How much water you actually need in July
A bottle per person per hour. That's the number, and it's the one thing on this page we'd argue with you about.
Alcohol, 105-degree air and single-digit humidity gang up on you. You lose water faster than you notice out here, and drinking speeds it up. So the calculator plans a bottle per rider per hour in hot months, one per two hours the rest of the year, and never fewer than one each.
Summer groups are the minority for us, roughly one trip in five across June, July and August. They're also the ones who need this most. The vehicle is air conditioned; the walk to the patio isn't. Hand water out between drinks, throw some electrolyte packets in the cooler bag, and check the forecast on the Phoenix weather checker the day before.
Why most groups buy way too much
Because they multiply drinkers by the length of the whole booking. Two out of three groups book four hours, and a four-hour night usually has two or three stops where people buy drinks inside. Your actual time on the bus might be 90 minutes.
Here's a real example. Birthday groups here run about 15 people. Say 12 are drinking at a moderate pace with two hours of riding. That's around 24 drinks, so two 12-packs, plus a few extra so the last person isn't stuck with the flavor nobody wanted. It is nowhere near the six cases some groups turn up with.
If you're splitting the shopping, the event budget planner keeps drinks and the ride in one place, and the birthday guide covers the rest of the night.
Cans and plastic, never glass
One dropped bottle puts broken glass on a floor where people are standing and dancing in open-toed shoes. Build the whole list out of things that can't shatter:
- Canned beer, seltzer and canned cocktails.
- Boxed or canned wine instead of bottles.
- Plastic cups and a marker, so people keep track of their own.
- Mixers in plastic, pre-mixed at home if you want a signature drink.
- A trash bag and a roll of paper towels. You'll want both.
The suggested mix leans toward cans for exactly this reason. Ask us what the rules are for your specific vehicle when you request your quote, since some vehicles and some trips are stricter. While you're packing, the decoration checklist covers what else is safe to bring aboard, and our safety tips are worth five minutes.
Ice is the last thing you buy
A bag left in a trunk in July is a bag of water by the time you get to the pickup. Buy it on the way, and carry it in a cooler bag if the drive is more than a few minutes.
We size ice in 10-pound bags and add more for hot months, because warm cans chew through it. Chill everything at home first and the same ice lasts twice as long.
Don't assume what's already on board. Plenty of party buses and limos have cooler wells or a bar area, but the size and layout are different between an 18-passenger party bus and a 14-passenger limo Sprinter. Ask what your vehicle has and whether you should bring your own cooler. Then you'll know whether 30 pounds of ice has anywhere to go.
Bring a second bag for trash while you're at it. Empty cans roll around, and a group that bags as it goes gets off a clean bus instead of spending the last five minutes tidying.
Eat first, and the 21 rule is the 21 rule
Have a real meal before pickup, or make dinner the first stop. It does more for the night than any number on this page. Salty snacks on board help too, because they send people looking for water.
Anyone drinking on board must be 21 or older. Your chauffeur can also end a trip for unsafe behavior, so ask about conduct rules when you request your quote and pass them to the group before the night starts. One sober person watching the clock and the headcount is worth having on any trip.
Some trips barely need this tool. On brewery tours and wine tours you drink at the stops, so load up on water and snacks instead. Prom, homecoming and anything with riders under 21 is alcohol-free: set drinkers to zero and use the water, soda and ice numbers on their own.
