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City Cruises by Hornblower San Diego

City Cruises by Hornblower San Diego recognizes that there’s a lot in life to celebrate. There are birthdays, the full moon and even Spring Break cruises. Whatever the occasion, you’ll enjoy gentle bay breezes, glittering waves, and the dramatic San Diego skyline.

Fall in love with San Diego all over again on a timeless yacht with impeccable views of the city. Indulge with delectable bites, great drinks, sensational views, live music, dancing, and more.

$5 OFF Any Cruise

Here are a few of our favorites, but don’t forget to visit their website to choose your own special cruise for all occasions and life events! Cheers!

San Diego Whale & Dolphin Watching Tours

San Diego is one of the best locations to watch whales year-round! Gray Whales migrate winter-spring from feeding grounds in Alaskan waters to calving lagoons in Baja California and back. In summer, the legendary Blue Whales- the largest animals on Earth- commonly feed offshore of the San Diego coast. They often see other species such as Humpback Whales, Fin Whales, Pilot Whales and even Killer Whales on their cruises!

Champagne Jazz Brunch Cruises

Enjoy a full buffet, free-flowing champagne, gorgeous views and live music on the sun deck from KUSI’s Dave Scott Duo on the San Diego Bay with Hornblower’s Champagne Brunch San Diego Cruise.

San Diego Dinner Cruises

Whatever the occasion, raise your glass and enjoy a three-hour dinner cruise. You’ll dine and dance on the gorgeous San Diego Bay, where the sparkling lights of the city will serve as your backdrop.

Full Moon Cruises

Whatever you’re celebrating, few places are as beautiful as the deck of a Hornblower yacht on the night of full moon over San Diego. Enjoy champagne, an elegant dinner, and plenty of time to stargaze on the outdoor deck with the ones you love

San Diego Harbor Cruises

Enjoy the best sightseeing on San Diego Bay—with a professionally narrated tour of more than 50 storied landmarks. We’ll cover over 13 miles on the Big Bay, passing by Seaport Village, Shelter Island, ship-building and dry-docking facilities, Coronado Island, Point Loma, and Cabrillo National Monument, among many others.

Pet Day on the Bay

Cruise the San Diego Bay with your best friend for the 20th annual Pet Day on the Bay. Hornblower has offered this popular, pup-friendly Pet Day on San Diego Bay which consistently serves up a tail-wagging good time! Hornblower invites dogs to cruise for free with their owners. People board for just $28 per ticket, and guests are also encouraged to contribute a gently used blanket or towel that will warm needy animals at Helen Woodward Animal Center.

Annual Bow Wow Brunch Cruise

Bow Wow Brunch is just like the weekly Sunday Champagne Brunch Cruise, but this time your “fur child” is welcome aboard. Enjoy the same delicious buffet with unlimited champagne and desserts, and Fido gets a treat buffet and a relief area on the sun deck! A portion of the proceeds for the Bow Wow Brunch go directly to Helen Woodward Animal Center. Special guest, Chopper the Biker Dog, will make an appearance for photo opportunities! Sponsored by Petco and Petco Positive Dog Training.

Sights and Sips Cocktail Cruises

Hornblower’s Sights & Sips Cocktail Cruise truly is unique, combining cocktails and appetizers with a sunset cruise. You’ll be greeted with a glass of chilled champagne as you board, then enjoy both steward passed hors d’oeuvres and displayed selections. Enjoy panoramic city views and drink specials during your two-hour cruise. There’s indoor and outdoor seating and DJ entertainment too. All ages are welcome.

Rock the Yacht

Celebrate any occasion with San Diego’s Rock the Yacht! Cruise — a two-hour yacht party on the San Diego Bay. Dance the night away with an onboard DJ, craft cocktails, and small bites with the San Diego skyline as your backdrop. Cruise away from the long lines and crowds on land and join Hornblower for the best booze cruise in San Diego! Looking for ideas for your next birthday party, bachelor/ette outing, celebratory or pre/after-party? Look no further than Rock the Yacht, and experience what all the hype is about! All guests must be 21+.

Hornblower Cruises & Events

4.4

Based on 650 reviews

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19:27 22 Jun 22

Had an awesome time during the 2 hour San Diego Bay cruise. We traveled to the southern and northern ends of the bay and were lucky enough to see 4 baby sea lions sunni g on the live bait docks with their mother.

Saw some great ships along the navy base and an unexpected luxury yacht docked and waiting for fuel.

23:39 14 Jun 22

Recently had the unfortunate experience of a dream deferred. After weeks of planning for The Uhuru Festival and over one hour in line the guests of this event were surprised to hear the event was canceled.

All guests arrived on time and were extremely peaceful and even left peacefully after the news of the cancellation of the event.

I am extremely disappointed because I was aware of this cruise experience based on the frequency of hosting similar parties and was extremely shocked as to why this SPECIAL EVENT was canceled.

I am proud to have been there to support such a magnificent event of unity and freedom and you will never cancel our culture.

05:42 06 Jun 22

The experience was great, the food not so much. The main entree was definitely microwaved. Side and desert was good. Dont expect your ticket to be the only thing you spend money on. Apps are extra as well as soda or extra food. They will also sell you your pictures you take in the beginning for $40-$50. Over all the boat ride was well worth the money to me.

20:00 21 Mar 22

A delightfully romantic cruise!

My Husband reserved a Sunday champagne brunch cruise for my birthday and surprised me with a window seat that had a breathtaking bay front view!

Hornblower made my day extra special by greeting me with a Happy Birthday as I boarded and offering me two free cocktails!

Our private table place setting was lovely, with silver and blue accents. There were two souvenirs glasses waiting for us at the table , which gave us a warm welcoming.

The brunch buffet was well organized and had variety, I especially enjoyed the free -flowing champagne and hand carved strip lion. As a seafood lover that I am, I was also hoping for crab or salmon. It was all delicious nonetheless!

The deck had seating available, which was perfect for taking in the amazing skyline views with my husband. There was a professional photographer taking pictures at different areas throughout the ship, which captured beautiful moments.

Overall, it was a fantastic experience for us. Matter of fact, Hubby said that it was exactly what he envisioned he wanted me to have for my birthday!

17:19 08 Mar 22

I went on a dining cruise on Saturday Night with my husband, and it was a really awesome experience, the food was very delicious. I had the Salmon and my husband had the chicken, and we both had the cheese cake. The waiter and waitress were really nice and professional, also the host was always playing good music, and would also play what other people requested. Me and my husband had a very fun experience and we love it 😊

03:02 03 Jan 22

My family and I went on the Hornblower on Christmas Eve Day. It was a big hit for our kiddos and it was very enjoyable for us as well. My nieces are teenagers and they also loved it. My husband and I had coffee during the ride and it was great.
The staff were all extremely friendly. The boat was clean.
*stroller note* You do have to park your stroller on the first level and leave it there.

21:28 15 Nov 21

We had a wonderful experience on our first ever dinner cruise with my family. Highly recommend it. Although I feel like the food options could have been better, it was still good. Loved the added touch with a dj taking song requests. Everyone just enjoyed themselves. Big shout out to Sal and Ericka who were our servers. They were outstanding! We will definitely do this again!

20:20 08 Nov 21

Cruise had an amazing view!! Food was delicious, buffet style since the pandemic and really went by quickly and swiftly considering amount of guests. Captain was extremely friendly as well as staff. Took off a star due to our waiter mentioning wanting a tip on more than one occasion he was very incessant.

17:03 03 Oct 21

A fun night out. 2 1/2 hours dinner cruise . We went with the group of beautiful ladies of my Zumba group. The boat served really good dinner and lots and lots of dancing💃💃💃 and if course alcohol.. We cruise along San Diego Bay and watch the beautiful lights of San Diego!⛴️🥂🌹..

04:22 28 Sep 21

I highly recommend going on this cruise with your children, on a date, or with family especially the ones from out of town. It’s nice. The food is similar to the mall kiosk food and the drinks are nice. Prepared to pay a little extra than normal for the food and beverages. Overall a good time, it’s worth it. Go on Groupon and get a coupon, The savings makes this experience even sweeter.

17:00 18 Sep 21

My friends and I got the sip and sight cruise (~1h30) and loved it 🙂
The views are incredible, the crew is super kind - specially the captain - and there was some cheese and crackers on addition to the free champagne. It was simple but great!
To make it perfect, I’d only improve the music selection 😉

11:20 09 Sep 21

Absolutely loved it!! Crew was very knowledgeable and pointed out sights along the way. Very relaxing ride out to the ocean. We were lucky enough to see a huge pod of dolphins and the further we went out we were able to see a minke whale!! Very exciting.

00:39 28 Aug 21

Beware Hornblower - San Diego. They cancel the cruise at the last minute (same day!) and take your $. No refund. I had a cruise scheduled 8/6/2021. Beautiful weather. No reason to cancel. Perhaps not enough passengers to justify the cost of the trip? Very poor customer service.

01:55 26 Aug 21

Fantastic cruise! Dinner was amazing staff was super friendly and quick. Will be back next time we are in San Diego! Price was perfect too!

John Van Der Zyde

17:41 25 Aug 21

Decent cruise but they use older ships in the San Diego area. Food was reasonable but service was not great. BEWARE - they can take your money no problems but if you are entitled to a refund you may as well throw yourself overboard as they are very difficult to deal with. After literally several hours on the phone being hung up on several times they only partially refunded us yet they admit it was their mistake. I have money on a gift card that is useless to me. I will not take another Hornblower cruise ever again and recommend that people be very careful about handing over your money to this business.

05:34 19 Aug 21

We take a harbor cruise through Hornblower every time we're in San Diego. This August (2021) was no different. Great views, assume crew, lots of fun. Highly recommend

13:00 31 Jul 21

We loved the Premiere Dinner Cruise! It was the highlight of our vacation in San Diego! The experience was smooth sailing the whole time. The food was great, dessert was awesome, and we even enjoyed a little dancing at the end. Crew was short staffed due to Covid but they were very nice and did an excellent job. You get to go around the harbor but can’t see too much at night. It’s still very enjoyable though. Highly recommend!

18:24 22 Jul 21

Always a good time! The jazz brunch cruise is a favorite of ours. Endless mimosa’s and timeless jazz music is a great way to start the day! Definitely recommend for any time you’re in SD or any of the other cities that they are located. Book ahead to secure your spot ☺️

19:27 12 Jul 21

Where do I start??....our table was attacked by nats, kept pulling bugs out of my wine glass. There was a fingernail on the window sill at our table. On the top deck, there were lots of champagne glasses all over from the previous cruise. We ordered spinach dip with pita chips which were hard and stale. My brother complained but they did nothing. The main course was good but the worse thing was the waiter. He was rude and yelling at his coworkers. He seemed confused just looking at his table list while the other waiters were serving food. Improvement is needed for deep cleaning first, provide FRESH food, then re-train their staff not only to treat and respect their customers but each other as well. Very sad to see. We should have gone with Flagship.

14:31 19 Jun 21

Absolutely fantastic Sunday brunch cruise! Food was a great improvement over years past. Lisa was our server who made our family excursion terrific. We thank her and the Captain.

17:47 14 May 21

Took the 90 minute harbor tour. The tour guides were knowledgeable and entertaining. It was an overall nice experience. Tickets are a little pricey but my children enjoyed it.

23:07 08 May 21

Went for an early mother's day cruise around the harbor. Parking is a bit hidden but once you figure it out, very close to walk. Boarding is easy. Captain was super Informative and not boring to listen to at all. I wish it was longer tho. Would do it again.

15:25 04 May 21

This was a fun little brunch cruise. It was my first San Diego Cruise. I would highly recommend it. The food was pretty good. They had good options and unlimited mimosas. You could even purchase other type of drinks as well.

It's better to purchase the cruise online than going to the office. Purchase in advance.

The service is A1! They still practice social distancing as well. Everyone is so nice. The Captain even goes to ever table and introduces himself.

08:39 02 May 21

The Cruise was beautiful with the scenery, amazing staff. However, the food was unsatisfactory. It was a 3 course meal, everything was under seasoned, the food was cold and you could tell nothing was prepared fresh.

If there was music playing on the Cruise would've made it a lot more enjoyable. Not worth the $345 we paid.

06:57 18 Apr 21

Took my boyfriend for a cruise tonight on our one year anniversary and it wasn’t exactly what was advertised (soft music in the background, luxurious two hour getaway.) Two hours were advertised but the cruise only lasted an hour and a half, the bento box was served in plastic containers, and the trip didn’t mention that drinks weren’t included and you’d have to pay a lot more for them. We were seating next to a giant radiator looking thing too and it just wasn’t what was advertised. Very disappointed 🙁

05:52 04 Apr 21

Reading all these great reviews are so confusing. We Went on the dinner cruise and it did not live up to the hype at all. First off the vibe was not there at all. No live music. Very low music that was playing in the background. The food was awful! reminds you of cafeteria food had no flavor at all. It’s almost like they pulled it out the freezer and put it in a microwave to “warm” up and put it on a plate and try and make it look nice. We were expecting something gourmet. The desert was bad as well. The views of the city were nice it was just way to cold to sit out and enjoy it. It also felt like the ac was on inside. We could not wait to get off and get back to our hotel. I would not recommend this cruise to anyone. Please do not waste your money or time.

01:54 03 Apr 21

Excellent and affordable bay dinner cruises with activities on the top deck and live music. A great place for a date night! Get tickets early to watch the fireworks in the bay on a holiday.

03:53 22 Mar 21

Absolutely AMAZING view! Although My phone/camera did the photo NO justice. It was TOO BEAUTIFUL to describe.

Patricia Loftis

12:29 21 Mar 21

The food was much better than I expected. Flavorful. The ship was clean and COVID aware. The captain came around and introduced himself to everyone. Pleasant experience. Would do again especially when friends and relatives would visit.

11:28 14 Feb 21

Great Valentine’s Day cruise! Staff was excellent and very courteous, my champagne glass never empty and everyone on board was having a good time. Great covid measures with plenty of space to yourself on the top deck

Franquisha Kemp

02:54 13 Jan 21

It was a great scenery The mimosas were really good, and the food was okay but there wasn't any entertainment. Overall an ok experience

Sudip Kumar Paul

05:00 18 Dec 20

It was an amazing experience!! I enjoyed the San Diego downtown view from the Harbor. You can see many war ships like air craft carries, cruisers, destroyers and many other types I don't even know their names. The Captain will describe the sights on a mic. The cruise lasts way longer than I expected, therefore I'd say its cheap.

23:13 28 Oct 20

We loved our whale watching cruise on Hornblower Cruises in San Diego - even though we didn't see any whales! the cruise itself is beautiful. We had great views of the city, the military in the area, a submarine, and sea lions hanging out on buoys.

The ship is large, clean and comfortable - with plenty of room for visitors to spread out. Snacks and drinks are sold on the ship too - not a large selection, but offering something is a nice treat.

If you don't see any whales on your cruise, they offer a free ticket to use within one year. I'd suggest booking your whale-watching cruise for your first day in San Diego - that way if it is canceled for the weather (we know others that happened to), or you don't see whales, you'll have other days on that same trip to try to see whales.

04:26 23 Oct 20

Ambiance is awkward. Where was the music? The employees had music at the bar but I couldn't hear anything by my table, other than a large drunk party. Going on the deck made the night, amazing views! Loved the food, although the drinks were low quality. Not sure if I'd do it again.

04:56 17 Oct 20

Absolutely amazing experience - if you are looking for a way to take a special someone out and shoe them a classy and unique good time - this is the way to go for sure. Check out the Fever app to get great discounts! Happy Sailing!

04:59 16 Sep 20

Amazing atmosphere, amazing staff and fun little ride.

Big News!- Hornblower is now City Experiences anchored by Hornblower!

Along with the cruises you know and love, they are now offering exciting experiences on land- to take you on new adventures. Within City Experiences, they’ve united all their cruises together into a new brand- City Cruises. So whether you’ve joined them aboard Hornblower, you’re assured the same great experience, with even more to offer. Read more here.

City Cruises by Hornblower

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