Am I CHRISTMAS Nutty?!?

[MaggieAtSea]

In almost 20 sailings we have never cruised during Christmas... a first for everything!  We are fortunate to be in a premium suite.  Am I batty thinking about packing along a few small Christmas trees to make the cabin more festive?!?  We already typically pack the indoor and outdoor lights to make it more magical on the veranda.  Someone talk me out of fa-la-la-ing our lovely digs... but, on the other hand, it might be just the thing.  Thoughts???

[davekathy]

12 minutes ago, MaggieAtSea said:

In almost 20 sailings we have never cruised during Christmas... a first for everything!  We are fortunate to be in a premium suite.  Am I batty thinking about packing along a few small Christmas trees to make the cabin more festive?!?  We already typically pack the indoor and outdoor lights to make it more magical on the veranda.  Someone talk me out of fa-la-la-ing our lovely digs... but, on the other hand, it might be just the thing.  Thoughts???

OK, leave the trees and lights at home. I didn't realize Celebrity allowed string lights on their balconies. 🤨

[Iamthesea]

Are you actually going to be on the sea on Christmas day?  If not, leave most decor at home.  If you are spending Christmas Eve/day onboard, and if it will make you happy, take along a very faux tree.

 

Lights on the balcony can be disturbing to the passengers next door.   DH and I took a cruise in May and the passengers in the cabin next to ours had lights that shown bright into our cabin all night long.  Light came through every crevice.  😞

Edited October 19, 2019 by Iamthesea

[fleckle]

34 minutes ago, MaggieAtSea said:

In almost 20 sailings we have never cruised during Christmas... a first for everything!  We are fortunate to be in a premium suite.  Am I batty thinking about packing along a few small Christmas trees to make the cabin more festive?!?  We already typically pack the indoor and outdoor lights to make it more magical on the veranda.  Someone talk me out of fa-la-la-ing our lovely digs... but, on the other hand, it might be just the thing.  Thoughts???

 

It is not something that I would want to do, but if it something you would enjoy, as long as it does not negatively impact anyone else, why not go for it.

 

Do consider how the lights work, however.

If you need to plug into the ship's electricity, it would be a good idea to contact them in advance to find out whether or not that would cause any safety issues.

 

In fact, it would probably be a good idea to contact them and get approval in advance regardless of how they work, even if your lights are battery operated.  They would need to be secured to eliminate any risk of anything blowing overboard.

There may be restrictions on what items are/are not allowed out on the balconies.

 

The location of your cabin may also be a factor.

For example, they don't want  lights from passenger cabins on at the front of the ship at night and ask the passengers in those cabins to keep their curtains closed at night.

 

 

Edited October 19, 2019 by fleckle

[davekathy]

15 minutes ago, Iamthesea said:

Are you actually going to be on the sea on Christmas day?  If not, leave most decor at home.  If you are spending Christmas Eve/day onboard, and if it will make you happy, take along a very faux tree.

 

Lights on the balcony can be disturbing to the passengers next door.   DH and I took a cruise in May and the passengers in the cabin next to ours had lights that shown bright into our cabin all night long.  Light came through every crevice.  😞

We would have called GS. 

[fleckle]

1 hour ago, Iamthesea said:

 

Lights on the balcony can be disturbing to the passengers next door.   DH and I took a cruise in May and the passengers in the cabin next to ours had lights that shown bright into our cabin all night long.  Light came through every crevice.  😞

 

We had that same problem on our very first cruise, only it was the bright light on our  own balcony that stayed on all night long.

 

We grumbled to one another about how annoying it was, but naively figured it must be some kind of safety requirement to leave the balcony lights on at night to make the ship visible in the dark.

 

Apparently our neighbors did not complain (although they were probably cursing us privately), so it was not until we were several days into the cruise that we discovered the switch to turn off the balcony light was right there in our own cabin.

We had never noticed it before because It was hidden behind a curtain.

                                                 

[chemmo]

Totally agree lights on the balcony are a no no...Not only can they spoil things for neighbors they reduce your own ability to see nature’s lights,  wonderful stars.

 

However, totally agree about taking a few decorations with you...I would too.

 

You say you are in a ‘premium suite’...If this is a PH then you have plenty of space. I suggest you look at table top sized battery tree(s) with lights attached, leave in the box until you are on board (they never fold back in again) add chocolate decorations you can give away and then simply leave the tree(s) behind end of cruise. By choosing a small tree or trees you have the flexibility to move them to best advantage when entertaining. Obviously it depends on flights etc as to how viable this is...If you are flying in you could order one or two on line and arrange for delivery to your pre cruise hotel. My friend who frequently spends Christmas in PH suites reports that on some cruises there has been a small tree or decoration on the piano on boarding  but on others cruises she has not had anything provided...When you are contacted by the shoreside concierge you could ask her/him to find out and contact you back about if Celebrity are planning to provide anything.

 

RS or below think about space...Whilst the RS has a decent sized lounge it can quickly become cluttered and especially if you wish to entertain you may find a poinsettia or a festive table decoration more suitable. You could also use tinsel and red ribbons to decorate plants already in the suite, not adding to clutter but definitely adding to Christmas magic.

 

Add a couple of light weight wall signs which you can secure with magnets, something for outside your door and you will be ready to go! 

 

 

 

Sincere best wishes for a fantastic festive cruise!

 

 

 

 

Edited October 19, 2019 by chemmo

[Kmangel]

Don’t forget your cabin door.  We have cruised twice at Christmas.  The first time Christmas Day fell at the end of the cruise.  The second cruise Christmas fell at the beginning of the cruise.  The first cruise people were much more in to decorating their doors on the outside of their cabins.  I think it was the timing of the first cruise leading up to Christmas Day that inspired people to decorate.  It was fun looking at people’s creativity.  

[PelicanLvr]

Another vote to leave the balcony lights home!

[hcat]

Check with X first about the rules.

I'd delete the  outdoor balc lights entirely,  but if permitted you could hang some in the cabin by the balc door...

 

A small  pre decorated faux tree would be fun.  If it has lights, you should check the  rules with X..they are fussy about potential fire hazards and extension cords!

 

Tasteful cabin door decor would be fun and festive..  you'll see less of it  on X  but it is permitted.

 

Have a Very Merry Christmas in your suite!

[CruisingWalter]

24 minutes ago, hcat said:

A small  pre decorated faux tree would be fun.  If it has lights, you should check the  rules with X..they are fussy about potential fire hazards and extension cords!

 

When we got off the Equinox a few weeks ago, there was a table with what must have been 50 power strips and extension cords with people lined up to get their items back.  They are quite serious about power strips and extension cords these days.  

[mahdnc]

10 hours ago, MaggieAtSea said:

In almost 20 sailings we have never cruised during Christmas... a first for everything!  We are fortunate to be in a premium suite.  Am I batty thinking about packing along a few small Christmas trees to make the cabin more festive?!?  We already typically pack the indoor and outdoor lights to make it more magical on the veranda.  Someone talk me out of fa-la-la-ing our lovely digs... but, on the other hand, it might be just the thing.  Thoughts???

 

Our family of four has been on one Christmas cruise in 2016 (Infinity, South America) and we will be taking our second this year (Solstice, New Zealand). 

 

We didn't hang lights on our balcony, but we did decorate our cabin for Christmas including bringing a small tree with battery powered LED lights and exchanging presents on Christmas morning. 

 

This year we will be in a floor spacious FV cabin and we plan on having a small standing tree. 

[Iamthesea]

I have a string of solar fairy lights on my porch at home.  Got them on Amazon.  Might be a good option to use around your balcony door - on the inside.  The light wire is very thin, the lights do not get hot, and the solar box portion about 2" x 3".  The wire to the box is about 3'.  Could easily be threaded to the outside, to catch the sun, and would be able to close the balcony door.

[ceccon]

We have sailed in December before and there will be plenty of Christmas trees around, just not in your cabin.  That would be enough for me!

[Muushka]

We are firm believers in celebrating Christmas with decorations.  In our cabin.

Small tree in cabin (battery operated of course), Stockings in the cabin, for Santa to fill, cabin door decorations (small, tasteful of course) and lots of Christmas music to enjoy throughout the cruise.  We also bring Christmas movies to enjoy in the cabin on our laptop.  We have done 4 Christmas cruises and bringing those things is something that we enjoy and does not impact anyone else.

 

I hope you enjoy your first Christmas cruise!

[Sascol]

17 hours ago, MaggieAtSea said:

In almost 20 sailings we have never cruised during Christmas... a first for everything!  We are fortunate to be in a premium suite.  Am I batty thinking about packing along a few small Christmas trees to make the cabin more festive?!?  Thoughts???

Hmm. I’m gonna say YES.  

[hcat]

8 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Our family of four has been on one Christmas cruise in 2016 (Infinity, South America) and we will be taking our second this year (Solstice, New Zealand). 

 

We didn't hang lights on our balcony, but we did decorate our cabin for Christmas including bringing a small tree with battery powered LED lights and exchanging presents on Christmas morning. 

 

This year we will be in a floor spacious FV cabin and we plan on having a small standing tree. 

All lovely....done well and looks safe!

Enjoy!

[calicakes]

Super cute decor.  We'll be cruising Dec 23, 2020 on Connie.  I'm going to bring a tiny USB operated tree to plug into my laptop.  Its super tiny.  I like the decor on the door.  We'll be in a suite, our first time!!   

 

If you want to bring something for your room steward( to open on xmas day), maybe a little xmas chocolate, that would be awesome.  I read about another passenger doing that and I thought it was a cute idea. 

[calicakes]

On our last cruise, I put some fairy lights in the drinking glasses and turned them on at night for a "room nightlight".  You might consider that.   You can bring them in and out of the room.  I got a pack of 5 or 10 on amazon.  They were very inexpensive. 

 

Here is a pic I took off Amazon.  I used these, but in bright white.  I will probably get the multi-color for our xmas cruise.   They do look nice in the drinking glasses. 

Edited October 19, 2019 by calicakes
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