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Home » Parties & Entertaining

Nautical Party

Modified: Jul 13, 2025 · Published: Mar 5, 2015 by Dannyelle Nicolle-Ramjist · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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..

Pre-cruise nautical planning dinner party ideas.
Jump to:
  • Why We Love This Party
  • Nautical Party Tablescape
  • Nautical Food Table
  • Nautical Themed Party Deserts and Drinks
  • More Party Inspiration
  • Freqently Asked Questions

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.

Cruise themed party

Nautical Party Tablescape

bon voyage cruise themed nautical party

 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
Easy nautical centerpiece

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!

Nautical party napkins

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

Cruise themed nautical place setting

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.

cruise themed party ideas

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.

nautical party ideas

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.

Cruise nautical party decorations

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.

Nautical party decoration ideas

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

cruise themed party ideas

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.

Nautical dessert table

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

Bucket of beer galvanized metal pail

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.

Nautical party dessert ideas

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

cruise themed desserts

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

nautical cruise party dessert ideas

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

  • Cruise themed nautical party.
    Cruise Themed Nautical Birthday Party
  • How to throw a toast party.
    How To Throw A Toast Dinner Party And Toast Topper Ideas
  • Pasta bar for a party with different pastas, sauces, and toppings.
    Pasta Bar Ideas
  • Make your own pizza party.
    Make Your Own Pizza Party!

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

Where are the anchor charms from?

I found them at a local jewelry making store as inexpensive charms. Look for something similar on-line.

Where were the napkins from?

I grabbed the nautical themed napkins at the party store.

Where an you buy old fashioned cracker jacks?

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.

More Parties and Entertaining Ideas

  • Daisy themed summer picnic party table with yellow and white striped tablecloth, daisy cake, daisy deviled eggs, floral pizza, and fresh daisy flower arrangements.
    Daisy Themed Party Ideas
  • Earth day party set with up cycled dishes and cutlery, home grown flowers, paper lanterns, and garden themed food.
    Earth Day Party and Eco-Friendly Entertaining Ideas
  • Princess and the frog party table with food and decorations.
    The Best Birthday Party Home Decoration Ideas
  • Iced coffee in glass with straw, coffee in mug with sticker logo, and hot chocolate in a tea cup on a table.
    How To Make Your Own At Home Coffee Shop

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TRACEY says

    March 06, 2015 at 11:05 pm

    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!!!

  2. Heather says

    March 05, 2015 at 8:33 am

    it was a fabulous night, filled with excitement as we "navigated" our port research! Counting down and can't wait!!!

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