Three combined-fleet nights fall in the first week of December, and a team can watch all three from shore for the price of parking. The parade is in its 72nd year and runs 15 nights in December, with about 80 boats taking part across the season.
What a combined-fleet night puts on the water
The Christmas Ships Parade started in 1954. The organiser calls it the longest continuously operating illuminated boat parade in the United States. On select nights the Columbia and Willamette fleets come together, and the organiser describes the result as a display nearly two miles long.
Boats run from 14 feet to 65 feet and include motor and sail boats. The fleet covers about 345 nautical miles in a typical season and passes more than 80 miles of shoreline. Skippers are volunteers, they take no payment, and they cover their own expenses.
Three dates in the first week
December 3 is a Thursday. The combined fleet leaves the M. James Gleason Boat Ramp for the Vancouver Waterfront, and the organiser lists a 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. window.
December 4 is a Friday. The route runs from the same ramp to North Portland Harbor, again 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
December 5 is a Saturday. The fleet meets at the Port of Camas-Washougal for the Camas, Washougal and Steamboat Landing Park run, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Two of the three assemble at the Gleason ramp on NE Marine Drive. The December 5 run starts on the Washington side at the Port of Camas-Washougal.
The ramp lot and the assembly window
The M. James Gleason Boat Ramp is at 4325 NE Marine Dr, Portland. The organiser's Columbia River route notes list the large parking lot as an outdoor viewing location. The same notes put parking at $5 and say the gate stays open later so spectators can watch the ships assemble, roughly 6:45 p.m. to 7:05 p.m.
A 6:45 p.m. arrival catches the boats lit and gathered before the fleet moves upriver.
The organiser prints a caution on every route. Times are approximate and can move with river conditions, bridge lifts and commercial traffic.
Two tables on NE Marine Drive
The organiser lists Salty's on the Columbia at 3839 NE Marine Dr, phone (503) 288-4444, as a viewing location. It lists The Sextant Bar & Galley at 4035 NE Marine Dr, Portland, OR 97211, phone (503) 281-5944, in the same set of notes. All three addresses sit on NE Marine Drive.
The organiser's FAQ carries the booking advice that matters in December. Many local restaurants and hotels take reservations to watch the Christmas Ships, and the organiser warns that many book out months in advance and some sell out before the season starts.
Free gate, dinner budget
The parade charges nothing. The organiser states that no tickets are required and that the route can be watched from public areas. A team's spend is the table and the parking.
No restaurant price is published, so the dinner figure is the planner's own input. A ten-person table at $45 a head comes to $450. Parking is $5 a vehicle on the organiser's published rate, so four cars on the ramp lot come to $20.
The other twelve nights
The season runs 15 nights in December, so a team that misses the first week has options. The Willamette Fleet assembles at Riverplace Marina, 0315 SW Montgomery St, and works the downtown waterfront between Johns Landing and the Fremont Bridge. Columbia Fleet nights leave the Gleason ramp through the month.
The organiser also opens the docks three times. December 12 at the City of St. Helens public dock ahead of that night's parade. December 19 at RiverPlace Marina from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. December 20 at RiverPlace Marina from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Rooms for a team that stays over
A 7 p.m. assembly and a 9 p.m. finish put an overnight inside the plan for a team travelling to Portland. bookMyTeam lists 278 hotels in the city and runs a request-for-proposal route. Most hotels offer group rates at 10 or more rooms per night, and some discount from five rooms depending on season and availability. Its published benchmark is 15 to 40 percent below rack rates. Rate requests go through /rfp/submit.
Rules the organiser publishes
No boat in the parade takes public passengers. The organiser states that all boats are privately owned and unavailable for rides, and that the shore gives the full view. The organiser publishes no reserved seating and states that it cannot give exact times at specific viewing locations. Severe weather is the one cause of cancellation, and those decisions are posted close to parade time on the organiser's website and social accounts.
