Finally booked a Christmas cruise! Pretty excited and wondering what it will be like.

[MisterOJ2]

We've been kicking around the idea of taking a cruise at actual Christmas for a while now. But never could make it work. We finally decided we were just going to do it and booked one for next year. (We've also never booked a cruise this far out before, so that's another new thing for us.)

 

We've been onboard just before Christmas time before. We love the decorations - especially the ones in the various ports. But what will Christmas Eve and Christmas Day be like on board? I've seen where John Heald will post the special MDR menus, but what else is different on a ship these days?

 

Also.. this is going to be our first trip on a Spirit class ship. I've always seen that those are popular with a lot of people. If you like that particular class more than others, I'd love to hear what it is about it you enjoy.

 

TIA!

[Bostwick girl]

Never been on an actual Christmas cruise but the month of December. Yes, the decorations are just beautiful!  Maybe one day we will do an actual Christmas.

 

I would say my favorite class is the Spirit class if for no other reason than navigating around the ship! It is so nice to be able to walk out of the dining room and just walk on down the promenade all the way without having to go up and down elevators! But they are just the right size for me. We’ve been on Miracle twice, Legend once and now Spirit twice recently when she was out of Jacksonville. Hope you enjoy that class too.

 

[AQW]

12 hours ago, MisterOJ2 said:

Also.. this is going to be our first trip on a Spirit class ship. I've always seen that those are popular with a lot of people. If you like that particular class more than others, I'd love to hear what it is about it you enjoy.

I've never sailed at Christmas time, but my love for Spirit-class ships is limitless. I'd choose one of those four lovely ladies over any other ship in the fleet, 10 times out of 10. Not only do they have my beloved bowling alley balcony cabins, but the layout of the ships is excellent. I love being able to walk all the way around the ship on deck 3, I love the plethora of little sitting areas tucked away in various corners, I love the not-too-big, not-too-small size and the way they never feel crowded. Big fan.

[ZoeyVictoria]

We were on the Conquest on Christmas last year. The part that surprised me was the huge number of families wearing matching Christmas pajamas on Christmas Day - not just in the morning, but all day long.  We don’t even wear that type of pajamas, but felt just a little left out!

[goofy2010]

We were on the Sunrise this past Christmas and had a blast.  On Christmas Eve, they had a special story time with the Grinch making an appearance.  There was also a Christmas Eve religious service.  They gave out Christmas hats and jingle bells that you could hear people all over the ship shaking them.  That night, there was a Christmas carol sing-a-long on the Lido deck.  We also saw lots of people wandering around in matching pajamas at night as well.

 

Christmas Day we were in port but it seemed more relaxed than normal.  We gave some of the staff Christmas cards with some candy and money in them.  The dinner that night had some special items that were added to the menu along with the normal offerings.

[DB2VA]

Christmas Day, Christmas carols in the atrium with "snow" falling down. 

[Joebucks]

Aside from being busy, and all of the negatives some will find, it will most likely be a very good memory. The festivities, décor, setting, and itinerary is surely a nice variety from the average Christmas.

[cruisingguy007]

29 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

Aside from being busy, and all of the negatives some will find, it will most likely be a very good memory. The festivities, décor, setting, and itinerary is surely a nice variety from the average Christmas.

 

Average Christmas? Shoot, I don't know how you do it in your family but we never have an average Christmas..lol. We always go big/hard. 😁 That said, the Mrs. has been wanting to do a Christmas/New Years cruise but I can never find a deal..lol. 

[LHARTWICK]

We took our first Christmas cruise on the Glory, December 2021.  We usually sail the week prior to Christmas, but the deal that CCL sent us was WAY too good go pass up for a balcony over Christmas week.  We've always wanted to wake up on Christmas morning on a ship, and this was it!! Like one of the posters above, the Christmas Eve service included carols and Carnival Christmas Santa hats and jingle bells.  A LOT of people were in Christmas pajamas, including me - and that's saying a lot, as I tend to be shy and don't want to stand out in a crowd!  But I found some really cute Charlie Brown Christmas pajamas online and just had to order them to wear on this cruise!  On Christmas morning (a sea day for our cruise), there was a Christian based service in the main theater - we were stunned, given the circumstances these days.  We will NEVER forget it - it was so meaningful and beautiful!  I made sure to let the crew know how much we appreciated it.  We also took a few Christmas decorations for our cabin, like tinsel and stockings - things that packed easily.  Some people even bring small Christmas trees for their cabin.  People really go all out to decorate their cabin doors, too - more so than usual. I also bought and decorated my own Santa cap with our favorite college football team's logo on it to wear. You'll see a number of passengers wearing Christmas attire all week long.  It's so fun!  Per an e-mail we received from CCL, I bought a large box of Christmas cards to sign and give to the crew, with a "thank you" in each one.  There's a Santa's mailbox in the atrium where the cards go.  They are then distributed to the crew that week.  Remember - they are away from their families during that time, so anything we can do to let them know we care really means a lot to them.  The ships were still sailing at lower than normal capacity during this time, so there were very few kids on board.  There are usually tons of kids sailing over Christmas week from what I understand.  Have fun - there's nothing like a Christmas cruise! 🎄🎅

[csm5986142]

We were on Horizon for Christmas prior to the pandemic, and I hate to be negative but we will not do it again.  Of course it is different for each family (ages of the kids, etc) but our kids (who were roughly 13 and 21 at the time) both said they'd rather be home for Christmas.

We found that the cruise industry is very cyclical, and (at least for us) we did not find they did a lot of things special for Christmas (it was kind of like any other cruise).  Granted there were very nice Christmas decorations, formal night/dinner was Christmas dinner, etc.  

We did take our own little "pop up" type Christmas tree for the cabin and a few small gifts for the kids (but we had to fly across the country so space was limited).  But that brings me to our next "never again" ... we will never fly across the county at Christmas time again.  Extremely expensive airfare, crazy busy airports, overbooked airlines, weather issues, etc.  Everywhere you go, everything you do (before/during/after the cruise) will be absolutely packed.  Hotels are very expensive, very booked up.

But I will admit, Christmas on a ship is way less work for Mom.  😄

Having said all that, I would love to go in early December when all the decorations are up, etc. but before the holiday crowds set in.

[cruisingguy007]

4 hours ago, csm5986142 said:

We were on Horizon for Christmas prior to the pandemic, and I hate to be negative but we will not do it again.  Of course it is different for each family (ages of the kids, etc) but our kids (who were roughly 13 and 21 at the time) both said they'd rather be home for Christmas.

We found that the cruise industry is very cyclical, and (at least for us) we did not find they did a lot of things special for Christmas (it was kind of like any other cruise).  Granted there were very nice Christmas decorations, formal night/dinner was Christmas dinner, etc.  

We did take our own little "pop up" type Christmas tree for the cabin and a few small gifts for the kids (but we had to fly across the country so space was limited).  But that brings me to our next "never again" ... we will never fly across the county at Christmas time again.  Extremely expensive airfare, crazy busy airports, overbooked airlines, weather issues, etc.  Everywhere you go, everything you do (before/during/after the cruise) will be absolutely packed.  Hotels are very expensive, very booked up.

But I will admit, Christmas on a ship is way less work for Mom.  😄

Having said all that, I would love to go in early December when all the decorations are up, etc. but before the holiday crowds set in.

 

Yikes! Did they at least play A Christmas Story and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation on the big screen? Those are mandatory viewing. 😄 

[csm5986142]

1 hour ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Yikes! Did they at least play A Christmas Story and National Lampoons Christmas Vacation on the big screen? Those are mandatory viewing. 😄 

 

Actually I think they did (it's been a few years, so I forgot that).  They had a "Polar Express" feature in the Thrill Theater (and we did do that) and I think they probably had some Christmas movies on the big screen.  The cruise certainly wasn't bad, it was probably more the travel to and from.

[Brkintx]

Was on the Radiance last Christmas.  On Christmas Day, we were in port at Encinada.  Not sure if you're familiar with Baja California, but it's generally considered the more observant / religious side of Mexico. Almost everything was closed (outside the port area itself, and some things inside it). Ended up watching a soccer match at the field just adjacent to the dock.

On ship there were festivities that night, but nothing I feel was that remarkable - I was, however, concentrating on the bad weather and how it was throwing us around.

Having said all that (which seems like a complaint), I'm still quasi-committed to traveling (cruise or AI beach resort) every year on the major holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas).

Traveling on these 'weekends' keeps me from being exposed to all the holiday drama / stress associated with things needing to be 'perfect' (etc.). 

 

 

[cruisingguy007]

12 minutes ago, Brkintx said:

Traveling on these 'weekends' keeps me from being exposed to all the holiday drama / stress associated with things needing to be 'perfect' (etc.). 

 

That's terrible. It's really sad that you have come to associate these major holidays as negative/stressful. I sincerely hope that changes for you, these holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. 

Edited May 25, 2022 by cruisingguy007

[Brkintx]

1 minute ago, cruisingguy007 said:

 

That's terrible. It's really sad that you have come to associate these major holidays as negative/stressful. I sincerely hope that changes for you, these holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. 

 

(I may have been unintentionally vague in my meaning there...  or it may be that our perspectives differ. I suppose it matters not.)

 

To me, it's not terrible at all.  I do not equate stress with 'negative,' but I still avoid it when I can. By way of another example, it's basically the difference between being involved in a wedding versus simply attending one... both are likely positive experiences, but one includes stress / drama over details (work that likely has a payoff) and one is letting others do that work...

 

In any event, cruising over Christmas last year was a great experience even with the weather caused 'motion of the ocean' on the Radiance... This year I'll be on the Breeze, so a much larger ship in a much more stable waterway...  🙂

[Julienatul]

Pretty much just like a regular cruise but with Christmas decorations and a "special menu" in the dining room

[ZoeyVictoria]

On 5/25/2022 at 1:55 PM, Brkintx said:

 

(I may have been unintentionally vague in my meaning there...  or it may be that our perspectives differ. I suppose it matters not.)

 

To me, it's not terrible at all.  I do not equate stress with 'negative,' but I still avoid it when I can. By way of another example, it's basically the difference between being involved in a wedding versus simply attending one... both are likely positive experiences, but one includes stress / drama over details (work that likely has a payoff) and one is letting others do that work...

 

In any event, cruising over Christmas last year was a great experience even with the weather caused 'motion of the ocean' on the Radiance... This year I'll be on the Breeze, so a much larger ship in a much more stable waterway...  🙂

I understand what you mean.  I always cruise in December and enjoy being away from the commercialism of the season - the “buy this, buy that”, the traffic and crowds in the supermarket and other stores.  This year we will be gone from December 22 until the 31st and will get to miss the after-Christmas sales chaos also.  

[Ilovesailaway]

On 5/23/2022 at 12:15 PM, MisterOJ2 said:

Also.. this is going to be our first trip on a Spirit class ship. I've always seen that those are popular with a lot of people. If you like that particular class more than others, I'd love to hear what it is about it you enjoy.

I think you will like the Spirit class. 

The Serenity area, it is a large area with its own pool at the back of the ship. No wind, plenty of loungers and places to sit, and a nice big bar. 

On deck 10 you can walk around the entire open deck and there are a ton of clamshell day beds available if you want to relax and watch the world float by. 

The spa has separate areas for men and women with saunas, steam rooms, and private showers. This area is under used by passengers.

The ship has a nice flow and honestly feels less crowded.

Enjoy your cruise

 

[tbjl24]

On 5/24/2022 at 12:17 PM, csm5986142 said:

We were on Horizon for Christmas prior to the pandemic, and I hate to be negative but we will not do it again.  Of course it is different for each family (ages of the kids, etc) but our kids (who were roughly 13 and 21 at the time) both said they'd rather be home for Christmas.

We found that the cruise industry is very cyclical, and (at least for us) we did not find they did a lot of things special for Christmas (it was kind of like any other cruise).  Granted there were very nice Christmas decorations, formal night/dinner was Christmas dinner, etc.  

We did take our own little "pop up" type Christmas tree for the cabin and a few small gifts for the kids (but we had to fly across the country so space was limited).  But that brings me to our next "never again" ... we will never fly across the county at Christmas time again.  Extremely expensive airfare, crazy busy airports, overbooked airlines, weather issues, etc.  Everywhere you go, everything you do (before/during/after the cruise) will be absolutely packed.  Hotels are very expensive, very booked up.

But I will admit, Christmas on a ship is way less work for Mom.  😄

Having said all that, I would love to go in early December when all the decorations are up, etc. but before the holiday crowds set in.

Same experience we had on Thanksgiving. Thought it would be a cool to experience a holiday outside of the normal way we've done forever. We found ourselves missing the traditions of home. Probably won't ever sail Thanksgiving again nor try xmas. 

 

I think a news year eve cruise could be fun, however. 

 

Edit to add the dining room had "Thanksgiving" dinner....it was anything but. They tried, I don't know if it's not in their wheelhouse or mass preparing Turkey and trimmings is super difficult....but it wasn't good.

Edited May 27, 2022 by tbjl24
Adding more detail

[csm5986142]

26 minutes ago, tbjl24 said:

I think a news year eve cruise could be fun, however. 

 

Edit to add the dining room had "Thanksgiving" dinner....it was anything but. They tried, I don't know if it's not in their wheelhouse or mass preparing Turkey and trimmings is super difficult....but it wasn't good.

 

I totally agree with both comments.  The turkey we had on Christmas was okay, but not great (and I typically really like their food).  The desserts were not anything special either.

 

Yes!  I want to try a NYE cruise too!

[cruisingguy007]

36 minutes ago, tbjl24 said:

Same experience we had on Thanksgiving. Thought it would be a cool to experience a holiday outside of the normal way we've done forever. We found ourselves missing the traditions of home. Probably won't ever sail Thanksgiving again nor try xmas. 

 

I think a news year eve cruise could be fun, however. 

 

Edit to add the dining room had "Thanksgiving" dinner....it was anything but. They tried, I don't know if it's not in their wheelhouse or mass preparing Turkey and trimmings is super difficult....but it wasn't good.

 

Interesting, thanks for chiming in. We are trying Thanksgiving next year and were wondering if it was something special. I think I will miss some of the traditions/food of home but not the driving to visit family, shopping, cooking and cleaning. I can see how some would just like to escape the hassles of the Holidays, but at the same time, those hassles are what make it special and sharing those with friends/family. I think I'd miss a lot of the hoopla, even the endless Christmas music in stores lol, if it weren't there. I can see both sides and figure it will be nice to try at least once to see how it is but wouldn't do it every year, or both in any one year. Appreciate you sharing your experience.       

[ArchieCruise]

We ended up booking the week before Christmas so we get off the ship on Christmas Eve.  The kids are out of school but it didn’t have the high fares that Christmas week has. 

[LHARTWICK]

On 5/27/2022 at 3:45 PM, cruisingguy007 said:

 

Interesting, thanks for chiming in. We are trying Thanksgiving next year and were wondering if it was something special. I think I will miss some of the traditions/food of home but not the driving to visit family, shopping, cooking and cleaning. I can see how some would just like to escape the hassles of the Holidays, but at the same time, those hassles are what make it special and sharing those with friends/family. I think I'd miss a lot of the hoopla, even the endless Christmas music in stores lol, if it weren't there. I can see both sides and figure it will be nice to try at least once to see how it is but wouldn't do it every year, or both in any one year. Appreciate you sharing your experience.       

We've also sailed during Thanksgiving.  IMHO, it wasn't anything special.  They did serve a traditional thanksgiving meal in both the MDR and the buffet.  The big thing that I remember were the number of kids on board:  CD announced it was 1200+.  And believe me - it felt like it!  😵  It didn't ruin our cruise by any means, but we will probably not sail during that week again.  This was a big family cruise, so that made up for it.  At least we were all together and had a great time!

[fabby50]

We went for Christmas the year before the pandemic.  We did have a good time, however what we noticed on the negative side is it was a lot more crowded, big families, lots of kids on sugar overload and excitement.  That's OK, I'm sure they were having a wonderful time and creating great family memories, but for two 60-ish adults, it sometimes got to be too much and we retreated to our cabin.  I booked the main dining room for Christmas dinner, hoping for something special and it was the biggest disappointment, dinner was not good, the "fruitcake" was anything but, it just was a lackluster, rushed, noisy meal where they brought the wrong food for multiple courses.  Should have booked the steakhouse or another specialty restaurant.  Loved the decorations and it was a "once and done" experience for us.  I am thinking of trying an all inclusive adults resort to check that out.

[ChuckF]

Have done several NYE cruises and they've all been a lot of fun. We don't do much for NYE when we're home, so it adds some excitement.  Did one cruise out of NO that left Christmas Day. Best part was sailing down the Mississippi and seeing all the houses decked out with Christmas lights.