From the Pilot House

You Could Win a Romantic Valentine’s Day Cruise for Two

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but with the Hornblower Valentine’s Day Sweepstakes you could have yourself a free cruise.

You read that right; Hornblower will be giving away free tickets for a romantic Valentine’s Day cruise for two. To enter, just visit our San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Sacramento or Los Angeles Facebook page and click on the sweepstakes icon. The contest is open through February 8.

The fine print: One entry per person is allowed, and there will be one winner per Facebook page. Winners will receive two free tickets for a romantic Valentine’s Day cruise aboard one of our luxury yachts.

Enter today for your chance to win free tickets!

Valentine’s Day Cruises Now on Sale

Roses are red, violets are blue, but a really good gift is a Valentine’s cruise. (And a cute poem never hurts, either.)

Surprise your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day with a table for two aboard a Hornblower Valentine’s cruise. Each of our ports is hosting a variety of cruise options and dates to ensure you and your special someone celebrate in style.

From dinner and dancing under the stars to an energetic live band performance or a breathtaking brunch cruise by day, Hornblower has something for everyone.

Purchase tickets today to your perfect Valentine’s cruise at www.hornblower.com. 

Food, balloons and Yelpers....oh my!

Hornblower Cruises & Events tries hard to involve itself in the communities that it has the pleasure of operating in. Since our New York port is still fairly new this has been a fun challenge for us to undertake. We think we made some fun new local friends last Sunday with nearly 40 local businesses and 1,000 Yelpers when we hosted Yelp's Holiday Hangover Extravaganza. It was a cruise and event like no one had ever seen before!

Not only was the event on the beautiful 210 ft Hornblower Infinity, but there were nearly 20 local food vendors. Some of the food on board was Meatball Obsession, Baconery, Pie Face, Xe May Sandwich Shop, New York Cake Pops, Kind, Zico and so much more! We also had some amazing local entertainment: The Hungry March Band from Brooklyn, the amazing (and risque) burlesque troupe The Love Show, a roaming magician, Katie Balloons the live balloon statue, Finger Lakes Massage School giving away relaxing massages, DJ lessons, a fun photo booth and a chalk installation for boarding photos! 

There have been a ton of reviews of the event, and everyone who made it on seemed to love the event, the yacht and the exceptional service from our crew. 

We hope everyone who did get to join us on board Yelp’s Holiday Hangover Extravaganza had a fantastic time, we know we did! 

Win Tickets to a Romantic Valentine’s Day Cruise

Is there a sweeter way to celebrate your love than with a romantic Valentine’s Day cruise? We can think of one, and that’s getting the same cruise for free.

From January 21-February 8, Hornblower will be running a special contest for sweethearts on its San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Sacramento and Los Angeles Facebook pages. To enter, just like the page and enter the sweepstakes. One entry per person is allowed.

There will be one winner per Facebook page, and each winner will receive two free tickets for a romantic Valentine’s cruise aboard a Hornblower yacht.

Visit your favorite Hornblower Facebook page this Monday, January 21, for your chance at romance. And be sure to tell your friends!

Spotting whales on the high seas

Our friends from Sacramento recently enjoyed a whale watching trip in San Diego. While they may have been too far south and a few weeks early to catch the migrating Grey Whales, they did get treated to an exceptional show by the local fin whales.

Their review highlights some of the features of Hornblower's Whale Watching trips that sets us apart from others - like a personable and highly-knowledgeable captains, our amazing, friendly guests and our wonderful docents. 

Are you going to be in San Diego in the next few months? Come join us on our twice daily whale watching trips! 

 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from the Hornblower family. We are looking forward to rockin' celebrations from coast-to-coast and we still have some room if you are looking for an entertaining New Year's Eve out on the water. 

Regardless of your plans, we wish you a safe and happy celebration of 2012 and welcoming of 2013. Here's to great things to come for us all! 

And thank you to Google, for this great glimpse into all we have accomplished and learned in 2012. 

 

The Season of Giving

Our Hornblower New York team had an early holiday celebration this week. A gift exchange to provide gifts to a local non-profit, WomenRising. 

We all brought in new, unwrapped toys and delivered them to Jersey City. Then we hustled back to our boats at Pier 40 to get ready for another event aboard the Infinity. We love this time of year! 

The luxury of a yacht

Slate.com's Luxury Explainer picked a familiar topic for this weeks column: What is a Yacht? 

Many of the yachts used as an example are large and luxurious, but the author also points out that a yacht as a symbol of luxury is unqiue to the United States. In other countries weekend sailors might talk of going out on their yacht, while in the U.S. that would be considered a sailboat. 

Hornblower refers to all our vessels yachts. Some of them are large, like the Hornblower Infinity at 210 feet, or the San Francisco Belle at 292. Both are beautiful boats, but neither boasts indoor gynasiums or lap pools. Some of our smaller yachts, like the Wild Goose or Zumbrota are smaller, but have the traditional yacht layout with staterooms and entertaining areas. Both of those boats were actually used as luxury yachts before the mega-yacht became the status symbol. Wild Goose belonged to screen ledgend John Wayne and Zumbrota was a treasured posession of Charles Ringling, founder of Ringling Brothers Circus (and, actually, named for his favorite elephant). 

Regardless of size or amenity a yacht is nice way to refer to a vessel and it's our preferred way of classifying our fleet. Regardless of the connotation of luxury, a cruise on a Hornblower yacht is not something reserved for the weathy, it's actually something anyone can do on almost any night of the week. If you are looking for that perfect holiday gift for someone - you know, the gift that says luxurious, but won't break the bank - try a Hornblower gift certificate. Just make sure you invite yourself along for the ride! 

Holiday Decor

One of the great things about having a party on a Hornblower yacht is that the decor in included - where else will you find ever changing views and some of the most scenic skylines and cityscapes in the country? 

Host that party in December and you get a double dose of decor - the views on the outside and some pretty spectacular holiday decor on the inside. Hornblower loves the holidays and we love making everything festive and bright. 

The lobby of the Hornblower New York office.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On board holiday decor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa always enjoys the cruises! 

And our ultimate holiday decoration....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How many people get to customize their yacht like this! 

Whale Watching Season Starts Out With a Splash!

Before any other whale watching boat hit the water, Hornblower and it's guests on inaugural day were treated to a rare and thrilling site. A Humpback whale put on a show - breaching 19 times and fin slapping all over the Bay. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This lone Humpback wasn't the only star - guests also saw a large number of Fin Whales and Bottlenose Dolphins. In addition, a large and very rare Brown Booby and mysterious Mola Mola made an appearance. 

Hornblower's Whale Watching tours are taking place twice daily now through March. Hornblower's whale watching vessel, Adventure Hornblower, is the fastest and most comfortable boat in San Diego Bay. Book your tickets now so you don't miss out on any of the whales making their way through the Bay! 

"See you soon!"