City Cruises - San Diego

ns and fumes. The boarding process was absolute chaos and while our coordinator, Lisa, did her best, she was understaffed and ill-prepared by her team. One of the staff on the boat told a guest that the boat was going to explode had it taken off, this causing panic among guests. The food was decent enough, but poorly organised and took several hours to be served. We danced for about 40 minutes of the 2 hours scheduled to dance. We did not have an outdoor dance floor due to poor communication amongst Hornblower staff, which I only found out a few days before the wedding. I could continue on with a list of other issues, but honestly am exhausted and want to forget the whole thing – sad to want to forget your own wedding… Hornblower did give us a partial refund, but only after my mother and myself having to push them for several weeks. This wedding was planned for years and was an absolute embarrassment on the night of. No refund or amount of apologies can give my husband and I back the wedding night we had hoped for. Instead, I’m still apologizing to guests. I suggest a different company if you’re looking for a yacht wedding in San Diego – it can’t possibly be worse than this experience.

nd a lovely event host!

any!), and I found this very helpful as I was planning our wedding from Arizona. Also, we were able to customize a package which best met our needs. We chose to have our ceremony on a beach and have a dinner cruise as our reception which worked out beautifully! But looking back, I think my one wish would be to have had more time on the yacht... the 3 hour cruise we booked went by too fast! I would definitely recommend one of the 4 hour packages to anyone considering a wedding, even if you are having your ceremony elsewhere. We, and all of our guests were having such a great time that we were sad to see it end. The staff on the yacht (and I am sorry I do not remember their names) were super nice, professional, and helpful. The yacht was just beautiful, as were the views of course. While I was concerned that the Renown would be a bit small, it actually was very comfortable for our guests (25 people). And the food! Wow, every one LOVED the food... in fact they are still talking about how delicious everything was even a month later. The food was quite plentiful and very fresh. They even agreed to provide for our vegetarian guests at no extra charge. In fact, my husband only had one complaint: he couldn't get any of the food to take as leftovers :) Overall, Hornblower had the best prices for a yacht wedding or reception, they were an awesome complany to work with, and provide standout service. Also, there aren't a bunch of hidden fees, other than the standard services charge and a landing fee, which I assume comes with any on-the-water-event. I can't wait to return to San Diego and take a Hornblower cruise for our anniversary!

t and all of our guests had a wonderful and enjoyable experience. I wouldn't change a thing!

package and cake. The three-course dinner was delicious, as was the wedding cake (which they let me customize to my liking), and the views were breath-taking. The wedding coordinator was amazing, she made everything less stressful. She was included in the package as well! The cruise and dining staff were all friendly and attentive. All my guests enjoyed themselves and so did my husband and I! I definitely recommend them!

on, and Kristie was always willing to show me the yacht as many times as I wanted. The day of staff were amazing, DJ the event manager was always making sure everything was the way I wanted and Aaron the bartender made the best drink suggestions. Finally the FOOD! Best wedding food I've ever had. I'm still hearing back from my guests about the prime rib and the cheesy potatoes. My mom even wanted to take the leftovers home in a Tupperware container! I couldn't have picked a better venue. How many people can say that got married on a yacht?!?! Thank you Hornblower for an amazing day.

sary! Monique made us feel at ease and the wedding vows seemed tailored to us. Hornblower Cruises and Events took a day special for the bride and groom and created a memorable day for us and our guests. It was what we both wanted... intimate and stress-free!

ning our wedding. I was so nervous since it was going to be on a boat. I am so happy to say that everything turned out perfect!! the background of dowtown san diego with the sunset on the water was so beautiful! everything turned out amasing! I would do it all over again!!

and windows. Not much decoration needed for this ceremony as the beautiful San Diego Bay was our backdrop! Some guests stood during the short ceremony in which the captain married us. There is a lounge area directly next to the area for the ceremony for extra seating and the DJ. Amazing food for the Main Sail Lunch! The dining room is all indoors on the first level with a bar. Their package included favors-tix for a future Harbor Cruise for our guests! and a cake-we chose Twiggs for our bakery (AMAZING white velvet cake)! The servers, captain, director, bartenders, everyone was SOOOO nice, helpful, and accomodating. The whole cruise is only 4 hours and it went fast!!! Just enough time for a little afternoon dancing:-) Beware steep stairs and steps on the boat. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a FUN and small wedding on the water!!!

uld certainly recommend this to anyone looking to have a dinner cruise reception.

o issues: 1. My wedding planner was supposed to have access to the boat a few hours ahead of time to set-up the decorations, put out favors, etc. However when she showed up at the appointed time and location the boat was "locked". Because of this she did not have the time to fully decorate as we had planned. Luckily I am pretty laid back and was okay with the fact that the boat wasn't decorated as much and how I exactly wanted for the ceremony and reception. 2. We decided to have the ceremony on the boat at sunset. However, we just taken off when the ceremony started and so walking up the aisle was a little choppy. I wouldn't recommend doing this. I suggest having the ceremony while the boat is docked so that there are no bumps as you're walking down the aisle or have the ceremony somewhere else. Just a thought.

as helpful and patient during the planning process. San Diego is such a laid-back town that sometimes the hospitality industry doesn't have the best record for service - but we were both blown away by the attentive and warm service provided to our guests. We actually enjoyed our reception food - many guests commented on how it was the first wedding they had attended where the food was delicious. Note: Unless you bring in your own officiant, the wedding itself has to be kept to 10-15 minutes. 15 min. was just right for us - enough time to exchange meaningful vows, share some lovely readings...but not long enough to bore our guests. For San Diego dinner cruises during the summer, be sure to check out the Summer Pops schedule. If you book your wedding on the same evening as a concert, you just might get some "free" fireworks thrown in. Our captain made an effort to time the cruise so that we were close to the fireworks when they were set off.

e ceremony on the boat ... the bathroom is quite small and very hot ... but it was still well worth it.