How to Organise a Boat Party in Poland – a Step-by-Step Checklist

How do you organise a boat party so you’re not firefighting on the day of the cruise? Just work through a few stages in the right order: the occasion and guest numbers, the city, the date, the package and add-ons, the booking, the guest list and, finally, the day itself. Below we’ve broken each step down into specific tasks, so you know exactly how to organise a boat party from start to finish.

The checklist works for a hen party or stag do, a birthday, a corporate event or a family celebration. You can paste it into a shared note with the people helping you organise and tick off each point as you go.

How to organise a boat party – steps 1–3: occasion, guests, city

1. Decide on the occasion and budget

Everything else depends on the occasion. A hen party with decorations in a theme colour looks very different from a team night out with catering and a banner bearing the company name. Set a per-person budget range straight away, too – our overview of how much a boat party costs, with prices for every city, will help.

2. Count your guests

Package prices are given for groups of 30 or more. If there will be fewer of you, send us an enquiry and we’ll prepare an individual quote. At this stage a rough estimate (“about 35 people”) is enough, but the closer you get to the cruise, the more precise the number needs to be.

3. Choose the city

We organise boat parties in 9 Polish cities: on the Vistula in Krakow, Warsaw and Torun, on the Oder in Wroclaw and Szczecin, on the Warta in Poznan, on the Brda in Bydgoszcz, and in Gdansk, where the route is agreed individually. For Katowice, the boat sails on the Pogoria lakes in Dąbrowa Górnicza, about 20 km from the city. When choosing, it’s not just the view that counts – think about how easy it is for most of your guests to get there, from the airport or the train station, and about accommodation if your group is travelling from further afield.

Step 4: date and time of the cruise

You need to book at least 5 working days before the event – that’s the minimum, not the recommended lead time. Summer weekends in the season are worth booking well in advance, because the earlier you get in touch, the better the offer we can put together. Cruises run during the season, from spring to autumn.

You hire the boat for 2 hours, and we match the departure time to your plans:

• afternoon – a good time for family celebrations and parties with older guests,
• sunset – the most beautiful light for photos,
• evening – when the cruise kicks off a longer night out, e.g. before dinner or a club.

Before you send an enquiry, check the diaries of the key people: the bride-to-be, the birthday boy or girl, or the head of department. A quick call beforehand saves you having to move the date later on.

Step 5: package and add-ons

Choose your package by answering three questions:

• Do you want to take care of the music yourselves and is a boat with a sound system enough? Go for Basic – you can plug in your own playlist.
• Do you want a welcome with alcohol, snacks, soft drinks and the option to bring your own bottles? Aim for Star.
• Does the organiser want to party too, instead of keeping an eye on the music and the bar? VIP includes a DJ, a bartender or hostess, a Partymaker to look after you, and photo coverage.

You’ll find a full comparison in our post on how to choose between the Basic, Star and VIP packages. Mention any add-ons in your enquiry, as they affect the quote:

• catering: hot, cold or barbecue,
• boat decorations and a personalised banner, e.g. with the couple’s names or your company name,
• photo coverage and a keepsake HD video,
• a flair bartending show or a live performance,
• party and team-building games, plus a Partymaker to look after the group.

Step 6: booking – what to put in the form

The boat party booking form has a few fields that are worth filling in carefully:

1. city,
2. planned date,
3. preferred start time (or “to be agreed” if you haven’t decided yet),
4. number of guests,
5. notes – the occasion, your chosen package, add-ons, ideas and, if needed, a request for a VAT invoice.

Based on this, we’ll prepare an initial offer. The boarding point, start time and cruise route are agreed when you book, and we confirm all the details before the party. It’s best if the form is filled in by one person – the one who will later answer questions and keep track of what’s been agreed.

Step 7: guest list, timeline and the day of the cruise

Once the date is confirmed, all that’s left is the logistics on the guests’ side. The timeline below is our suggestion – adapt it to your own schedule.

When	What to do
Straight after confirmation	Send your guests a “save the date”, set up a group chat and an attendance list.
3–4 weeks before	Collect confirmations and payments, agree on a theme or dress code.
2 weeks before	Finalise the add-ons, put together a playlist and props for the games.
A week before	Close the guest list, plan transport there and back, share out the tasks.
The day before	Remind guests of the meeting time and place, check the weather forecast.
Cruise day	Arrive early and keep the guest list to hand.

A guest list without the chaos

One person keeps the list: name, confirmation, payment, notes (e.g. dietary requirements for the catering). For a hen party or stag do, it helps to have a second contact person – in case the main organiser is too busy celebrating.

The message to your guests – what to include

A few days before the party, send one complete message instead of a dozen reminders. It should include:

• the meeting time – with some time to spare before departure – and the boarding point,
• the dress code, plus a note about comfortable shoes and a warm layer for the evening,
• the plan after the cruise: dinner, a club or heading home,
• the name of the person guests can message on the day,
• a request for discretion if the party is a surprise for the guest of honour.

Cruise day

• Get to the meeting point with time to spare – the boat has a fixed departure time.
• Plan your transport after the cruise, especially if you’re finishing in the evening.
• Don’t “warm up” with drinks on the riverside promenade – drinking alcohol in public places is, as a rule, prohibited in Poland.
• On board, follow the crew’s instructions, don’t lean over the side and wear comfortable shoes.

For tips on what to pack and what to wear, see our guide to what to bring on a boat party.

FAQ – how to organise a boat party

How far in advance do we need to book a boat party?

The minimum is 5 working days before the event. For a summer weekend in the season, it’s worth getting in touch much earlier – the sooner you send an enquiry, the better the offer we can prepare.

What should we write in the notes on the booking form?

The occasion, your chosen package, the add-ons you’re interested in (e.g. catering, decorations, photo coverage), your ideas for how the party should run and whether you need a VAT invoice. The more detail you give, the more accurate the initial offer will be.

Can we hire a boat for fewer than 30 people?

Yes, but package prices are given for groups of 30 or more, so for a smaller group we prepare an individual quote.

Can a company get an invoice for a boat party?

Yes, we issue VAT invoices for companies. It’s best to mention the invoice in the notes on the booking form.

When will we find out the boarding point and route?

The boarding point, start time and cruise route are agreed when you book, and we confirm the details before the party.

The checklist in brief

Occasion and budget, guest numbers, city, date, package and add-ons, the booking form, the guest list and the day of the cruise – planning goes most smoothly in this order. Start with an enquiry stating the city, date and number of people, and we’ll fine-tune the rest together.