City Cruises: Fantastic feasting, celebrating on the water

A stunning view of Manhattan's skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset, captured during a serene dinner cruise.I

SOUND THE TRUMPETS FOR City Cruises:

A PERFECT TIME, BEAUTIFULLY ORCHESTRATED,

FOR LOVERS OF BOATS, FINE DINING,

AND BANQUET ROOMS WITH A VIEW

A City Cruises cruise on the Hudson puts the cruiser in a lovely New York state of mine. Hornblower also transits other beautiful cities, with elegant cruises for celebrating or just enjoying -- many geared to holiday revels.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

Carpe Diem Kids

Cookie and Keller toast Lady Liberty aboard a recent City Cruise Manhattan dinner cruise. Each "City Cruises port" has tailor-made options.

Celebrants from all over the world enjoy cruising on Hornblower's handsome vessels.  Here, a couple awaits their meal, while sending texts and selfies to friends in Japan. The clientele is global.

IF YOU love celebrations, and make yours unique, you won't go wrong with an outing on City Cruises. We recently celebrated a birthday as the champagne flowed. We strolled the deck, glasses in hand, as we pulled away from New York's pier, surrounded by skyscrapers and the sights that make Manhattan famous.

City Cruise brunch cruises offer Manhattan by day.....

If you're near a Hornblower port, you're in luck. San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Berkeley, New York, Marina del Rey, Newport Beach and Long Beach area water lovers have enjoyed Hornblower's delights for nearly four decades. Holidays aboard Hornblower are truly special.

while evening dinner cruises offer spectacular night sights of Manhattan. Here, the new World Trade Center's Tower One is a focal point of a recent trip.

YOU FEEL you're in heaven in a luxurious vessel transiting the waters of America's most scenic and beloved cities.  While our recent Hornblower birthday party was in New York, we've enjoyed Hornblower in other American cities, always delighting in the experience.

This time, we were in a New York state of mind. We couldn't have picked a more appropriate setting to dine in elegance, sip, dance, and make new friends from Europe, Asia and South America. All agreed we were reveling in first-class style.

WE LOVE Hornblower because we're always treated with care and fine service.  We begin with a glass of bubbly, then stroll the deck and the plush dining area. Hornblower happily blends dining and sight seeing.  We chose our latest journey from many offerings finally deciding on "Starlight Dinner." Hornblower also designs office parties, "Sights & Sips," and various cocktail and skyline brunches, depending on your city. The operation is proud of its beautifully kept, state-of-the-art luxury yachts, each with its own features and fresh cuisine headlining quality produce, seafood and meats of each city.

City Cruise's fare is always a delight, here a holiday brunch.

City Cruises, once HORNBLOWER has never failed us --  in cruises in San Diego, New York, Long Beach and Old Sacramento.  The recent leisurely New York dinner cruise was a bittersweet return to a favorite city, since we'd spent many pleasant evenings in the beautiful Windows on the World atop the doomed World Trade Center.  

Through tears, we admired the beautiful new Tower One as Hornblower navigated the rivers.  We also love San Diego's and San Francisco's City Cruises,  which like their East-Coast sisters, hit the high spots: in San Francisco, views of the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate, and the city's remarkable skyline.

In San Diego, it's a thrill to pass under the Coronado Bridge and enjoy holiday lights and marina. Usually we dance to a delightful duo or soloist playing everything from swing to jazz and Latin. The food, particularly the appetizers is always top drawer.

Gilding the lily: the Empire State Building in the fore-ground, and the Chrysler Building behind her, at right.

IF YOU WANT an excuse to enjoy value and a place to celebrate being alive and on the sea, Hornblower's your ticket.  As longtime devotees, we've cruised the Hornblower fleet all year round, morning and evening, for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and anniversaries. Hornblower covers the culinary territory with style, from robust coffee to fine champagne, topped with decadent desserts and visual delights. In our part-time San Diego home add sea lions, whales and dolphins to Hornblower's signature sunshine, moonlight and romance.

We plan to honor an annual tradition aboard City Cruise for a holiday treat. The festive dinner cruises blend gourmet meals and stunning views.

IF YOU'RE LUCKY enough to bite the Big Apple this holiday, you can't beat New York's Hornblower for splendid food, fine wines and stunning views. Whichever city, you can be black tie or casual -- whatever your mood or dress, and your Hornblower holiday will be first rate. If I could,  I'd beam myself to a different City Cruise port once a week for baked spinach and artichoke appetizer, shrimp and crab, tenderloin and a stellar sea view of each city's landmarks. But I'd have to up my dress size!

EACH City Cruise city offers unique holiday experiences.  Treat yourself, a loved one or a colleague. Go to www.cityexperiences.com  

There's no gambling in Catalina's beautiful Casino, but there are many enticements in a visit.  

COMING UP: Remember the Four Preps' song, "26 Miles Across the Sea....."?  Well, Santa Catalina was awaiting for us, and we answered the call.    Take a trip to this beautiful island with whereiscookie.com, enjoying a step back in time just an hour away from the southern California coastline.  We took a tasting/history tour, ventured out in a kayak and visited the Casino, built by the Wrigley fortune, which is at the center of the island's cultural life. Within it are treasures, including a beautiful four-keyboard organ and we enjoyed a concert.

Remember to explore, learn and live and check us out weekends for travel tips and global adventures with a sense of fun. And soon, we'll take a pictorial tour of holidays we've enjoyed around the world - Israel to Fiji - to get you in the spirit of the season