Christmas Cruise?

[Bowhunter2758]

Hello all you wonderful people out there in internet land!!!!!!

I hope this day finds you well. I am writing and asking for your opinion and past experiences on Christmas cruises.

 

Starting next year I can only go during breaks from school for my kids. I was wondering how the cruise lines or yourself handle the EXTRA packages that are required for kids.

 

I am also wondering f they do anything special during these cruises. If so what do they do?

 

Also was it a good trip or bad trip for you!!! Thanks for the help!! Happ sailing!!!!!

[Heartfruit]

We took a cruise with my daughter over Christmas when she was six. We spent a lot of time shopping to find presents for her (and the rest of the family) would pack pretty small. We also took fewer "normal" toys knowing she'd get more half way though the trip. We were sure to tell Santa in her letter that she'd be on a ship so he'd know where to find her. I also packed our Christmas stocking which we hung up from cupboard fronts. Christmas Day as a formal dinner.

 

I think I spent more time worrying about making sure Christmas wasn't wrecked by the cruise then my daughter was bothered by it. She was very happy to be on a beach singing "Toasty the Sandman" on Christmas Day.

[boulders]

I will be going on my second cruise over Christmas with my kids this year. Our first was on Royal Caribbean. Santa visits their ships on Christmas Day and hands out presents to the kids. There is a special Christmas dinner in the dining room. All ships are decorated for Christmas, and there is a party on New Year's Eve.

 

Since we fly to port, I don't like to put presents in the luggage, so last time many of the presents were small ones that I or my oldest carried in our hand luggage. This time, the kids decided that they wanted us to celebrate Christmas early, so we will be celebrating the weekend before we leave.

[Heartfruit]

I should add that if you are flying you shouldn't wrap any presents before you leave. I just wrapped them in plastic bags so that inquiring eyes couldn't see them and packed wrapping paper and gift bags as well.

[mitsugirly]

I'm not sure where you are considering sailing to, but we have done the Caribbean twice during Christmas season and will be doing it again this Christmas (each time being the week before Christmas and returning 2 days prior to Christmas).

 

We love sailing during that time because they have all the decorations for Christmas up and it's beautiful. They have multiple trees out, icicle lights out, gingerbread houses and so on. Also, many of the ports also celebrate Christmas in the Caribbean and they will have decorations and trees up too.

 

Roatan:

 

 

 

Cozumel:

 

 

 

Cozumel actually has an entire block dedicated to Christmas:

 

 

The ship:

 

 

 

 

Also I know that Costa Maya also celebrates Christmas too.

 

The ONLY draw back is getting back home, doing last minute Christmas shopping if needed, getting settled back in before "Santa" comes and so on. This will probably be the last Christmas cruise I take right before Christmas for these reasons. I have been limited on the times of the year that I can cruise (due to school), so this has just always worked out good for us.

[mitsugirly]

Just a few more...they do have characters dressed up for Christmas for picture opportunities too. :D

 

 

 

[Keith1010]

I highly recommend a holiday cruise. Try to find one that includes both Christmas and New Years. It is very special and the ships are decorated nicely. On some ships they will have a crew member dressed as Santa Claus on Christmas Day. It is very special.

 

You might want to have a gift for each child and then let them open the others when they get home.

 

Keith

[Onessa]

We always wrote to Santa to tell him that we were going to be away from home for Christmas and he managed to find us for a few smaller gifts and yet leave the bigger stuff at our house to open when we got home. We are Orthodox and still celebate the more "holy" Christmas using the old calendar so it is nice to be on-board for our secular celebration.

 

The ship is decorated beautifully and the holiday meals are always special. Santa always manages to fit in a visit. We tend toward non-caribbean/non-beach vacations

[Sunshine101]

Thanks for the info, this is great! We will be on the Epic this Christmas!

[Ashland]

We're old fashioned with a big family who enjoy their traditional Christmas at home for the holidays to ever consider Christmas on the high seas..But this is interesting how some of you have managed this. Enjoy !!