel without requiring a formal dress code in the information provided. You get holiday surroundings, music, and a special menu, but the mood remains suitable for families.

One French-language comment about the experience praised the buffet, the welcome glass of champagne, the port lights, and the friendly atmosphere. Those details line up with the main reason to book: the event combines a satisfying meal with a setting that feels different from an ordinary Christmas restaurant reservation.

Who Will Enjoy This Cruise Most

I would recommend this cruise to families who want a shared Christmas Eve event with a guaranteed table and food choices for both adults and children. The kids’ station, familiar dinner dishes, and indoor seating make it easier to manage a mixed-age group.

It also suits couples and extended families who want a festive occasion without preparing the meal. Brunch is especially appealing if you prefer daytime celebrations or want to keep Christmas Eve night free.

The cruise is less suitable if you want a long harbor tour, a highly personalized meal, or a quiet fine-dining experience. The boat ride is only two to two and a half hours, the menu is buffet-based, and music is part of the atmosphere.

It may also be a poor fit if you are deciding at the last minute. The activity is non-refundable, so check the date, time, party size, dietary concerns, and drink expectations before paying.

Practical Tips Before You Book

Pick brunch if unlimited mimosas, champagne, and sparkling cider are important to you. Pick dinner if turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and evening harbor lights are the main draw.

Bring your passport or ID card, as required. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included, so you must arrange your own way to and from Marina del Rey.

Keep the boat’s two spaces in mind when dressing. The dining room is climate-controlled, but the rooftop deck is open air. A light extra layer will help if you plan to spend time outside.

Finally, check the exact starting time before making other Christmas Eve plans. The cruise duration is fixed, but the departure time can vary by availability.

Should You Book the Marina del Rey Christmas Eve Cruise?

Book it if you want Christmas Eve to feel like an event, not simply another meal. The harbor views, holiday décor, music, buffet, and guaranteed table make this a convenient choice for families and groups.

Brunch offers the clearest value because unlimited champagne, mimosas, sparkling cider, coffee, and tea are included. Dinner is a good fit when you want a traditional holiday plate and an evening view, but remember that other alcoholic drinks cost extra.

Skip it if $143 feels too high for a buffet, if you need strict allergy controls, or if you prefer a quiet meal with no fixed schedule. For everyone else, this is a practical way to put the cooking aside and let Marina del Rey supply the Christmas backdrop.

FAQ

How long is the Christmas Eve cruise?

The cruise lasts about 2 to 2.5 hours. Starting times vary, so check availability for the date you want.

Is brunch or dinner included?

You choose either a Christmas Eve buffet brunch or a winter holiday buffet dinner. Both include freshly prepared entrees, salads, desserts, coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and water.

Are drinks included with the ticket?

Brunch includes free-flowing champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider. Beer, wine, and cocktails are available for purchase but are not included.

Is there a table for my whole party?

A table is guaranteed for your party size. This makes the cruise suitable for family groups and holiday gatherings.

Is the cruise wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the activity is listed as wheelchair accessible.

What identification should I bring?

Bring a passport or ID card. The activity is conducted in English, and hotel pickup and drop-off are not included.