On New Years Eve, hotels do a busy trade in rentals.  Many people plan their New Year festivities around a hotel rental of one kind or another, whether it is a small gathering or a large, sprawling gala affair.  On New Years Eve, hotels are packed to the brim with revelers holding wild parties in their rooms.  Other people rent the large ballrooms in New Years Eve hotels or set aside a portion of a restaurant or bar attached to a hotel for a large event complete with balloons, swelling, swirling crowds of guests, live music or a disc jockey, and copious amounts of champagne.  New Years Eve is often the end of a winter vacation period for those in work or in school, so it makes sense that on New Years Eve hotels would be packed to the brim with people looking to squeeze the last few hours of celebration out of their holiday season before returning to the daily grind of employment or academic study.

For those who are looking to travel to another town or city for New Years Eve, hotels are a traditional answer to their holiday question of where to have fun and where to spend the night.  On New Years Eve, hotels can provide a few hours of maximum luxury for a small financial investment.  It is no wonder then that renting space in New Years Eve hotels has become such a popular holiday standby for those looking to celebrate the holiday in style.  However, if you are looking for a more exciting alternative for your winter vacation, consider taking a New Year's Eve cruise.  New Years Eve cruises are available in many locations, and at many price ranges.  A New Year's Eve cruise can be anything from an evening spent circling the Statue of Liberty and enjoying the scenic vista of a New York City harbor to a whole week or even two weeks spent on a relaxing, memorable trip to the Bahamas or another unique tropical destination.  New Years Eve cruises can be a great way to spend the holiday.

Many young revelers in their twenties and thirties enjoy an urban New Year's Eve cruise.  These cruises are very social and tend to feature a lot of music and dancing, large crowds of excited strangers, and the possibility of finding romance or friendship.  New Years Eve cruises of this kind are like floating dance clubs, with all of the excitement of the hottest discotheque or club with the added advantage of beautiful scenery and the fun, celebratory novelty of being on the water.  There have been successful, lively New Years Eve cruises on the Thames in London, England, in Manhattan's East river, on the French Riviera, and in the gorgeous San Francisco Bay. 

These cruises tend to last for only a few hours, and are fairly inexpensive when compared to other possible New Years entertainment options, like a ticket to a gala or concert.  On New Years Eve, hotels often throw lavish parties which cost two or three times more to attend than a lively New Year's Eve cruise which can have you dancing under the stars.  A longer cruise to celebrate the New Year can require some financial planning in advance, but a short urban New Years Eve cruise can be a fun, spontaneous way to make your holiday special.