Please note that other impacts such as phone and agent bookings, weather and other unforeseen things could impact on the availability at the same time as you are requesting the charter online. Our Terms and conditions are available on this webpage ( Click here to view them now ) and will also be emailed to you as part of the booking confirmation.

Key Details:

What to expect;

Every year, during the month of  December only, a large number of the people living in the the waterfront properties of Mooloolaba, Minyama, and Buddina create a wonderful Christmas lights spectacle.  And it is designed to be viewable only from the water. 

All properties actually compete for the prize of best presented display.  And to win the award, each year they clearly pull out all stops to have a shot at first prize! The atmosphere it creates truly brings Christmas to the Sunshine Coast!

You can enjoy this very special lights exhibition aboard Crusader 1.  Come relax and wind down on this fun, gentle cruise, which takes you through the river and main canals of Mooloolaba, Minyama and Buddina.  You will experience firsthand the wonderful Christmas Lights on offer by many of the waterfront properties, and fully relax in a fun and comfortable atmosphere aboard one of the largest river cruise vessels on the Sunshine Coast.

With no more than 45 passengers at any time, you will always enjoy total visibility of the lights. This trip last approximately 1 1/2 hours! and sets off just before sunset so that you can experience that wonderful vista of the sun setting over the Glasshouse Mountains before we head off to enjoy the lights spectacle.

This cruise really does offer a very special and personal experience on the protected, and always calm, inland waters. With perfect views of the absolutely amazing efforts made by the property owners, we guarantee you will enjoy a delightful and fun time.  This cruise is also ideal for families with young children!

Light snacks can be brought on a BYO basis, aAnd drinks available from our onboard fully licensed bar.

These cruises grow in popularity each year so please book early to avoid missing out!  Come and join us for a wonderful evening of Christmas fun and cheer!

Once we have finished the tour, we will make our way back to our departure point. When we do arrive back at the dock it’s time to disembark and make your way back home (or to another party!?). Luckily our home dock is on the outskirts of Mooloolaba so if you are needing an Uber or taxi, it’s usually not a long wait for one!

Why we think you should join us;

Well frankly speaking, we can honestly think of no better way to get into the festive spirit and enjoy having a look at these amazing Christmas Lights displays than aboard Crusader 1 with us! Add in that you are looked after like VIPs the entire trip and have without the best viewing platform of any vessel and you can start to see why we are so confident of this.  Believe us when we say that this tour really does get you into the the “Christmas Mood” because we see it year after year!

In fact, even though we have been doing this for almost a decade now, we ourselves still thoroughly enjoy each and every trip ourselves! So that should give you some insight as to how much fun these trips really are!

And if you are looking for a corporate or other larger group outing at this time of year, then this is seriously an option you should strongly consider also. It’s extremely cost efficient, high quality, and a lot of fun! And for those larger boat booking groups, we can always work with you to add in those extra parts you have in mind as well. Our goal to to give all our customers the best possible experience!

With awesome music playing, plenty of beer, wine and bubbles (even cocktails!) and of course soft-drinks for the little ones or those driving afterward, it is hard to imagine this cruise would do anything other than perfectly suit your needs.

So avoid driving the streets trying to find Christmas light displays and join us to take in the sights of the beautiful Mooloolaba Harbour during Christmas aboard our spacious vessel Crusader 1. We look forward to having you onboard and celebrating the festive season in style. The Sunshine Coast way! It’s simply the perfect way to celebrate all things Christmas!

Everyone at Sunshine Coast Afloat prides themselves on being extremely dedicated and  responsible to our guests. Not only will we always provide you with an extremely safe, clean and well appointed vessel, we will, on all trips, try to limit vessel capacity to to the best suited numbers to ensure that you have a safe, comfortable and memorable experience.

Our highly qualified and trained crew are on board to assist in making sure every aspect of your cruise is executed with your enjoyment and safety the absolute focus at all times. From the moment you step aboard they will ensure you have nothing more to do than to sit back enjoy yourself.

No doubt this is why we have, for the last 9 years won the top Tripadvisor awards each year!

Some key points you can expect with Sunshine Coast Afloat on this tour;

• We will have a wide range of drinks aboard for you to choose from at prices at or below those of the average tavern! (NO BYO)
• 2 on deck modern marine toilets for your use.
• Our modern marine (2000W) sound system will be gently playing Christmas Carols music to make sure the mood is perfect.
• Plenty of comfortable seating ranging from bean bags to lounges and more.
• The cruise starts as a twilight cruise to ensure that we enjoy the full effect of the Christmas Lights as we get to the main canal.

Additional Key Details to note:

This tour operates during the month of December only! Some dates in December are not available.

This cruise DOES NOT cover the Christmas Eve Cruise, the 8.30PM Fireworks New Years Eve Cruise, The Midnight Fireworks New Years Eve Cruise, nor the Mooloolaba Boat Parade Evening.

Discounted rates shown for this cruise are for Children UNDER the age of 14. 

NO BYO of DRINKS is permitted on these cruises (BYO light Snack foods are ok).

COVID Safe Cruising – for detailed information on how we’ve adjusted our tour to be COVID Safe and for updated terms click here.

Sunshine Coast Afloat (Now Cavalier Cruises) is located within Tank Bathhouse, and operates from the Pontoon located at the rear of the premises at 209 Brisbane Road Mooloolaba Qld.

For a GPS use “Sunshine Coast Afloat” or “209 Brisbane Road Mooloolaba Qld”.    In iPhone Maps “Sunshine Coast Afloat” is far more accurate.

Please DO NOT park your car here on the service Road, but rather in the FREE public car-park next to the BP service station across the road. 

The location is the corner of Incana Court and Brisbane Road. This parking is free and unlimited in time, and only a 2 minute stroll (100m) from the departure point.

Once parked please wait near the top of the ramp until instructed by the skipper that it is safe to come down the ramp and board the vessel.