The first question is always the same, and it is not about the boat. It is how many people are coming. Answer that and the rest of the decision makes itself, because on the Gold Coast Broadwater there are really only two shapes of end-of-year party on the water, and the number of guests picks one. ## If you have 20 to 60 people: book seats, not a boat Most work parties are smaller than the room they get offered. A group of 30 does not need a 150-guest vessel and should not be paying for one. The Luxury Scenic Sunset Cruise takes 100 guests a sailing and sells seat by seat. It runs every Saturday and Sunday through December, departing 5:00 PM from Marine Stadium Jetty & Pontoon at Main Beach and back at 7:30 PM. A group of 30 books 30 seats and shares the boat with other guests, which for a casual team drinks is usually the point rather than the compromise. **The December sailings:** Saturday 5th, Sunday 6th, Saturday 12th, Sunday 13th, Saturday 19th, Sunday 20th, Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th. There is no sailing on 24, 25 or 31 December. **What a seat costs:** $79 an adult, $149 for two adults together, $55 for a child aged 3 to 13, $11 for an infant under 3. ## If you have 60 to 150 people, or you want the boat to yourselves: charter A whole-vessel charter is a different product. You set the date, the time, the route, the catering and the bar, and nobody else is aboard. **Sun Goddess** is 114 feet, takes up to 135 guests, and has two entertainment decks, two licensed bars and a dual-level galley. **Mermaid Spirit** is a 100 foot tri-deck catamaran for up to 150 guests by day, with a chef's kitchen, a stinger pool and a sun lounge, and 11 en suite cabins that sleep 22 if the party turns into a weekend. Charter is quoted rather than ticketed, because the price moves with the date, the hours, the catering and the bar package. There is no list rate, and any hourly figure for these vessels published on a broker's website is not ours. ## The three things that decide a December date **Saturdays go first.** Eight sunset sailings exist in December and only four of them are Saturdays. For a charter, December Saturdays are the scarcest thing on the calendar and they are gone earliest. **Catering is a lead time, not a menu.** Grazing boards and canapes are quick. Private chef fine dining for 100 is not. The menu conversation should happen at the same time as the date conversation, not after it. **Transport is the detail people forget.** Maxi taxis are the usual answer for a group, and the pontoon has free parking. Marine Stadium Jetty & Pontoon is about ten minutes from Surfers Paradise and fifteen from Broadbeach. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many people can you fit on a Gold Coast party boat? Sun Goddess carries up to 135 guests on a day charter and Mermaid Spirit up to 150, so a whole-vessel charter suits groups from about 20 up to 150. For a group of 20 to 60, the Luxury Scenic Sunset Cruise has 100 seats a sailing and can be booked seat by seat instead. ### How much is a Christmas party boat on the Gold Coast? Seats on the Luxury Scenic Sunset Cruise are $79 an adult, or $149 for two adults together. A whole-vessel charter is quoted on the date, the hours, the catering and the bar package, so it needs an enquiry rather than a list price. ### What dates are available for a December boat party on the Gold Coast? The sunset cruise sails every Saturday and Sunday in December: the 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 19th, 20th, 26th and 27th. There is no sailing on 24, 25 or 31 December. Charter dates are separate and are confirmed on enquiry. ### Where does the boat leave from? Marine Stadium Jetty & Pontoon, Main Beach, Gold Coast. Roughly ten minutes from Surfers Paradise and fifteen from Broadbeach, with free parking at the pontoon. ### Can we bring our own food or drinks? No. Both vessels have two bars each, with bar tab or consumption options, and catering is arranged through our culinary partners. No external food or beverage is permitted on board. ## Where to start If you know your numbers and your date, the enquiry form is the fastest route: it goes straight to the team who hold the calendar. If you are between the two options, say how many people and roughly when, and we will tell you which one makes sense rather than which one is bigger.