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You’ll have time on Christmas Eve, including nighttime hours, in the city of Alta to search for the aurora borealis—a Christmas miracle indeed. Hop on the newly launched Disney Wish this Christmas for a three-night sailing from Port Canaveral to Nassau, Bahamas, and Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. This is the first holiday season for the new ship, so expect plenty of surprises and special moments. Christmas and New Year cruises offer the perfect combination of the three best buys - holiday, travel, vacation. Combined Christmas (Xmas) and New Year's Eve (NYE) voyages are operated with longer and usually roundtrip itineraries.
Tips & Tricks for the Perfect Christmas Cruise
It's best to double-check with your cruise line before attaching anything to your door or in your cabin, as rules and regulations differ per line. If you're not creative, check if your cruise line offers cabin decoration packages for preorder prior to your sailing. The crew will decorate public areas on board, but passengers often go all-out decorating their doors and cabins for the holidays. If you have particular dietary restrictions or a favorite festive treat, consider packing them.
Munich Christmas Market "Marienplatz"
As if never-ending shrimp and beautiful coastlines weren’t enticing enough, cruise lines go all out each winter for holiday celebrations. These special sailings bring cheer to the high seas with seasonal activities, festive decor, and even more delicious treats than usual. As with sailings at any other time of the year, a holiday cruise can be as rowdy or as mellow as you wish, but be warned that most cruise lines go all out for the end-of-year cruising crew. This means that even if each cruise line has its own dress code and vibe, as a rule of thumb, plan to join the festivities donning your smartest attire -- especially if you’re spending New Year’s Eve onboard.
Consider your own decorations
8 Best Christmas Cruises For 2023 – Forbes Advisor - Forbes
8 Best Christmas Cruises For 2023 – Forbes Advisor.
Posted: Wed, 01 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Sing along with carolers, watch holiday-themed shows at The Theatre, and welcome Santa on board as he pays a special visit to all of the lucky kids spending Christmas at sea. Generally speaking, cruises are more expensive when traveling over Christmas compared to identical sailings on alternate dates. If you are specifically trying to travel over the holiday, make sure you’re gathering costs for your exact dates since they do tend to rise for Christmas or New Year’s. Flexible travelers may prefer to offset their Christmas cruise by a week or two to find cheaper options.
Exotic Destinations
While gratuities are often included in your fare or added automatically to your final bill, consider tipping a bit extra on a Christmas cruise. The hardworking staff will appreciate your extra generosity during the holiday season. The crew will decorate public areas on board, but passengers often go all-out decorating their doors and cabins for the holidays, as well. You'll find stateroom doors on Christmas cruises covered in wrapping paper, adorned with garlands or dotted with holiday-themed images.
Cruise ships can be festive settings brimming with decorations, themed events and special meals. Having extra days off for the holidays may also allow you to take vacation without dipping into as much paid time off or pulling your kids out of school. Incredible is on the itinerary when you set sail on one of our Oasis Class cruise ships. Get your adrenaline fix with two onboard water slides, a wave park and the only boomerang slide at sea. Dash through the seas and launch into the holiday spirit with themed parties and daily shows. Enjoy one of our specialty restaurants where you'll find traditional favorites and new holiday-themed dishes and delights.
Day Eastern Caribbean Holiday
Remember, a Christmas cruise is as much about the journey as the destinations. By being proactive, embracing the onboard offerings, and keeping a few key tips in mind, you can ensure a festive voyage that might just become your new favorite holiday tradition. While cruises can offer a luxurious experience, there are ways to keep the trip affordable without compromising on the festive fun. Journey through the heart of Europe as towns and cities along the rivers come alive with festive spirit, hosting some of the world’s most enchanting Christmas markets.
And it’s no wonder — every ship is decked out, bow-to-stern, with wreaths, lights, Christmas trees… and ooh, mistletoe! Holidays onboard are decked out with everything you love most about the season. Gather 'round for a sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner — without lifting a finger. Wander through a winter wonderland as the Royal Promenade comes alive with Christmas cheer. Ring in the New Year with a massive balloon drop plus sensational beats.
Go somewhere new with Azamara's 15-night Christmas and New Year's cruise around South Africa. Azamara Quest sails round-trip from Cape Town with stops along the east coast of South Africa, including Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Durban and Mossel Bay. Don't forget your holiday best, as Zaandam will host a Christmas Eve formal ball with dinner and dancing, as well as a midnight Mass. Other seasonal events include a holiday-themed high tea service, holiday choir performances and Santa meet-and-greets. This sailing is one of Disney Cruise Line's Very Merrytime Cruises, so expect plenty of holiday-themed surprises and special moments. While gratuities are often included in your fare or added automatically to your final bill, consider tipping extra on a Christmas cruise.
Southbank Centre Christmas Market offers 80 wooden cabins that sell gifts, bratwurst and gluhwein to enjoy while strolling along the waterfront. Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland is probably the best-known Christmas market in London with more than 200 chalets featuring handmade decorations and gifts. Food and drink selections at Winter Wonderland are the most extensive, with options that include a Bavarian village, outdoor fire pit, even a bar modeled after alpine ski lodge. Another option is the Skate rink at Somerset House Ice Rink, with DJs spinning tunes after dark. All larger-sized European riverboats dock in big cities and visit some of the most popular ports in France, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Czechia.
While you can’t access the North Pole by commercial cruiseliner, this sailing to northern Norway on P&O Cruises will get you about as close as possible. You can expect snow-covered scenery as you pass through fjords and head ashore on port days for that iconic winter wonderland experience. Enjoy fairytale-like Christmas markets in three countries with this river cruise operated by AmaWaterways.
Our Chinese New Year celebrations include symbolic red decorations that adorn the Piazza, mythological Lion Dancers thrill spectators, and much more. Holiday highlights often include Christmas Eve caroling, an ugly Christmas sweater crafting competition, Christmas ornament and gingerbread cookie decorating classes, and holiday games and trivia. The 4,300-passenger vessel will be about 21% bigger than the current biggest ships in the Princess fleet. It will be the line's first ship that features suites with exclusive access to a private restaurant, lounge and sun deck. Sun Princess will also boast an innovative new "cabana cabin" along the ship's extra-wide 10th deck with access to a private deck area. A river cruise through Europe is the most convenient way to visit many of the continent's famous Christmas markets.
All products sold on Vorosmarty Square are traditionally handmade, with a guarantee by professional jury. Always on sale is the most popular figure for Nativity scenes - curious Catalan figure of caganer (crapper) - small figure bending over steaming turd with trousers around ankles. Children line up on the giant caga tio - huge smiley-faced log pooping out pressies when beaten viciously by stick. There is also Nativity scene contest, exhibitions and musical parades, including the Placa Sant Jaume life-size Nativity scene. Fira de Santa Llucia is an authentic Spanish Christmas market, so you'll have difficulties to find bratwurst and gluhwein here but the many restaurants around and festive atmosphere will make up for that. CruiseMapper's review of the best Christmas Markets in Europe is about the best European "stall shopping" destinations during the holidays.
