Cruise of Lights

Wow. What a perfect night. It’s run by volunteers and they do a wonderful job. We took a 5 minute bus ride to the boats. The boat had a comment that told us all about the beautiful homes that won awards.

This was a fun experience… and something I can see making it a traditional holiday thing to do and offer should you have friends/​family visiting you! All the homes that participated did such great job decorating their homes and even their boats!
Keep in mind that it does get crowded easily and make sure you bring a nice warm jacket. Most people rush to the top of the boat to get optimal view, but if you can’t I would advise stay outside instead of inside. I do advise that once you get on the boat, get your drinks first because should you wait in the middle of the tour, it’s going to take a while.

We waited over 2 hours to get on the cruise, which was incredibly inefficient and unorganized, however, once we were on the cruise, we had a great time. It was a nice view of the lights.

This is a wonderful event and I enjoy it every year! The volunteers that come together to help and make it joyous for everyone are always sweet and helpful. It’s not quite Christmas until my family and I have our traditional Cruise of Lights experience! Enjoy the lights and donate to charity and have a beer at the bar close by!

Very poorly organized. First of all, they tell us to go to Trader Joes, but there is no direction. Then they say look for guys with blue flashlights and there are no lights. Finally, we board the shuttle to the dock and find thousands of people waiting – worse than Disneyland. Our reservation was for 6:30 and we boarded at 8:00 PM. This is unreasonable given the weather is cold at night this time of year. We won’t go again.

This is my 3^rd year going on the Cruise of Lights. Every year I feel the same, it’s magical! The boat ride is such fun, the lights are amazing, and the commentator made it even that much more interesting and informative. I highly recommend it

This is a one of a kind experience! We had so much fun! You get to view the most amazing holiday light decorations reflecting on the beautiful channels of Huntington Harbour. I can’t think of a better way to get into the holiday spirit. It is a bonus that by going on the cruise, you are helping support music programs in local schools for children. The guided boat tour shows you gorgeous houses and yachts that are decorated to the nines with sparkling lights and decorations. The Cruise of Lights is the perfect family or friend tradition. It is truly magical and absolutely worth it!

Thank goodness for the lights! You would think children organized this event! They require you to be there 30 min before the event and don’t actually get you on the boat until over an hour later! Shame on you for making people stand in the cold for so long!

This is an absolute rip off and I am so upset by this. We didn’t get on the boat for our cruise until 8pm for a 6:30pm boat reservation. Never again. One restroom and no leadership. HORRIBLE

$ 15 for a 45-​minute guided tour of the finest homes and boats on the waterways during the holiday season? Sign us up! All 9 of us went to tonight’s «value» event and had a wonderful time. This event benefits the Philharmonic Society so it’s for a great cause and the volunteers couldn’t have been nicer.
You’ll drive past the mall and turn onto the side street to park behind the mall. There, you’ll find a shuttle bus line and volunteers helping everyone.
They had hot cider and cookies, glow in the dark necklaces for the kids and a smile for everyone. There are actually 4 boats for each time slot and the shuttle busses kept things rolling along smoothly. Bus ride is very short and the busses are nice and clean.
A very well run operation, probably because they’ve had 52 years to get it right. If you’re tired of the hassle of trying to find parking in some of the other cities to look at the lights or don’t want to drive a Duffy yourself, this might be just what you’re looking for.
You’ll cruise the main waterway and get notes from the friendly tour guide via loudspeaker as you go up one side and down the other. You’ll want to stand for the best view but if you board early, there’s seating and even a snack bar although the trip is just the right length in my opinion, and plenty of great options to eat when back on land. A definite highlight of our holiday season. We’ll be back!

This is put on by volunteers & they do a wonderful job. From eyeballing the crowd, I think there were about 50 – 60 people on our boat. Tickets are $ 15 – 20, depending on the dates you go. It lasts about an hour. Kids and adults love it. It’s a real deal.
DISABLED & ELDERLY: The parking situation is difficult for those with mobility issues as parking near the shuttles are taken up, which means patrons have to walk a short distance. The «shuttles» are elementary school buses with very steep steps & narrow walkways. I recommend bringing someone to help you on/​off the bus or having someone DROP YOU OFF FIRST at the yacht club before dealing with parking. The shuttling goes quickly, so you won’t be separated for very long (15 mins max). Next, there is a steep grade from the dock to the boat – again, bring someone who can help you on. There were a few fixed benches for seating, but mostly standing room. (I would also recommend you let someone know ahead of boarding that you have mobility issues in order to get seating, as seats are limited.)
My only critiques are: (1) they should let people with mobility issues know what they are in for and (2) please play instrumental Christmas music instead of providing commentary!

My husband & I LOOOOVED this cruise! With the cool evening & full moon it made for a very romantic evening on the harbor. I would highly recommend this for anyone. All of the Christmas displays were so BEAUTIFUL! It is a neat cruise for all ages.
We had so much fun & look forward to making this a new family tradition.
Fun Fact: The cabin sell’s snacks & drinks.

If you are looking for a little Christmas spirit this is the place. Lights, Music, Action. Nothing nicer than an evening ride through the Harbour to view all the homes dressed in their Holiday splendor.
Depending on the calendar for the year, the Cruise of Light runs for 7 – 10 days after the Huntington Harbour Boat Parade and before Christmas. Check the website at
for specific years.
Parking in at the Huntington Harbour Mall in the back area along Saybrook Lane. Up to 2000 people attend during the 4 cruise slots on some evenings, so allow plenty of time to get to the mail and get on the buses. You might want to make reservations for dinner in the area if you have time, either before or after your cruise. There are a nice variety of restaurants in the area of the Mall in Huntington Harbour and along Pacific Coast Hwy in Sunset Beach.
Dress warmly if it is a cooler evening. Gloves and hats, maybe a small blanket if you are someone who doesn’t handle the cold well. Seating is either interior or outside, and is first-​come, first-​served. There are some light snacks and drinks on board.
The buses will take you for a short ride to the dock where you will board one of the boats for your trip. There is limited parking here for Club members only. There is NO parking here for the Cruise. Once you get here, you will have a short wait to board one of the 4 boats. So it may look like long lines, but the boats hold from 120 – 200 people each. So the line should move rather quickly.
The homes get prettier every year, and now that LED lights make it less expensive to decorate it seems that more homes than ever have their bling on.
This is a fundraiser for Orange County music programs in K-​12 so be sure to thank the volunteers for helping our kids.

Cruise of lights is a boat that goes around huntington harbor for about 45 minutes. My friend and I went on a Sunday at 7:30pm.
What you do is park in the back of the Huntington Harbour mall where they have tons of school buses. They are pretty quick and get you to the boating area. As for parking, you actually can park at the dock which next time I think I would do. [see maps].
It gets quite cold at night, so be sure to have gloves, scarf, and event a beanie. When you are on the boat you can stand at the railing (best view) or sit in the back. The best view according to the captain is the top deck on the right.
The narrator talks a little bit about the history and points out the lights.
Overall a cool experience to do if you are in OC.
[map]

Great place to bring the Christmas joy with others. First time experiencing this and I can say i will be looking forward for this next year.

It’s way past the holidays now but I enjoyed the Huntington Beach Cruise of Lights so I’m posting this very late review. The Cruise of Lights is a really neat thing to try at least once. Keep it in mind for next year.
The MC is a little cheeseball but it’s all in the spirit of Christmas. The cruise is really neat because you get to see the houses and boats from a different angle. I don’t own a boat nor have I ever been to the Huntington Harbour so this is all new to me. Some of the homes are decorated in really fun ways, ie. Surfing Santa, animated fish and spelling out messages. Some people really go all out!
My boyfriend got the tickets so I don’t know how much it costs but the proceeds go to a good cause, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. Doesn’t that make you feel even better?
Don’t forget to dress warmly: warm jacket, scarf and gloves. Some people brought blankets too. Smart move! It gets really chilly.

Corny, small town-​ish, and a helluva good time.
Run by volunteers as a fundraiser for music in public schools, this annual tradition is 54 years old. It is well staffed by smiling volunteers, plenty of free parking, plenty of shuttle busses, plenty of boats and hot chocolate is sold on board.
We had a very corny MC whom the kids adored. We sang XMAS carols and he told us a little history about the parade and the decorated homes.
The kids had a great time. Bring a coat and hat as it’s cold outside. Get ready for some real small town fun.

New dates and times for the 2010 Cruise of Lights have been confirmed!
They are December 17 – 23, 2010 and tour times are 5:30pm, 6:30pm, 7:30pm and 8:30pm.
Value night is on Monday December 20! Tickets available now!

We took a tour bus from Glendora, down to the HB Yacht Club Slip. We boarded the Boat (No High Heels Or Wheelchairs) Please note: the captain does some of the narration during the cruise. The right side of boat and the rear (Aft) of the boat is the best views. If your like to stand for 45 min to 1 hour and climb steep stairs, the top deck is the place to be. There is some covered area near the snack bar. The homes along the water are all decorated with lights and the boats in bay. Bring Camera! There is a Snack Bar w/​Hot Coffee on Board. Yes, there’s a Mens and Ladies (Called on a Boat: «the Head»), Dress warm, Coats and hats/​caps
**The only Problem is the restrooms at the yacht club’s boarding point can not handle the amount of people getting off the buses.**

Two weeks ago I went on my first cruise through Huntington Harbor to see the decorated houses and boats.
My girlfriend and I had tried to get tickets last year to go, but remembered last minute and l came up empty-​handed. This year we bought tickets on sale early and secured a little date night for the two of us.
It was fairly easy finding out where to go and it was rather interesting to see how they gather everyone up and take you by school bus over to the marina, where at that point they have you board this pretty decent sized boat.
It was VERY cold that night (Mid 40’s) and with the wind, it was taking all I cold to keep warm out there on the boat. However, weather aside. It was fun. A good number of houses were decorated. There were a couple of stand out houses and I felt I spent more time in awe of wishing one of those beautiful houses were mine. To have a house right on the water with a boat, etc.
The cruise took about 45 minutes or so. It’s narrated, but you can only hear so much on the loud boat. It’s something worth going to at least once. Get to see something that you would other wise, not normally get a chance to. It’s cheap too: $ 13 – 15 for an adult ticket.
If you love Christmas lights and want to see them in a different way, then you should check this out :)