Cruise Theme Party Ideas

Set sail with an amazing cruise theme for this year's corporate party! Want to set off into the sunset without buying a yacht? Than a cruise theme company party is for you! Employees, co-workers and even their families will love sailing on the U.S.S. Company cruise ship, sipping drinks, networking, and celebrating this year's hard work. Check out our cruise theme party ideas below to help you get started!

cruise theme corporate party invitations
Whether you decide to have a formal "Captain's Dinner" or a casual "Day on the Deck" cruise theme, make sure your invitation reflects the mood of your event. Since you'll be sending out a lot of invites, keep it simple, but still make a big impact so your guests are ready to party!

Our Cruise Theme Invitation is a great way to go, and try one or two of these invite add-ons for fun:

Add a few candy "life savers" to each envelope. Co-workers will love munching on these as they read the party info - plus, it matches the cruise theme!
Send along your invite with a beach ball imprinted with your corporate logo. Choose colors that match your company's colors!
Or give each of your guests a custom boarding pass invitation so they have a ticket to cruise on over to your company party. Add a fun imprinted luggage tag with your company logo to the envelope (perfect for employees who travel)!
Of course, go all out with a custom caricature invitation! Have the company's "captain" (ie: the head honcho) in a captain's uniform pointing the way up the gang plank to the XYZ Company Cruise Ship. Wording like, "All Aboard XYZ's Company Cruise" along with the party info helps finish off a memorable invite.

With a solid design and fun add-ons, your cruise theme invite is sure to be hit. Choose wording that makes your invite stand out, too. Here are a couple options:

Come Sail with BHK Group
At our Annual Stakeholder’s Luncheon!

All Aboard the U.S.S. Recap Industries!
Set sail with us on
Saturday, June 21 from 6-10 pm.

(The wording below works great with a passport or boarding pass invitation.)

Passport to Paradise!
Check into the U.S.S. Uline
For a relaxing afternoon away.

Whatever you decide, make sure to send your invite out 6-8 weeks in advance so employees and their families can save the date!

entrance decorations for a cruise theme party
With the right decoratons, you can make any local event center look like you're at sea. A few easy details at the entrance will make guests feel like their boarding a luxury cruise ship!

Call your party's welcome area "The Pier", where guests "check-in" and get ready to set sail! A few of these tips will keep traffic flowing smoothly while also setting a nautical tone for your event:

Greet guests in cruise ship style with a life preserver arch over the entrance with the company name, and lots of balloons in red, white and blue. It's a perfect photo-op for guests to stand under as they arrive, too!
Hang a cruise theme banner welcoming guests onto the U.S.S. XYZ Company Cruise Ship.
Have Party411 make you a custom standup cutout the company's "captain" or mascot greeting guests as they arrive. Add a speach bubble that says, "All Aboard the U.S.S. XYZ!" Party411 can make your cutout from a picture or custom caricature.
Lots of directional signs near the entrance will help steer guests to party hotspots. Use cruise theme life preserver welcome signs to point guests to the Galley, Lounge, Casino, Sun Deck, Bar, etc.
Make sure to have a registration table where guests can pick up name tags and seating cards. Flank the table with red, white, and blue balloon bouquets and vertical cruise theme banners.
Event workers in charge of registration and name tags should stand out, too! Make sure they wear fun captain's hats imprinted with the company logo.
As guests walk in, pass out pairs of imprinted sunglasses along with flower leis. People will be in the mood to sail away if they have party wearables to help them along!

Party decorations don't stop at the entrance. Turn your venue into a cruise themed paradise that guests won't ever want to leave!

cruise theme party decorations
There are tons of ways to add easy cruise theme touches to your venue:

Cruise theme life preserver signs make perfect signage for all of your party hotspots. Customize each one with a phrase for each location - "Get Ship-Faced!" for the bar, "High Roller on the High Seas" for a casino areas, "Buoy Buffet" near the food, and "Dance on the Deck" by the dance floor. The list goes on and on!
Custom cruise theme banners are an easy way to highlight important areas, too. Hang them over buffets and bars and flank with balloon bouquets in the company's colors.
Make the dance floor the center of the party! Have the DJ decorate guests by handing out glow sunglasses and jewelry.
Hire a lighting company to decorate your venue with mood lighting. Blues and reds are perfect for a cruise theme!
Tropical decorations will look amazing scattered around your venue! Inflatable palm trees and beach balls arranged in corners are the perfect touch. Drape netting (which you can find at most party stores) and scatter shells on the bar.

Of course, balloon bouquets in corners, around the dance floor, and flanking tables always make a big impact. Choose balloons in your company colors or in red, white, or blue!

cruise theme table decorations for a company party
From seating cards to centerpieces, we've got your cruise theme table decorations covered! Check out these ideas to make your tables stand out:

White linens and blue table skirts will give your tables a nautical feel.
Keep your tables simple with a Cruise Theme Centerpiece. This centerpiece is a 3D foamcore cruise ship which you can personalize with your company name! Attach bunches of balloons in blue and white to finish off the look.
Of course, make sure your guests find their way to their seats with cruise theme table numbers and cruise theme seating cards!
Along with their seating cards, make sure there's a sweet favor at their seat for guests to enjoy. A cruise theme candy bar wrapper is perfect! Customize the wrapper with some inside jokes from around the office.
Add a cruise theme water bottle with a personalized label to each seat, too. Guests will appreciate the thirst quencher as they're waiting for the main course!

Finish off your tables by scattering assorted sea shells and votive candles around the centerpiece. Co-workers will love catching up and networking around these fun themed tables!

cruise theme bar and menu ideas
When anyone goes on a cruise, quite a bit of time is spent at the bar and buffet! Make sure the bar and buffet at your cruise theme party is just as popular.

Cruise Theme Bar

Serve a variety of fun specialty drinks that are commonly ordered on cruises. Pina coladas and strawberry daquiris are a must!
Make sure to have a special event cocktail named after the company. For example, the BHK Group Grey Goose Martini is fun! Talk to your caterer to design a special drink just for your event.
Add a classic tropical umbrella pick and a piece of fruit to each specialty drink, too. Yum!
Once you decide on your drinks, make sure to have a cruise theme signage near the bar listing all of them. It'll be a snap for co-workers to pick their favorites!
Purchase fun drinkware imprinted with the company logo! From martini to margarita, these light-up glasses are perfect for any occasion. Plus, they make great favors for guests to take home.
Don't forget to decorate the bar, too! Hang fishnets which you can find at any party store and scatter seashells along the bar. Cut waves blue paper and cover with blue cellophane then attach to the bar and hang string lights behind so it sparkles.

Cruise Theme Buffet - Cruise Destinations

Because cruise ships travel around the world from port to port, make your menu something special by offering food stations, each with a different type of cuisine from popular cruise destinations. Hire a different caterer for each type of cuisine and arrange them around the sides of your party room so guests can move easily from station to station.

Spain: A variety of Tapas as appetizers
Alaska: Alaskan King Crab and Salmon
Cozumel, Mexico: Authentic Mexican Cuisine or a Nacho Bar
Hawaii: Mahi Mahi Tuna
Carribean: Pulled pork with pineapple salsa
Bahamas: Tropical Fruit Displays

Of course, you can always make it simple with a classic cruise buffet. Just make sure there is a variety of American foods in large quantities, so guests can dig in!

cruise theme activities and entertainment
A cruise ship is a floating entertainment complex, so you'll want to make sure your party has a lot of different options to keep your guests busy. Keep it simple with these options:

Hire a DJ or live band to keep the dance floor hopping, and if you want to add a little island breeze to your party, have a steel drum band playing near the bar.
Set up a photo booth or green screen with cruise theme cutouts! Along a wall, set up a cruise ship backdrop and cruise captain cutout. Guests can pose with props like these fun personalized speech bubbles and have their picture taken. Print the pictures right then and there or post them to social media after the event. The pics make great favors!
Conga lines and limbo games are cruise essentials. Make sure your DJ or band includes these in their lineup!
Of course, you need a cruise casino! Hire a game rental company to set up tables of black jack, craps, poker, and roulette. Handout fake personalized money with the company logo for guests to use for betting. Let players turn in their "winnings" at a prize table with goodies like gift cards and lotto tickets!

End the night with a balloon drop over the dance floor. Believe me, this will be a party your guests will never forget!

cruise theme party favors for a corporate party
Send your guests home with a treat to remember their day in paradise! Place your favor table conveniently near the exit with a cruise theme life preserver cutout that says, "Baggage Claim".

Then, pile the table high with a couple of fun themed favors that guests can grab as they head down the gang plank:

Travel favors are perfect for a cruise theme party! Nail care kits, luggage tags, rain poncho balls, and bandage strip dispensers all imprinted with the company logo are useful and fit the theme.
Include your own message to guests on custom cruise theme candy bar wrappers. We have custom mint tins, too! And custom lollipops in case your corporate party is a family event.
If you're inviting families to your event, have a favor for the kids, too. Cruise theme lollipops are so much fun!
Custom light-up wine or margarita glasses imprinted with the company logo and filled with lifesaver candies are perfect for a booze cruise party!
Or you can fill our cruise theme candy jars with lifesavers, too! The options are endless...

Whatever you decide, make sure to have some cruise theme custom favor bags on hand, which you can personalize for your event. Wording like, "Thanks for cruising with BHK Group!" is fun. Enjoy planning your cruise theme corporate party, and bon voyage from The Party Girl!