Spend the Holidays on a Cruise Ship

This year, leave the stress at home and celebrate the season in festive style on the high seas

By Justin Boyd

We traditionally celebrate holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's with family and friends in the comfort of our homes. This year, consider trading your living room for a stateroom. Cruises have become a popular alternative for those who wish to enjoy a stress-free holiday, leaving the hassles of cooking, cleaning, planning and entertaining at home.

Holiday cruises offer travelers all the traditions of the season and more. Cruise ships typically are decked out from stem to stern in festive decor -- especially for Christmas -- with decorated trees, sparkling lights, ornaments, wreaths and mistletoe filling atriums and other public areas with yuletide spirit. Traditional foods such as turkey, goose and pumpkin or pecan pie are served, and priests, ministers and rabbis are on hand to provide religious services.

Onboard activities often include Christmas shows, caroling from the ship's crew, arts and crafts demonstrations and special appearances by Santa Claus, who brings his big bag of gifts and passes out toys to good boys and girls. Passengers celebrate New Year's Eve with shipwide countdowns and champagne toasts.

In addition to all the holiday activities, you can enjoy the ship's features, such as spas and fitness centers, swimming pools, casinos, libraries, video arcades and daily schedules of presentations and events.

Cruise lines offer getaways to all parts of the globe during the holidays, from Africa to Asia to Australia and New Zealand and even Antarctica. But, it's the prospect of spending Christmas in the Caribbean that has the broadest appeal.

"One of the most popular areas for holiday cruising is the Caribbean, especially for those who live in the central or eastern United States," says Cheryl Cunningham, director of special projects and group sales for Vacations To Go, a national travel agency specializing in cruise discounts. "It's affordable, and it's easy to get to a U.S. departure port. For people on the West Coast, cruises to Pacific Mexico are popular," she says.

They're also practical -- Caribbean and Mexican Riviera itineraries typically are a week long, making them good options for families who have limited travel time at the holidays due to work or school schedules.

For travelers with more vacation days, Europe is another desirable destination at this time of year, says Cunningham. "Europe appeals to cruisers who want to experience the Old World holiday traditions one finds there."

European sailings aren't as common in winter as Caribbean itineraries, however. Two Italian cruise companies, MSC Cruises and Costa Cruises, offer Mediterranean trips of nine to 11 days in December from three departure ports in Italy -- Rome, Savona and Genoa.

It's wise to book holiday cruises as soon as possible -- by August or September at the latest -- because these sailings are limited and fill up early due to popular demand. Cunningham advises travelers to start watching prices four to six months before departure and book when you see a great deal.

Here's a look at how seven major cruise lines celebrate the winter holidays.



Starting from around Thanksgiving and running through New Year's Day, Carnival offers a variety of three- to nine-day holiday trips to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico and Central America. During Christmastime sailings, the cruise line adorns its ships with Christmas trees, wreaths and mistletoe. Holiday music fills the air as carolers and onboard entertainers sing classic and contemporary songs on deck, and Carnival's music system provides more sounds of the season in cabins.

A special holiday show, which includes participation from onboard youngsters, is featured during the voyages, along with a midnight Mass. Kris Kringle also calls with a bag of gifts to pass out to children, and seasonal movies such as "The Polar Express" are shown on in-cabin televisions. The celebration continues for the ships' younger passengers with readings of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve. The Christmas Day dining menu includes oven-roasted turkey, freshly baked pecan pie and eggnog.

When it's time to ring in the new year, guests gather for a shipwide countdown complete with complimentary noisemakers, party favors and champagne.



Disney celebrates the holiday season with three- and four-day sailings to the Bahamas and seven-day sailings to the Caribbean aboard its twin 2,500-passenger vessels, the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic. Dressed in holiday attire, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and a host of other Disney characters greet passengers as they board.

To get travelers in the Christmas spirit, both ships boast nearly three-deck-tall trees glittering with decorations, complete with faux snow flurries and a tree-lighting ceremony. Mrs. Claus reads "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve, and on Christmas Day, an appearance by Goofy (dressed as Santa Claus, of course) brings surprises for the children on board. As part of the planned festivities, kids also are treated to a lesson in building gingerbread houses.

Both ships call at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island in the Bahamas. The 1,000-acre isle is transformed from a sunny tropical paradise to a holiday hideaway complete with carolers, snowmen, sleighs full of presents and a sprinkling of make-believe snow.

Celebrate New Year's Eve on deck with a shipwide champagne toast. The next day, settle in front of one of the many onboard big-screen TVs to watch a multitude of college football bowl games.



Holland America Line offers travelers a variety of tropical December sailings lasting seven to 14 days, whether you crave the white-sand beaches and azure waters of the Caribbean or the charming towns and rich culture of the Mexican Riviera. Holiday itineraries also showcase exotic locales such as the Panama Canal, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, South America and Antarctica.

While on board, passengers will find holiday decorations, traditional dinner selections, religious services, a tree-lighting ceremony, a Christmas Eve show and classic holiday songs sung by carolers. Children can look forward to an appearance by Santa Claus, who has been known to arrive by parasail at Half Moon Cay, Holland America's private island -- it's often featured on Caribbean itineraries. Other events for young guests include special holiday-themed craft activities and a tasting of the milk and cookies traditionally left for St. Nick on Christmas Eve.

On New Year's Eve, adults can ring in 2008 with a gala ball and champagne toast.



Norwegian Cruise Line spreads holiday cheer to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico, Central America and South America with seven- to 14-day sailings. During Hanukkah, a rabbi is present to conduct services, and a menorah placed in a central location is lighted each day in observance of the eight-day Jewish holiday. At Christmas, the holiday-themed decorations and menus are brought out, and each ship has a priest and minister on board to conduct Christmas Eve services.

Other festivities include an interactive show with some help from the ship's youngest passengers, a visit by good old St. Nick, piano-accompanied Christmas carols sung by the crew and a New Year's Eve party complete with complimentary hats, noisemakers and colorful streamers.



The 17-ship fleet of Princess Cruises provides sailings all around the world, with journeys during the holidays to Asia and the Far East, Australia and New Zealand, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico and Central America, the Panama Canal, South America and Tahiti.

Aboard decorated ships, passengers are treated to the tastes of the season. For Thanksgiving, try the unique all-pumpkin menu, where each dish features this holiday staple. Christmas dinner includes roasted turkey or goose and sweets such as gingerbread, mincemeat pie and chocolate Yule logs. During Hanukkah, kosher meals feature traditional favorites such as potato latkes, matzo ball soup and gefilte fish.

Christmas-themed productions, live music and movies provide onboard seasonal entertainment. Midnight Mass and interdenominational church services are also offered. Kids can participate in an array of activities, including holiday plays, sing-alongs and arts and crafts classes where they can create their own Christmas tree ornaments.

Passengers welcome the new year with a shipwide shindig complete with music, confetti and champagne.



With a fleet of 21 vessels, Royal Caribbean International offers three- to 12-day sailings to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, the Panama Canal and South America.

Families can look forward to a Christmas-themed show, caroling and holiday talent shows. Santa Claus arrives on December 25 with gifts for the kids. Spiritual gatherings include the lighting of the menorah, Hanukkah services and midnight and morning Mass. And, what better way to mark the holidays than with a spin on the ice? Seven Royal Caribbean ships boast their own onboard ice-skating rinks, including the newest addition to the fleet, Liberty of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean caters to kids with its Adventure Ocean program, which includes supervised activities such as cookie decorating, caroling, arts and crafts, photos with Santa and a New Year's Eve party.



Celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah in style aboard one of the luxury ships of Silversea Cruises. This December, the six-star line offers nine- to 16-day journeys to Africa, Asia and the Far East, Australia and New Zealand, the Caribbean and South America.

While cruising to one of these exotic locales on Silversea's imaginatively decorated luxury ships, passengers are treated to cuisine prepared by the line's master chefs. Christmas Day dining options might include fresh lobster fricassee, turkey roast with giblet gravy and cranberry dressing, carved beef tenderloin and pan-fried fillet of sea bass. Hanukkah entrees include gefilte fish, chicken consomme with matzo balls, potato latkes and roasted kosher chicken. Guests can snack on gourmet baked cookies and petit fours and sip eggnog, hot chocolate and warmed mulled wine in one of the ships' elegant lounges.

The onboard entertainment options include a special holiday-themed variety show, Christmas carols performed by the crew and a special appearance by Father Christmas.

Information: To book a holiday getaway, call Vacations To Go at (800) 338-4962. Or, use the "Find A Bargain" tool to search for a cruise by departure date, sailing region or ship.

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