Romantic Types

Party on New Year's

Baby Boomers on the Mystic Blue cruise ship recognize the guitar riff spooling from the speakers as America’s "Ventura Highway. " Most of the 20-somethings approaching the dance floor probably couldn’t name that 1970s tune, but they know the song’s backbeat. (Janet Jackson’s pseudo-remake, "Someone to Call My Lover. ") The song captures what makes this four-hour New Year’s Eve dinner cruise from Chicago’s Navy Pier unforgettable. No matter what your age is, if you love music, dancing, great buffets and dressing up, this New Year’s party is for you.

Even before the ship leaves the harbor, the crowd is singing along to Frank Sinatra's "My Kind of Town"; by the end of the night, exchange students shake it while an older couple glides through ballroom moves. Divided onto two enclosed decks, the roughly 600 people aboard enjoy private tables decked with noisemakers, horns and masks; an open bar; hors d’oeuvres trays filled with spring rolls, coconut chicken strips and shrimp; a prime-rib buffet; a lavish dessert spread; and a spot in the harbor for midnight fireworks. After gazing at the city, Janet Haarbaue of Avon, Indiana, glances at her husband, who surprised her with this outing hours earlier. "The skyline is just fantastic, " she says.

Throughout the evening, the waitstaff shows off choreographed hip-hop dances, bringing cheers. During dinner, a DJ tosses prizes to winners of her music-trivia questions and takes requests for songs. Surrounded by silver and purple helium-filled balloons, the dance floor rocks from the booming sound system and the Lake Michigan chop.

As midnight nears, couples pull on coats, step onto the decks and brace themselves against the 20-degree winds. Fingers freeze around plastic champagne flutes as everyone joins in a countdown. "Happy New Year! " the revelers shout at midnight. Horns blast like trumpets from other boats in the harbor, and two sets of fireworks explode overhead (one over Navy Pier, the other over Grant Park). For the next 20 minutes, no one cares about the cold. All eyes focus on the Roman-candlelit sky and the city’s glittering lights.

Written by Kendra L. Williams

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