.
By the time the Sunday fog surrendered—reluctantly, like a teenager roused for school—the Entertainer was already awake. The casually luxurious City Cruises vessel sat docked at Fisherman’s Village Marina, gleaming in Marina del Rey’s late-morning light as if it, too, had been promised brunch.
It’s 45 minutes from Pasadena, and it’s not parade floats, but yeah, it floats.
A brunch cruise, after all, is an inherently optimistic affair. You board a boat at the hour when most people are deciding between coffee and a full retreat under the comforter. And then someone hands you a mimosa.
Once aboard, guests wandered toward the buffet like pilgrims toward a shrine, and with just as much reverence. Prime rib steamed next to herb-roasted Atlantic salmon. French toast lounged beside eggs, bacon and potatoes in warm chafing dishes. Tables groaned proudly under pastries and desserts, and bottomless mimosas were poured with a generosity that suggested the Pacific Ocean itself might be carbonated.
The Entertainer eased out into the harbor, tracing the perimeter of Marina del Rey. From the deck, guests spied the usual supporting cast—Burton W. Chace Park, sun-hit beaches, and the occasional sea lion appearing on cue, as if represented by City Cruises management. The atmosphere was serene, buoyed by live entertainment and a two-hour glide across impossibly calm water.
Mid-cruise arrived David Magee, a “mentalist” who made clear that his feats were neither hypnotism nor mind-reading, nor ESP, whatever that is. Instead, he performed a polished series of demonstrations rooted in neuro-linguistic programming. Guests leaned in, delighted, the way people do when something strange and charming is happening directly in front of them and the mimosas show no signs of slowing.
And yes, he correctly “guessed” every playing card, significant date, and number. Even a childhood pet’s name. (Turns out it was “Money Money.” Who knew? Well, I guess he did.)
City Cruises, it turns out, views brunch as merely the prelude to an entire holiday season afloat as the winter approaches. The lineup ahead reads like a floating calendar—Christmas Eve and Christmas Day cruises with Santa; an array of New Year’s Eve parties, some complete with fireworks; and New Year’s Day brunches to welcome 2026 from out on the water.
For those wishing to lean harder into festivity, there are Newport Beach Parade of Lights viewings, preview nights, holiday lunches, and December Signature Dinner Cruises. In other words: If there is a way to celebrate a holiday on a yacht, City Cruises has devised it—and set out place cards.
And for one fog-lifted Sunday aboard the Entertainer, that seemed exactly right.
Read all about it (again) right here.
