Sydney Pearl

Catered charters (booked with a food and beverage package) are $2,000 for 3 hours or $2,600 for 4 hours from January to October, which works out from $650 per hour on a 4-hour booking. In November and December they're $2,250 for 3 hours or $3,000 for 4 hours, with a minimum of 50 guests, and Friday and Saturday nights from the last weekend in November until Christmas Eve are set aside for the Christmas package. If you choose cash or bar tab drinks instead of a package, a $300 bar staff fee applies per 50 guests. Public holidays and special dates are priced on request.

The Christmas package is $155 per person for a 4-hour cruise with at least 70 guests, including a buffet or cocktail menu, the Diamond Beverage Package and city wharf fees. BYO charters run January to October only for up to 50 guests: $2,600 for 3 hours or $3,200 for 4 hours, plus a $15 per person BYO fee, with staff fees included.

Wharf fees are $75 at King Street Wharf and $90 at the Circular Quay Eastern Pontoon. Early boarding is $250 for up to 30 minutes (maximum three people). Security is required for birthdays where the guest of honour is 24 or younger, at $350 per guard per 80 guests. A $2,000 deposit secures the booking, the balance is due 14 days before, and a $1,000 bond is returned after the cruise.

Menus start with cheese platters at $10 per person and pizza platters at $15 per person. At $28 per person there's a choice of the Clifton Gardens Cocktail Menu (roaming canapés including chicken skewers, salt and pepper calamari, beef sliders, arancini, mini hot dogs, gourmet pies, quiche and cakes), the Farm Cove Hot Roast Buffet (beef striploin with shiraz sauce, roast chicken, potatoes, pumpkin, greens and cake) or the Freshwater BBQ (pepper beef skewers, finger lime chicken, ratatouille, smashed potatoes and four salads). The Rushcutters Bay Buffet at $40 per person adds bruschetta and bocconcini on arrival, carved glazed ham, slow-roasted beef and a cheese course, and the Rose Bay Buffet at $48 per person features whole baked salmon, eye fillet and chicken supreme with dessert. Several dishes are gluten-free or vegetarian.

On BYO charters (January to October, up to 50 guests), guests bring their own food along with disposable plates and cutlery; the galley and fridges can't be used.

Beverage packages run for 4 hours. Juice and soft drinks are $14 per person. The Diamond Beverage Package is $46 per person, with Pure Blonde, Furphy and light beer, South Australian whites, reds and rosé, French sparkling, juice and soft drinks. The Platinum Beverage Package is $56 per person and adds more wines and house spirits including Jim Beam, Bundaberg Rum, vodka, Scotch, Bacardi and gin. Drinks can also be bought by cash or on a bar tab, with a $300 bar staff fee per 50 guests.

For 18th to 21st birthdays, beverage packages and BYO aren't available, so drinks are cash or bar tab only. BYO drinks are allowed only on BYO charters (January to October, up to 50 guests), with guests supplying cups and ice; two large tubs are on board and you can bring your own eskies.

Sydney Pearl is available daily, subject to confirmation. Charters are a minimum of 3 hours and a maximum of 4 hours, and a special 4-hour all-inclusive Christmas package runs through the festive season.

She boards at King Street Wharf in the CBD, Convention Wharf in Darling Harbour and Casino Wharf, and other harbour wharves can be requested, subject to availability and fees. Wharf fees are $75 at King Street Wharf and $90 at the Circular Quay Eastern Pontoon. She can't dock at Manly or Balmoral, and the fee list also says Convention Wharf isn't available, so confirm your wharf when booking. Early boarding is $250 for up to 30 minutes before the cruise (maximum three people), and on BYO charters all guests must arrive at the wharf with their items, with no early boarding.