Marina Del Rey: Christmas Eve Buffet Brunch or Dinner Cruise

Christmas Eve belongs on the water. This Marina del Rey cruise combines a holiday buffet with harbor views, music, and a festive setting, giving you a tidy two to two-and-a-half-hour celebration without planning several separate stops. I especially like the changing views around Burton Chace Park and the choice between an afternoon brunch and an evening dinner. I also like that brunch includes free-flowing champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider. The main drawback is the fixed schedule and non-refundable price, so you will want to be sure your holiday plans are firm.

At $143 per person, this is not a casual meal with a boat ride tacked on. You are paying for a prepared Christmas Eve event, a guaranteed table for your party size, entertainment, holiday décor, and service on the harbor. The dinner menu leans toward familiar holiday comfort food, while brunch offers a wider breakfast-and-lunch spread. One French-language review praised the buffet, welcome champagne, harbor lights, and friendly mood, which neatly captures the appeal of the evening sailing.

Key points to know before booking

• Two ways to celebrate: Choose a Christmas Eve brunch or a holiday dinner, with each sailing lasting about two to two-and-a-half hours.
• Brunch includes free-flowing drinks: Champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider are included, along with coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and water.
• Dinner brings classic holiday plates: Turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, salmon, tri-tip steak, macaroni, and seasonal desserts fill the buffet.
• The harbor is part of the show: You can view Marina del Rey, Burton Chace Park, harbor lights, and possible sea life from climate-controlled indoor areas and open-air rooftop decks.
• A table is reserved for your party: You are not left hunting for seats after boarding, which matters during a busy Christmas celebration.
• Plan around the fine print: Beer, wine, and cocktails cost extra, the activity is non-refundable, and you should bring a passport or ID card.

A Christmas Eve celebration built around the harbor

The appeal here is simple: you get a holiday meal and a short cruise in one organized outing. Rather than arranging dinner, entertainment, and an evening walk separately, you board a decorated vessel and let the setting do part of the work.

The cruise lasts about two to two-and-a-half hours. That is long enough for a full meal, a drink or two, music, and time at the windows or on the rooftop deck, but short enough to fit into a larger Christmas Eve plan. Check the available departure time carefully, since the exact starting time can affect church services, family gatherings, hotel plans, or late-night celebrations.

The vessel has climate-controlled indoor space, useful if December air feels cool or if you prefer to stay near your table. Open-air rooftop decks give you a better look at the harbor and holiday lights. I like this split because you do not have to choose between comfort and scenery for the whole evening.

The cruise is not presented as a narrated sightseeing tour with a long list of landmarks. Think of it as a moving holiday dining room. The views, music, and water provide the atmosphere while the buffet carries the meal.

Choosing brunch or dinner on Christmas Eve

The brunch sailing is the more relaxed and flexible choice for many families. It includes breakfast pastries, smoked salmon, bagels, eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, and French toast, then moves into salads, pasta, chicken, salmon, and tri-tip steak. That broad selection makes brunch useful for mixed appetites, including people who want a traditional breakfast and others ready for a full midday meal.

The free-flowing champagne and mimosas are a major part of the brunch value. Sparkling cider gives non-drinkers and younger diners a festive option. Coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and water are also included. Beer, wine, and cocktails are not included, so do not assume the brunch beverage package covers the full bar.

Dinner feels more like the main Christmas Eve event. The menu begins with Greek salad and a roasted vegetable and grain salad, then offers three-cheese baked macaroni, Atlantic salmon, hand-carved turkey, tri-tip steak, and potato gnocchi available by request from your server. The sides bring the holiday tone: garlic mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potato, haricot verts, traditional stuffing, and turkey gravy.

For dessert, dinner includes apple crisp, assorted cakes, brownies, pastries, and seasonal fruit. The apple crisp is made with a gluten-free oat crumble, although the kitchen is not gluten-free and cross-contamination remains possible. If you have a serious allergy or dietary restriction, ask before booking and confirm what can safely be served.

I would choose brunch if you want daytime harbor views and included celebratory drinks. I would choose dinner if the point is to make the cruise your central Christmas Eve occasion, with turkey, stuffing, gravy, and evening lights setting the mood.

What the brunch buffet actually offers

The brunch menu is broad enough to satisfy a group that cannot agree on one type of meal. Breakfast pastries, muffins, and Danishes make an easy first plate, though the pastry station contains nuts.

The smoked salmon display adds a more special touch, with cream cheese, shaved red onion, capers, tomatoes, and bagels. Scrambled eggs come with American cheddar, and the breakfast meats include Applewood smoked bacon and pork sausage links. French toast arrives with whipped cream and maple syrup, while breakfast potatoes are prepared with caramelized onions and sweet bell peppers.

The lunch side of the buffet is not an afterthought. You can choose Caesar salad, Greek salad, sun-dried tomato pasta salad, baked orecchiette with parsnips and roasted kale, 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.

Families can use the separate children’s station, which offers chicken tenders and French fries. That is practical on a holiday cruise, since younger diners may not be interested in salmon, arugula, or za’atar vinaigrette.

Dessert includes individual sweets and seasonal fruit. The variety helps if your table wants to sample several small portions instead of ordering one large dessert for everyone. Since this is a buffet, you can pace yourself, but the meal may feel less intimate than a plated dinner.

Why the dinner menu works for a holiday meal

The dinner menu takes a familiar approach, which is sensible for a mixed-age Christmas Eve gathering. Turkey with cranberry sauce, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes gives traditional diners what they expect. Tri-tip and salmon add alternatives for people who do not want a standard holiday plate.

The three-cheese baked macaroni is a useful family-friendly choice, and the salads and roasted vegetables keep the meal from becoming entirely heavy. The roasted vegetable and grain salad includes quinoa, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, watercress, mixed seeds, and a sumac vinaigrette.

The potato gnocchi is ordered from the server rather than taken directly from the buffet. It comes with roasted squash, Parmesan, arugula, and pistachio pesto. That small service detail gives the menu one dish that feels more restaurant-like than standard buffet fare.

The menu marks vegetarian, vegan, nut-containing, and gluten-related items. Still, the kitchen warns that some dishes marked as gluten-free may face cross-contamination. Treat those labels as useful guidance, not a guarantee of a fully separate preparation area.

Harbor views, rooftop air, and holiday lights

Marina del Rey is the setting, not just the departure point. During the cruise, you can look across the marina toward Burton Chace Park and watch the shoreline change from the indoor dining room or open-air rooftop decks.

The best views will depend on the time of your sailing and the weather. A daytime brunch should give you clearer harbor scenery, while dinner may bring the visual charm of port lights. One especially praised detail was the view of the harbor lights, paired with the welcome champagne and friendly atmosphere.

Sea life may also appear around the marina, though it should be treated as a pleasant possibility rather than a promised sighting. The cruise is short, so the scenery is best enjoyed in small moments between courses. I would make a point of stepping outside at least once, even if you spend most of the meal indoors.

The open-air deck also gives you a break from the buffet and music. Bring your passport or ID card, as identification is required. The cruise is wheelchair accessible, which makes the combination of indoor seating and harbor views easier for more people to enjoy.

Music, décor, and the feeling of the occasion

Holiday décor helps turn a regular harbor meal into a Christmas Eve event. Music entertainment sets the mood without requiring you to arrange a separate show. The result is social and easygoing rather than formal theater.

That atmosphere may suit you if your group wants conversation, food, and scenery. It may not suit you if you want a quiet, intimate meal or a highly structured performance. The supplied rating of 4 out of 5, based on four reviews, suggests a generally positive experience, but not one that should be mistaken for a luxury tasting menu or a private yacht charter.

The friendly mood is one of the strongest reasons to book. A cruise gives your party something to talk about, and the changing view prevents the meal from feeling like a standard banquet in a fixed room. Still, the shared public setting means the overall mood can depend on the crowd and the music volume.

Is $143 a fair price?

At $143 per person, the price is best judged as a package. You receive the cruise, a freshly prepared buffet, dessert, nonalcoholic drinks, holiday décor, music entertainment, and a guaranteed table for your party size. Brunch adds free-flowing champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider.

That is reasonable if you value convenience and want one planned Christmas Eve activity. You do not need to reserve a separate restaurant, search for parking between stops, or build your own evening entertainment. The harbor setting also gives the meal a sense of occasion that a regular buffet may not provide.

The value is weaker if you mainly want a great dinner and do not care about being on the water. Dinner drinks beyond the included coffee, tea, iced tea, and water cost extra, including beer, wine, and cocktails. The non-refundable policy also matters. Holiday plans change, and this is not a booking to make casually.

For a family group, the guaranteed table can be worth more than it first appears. Coordinating a large Christmas Eve party in a restaurant can be difficult, while this format keeps everyone together and gives children familiar food at the kids’ station.

Who should book this cruise?

I would recommend it to families, couples, and groups looking for a festive shared activity rather than a quiet restaurant meal. It is especially useful if your party has different food preferences, since both brunch and dinner include meat, seafood, vegetables, salads, pasta, and desserts.

Brunch suits people who want daytime views and included mimosas. Dinner suits those who want classic Christmas food and harbor lights. The wheelchair-accessible setting is another practical advantage for groups that need that feature.

I would think twice if you have strict dietary needs, dislike buffets, want a private table with no surrounding activity, or need flexible cancellation. The menu provides clear dietary labels, but the kitchen is not gluten-free. And while the cruise is festive, the experience is centered on dining and scenery, not a detailed guided tour.

My advice for making the most of it

Choose your sailing based on the mood you want, not just the menu. Brunch gives you breakfast foods, lunch choices, and free-flowing sparkling drinks. Dinner gives you a more traditional holiday plate and the possibility of harbor lights.

Arrive ready to spend most of the two to two-and-a-half hours aboard. Since the cruise is short, do not expect a long sightseeing route or many separate stops. Your best use of the time is to eat at a comfortable pace, enjoy the music, and move between the indoor dining room and rooftop deck.

If you are booking for a group, settle the brunch-versus-dinner decision before paying. The activity is non-refundable, and the $143 cost adds up quickly for several people. Also remember that beer, wine, and cocktails are extra, while brunch beverages such as champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider are included.

Should you book the Marina del Rey Christmas Eve cruise?

Book it if you want Christmas Eve to feel organized, social, and a little different from dinner at home. The strongest reasons are the harbor setting, the included brunch drinks, the broad buffet, the holiday lights, and the reserved table for your party.

Skip it if you want a quiet plated meal, full control over timing, or a low-cost outing. For the right group, though, this cruise offers good holiday value because the food, music, views, and festive setting arrive as one package. The welcome champagne, friendly atmosphere, and port lights may be the details you remember after the plates are cleared.

FAQ

How long does the Christmas Eve cruise last?

The cruise lasts about two to two-and-a-half hours. Starting times vary, so check availability when choosing your date.

Is brunch or dinner available?

Yes. You can choose a Christmas Eve buffet brunch or a winter holiday dinner, depending on the available sailing.

Are champagne and mimosas included?

For brunch, free-flowing champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider are included. Coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and water are also included.

Are beer, wine, and cocktails included?

No. Beer, wine, and cocktails are available for purchase but are not included in the listed price.

Is a table guaranteed?

Yes. A table is guaranteed for your party size.

Is the cruise wheelchair accessible?

Yes. The activity is wheelchair accessible.

What identification should I bring?

Bring a passport or ID card.

Can I cancel for a refund?

No. The activity is non-refundable, so make sure your Christmas Eve plans are firm before booking.