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.  Even on Christmas Eve! 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 first hand 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. Drinks available from our onboard fully licensed bar.

These cruises grow in popularity each year so please book early to avoid missing out!  And of course Christmas Eve is especially popular given it’s the one night you just know ALL the lights will be on for sure! 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 & juice for the little ones and 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 Christmas Eve!

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.

This particular River Cruise only operates on the 24th December. As such the trip does tend to fill up quickly. We strongly recommend booking early to avoid missing out!

We look forward to seeing you aboard for a wonderful Christmas Eve cruise!
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COVID Safe operations – for detailed information on how we’ve adjusted our tours to be COVID Safe as well as for our fully updated terms click here.

• Minimum passenger numbers and safe suitable weather do apply as conditions for the cruise proceeding.
• Advance bookings are essential – Bookings officially close a few hours prior to the departure time but in reality the cruise books out weeks in advance.
• As we are fully licenced we reserve the right to inspect all bags and eskis to ensure we do not violate the terms of our liquor license. BYO drinks are not permitted.

Wondering what the weather might be like as the departure date gets closer? A great place to get an idea up to 7 days out is Seabreeze! or BOM or Willy Weather. Of course please remember that these sites are generalised and focused on the Beach conditions, and as such may not accurately reflect what is happening in the protected waters in the river and canals.

If you have questions relating to this or any of our other tour offerings, our FAQ’S PAGE might be able to assist as well. Of course you can always contact us by phone, email or text. 

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” are 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 (approx 200m) from the departure point.

Once parked please wait on the lower deck of the venue until instructed by the skipper that it is safe to come down the last ramp and board the vessel.

Whilst waiting you will be asked to sign the passenger verification sheet & waiver.