Christmas Trips · SAILING
The good festive sailing trips fill weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each includes and how they differ.
Board a VMT Madeira catamaran at Funchal Marina for a 1.5-hour New Year’s Eve cruise. You’ll watch the fireworks from the water, see Funchal lit up after dark, and enjoy champagne, wine, beer, or soft drinks. English and Portuguese guides are provided.
“It was a magnificent experience, very well organised, but most of all the fireworks were amazing :)”
Sail from Funchal Marina at 11:00 PM, view Madeira’s Christmas lights from the water, then settle in the bay for the midnight fireworks. English and Portuguese guides are provided, with champagne, Madeira wine, and snacks served on board. Return is planned for about 12:30 AM.
“Picie i przekąski no limit, widoki warte każdej ceny. 10/10 i chętnie bym tam wróciła”
Meet Palmayachts at Belém at 10:30 pm for a three-hour New Year’s Eve sail on the Tagus. Your small group sees Belém Tower, the 25 de Abril Bridge, Christ the King, Praça do Comércio, and Lisbon’s lights, with drinks, snacks, and sparkling wine at midnight.
“The views were amazing and the crew did everything in its power to make us feel comfortable and have fun. Definitely an experience I would recommend and plan on having again.”
Set sail from Dubai Marina at 10 pm aboard a 33-foot yacht for roughly four hours around Palm Jumeirah. Your group of up to six gets a professional crew, life jackets, music, chilled drinks, refreshments, and sea views of Dubai’s New Year’s Eve fireworks before returning to the Marina.
“First time in dubai booked holiday with travel saga tourism it was great discussion we planed the itinerary with saba she helped us to organize the tour day by day want a great service provider thank you so much travel saga for everything things......”
Join a three-hour New Year’s Eve sail from Doca do Bom Sucesso with English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish-speaking crew. João and Justin have guided recent cruises, pointing out Lisbon landmarks while you enjoy wine, sparkling wine, bolo rei, raisins, blankets, and fireworks from the Tagus.
“Los dos chicos del barco fueron super agradables y simpaticos. El alcohol no falta pero la tabla de quesos y embutidos no la han puesto,no habia nada de comer excepto el roscon de reyes, deberian cumplir todo lo que contratas porque para eso pagas tanto dinero.”
Sail Reykjavík’s coast for 1.5 hours with an English or Icelandic guide, passing Videy Island and the Imagine Peace monument before watching New Year’s fireworks from the water. A midnight champagne toast is included. The yacht has room for about 35 people.
“An intimate way to spend NYE in Reykjavik... capped at 35 people on a luxury yacht, we got Earth's fireworks (Northern Lights) and the just insane fireworks show the citizens of Reykjavik put on every New Year's Eve! If visiting Reykjavik during the New Year's holiday, I definitely recommend taking this cruise!”
Spend 4.5 hours aboard a private 33-foot yacht for up to eight people, leaving Dubai Harbour at 9 pm. You will cruise past Ain Dubai, Burj Al Arab, and Palm Jumeirah, with bottled water, ice, and cutlery included. Meals can be arranged for an added cost.
“Had an amazing yacht trip at the marina, enjoying stunning views and a relaxing breeze. Big thanks to Rashed Chowdhury for being an incredible guide and making the experience unforgettable!”
Board the 10.5-meter Kirralee in Pyrmont at 6pm for a seven-hour Sydney Harbour cruise. Phil, Justin, and the crew serve a fresh BBQ, find an anchorage with Harbour Bridge views, and give you indoor and outdoor places to watch the 9pm and midnight fireworks.
“An amazing New Years experience and the captain and deck crew made the experience even more memorable. The crew went out of the way to find an awesome location, great food and got us home as soon as possible. Thank you”
Spend three hours aboard a shared luxury yacht off Dubai, with fireworks views, BBQ dinner, soft drinks, music, and skyline photo stops. You will meet the yacht manager at Dubai Harbour Yacht Club, then cruise past Ain Dubai, JBR, Atlantis, Burj Al Arab, and Palm Jumeirah.
Spend New Year’s Eve on a small sailboat along Lisbon’s Tagus River, with snacks, drinks, blankets, music, and a midnight toast. The crew includes João and Mike, praised for friendly service. You’ll view Praça do Comércio and the fireworks from the water, away from the main crowds.
“Staff was super friendly, we had drinks to spend the time and blankets to keep warm. We had a great time. Highly recommend it. Thanks Joao and Mike!”
Board a 70ft yacht at King Wan Street at 6 pm for about four hours on Victoria Harbour. Jackie and the crew host a smart-casual countdown party with indoor and outdoor seating, unlimited drinks, snacks, skyline views, lighting effects, and possible fireworks.
“This NYE boat tour was great! Lead by Jackie, the entire team made the evening very special. The boat was quite large/NOT oversold so we were comfortable the entire night, with both indoor and outdoor seating available. The appetizers weRead more”
Join Royal Marine at Belém for a small-group New Year’s Eve catamaran cruise on the Tagus. With only 12 seats, you’ll pass Lisbon landmarks, enjoy cheeses, sausages, snacks, five drinks per person, and toast with champagne as fireworks light up Terreiro do Paço.
Meet at Sacramento’s L Street Dock for a 1.5-hour New Year’s Eve yacht cruise on the Sacramento River. Enjoy city views, a live DJ, cocktail-style seating, a cash bar, small bites for purchase, and one complimentary glass of champagne at midnight. The cruise is for ages 21 and over.
“The cruise could be about 30 minutes longer. The party really got started after the New Years Eve countdown and then it was time to go. Also, the downstairs bar should have been open.”
Sail from Doca de Alcântara for two hours with up to 10 people per boat. Your multilingual guide and crew serve wine, sangria, beer, juices, snacks, cheese, charcuterie, King Cake, sparkling wine, and raisins at midnight while Lisbon’s fireworks light the Tagus.
Join a small-group catamaran cruise from Lisbon at 11 pm for New Year’s Eve food, drinks, and a prime view of the fireworks near Praça do Comércio. You’ll spend about 2 to 3 hours on the Tagus, with a friendly crew and time to enjoy the city lights from the water.
“We had an amazing New Year’s experience with Royal Marine! Everything was perfectly organized, from the comfortable catamaran to the delicious food and drinks with a great variety to choose from.”
Pick a market, a lights run or a night in the snow.
