GetOut Magazine

For a change of pace, hit the road, or the lake, with your party
By KELLY WILSON
Get Out
Sept. 25, 2003

Partying has been taken to a whole new level.

While most people choose to get their drink on at a trendy club, companies such as Club VIP and Rio Lago cruises have provided alternate options where you can do shots in a party bus or toast champagne-filled glasses while cruising Tempe Town Lake.

Club VIP offers something unique for nightlifers. The company features VIP cruisers and party buses that showcase state-of-the-art entertainment. The vehicles are rented on an hourly basis and the driver takes passengers club-hopping, during which they can receive VIP treatment at more than 60 restaurants and clubs, avoiding cover charges and long lines. And though Club VIP doesn't supply the booze, the buses come equipped with plenty of ice to chill your drinks.

The company, which started in 1999, began as an experiment, according to owner Brian Muir.

An informal survey revealed that there were no party buses in the market, and thus no way for larger groups to have fun together without splitting up their group, Muir says. So we built the first party bus as an experiment. It proved to be a smash hit. Club VIP has now become a national industry model for these types of vehicles.

The rolling nightclubs feature a few different choices the Club Crawler, the Night Crawler and the Pub Crawler and can seat up to 40 people. The party vehicles feature entertainment such as massive sound systems, large-screen televisions, VCRs, DVDs, six-person Sega video game bars with games, poker tables, karaoke systems, mood lighting, fiber optics, satellite sound systems with 60 channels of entertainment, MP3 sound systems with more than 200 CDs on board, bar with ice bins, beer coolers and blenders.

Tempe resident Matt Penkert recently marked his 26th birthday with a large celebration on the Pub Crawler.

I had a great time, Penkert says. It was one of the best birthdays I ever had right up there with the 21st birthday . . . They have a great sound system. It makes it more like you're inside of a club when you're driving around between clubs. I called around to a lot of places and a lot of them would only allow 16 people or so, which is fine when you have a smaller group, which I didn't. I liked that you were able to put 40 people on this bus.

Muir believes people enjoy the safety aspects of the buses as well as the large capacity.

They can whoop it up safely and get home without a DUI, he says. (People) can have fun in a private, controlled atmosphere while receiving VIP treatment at their favorite clubs. They also save a ton of money.

Rio Lago Cruises brings its party to Tempe Town Lake. The charter company offers two scenarios a sunset cruise and a charter boat. The sunset cruises are offered at 8 p.m. Saturdays and will go through Oct. 8. During the cruise, a tour guide gives people a 45-minute tour of the lake amid a mellow setting.

For those looking for something a bit rowdier, Rio Lago rents its charter boats for a maximum of two hours, on which they'll set up a buffet. The boats have a capacity of 35 and require two weeks notice for reservations.

Club VIP
How much: The buses range from $200 per hour (30-passenger) to $250 per hour (40-passenger)
Info: or www.club-vip.net

Rio Lago
How much: $3 (for children 12 and younger) and $15 for a 45-minute Sunset Cruise and $300 to $500 to charter a boat.
Info: or www.riolagocruise.com