75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge

Here at Commodore we are getting ready to celebrate the 75^th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Our Bay Area dinner cruises would not be the same without the view of San Francisco's most recognizable landmark.  We plan to honor the bridge with a public yacht party that includes white glove service and a gourmet dinner.  Our on renowned DJ will provide all your dining and dancing music for the evening.  You will have the best seat in the Bay to view the bridge and the city skyline.   At 9:30PM our Captain will be nestled in an ideal location on the Bay for all of our guests to view the spectacular fireworks display in honor of the Bridge's Anniversary.  We are also posting on our Pinterest unique ways you can pay tribute to the historic site at your private Commodore Event. 

Sunday, May 27^th, 2012

6:45PM Boarding

7:00PM Departing & Buffet Open

9:30PM Fireworks

10:45PM Disembark

*Please note that a no host bar will be available during the cruise

To purchase tickets please visit our website at www.commodoreevents.com/goldengate

Did you know that construction for the Golden Gate Bridge began January 5, 1933 and was completed for the Grand Opening on May 27, 1937?  The bridge connected the 6,700ft strait between San Francisco and Marin County, which was previously only reached by ferry.  For the opening, 200,000 people crossed the bridge on foot the day before vehicle traffic was allowed.  This same event was recreated May 1987 for the 50th anniversary.  This time it attracted an astounding 1,000,000 people.  An ineffective crowd control allowed 300,000 people on the bridge all at once, causing the center part of the bridge to flatten out under the weight.  Due to this occurrence, bridge officials have stated that this event won't be considered for the 75th anniversary.  So what better way to celebrate the Golden Gate by enjoying its spectacular views from the water with dinner, drinks, and music.  Learn how you can be a part of this momentous occasion by visiting our website at... 

www.commodoreevents.com/goldengate

Prom Season

It’s that time of year again, Prom Season!  Let the planning begin.  With all the details you have to think about where do you start?! Here at Commodore Cruises we would like to help you with that.  We are happy to provide you with free inspiration on our Pinterest page, as well as, great vendors that we know and trust to provide you with a once in a life time experience. 

First you need a venue:  there are places in the city, gyms, and theme parks, but not many people can say they spent their Prom partying on a luxury yacht on the San Francisco Bay.  Whether you have a large junior or senior class, or a small one, we have an entire fleet that we can walk you through to provide you with the best experience for your Bay Area cruise. 

Our Commodore family is ready to assist you with all of your party boat needs. The next most important thing after the venue is what you are going to wear.  Tons of pictures by your parents and friends are going to be taken all night, so you want to make sure you have the best outfit.  On our Pinterest page we have lots of options in dress styles, tux looks, and hairstyles.   We even have some creative suggestions on how to ask a date to Prom. 

 

At Prom there are a lot of different options to customize for a theme or to represent your school.  Our Prom Event Coordinator, Brienne, has a wide variety of dessert options she can discuss with you to make your menu unique.  Some great options she has done in the past include: school colored cake pops, chocolate fountains, and a mascot themed cake.  She also has some great suggestions for fun add-ons like a photo booth or henna artist.

  

What is Prom without dancing and music?  Each yacht has at least one dance floor and state of the art sound systems with iPod and CD capability.  If it is in your budget to upgrade to a DJ, we can recommend DJ’s that we work with on a regular basis that we know are not just someone’s relative with an outdated play list.  They are DJs that will make sure your Prom’s playlist will be the newest top hits.

 Not convinced yet, call us today to schedule a private viewing of our yachts at (510) 337-9000.  Learn more about us on our website at www.commodoreevents.com or on our Facebook.  We look forward to helping you celebrate.

Surprise! It's your birthday!!

Your day comes around once a year. Each birthday marks a passage of some sort. One year you’ve entered the terrible twos, at five you begin school, at 12 you may have a Bat Mitzvah, at 13 a Bar Mitzvah, on your Sweet 16 you get to drive, at 18 you can vote, and of course your 21^st birthday often leaves you with a hangover. From there on, each decade clicks past with the old adage, “time flies!”

Although there are many ways to celebrate, one of the most exciting is undoubtedly a surprise birthday party. Nonetheless, not everyone is lucky enough to be thrown a surprise celebration by their loved ones. What seems like a very thoughtful and fun idea in the beginning might cause more stress than originally intended if not planned out thoughtfully. Although I may be an experienced event planner now, I have even been an offender of planning a surprise party debacle. Let me share with you my embarrassing story:

I was in high school and my friend, Dana, and I decided to throw a surprise party for our friend, Annie. We rented out a room at a local restaurant to surprise Annie for her Sweet 16. We had everything planned to the last detail (or so we thought). The room was reserved, the invitations were sent, everyone secretly RSVP’d, decorations were bought, the birthday cake was ordered, and we were ready to go.

Before I continue, please think to yourself.. what is the most important part of any celebration? If you thought the guest of honor, you would be correct. Since Dana and I were so busy planning the perfect surprise party, we forgot to invite Annie to a made up event. I thought Dana had already invited Annie to the movies and Dana figured I had a decoy plot in action. So come the day of the party we realized that neither of us had locked down Annie on plans for the night. We immediately asked her if she wanted to hang out and catch a movie. Her reply: “Thank you, but I am already babysitting tonight.” This could have been the worst answer in our situation. Although I felt like our plans were foiled, I chose the proactive route. The first step: contacting her older sister to see if she could cover Annie’s babysitting shift. After a stressful afternoon of trying to get in contact with her sister and having her sister get in contact with the family Annie was babysitting for, we figured it out. Dana and I kidnapped the birthday girl and brought her to the restaurant, while Annie’s sister took over the babysitting. It ended up working out wonderfully, and although Annie had no idea I think I aged five years on her birthday. So when planning a surprise birthday party make no mistake and think it through. Here are some tips that will have the guest of honor in complete awe.

-KEEP THE SECRET! Do not blab, and make sure everyone invited is well aware to keep their lips zipped.

-Choose the venue. Many factors should go into selecting the venue. Make sure that it will be easy for your guests to travel to, and incorporate the venue into your surprise. Many of our clients pretend they are taking the birthday celebrant on a public cruise, and when they walk onto the yacht they are surprised by a private event with their family and friends. We also have clients who pretend they are dragging their significant other to company party, or a coworker’s retirement celebration. Our yacht staff even plays along with the surprise!

-Invite the guests in the most secret way possible. Also, make sure that you have guests arrive earlier then the time the guest of honor will be arriving.

Awesome nautical stationary for the invites!

-Start the planning early! It is easier to overcome planning obstacles if you give yourself plenty of time to prepare (unlike my “day of” fiasco for Annie’s party).

-Relay the appropriate dress code to your guests and have the guest of honor dress accordingly. Avoid making the guest of honor feel uncomfortable because everyone is decked out and they are not.

-Food, which is my personal favorite part of any party. Make sure you know some of the guest of honor’s favorite dishes, and be sure to have some at the party. Also, make sure you are aware of any dietary needs or allergies of the attending guests. It is also smart to have appetizers or snacks available for the guests before the birthday celebrant arrives. This way, the guests are not hungry and moody when the guest of honor enters the party a bit late.

-Music. Whether you hire a DJ, band, or play an iPod, make sure you have some of the guest of honor’s favorite jams.

-Assign guests to help with decorations and the setup, as you might be the one bringing the guest of honor.

Great Centerpiece Idea for Yachts!

-Birthday cake. Unless the birthday celebrant is not a fan of sweets, don’t forget the cake. This tradition is as standard as fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Beautiful Ocean Themed Cake

Love this nautical themed party!

-Most importantly…make sure you make up a believable plan for the guest of honor. Hopefully my little experience helped communicate that concept :-).