Your top tips for enjoying a Christmas cruise please??

[smalldog]

Hi, I am taking my 78 year old mother on a NZ cruise this Christmas on the Volendam. I just read in another thread that people decorate their doors on Christmas cruises. I'm sure there are many other festive things to do that I would never have thought of.

 

Our cruise will cover New Year as well. I want to try to make it as enjoyable as possible for my mother, as she will be missing my father (he has passed on).

 

Any suggestions for preparations we could make, things to look out for, etc?

 

Thank you!! :)

[SwissMyst]

The ship has lovely decorations up all over with garlands, trees and gingerbread houses and special holiday greeting neon lights outside. We also brought a little metallic tree for our room too and others bring a string of lights that you can plug into your outlet when you want to have a festive look in your room (and not need it for charging batteries or running the hair dryer)

 

There will most likely be way more families and children than typical cruises. This cuts down a little on the normal passenger socializing since so many are already in self-contained little groups of their extended families. We had 380 children on the larger Oosterdam ship, but you will have fewer most likely on your smaller ship. The HAL team kept them busy and away from most of the public spaces and it was never overly intrusive to have that many young people onboard at the same time. Again, this was a much larger ship with lot of out of the way deck spaces so it never felt crowded.

 

I would get the largest, nicest cabin possible because you may want to spend more time in your cabin due to the higher level of energy with these family holiday groups.

 

There are special holiday shows put on by the crew who sing their traditional holiday songs and it is very touching. Instead of the baked Alaska dessert parade, you get a Buche de Noel dessert parade for the formal Christmas dinner which for us took place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day itself was not a formal or special dinner day. (Oosterdam 2009)

[smalldog]

The ship has lovely decorations up all over with garlands, trees and gingerbread houses and special holiday greeting neon lights outside. We also brought a little metallic tree for our room too and others bring a string of lights that you can plug into your outlet when you want to have a festive look in your room (and not need it for charging batteries or running the hair dryer)

 

There will most likely be way more families and children than typical cruises. This cuts down a little on the normal passenger socializing since so many are already in self-contained little groups of their extended families. We had 380 children on the larger Oosterdam ship, but you will have fewer most likely on your smaller ship. The HAL team kept them busy and away from most of the public spaces and it was never overly intrusive to have that many young people onboard at the same time. Again, this was a much larger ship with lot of out of the way deck spaces so it never felt crowded.

 

I would get the largest, nicest cabin possible because you may want to spend more time in your cabin due to the higher level of energy with these family holiday groups.

 

There are special holiday shows put on by the crew who sing their traditional holiday songs and it is very touching. Instead of the baked Alaska dessert parade, you get a Buche de Noel dessert parade for the formal Christmas dinner which for us took place on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day itself was not a formal or special dinner day. (Oosterdam 2009)

 

Thanks SwissMyst. Maybe Christmas Eve is the big festive occasion in Dutch culture? In Australia it's usually Christmas Day.

 

Maybe I will try packing a little Christmas tree, or some things to decorate our cabin. I'm trying to travel light, so it will be challenge to find something small!

 

Did you give a Christmas gift to your steward? It's hard to know what is appropriate. Hopefully they would not be offended by a small gift even if they are a different religion??

[iriemon]

Thanks SwissMyst. Maybe Christmas Eve is the big festive occasion in Dutch culture? In Australia it's usually Christmas Day.

 

Maybe I will try packing a little Christmas tree, or some things to decorate our cabin. I'm trying to travel light, so it will be challenge to find something small!

 

Did you give a Christmas gift to your steward? It's hard to know what is appropriate. Hopefully they would not be offended by a small gift even if they are a different religion??

 

We did a Christmas cruise, and it was wonderful. As was said before the ship is decorated every place you look and it is absolutly beautiful. One thing we did that does not take up a lot of room, we put wraping paper on our door (you can fold it up and put it in your suitcase instead of on a roll) Then we put a big bow in the middle. Really looked festive. Rather than giving the room steward a gift, since we didn't know what they needed, we gave them a Christmas card with money inside. His face lit up, this has to be a hard time for them being away from their famlies. A lot of people here in the states celebrate Christmas eve, so I don't think it is a dutch thing. Have a great trip, I am sure your Mother will enjoy it.

[blueboro]

We have been on two Christmas cruises with extended family. Great time on both. Both times we brought a 4 foot tree with lights and small ornaments and left it on the ship to dispose of. It was very inexpensive at Walmart and brought it on in the box we purchased it in. We also brought gifts that did not take up a lot of luggage space. On a RCI cruise, all of the officers and many staff gathered in the atrium and sang Christmas caroles. Nice touch. Both were Christmases to remember.

[SwissMyst]

We did a Christmas cruise, and it was wonderful. As was said before the ship is decorated every place you look and it is absolutly beautiful. One thing we did that does not take up a lot of room, we put wraping paper on our door (you can fold it up and put it in your suitcase instead of on a roll) Then we put a big bow in the middle. Really looked festive. .....

 

It was really appreciated when passengers did this door wrapping, particularly if their doors were near the elevator foyers so we could all see them. Really cute and easy way to dress things up for the holidays.

 

Plus on something like the Mexican Riviera one can get a festive pinata of a Santa Claus or something else in port. Christmas, even where it is not part of a local religious tradition, seems to get "celebrated" around the world - shopping and decorations are now big business and since most are now made in China, why shouldn't China (definitely not a "Christian" nation) also "celebrate" their version of the holiday $pirit too? :cool:

[CowPrincess]

I would suggest packing a few lighthearted comedy DVDs in case you and/or your mom need some diversion -- in case you need some time where you don't WANT to be reminded it is Christmas, and now very different than it once was. DVDs (well, videos, actually -- it was a long time ago) got us through the first Christmas after my dad and my husband passed away.

 

Consider ordering in some special treats a couple of times -- maybe cocktails and appetizers or something for the two of you to enjoy. IMHO you will need to be able to disregard the festivities for a few hours now and then. Also think about arranging for you and your mom to get a massage, or a manicure or something.

[LaCat3]

My Mom and I did two different Christmas cruises after my Dad's death. I always found some sort of "novel" miniature tree - ceramic, modern metal or such for our cabin. We also each brought one present from home for

For us, the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services were always special. Christmas Eve many HAL employees you might never see were able to attend services with us. I always appreciated HAL for that.

 

If you do not have fixed dining, you should be prepared for the possiblility that families groups may not be as open to sharing of their tables as they are at other times and thus sometimes it may just be the two of you eating alone.

 

Having a totally different Christmas from the past familiy Chrisstmases does help ande I wish you both a Merry Christmas and a happier New Year!

[LuAnn]

attend the Santa arrival! Santa usually arrives nad will have small gifts and it is so much fun to see the kids light up when they see him!! LuAnn

[SwissMyst]

attend the Santa arrival! Santa usually arrives nad will have small gifts and it is so much fun to see the kids light up when they see him!! LuAnn

 

The captain makes tannoy annoucements across when Santa and his sleigh get sighted across the open water. Imagine that. Santa knows where to find the ship even in the high seas at night. You can sense the building excitement with each announcement.

[iriemon]

The captain makes tannoy annoucements across when Santa and his sleigh get sighted across the open water. Imagine that. Santa knows where to find the ship even in the high seas at night. You can sense the building excitement with each announcement.

 

This reminds me of one time we were on a Carnival ship for Christmas and Santa was so skinny and reeked of booze. Have not been on a Carnival since!

[erewhon]

smalldog,

 

We have not done a Christmas cruise, but were on the beautiful Volendam for the transpacific crossing this year. Some of the crew we talked with were excited about getting to New Zealand, especially Dunedin, to go to the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. When the ship moored at the Bay of Islands, we caught the shuttle into Paihia, and bought lots of NZ made chocolate(much to the surprise of the shop assistant!!!) and gave to the staff who were looking forward to Dunedin, including our cabin steward, they were surprised and really pleased. So you may consider giving chocolate to your cabin steward as a Christmas gift.:)

 

Hope you and your Mother have a wonderful cruise on the Volendam.

[smalldog]

One thing we did that does not take up a lot of room, we put wraping paper on our door (you can fold it up and put it in your suitcase instead of on a roll) Then we put a big bow in the middle.

 

Great idea for a decoration that packs small, and then you can just throw it away afterwards! Thanks!

[smalldog]

If you do not have fixed dining, you should be prepared for the possiblility that families groups may not be as open to sharing of their tables as they are at other times and thus sometimes it may just be the two of you eating alone.

 

Thanks for the warning - we are on anytime dining, so it's good to be prepared. Thanks also for your kind thoughts. I hope something really different will be a tonic for us both. Time will tell...

I like the idea of the Christmas services too. We are not Catholic, do you think that will matter?

[smalldog]

Thanks for the steward gift suggestions everyone. Chocolate and money might be a good idea! Even if they don't personally eat chocolate, they might like to "regift" it!

Do you think the currency of the money will matter? I will have Aussie and NZ dollars on me, will one of those be OK?

[smalldog]

I would suggest packing a few lighthearted comedy DVDs in case you and/or your mom need some diversion -- in case you need some time where you don't WANT to be reminded it is Christmas, and now very different than it once was. DVDs (well, videos, actually -- it was a long time ago) got us through the first Christmas after my dad and my husband passed away.

 

Consider ordering in some special treats a couple of times -- maybe cocktails and appetizers or something for the two of you to enjoy. IMHO you will need to be able to disregard the festivities for a few hours now and then. Also think about arranging for you and your mom to get a massage, or a manicure or something.

 

That's a good point. Thanks, I hadn't thought of it. Sometimes it's good to plan ahead in case we need diversions.

 

Do all cabins have a DVD player? We are only in one of the cheaper cabins...

[smalldog]

We have been on two Christmas cruises with extended family. Great time on both. Both times we brought a 4 foot tree with lights and small ornaments and left it on the ship to dispose of. It was very inexpensive at Walmart and brought it on in the box we purchased it in. We also brought gifts that did not take up a lot of luggage space. On a RCI cruise, all of the officers and many staff gathered in the atrium and sang Christmas caroles. Nice touch. Both were Christmases to remember.

 

That's a good idea, I hadn't thought of just leaving a tree behind on the ship. We will only have a small cabin but maybe we could get a 2ft one to put on the desk. I will have to check out my local cheap shops.

 

What is the general view on the Christmas lights? Some people have said they are a fire hazard, but are they? I wouldnt' leave them on when we were out of the room...

[erewhon]

smalldog,

 

When we gave tips at the end of our cruise, we gave NZ$'s, which mean't the recipients had some local currency to use when going ashore. :)

[iriemon]

Great idea for a decoration that packs small, and then you can just throw it away afterwards! Thanks!

 

Don't forget the tape!

[LaCat3]

HAL always has a Roman Catholic priest and a protestant minister on board so there is a choice of services for Sundays and religious holidays. They also assure a rabbi is on board for Jewish high holy days as well.

 

On one 7 day cruise, we were blessed to have Christmas, Hanukkah and the end of Ramadan. Virtually everyone on board (including staff) was celebrating an important day in their religious life. It was wonderful!

 

If there is a Christmas Eve celebration with the staff, be sure to attend!!!

[jettaleea]

I was at Borders yesterday and they are selling a tree in a box. It's a paper 2' tree with origami ornaments. I didn't buy it but I'm tempted to go back and get one for our Veendam holiday cruise. I think it would be super for an activity for you and your mom or a family traveling with children.

 

God bless,

Lee Ann

[Dunelm]

Decorate your cabin and door!! I hung Christmas cards in our cabin.

 

Embrace with enthusiasm all the fun, music, decorations, and festive foods that are offered.

 

Christmas is all about giving! I gave small gifts to our cabin steward and assistant, and our waiter and assistant. Then, on Christmas day, I randomly handed out small stockings stuffed with chocolate and a ten dollar note--to people who were cleaning the decks, staircases, public toilets. I saw some really beautiful smiles!!

 

Give thanks for the privilege of being on such a cruise!

[RKF]

Decorate your cabin and door!! I hung Christmas cards in our cabin.

 

Embrace with enthusiasm all the fun, music, decorations, and festive foods that are offered.

 

Christmas is all about giving! I gave small gifts to our cabin steward and assistant, and our waiter and assistant. Then, on Christmas day, I randomly handed out small stockings stuffed with chocolate and a ten dollar note--to people who were cleaning the decks, staircases, public toilets. I saw some really beautiful smiles!!

 

Give thanks for the privilege of being on such a cruise!

 

I like your style! --Ron

[BassettMom]

Thanks everyone for all the information and suggestions. My husband passed away last year during the holidays and I know that this holiday will be particularly difficult. I thought about just not doing Christmas this year, but decided I didn't want to ban the holidays from my life altogether. So I decided to book my first cruise--I'm going on the circle cruise to Hawaii for Christmas and New Years. Not only will this be my first cruise, but I'm also going solo.

 

I'm a little bit anxious about going by myself at Christmas since I know there will be more families and less folks travelling alone, and I know that I'll have a few "weepy" moments, but I'm determined to enjoy myself. Right now, it's nice to look forward to the cruise instead of dreading the holidays.

 

I'm so glad I found this website! I've been reading posts in the first-timers and solo cruisers topics as well as HAL and Roll Call areas and have learned so much about the Holland America Line, cruising in general, and solo cruising. Thank you all for posting information and suggestions about cruising during the holidays.

 

Donna

[RuthC]

I'm a little bit anxious about going by myself at Christmas since I know there will be more families and less folks travelling alone, and I know that I'll have a few "weepy" moments, but I'm determined to enjoy myself. Right now, it's nice to look forward to the cruise instead of dreading the holidays.

Donna, my sympathies on your loss.

Several years ago I started down the same path you are now walking. Somehow, for the first few years I had a trip planned for January. I noticed that it helped me look past the holidays, and made it easier to get through them.

May I take the liberty to offer this as a suggestion that you plan a little diversion in the coming Januaries, too?

You are correct that there will be "weepy moments", but chin up---the new year does come.

Best wishes to you on your first cruise! You'll find that it's a great way for a solo to travel.