300+ guest capacity
This venue can host 300+ guests
About this vendor
Weddings and Receptions on San Diego Bay Yachts
Based in San Diego, CA, City Cruises - San Diego allows couples to have one-of-a-kind weddings on the water. Breathtaking sunset views and sailing past famous attractions can create an unforgettable setting for any big day. The experienced staff will work tirelessly to provide a seamless and stress-free experience for you and your loved ones.
City Cruises - San Diego offers a wide selection of exclusive yachts you can use to host your special event. With capacities ranging from 50 to 1200 people, you'll be able to find the vessel that suits your celebration, whether it's a grand affair or an intimate gathering. Each one features a climate-controlled interior ideal for dining and an open-air exterior ideal for mingling under the stars. Your guests will be in awe of the unparralled panoramic views from every direction as you sail along the San Diego Bay. Iconic landmarks like the Star of India, Coronado Bay Bridge, Naval Air Station North Island, and the USS Midway Aircraft Museum can provide a unique backdrop for photos. Photo booths, a dance floor, live music, and more enhancements are available to elevate your event.
The professional team at City Cruises - San Diego aims to help you make your vision for your special day a reality. An in-office coordinator will ensure you have a seamless experience. They offer several all-inclusive packages to accommodate different needs and budgets. Guests will be talking about the delicious, chef-prepared menu long after the festivities are over. Friendly staff can serve your meal buffet-style, plated, or at food stations. Bartenders are available to provide delicious beverages throughout your soiree. China, linens, and glassware are included with the vessel for your convenience. You'll also have access to City Cruises - San Diego's preferred vendor list to bring your celebration to life.
Pricing details
Starting prices
Reception:
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Ceremony:
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Bar services:
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Catering:
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Starting prices don't include service fees, taxes, gratuity, and rental fees. Guest count and seasonality may also affect prices.
Amenities + details
Ceremony Area
Covered Outdoors Space
Dressing Room
Handicap Accessible
Indoor Event Space
Liability Insurance
Outdoor Event Space
Reception Area
On-Site Accommodations
Wireless Internet
Ceremony Types
- Civil Union
- Commitment Ceremony
- Elopement
- Interfaith Ceremony
- Non-Religious Ceremony
- Religious Ceremony
Guest Capacity
- 300+
Settings
- Beach
- Waterfront
- City Hall
- Cruise
- Historic Venue
- Religious Setting
Venue Service Offerings
- Bar & Drinks
- Cakes & Desserts
- Destination Weddings
- Destination Wedding Packages
- Destination Wedding Planning
- Food & Catering
Awards and Affiliations
Reviews
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4.7
out of 5.025 reviews
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We held our wedding reception on a Hornblower yacht (the Renown) on March 17, 2014. We were so very pleased with this company, from start to finish! Kristie and Monique were both extremely responsive to any and all questions I had (which were many!), 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!
We held our “wedding” onboard the Adventure Hornblower in September and I’m sad to say that I cannot recommend this to anyone, nor leave a positive review. The boat did not sail, putting half our wedding guests’ tables next to piles or rope, bins 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.
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The whole experience with Hornblower was amazing! They were very accommodating with us planning our destination wedding. The food was so good, delicious, hot and great quality! I highly recommend this for a small wedding. Not overly expensive and a lovely event host!
Everything was perfect they made everything for our wedding so easy. Everyone loves the appetizers and the entrees were good too! Everything was amazing and I would recommend them to anyone
Monique and her staff were wonderful. From the planning to the big day, Monique helped in every was possible. She ensured everything went on without a hitch. The staff during the cruise were attentive and delightful. We didn't have one complaint and all of our guests had a wonderful and enjoyable experience. I wouldn't change a thing!
Everything went smoothly on me and my husband's wedding day. My husband and I had a small wedding with twenty guests. We went with one of the upgrades of Hornblower's intimate wedding packages: ceremony, 3-hr cruise, dinner, photographer, photo 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!
From the get go Hornblower was amazing. Jill responded to my inquiry right away and worked with our schedule to show us the yacht. Once we booked Kristie Bryant was a dream to work with. Communication was fantastic, I always knew what was going 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.
Hornblower Cruises & Events wedding packages allowed for us to make the decisions and have no worries that everything would be arranged when we got there. They even wrapped our wedding cake tier to take home and enjoy on our 1 year anniversary! 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!
We had such a great day and the hornblower took care of everything if you need a place for a small wedding this is it !!! We plan on going there for our first anniversary as well we had so much fun
do yourself a favor and say i do on the Hornblower Yacht. Everything from the amazing food, views and more than helpful staff. You can't go wrong, best decision ever!
We could not have asked for a more beautiful and perfect event. The planning was stress free due to the wonderful staff and then we didnt have to deal with a single issue the day of our wedding! LOVED IT
Thank you!
My husband and I wanted to do something different, so we were looking online and found a yacht we fell in love with through hornblower cruises and events. Krystie and Jill were very helpful and were in contact with us for over a whole year planning 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!!
We held our wedding on the Emerald Hornblower with 67 of our closest family and friends. This boat has a retractable roof on the second of two levels and we were able to be married under the sunshine, but protected from the breeze by the walls 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!!!
We chartered our own boat for 40 of our guests and they all enjoyed themselves. The staff was attentive and the food was tasty. The boat was a little run down but that would be my only complaint.
This was the perfect venue for our smaller group. They took care of just about everything which allowed us to sit back, relax and enjoy the evening with our guests. The food was wonderful and everyone we dealt with was so kind and helpful. I would certainly recommend this to anyone looking to have a dinner cruise reception.
We used Hornblower for our 2006 wedding ceremony and reception. For the most part, they were easy to work with and the planning and event went smoothly. The food and service was very good and overall it was a good value for what we got.
Two 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.
Hornblower made it so easy to have a beautiful wedding and reception. We chose a harbor cruise because many of our guests were coming from out of town and we wanted to treat them to something special - and show off San Diego living. The staff was 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.
The food was very good. Everything happened very smoothly.;The sound system was not very good. 4 hours goes by VERY quickly.
She was very friendly & made the time leading up to the wedding day as stress-free as possible.
Cruising in San Diego bay for 4 hours in an awesome yacht. We could tell everyone was having fun and enjoyed every minute. And four hours is perfect ... not too long and not too short.;The bride doesn't really have a place to hang out before the ceremony on the boat ... the bathroom is quite small and very hot ... but it was still well worth it.
Contact
1800 N. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA
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City Cruises - San Diego
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