Count down from deck

Gondola Company of Newport owner Georgia Mahoney has seen a steady stream of newly engaged couples deboard her gondolas in the past few weeks. Suitors can opt to write out their marriage proposals, which are put into a bottle. A gondolier discreetly drops the bottle into the water for women to discover.

“We are having a record number of proposals the week before Christmas this year,” Mahoney said. “We see a lot of diamonds, let me tell you.”

Twinkling Christmas lights and fireworks make the holidays the ideal time for a romantic moonlit cruise on Newport Bay and beyond.

Holiday cruises are becoming a popular way to ring in the New Year or celebrate Christmas. Several local boating companies offer daily excursions during the holidays and special Christmas and New Years trips, ranging from intimate affairs to grand New Year’s Eve galas with four-course meals and entertainment.

Gondola Company of Newport is giving its gondoliers the day off for Christmas, but offers New Year’s Eve cruises through Dec. 31, including brief trips that launch an hour before midnight and cruise into position so that passengers can view the New Year’s fireworks over Newport Harbor.

Passengers get a basket filled with cheese, bread, sparkling cider and chocolate during the boat ride. Couples also can elect to bring a bottle of wine along. The trip costs $85 per couple and additional passengers ride for $15. Kids younger than 10 ride free, and the company will throw some extra bread in the basket to feed the ducks.

The Fun Zone Boat Company offers daily boating excursions to see the Christmas lights around Newport Bay through Sunday. Passengers get a guided tour of some of the best Christmas lights around the bay for $17; children’s admission is $7, and kids younger than 5 ride for free.

“Some of the homes on the bay are very impressive,” said Fun Zone Boat Company owner Haenk Wiessner. “They go all out on the decorations.”

Trips depart at 5 and 6 p.m. from the docks adjacent to the Newport Beach Nautical Museum in the Balboa Fun Zone. Passengers enjoy the cozy and relaxing atmosphere of the trips, Wiessner said.

“People can hop on and bring some hot chocolate, and we show them the homes,” he said.

Hornblower Cruises & Events offers a four-hour gala celebration for New Year’s revelers. For $150 per person, the trip includes entertainment, a four-course lobster and filet mignon dinner and a glass of champagne at the beginning of the cruise. There’s also a cash bar for hardcore partyers.

The popular New Year’s celebration sells out fast, so people are urged to make reservations as soon as possible, said Sara Cropping, Hornblower director of marketing.

“You’re right beneath the fireworks, and the homes are beautifully lit,” Cropping said. “It’s kind of a nice atmosphere to be in.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Hornblower Cruises & Events

www.hornblower.com, (888) 467-6256

Fun Zone Boat Company

www.funzoneboats.com, (949) 673-0240

Gondola Company of Newport

www.gondolas.com, (949) 675-1212

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at brianna.bailey@latimes.com.