This Nautical Themed Dinner Party was the perfect way to get together with friends and plan our next cruise. The nautical themed tablescape and decorations and nautical themed foods were so much fun..

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Why We Love This Party
- We're so excited about cruising and this was a great way to extend the fun.
- All the nautical party decorations were easy to create and so cute.
- The nautical themed food ideas really added to our theme.
This year for vacation we're headed on a cruise and I thought it would be fun to put together a nautical themed dinner party before we go so we could plan out what to do in each port with our family. We're sailing with my sister and brother-in-law, and also my husbands parents. Our party of eight got together to talk about our up coming cruise.
We love cruising! One year after a family cruise my daughter decided she wanted a cruise themed birthday party, check it out for more nautical ideas inspired by the cruise.

Nautical Party Tablescape

For dinner, I thought it’d be fun to decorate with a nautical theme. I used all these different elements as part of the decor to set the mood.
- rope
- lanterns
- sea shells
- binoculars
- striped napkins
- life saver napkin rings
- anchor drink charms
- striped straws

I used rope, sea shells, and pretty white lanterns on the table. You can find the tutorial for my DIY chevron table runner here. For each place setting, I made simple napkin rings out of twine and lifesavers. It was such an easy idea, and so cute!

My favourite little detail though, was a little anchor on the glasses.

I found them at a jewellery making store, and tied them onto mason jars with a little baker’s twine. They were very inexpensive. Of course I had to include a pretty stripy straw.

Nautical Food Table
- paper sailing flag bunting
- paper sea gulls
- vintage globe
- lantern
- binoculars
For dinner, we ordered Chinese food, so easy and so good. I set up the food in the kitchen, and added a little nautical feel in there too.

The nautical flags created a really fun boat feel to the table. I just printed some from on-line on my printer, cut them out, and then strung them up to the light and the edge of the table.

And over head, some fun seagulls. I found the adorable free printables at The Golden Adventures of a Dark Horse. Love them. How fun, and we all know that food attracts seagulls, lol.

On the table a few more nautical inspired items for an easy centre piece.

Nautical Themed Party Deserts and Drinks
- nautical cupcakes
- blue jello
- cracker jacks
- life savers
- Caribbean beer
After dinner we enjoyed a few nautical inspired desserts, on our desserts and drinks cart.

I set up the cart with the sweets, along with a bucket of Red Stripe Beer, another vacation favorite.

The idea for the nautical party was actually inspired by seeing these cute little cupcake papers and picks at the dollar store. Easy and sweet.

I also made some blue jello, since it reminds us of the sea.

And last but not least, some Cracker Jacks, since they have the cutest little sailor on the box, and are so yummy.

We’re counting down the days until we get away.
With vacation on the horizon and a nautical party, life really is a party!
More Party Inspiration
If you tried any of our Nautical Party Ideas or any other ideas on my blog please let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Freqently Asked Questions
I found them at a local jewelry making store as inexpensive charms. Look for something similar on-line.
I grabbed the nautical themed napkins at the party store.
Look on-line to see if you can find them in your area. I found mine at a candy store that stocks old fashioned candy. You can also find order them on-line.
TRACEY says
what an amazing way to plan a cruise ... Got me thinking about our next cruise ... Nice job ... Life is a party!!!!!! Thanks for sharing your ideas. Your blog is fabulous!!! Have an amazing trip!!!
Heather says
it was a fabulous night, filled with excitement as we "navigated" our port research! Counting down and can't wait!!!