Marina Del Rey: Christmas Eve Buffet Brunch or Dinner Cruise

Christmas Eve on the water gives you a different kind of holiday setting: Marina del Rey’s harbor lights, open-air decks, and a decorated dining boat instead of another crowded restaurant. You’ll spend two to two and a half hours sailing past Burton Chace Park and watching for sea life while a buffet meal and music keep the celebration moving.

I like the guaranteed table for your party size, which removes one common worry from group holiday dining. I also like the choice between a daytime brunch with unlimited mimosas and champagne or a more traditional dinner with turkey, salmon, steak, and seasonal sides. The main drawback is the fixed, non-refundable booking, so this is best for a Christmas Eve plan you can keep.

Key points to know

• Two cruise times: Choose a holiday brunch or dinner, each lasting about two to two and a half hours.
• Harbor scenery: Look for views of Burton Chace Park, marina lights, open water, and possible sea life from the interior or rooftop decks.
• Brunch drinks included: Free-flowing champagne, mimosas, sparkling cider, coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and water come with the brunch.
• Dinner feels more traditional: Turkey, tri-tip steak, salmon, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and apple crisp form the heart of the evening buffet.
• Climate-controlled comfort: You can dine indoors, then step onto an open-air rooftop deck when you want a closer look at the harbor.
• A practical group meal: The cruise offers a guaranteed table, children’s food at brunch, and wheelchair access.

A Christmas Eve meal with Marina del Rey scenery

The appeal here is simple: you get dinner and a short harbor cruise in one booking. The boat provides the setting, the buffet handles the meal, and the music supplies the holiday mood. You do not need to plan a second activity after dinner, which matters on a busy holiday when many restaurants and attractions operate on reduced schedules.

The cruise takes place in a climate-controlled interior, with open-air rooftop decks for sightseeing. That combination is useful in December. You can stay warm while eating, then step outside for fresh air and views without giving up your table or the main celebration.

The harbor scenery is not a sightseeing tour packed with famous landmarks. It is a closer, calmer look at Marina del Rey itself, including Burton Chace Park, marina lights, and the water around the harbor. A short cruise like this works best if you enjoy a relaxed setting rather than a long narrated voyage.

English is the listed language, and music entertainment sets the tone. No individual guide is named, so do not book this expecting a personal guided tour with detailed commentary. The focus is dining, views, and a shared holiday atmosphere.

Choosing between the Christmas Eve brunch and dinner

The brunch and dinner cruises suit different kinds of Christmas Eve plans.

The brunch sailing is the more relaxed option. Breakfast pastries, smoked salmon, bagels, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, breakfast potatoes, and French toast give it a clear morning-to-midday feel. Unlimited champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider are included, along with coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and water.

Brunch also includes a wider spread of lunch-style food. You can move from Greek salad or Caesar salad to sun-dried tomato pasta salad, baked orecchiette, birria-style chicken, roasted salmon, and hand-carved tri-tip steak. A children’s station offers chicken tenders and French fries, which makes the daytime sailing easier for families with younger eaters.

The dinner cruise leans into classic holiday comfort food. You’ll find Greek salad, roasted vegetables and grains, three-cheese baked macaroni, oven-roasted Atlantic salmon, hand-carved turkey, and hand-carved tri-tip steak. Garlic mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, haricots verts, traditional stuffing, and turkey gravy complete the plate.

Dinner includes apple crisp and a seasonal dessert display with cakes, brownies, pastries, and fruit. The menu feels familiar in a good way. You get the foods many people want on Christmas Eve, with salmon and vegetables for anyone looking beyond the standard turkey plate.

The key difference is drinks. Brunch includes free-flowing champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider. Dinner includes coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and water, while beer, wine, and cocktails cost extra. If a festive drink is important to your group, brunch offers clearer value.

What happens during the two-hour sailing

The exact departure time depends on the date you select, so check the available start times before building the rest of your Christmas Eve schedule. The cruise lasts roughly two to two and a half hours, enough time for a full meal and some sightseeing, but not so long that it takes over the entire day.

Once aboard, you’ll have a table reserved for your party size. That is one of the more useful details for families and groups. You can sit down together instead of trying to find seats around a busy dining room.

The buffet lets you set your own pace. At brunch, you might begin with pastries or smoked salmon, then return for eggs, French toast, steak, or salmon. At dinner, the format makes it easy to try a little turkey, tri-tip, macaroni, and seasonal vegetables without committing to one large entrée.

Music entertainment runs alongside the meal. It is there to provide a holiday backdrop rather than to turn the cruise into a concert. If you want quiet conversation, the open-air deck may offer a break from the central dining area, though the activity is designed as a social celebration.

During the sailing, you can look out from the climate-controlled interior or head to the rooftop decks. Burton Chace Park and the harbor lights are among the sights specifically associated with the route. The view is most meaningful after dark for the dinner sailing, when the marina’s lights become part of the Christmas Eve setting.

Reading the buffet before you book

The brunch menu is unusually broad for a holiday buffet. It covers breakfast staples, salads, pasta, chicken, salmon, steak, and desserts. That gives your group flexibility, especially if some people want a full breakfast while others prefer lunch-style food.

The smoked salmon display comes with cream cheese, shaved red onion, capers, Roma tomatoes, and bagels. The scrambled eggs contain American cheddar, while the breakfast potatoes include caramelized onions and sweet bell peppers. French toast comes with whipped cream and maple syrup.

For the heartier dishes, the birria-style chicken includes fire-roasted peppers and caramelized onions. The oven-roasted salmon comes with roasted bok choy and a miso citrus soy sauce. The hand-carved tri-tip has rosemary marinade, caramelized onions, and balsamic beef demi-glace.

The dinner buffet is more focused. The roasted vegetable and grains salad includes quinoa, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, mixed seeds, and sumac vinaigrette. The salmon is paired with roasted bok choy and miso citrus soy sauce, while the turkey comes with cranberry sauce.

One detail worth noting is the potato gnocchi. It is listed as an item to order from your server rather than a standard self-serve buffet dish. It comes with roasted squash medley, Parmesan cheese, arugula, and pistachio pesto.

Vegetarians have several choices at both meals, including salads, pasta, vegetables, macaroni, and gnocchi. Vegan options are marked in the menu, but you should still ask about preparation if you have strict dietary needs. The kitchen notes a risk of cross-contamination for dishes marked as gluten-free, so this is not a fully gluten-free kitchen.

Nuts appear in some dishes and desserts, including the brunch pastries and dinner gnocchi. If you have a food allergy, speak with the staff before serving yourself. The menu is generous, but a buffet cannot guarantee the same level of control as a specialized allergy-conscious restaurant.

The views, lights, and open-air deck

The cruise’s sightseeing is about the harbor rather than a long list of city landmarks. You’ll see Marina del Rey from the water, with Burton Chace Park and the marina’s lights providing the main visual interest. The setting feels especially suited to Christmas Eve because the boat’s holiday décor and the illuminated harbor work together.

The open-air rooftop decks are important. A dining cruise can feel closed in if you stay at your table for the full meal, so the option to step outside gives you a change of scene. Bring an extra layer if you plan to spend time outdoors. The dining room is climate-controlled, but the deck is open to the December air.

The water may also offer views of sea life, though sightings are not guaranteed. Treat that as a pleasant possibility rather than the central purpose of the cruise. The main attraction is the combination of a moving view, a holiday meal, and a decorated boat.

The harbor setting also makes this a good choice for photographs. The best moments are likely to come between courses, when you can carry a warm drink outside and look back toward the lights. Keep expectations realistic: this is a short dining cruise, not an extended wildlife outing or a detailed harbor tour.

Is $143 per person a fair price?

At $143 per person, this is a special-occasion purchase, not a budget meal. You are paying for more than the food. The price combines the cruise, holiday décor, entertainment, a reserved table, service, and the convenience of having the meal and setting handled in one place.

Brunch offers the strongest built-in drink value because champagne, mimosas, sparkling cider, coffee, tea, and water are included. For a group that would otherwise pay separately for brunch and drinks, that can make the total easier to justify.

Dinner is harder to measure without knowing how much your party would spend at a comparable Christmas Eve restaurant. Beer, wine, and cocktails are extra, so set aside additional money if your group wants alcohol beyond the included nonalcoholic drinks.

The price makes the most sense for a family or group that values a reserved table and a complete holiday occasion. It makes less sense if you mainly want a quick meal or if you would rather choose dishes à la carte. The buffet format and fixed schedule trade some flexibility for ease.

Who will enjoy this Christmas Eve cruise?

I would point families toward the brunch sailing. The children’s station, daytime timing, broad food choices, and included sparkling cider make it easier to please different ages. The guaranteed table also helps keep a family meal organized.

Couples and adult groups may prefer dinner, especially if harbor lights and a more traditional Christmas menu matter most. Tri-tip, turkey, salmon, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and seasonal desserts give dinner a clear holiday identity.

This experience also suits anyone who wants to host relatives without cooking. You can share a festive meal, enjoy music, and see Marina del Rey from the water without shopping, preparing several courses, or washing dishes.

I would be more cautious if your group needs a quiet meal, has strict allergy requirements, or dislikes fixed schedules. The cruise is designed around a shared celebration, buffet movement, and music. It is not the best match for a private, highly customized dining experience.

The activity is wheelchair accessible, which adds practical value for mixed-age groups. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included, so you need to arrange your own way to the departure point. Bring a passport or ID card, as requested for the activity.

Small details that can improve your day

Check the available departure time before booking. A brunch cruise can leave the rest of Christmas Eve open for family plans, while dinner creates a full evening event. The two to two and a half-hour length gives you a useful framework, but you should allow extra time around the sailing for getting to and from the boat.

Dress for both parts of the experience. The interior is climate-controlled, but the rooftop decks are open air. A jacket or warm layer lets you enjoy the views without cutting your outdoor time short.

If brunch appeals to you, compare the drink package with your group’s habits. The free-flowing mimosas and champagne are included, but a person who does not drink may find dinner’s simpler beverage arrangement just as suitable.

At dinner, ask your server about the gnocchi if it interests you. It is not presented as a standard buffet item, and it is easy to miss among the larger food stations.

The menu includes enough variety to support mixed preferences, but do not assume every marked item is safe for a medical diet. The kitchen specifically warns about possible gluten cross-contamination, and nuts appear in some recipes.

Should you book it?

Book this cruise if you want Christmas Eve to feel like an occasion, not simply another restaurant reservation. The harbor lights, festive décor, music, broad buffet, and reserved table give you a ready-made celebration with little planning once you arrive.

Choose brunch for included mimosas, lighter daytime energy, and family-friendly food. Choose dinner for classic holiday dishes and the best chance to enjoy Marina del Rey after dark.

Skip it if you need a refundable plan, a quiet meal, or tightly controlled allergy preparation. At $143 per person, the value depends on using the whole package: cruise, buffet, entertainment, views, and the convenience of a table waiting for your group.

FAQ

How long is the Christmas Eve cruise?

The cruise lasts approximately two to two and a half hours. Starting times vary, so check the available options for your selected date.

Is brunch or dinner available?

You can choose between a Christmas Eve buffet brunch and a winter holiday dinner buffet, subject to availability.

Are drinks included?

Brunch includes free-flowing champagne, mimosas, and sparkling cider, along with coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and water. Dinner includes coffee, hot tea, iced tea, and water. Beer, wine, and cocktails are available for purchase.

Is a table guaranteed for my group?

Yes. A table is guaranteed for your party size.

What food is served at dinner?

Dinner includes salads, roasted vegetables and grains, baked macaroni, roasted salmon, turkey, tri-tip steak, gnocchi by server request, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, gravy, apple crisp, cakes, brownies, pastries, and seasonal fruit.

Is the cruise wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the activity is wheelchair accessible.

Is transportation from my hotel included?

No. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included. You are also asked to bring a passport or ID card.