Boat Party Stag Do

There’s something about putting a group of lads on a boat with a bar that just works. Nobody can wander off, the drinks are sorted and the stag has nowhere to hide. A canal cruise in Amsterdam, a party boat on the coast at Bournemouth or a sunshine session off Magaluf, a boat party stag do makes a cracking centrepiece for the weekend.

I like it because it does the organising for you. Everyone turns up at the same time, there’s music, there’s a bar, and the group spends a couple of hours actually talking to each other instead of queueing at the next pub. Call it a booze cruise, call it a party boat, the stag will call it the best bit of the weekend.

We compare boat parties and booze cruises from stag companies in the UK and abroad, including:

• In the UK: Bournemouth, London, Newcastle, Bristol, Cardiff, Nottingham and Blackpool
• Abroad: Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest, Riga, Barcelona, Benidorm, Magaluf, Marbella and Ibiza

The UK options are handy if half the group can’t get a weekend pass for a flight. The sunny ones abroad are handy if you want the stag to come home sunburnt as well as hungover.

It varies by company and city, so always check the package details below. Most boat parties include some mix of time on the water, drinks (sometimes unlimited, sometimes a set number), music and a meeting point or pickup in town. As an example, Freedom’s Amsterdam canal cruise includes exclusive hire of the boat for your group, 90 minutes on the canals, unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks, pickup in central Amsterdam, and an English-speaking guide and skipper, with a minimum of 8 people.

• Minimum numbers. Private hire usually needs a minimum group size, so check yours qualifies before you get the lads excited.
• Private or shared? A shared boat party is cheaper and you’ll meet other groups. Private hire means the boat, the playlist and the bar are all yours.
• What does “drinks included” actually mean? Unlimited for the whole trip, or one welcome drink and then a cash bar? It makes a big difference to the kitty.
• Is there cover? UK boats sail in the rain too, so check there’s somewhere dry to stand.
• Timing. A boat party on day one gets everyone talking. A boat party on Sunday morning gets everyone feeding the fish.

The two overlap a lot, and stag companies use the names in different ways. Broadly, a party boat leans on the music and the party crowd, and a booze cruise leans on the bar. The details in each package tell you exactly what you’re getting, so read them before you pick. Either way, I’d put someone sensible in charge of making sure the stag gets back on dry land with his phone and both shoes.