Christmas Cruise

[QTBabyNurse]

Hubby and I are contemplating spending Christmas on a cruise this year. We are seasoned cruisers, but have never been on a cruise for Christmas. We generally sail out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale. We are in our early 60's and like to have a fun time...we are definitely not the type of people who just want to sit in a lounge chair all day. The ports of call are really not all that important to us as we have already been to most of them already. The ship is the main focus for us.

 

So, having said all that....if YOU have taken a Caribbean cruise for Christmas out of Florida, which ship did you sail and what were the pros and cons of that particular ship? Add any other information you think would be helpful to assist us in choosing an exciting holiday cruise!

 

Thank you!

[reedprincess]

11 minutes ago, QTBabyNurse said:

Hubby and I are contemplating spending Christmas on a cruise this year. We are seasoned cruisers, but have never been on a cruise for Christmas. We generally sail out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale. We are in our early 60's and like to have a fun time...we are definitely not the type of people who just want to sit in a lounge chair all day. The ports of call are really not all that important to us as we have already been to most of them already. The ship is the main focus for us.

 

So, having said all that....if YOU have taken a Caribbean cruise for Christmas out of Florida, which ship did you sail and what were the pros and cons of that particular ship? Add any other information you think would be helpful to assist us in choosing an exciting holiday cruise!

 

Thank you!

Have sailed Regal, Emerald, Caribbean, Royal, Star, Sea, Island Princess ships, plus Equinox, Infinity, Constellation for Celebrity and Seaside and Divina for MSC over Christmas..

 

All of them are beautifully decorated, Santa has found every one of the ships, etc.

 

Different lines have different extras. Princess has carolers, snow in the Piazza, gingerbread house and cookie decorating, Captain or cruise director reads Night Before Christmas, Santa visits with gifts for the kids, special Christmas show, etc 

Celebrity had very similar, no snow though

MSC had the least Christmassy activities, but we actually thoroughly enjoyed the slightly less over the top Christmas atmosphere. Much more European and Continental atmosphere, elegant, and more laid back .

 

All three had formal night for Christmas Day, special Christmas type menus, etc..

 

Love holiday sailings as most people are quite festive and in good moods...

 

Pick how long you want to be gone, what port you want to sail from and where you want to visit - then pick your ship.  They'll all be festive, decorated, have holiday activities, etc. 

 

[MissP22]

reedprincess has outline the activities at Christmas fairly well.

After having done a couple of Christmas/New Years trips we've decided not to do any more. It attracts large families as well as many children and is quite different from a typical cruise. We found the ship to be overly packed with people whereas a typical cruise doesn't.

 

From now on we'll go a week before the Christmas season trip since all the decorations will be in place anyway without the children's activities as a highlight of the trip.

[mtnesterz]

The one line I wouldn't do again over the Holidays is Princess. When I write that, know we are Elite with them and that is the line we still sail most. "Formal" Holiday dinner was the only time I have walked out of the MDR to go eat a hamburger on deck. The food was overcooked salty mush. I believe the reason is the chefs have no reference to know what a traditional dinner is supposed to taste like.

Christmas is different things to different people, but for many, it is a time to celebrate faith. At one time, Princess put a priest onboard at Christmas and now they don't.  The only two lines that will have a Catholic priest aboard to my view is  HAL and RCL. https://www.aos-usa.org/cruise_lines.html

Since you ask on the Princess board, I'd go the Majestic Princess, 8 day Eastern Caribbean with St. Kitts Dec 20th, for reason of the other onboard dining options.

Edited January 14 by mtnesterz

[ExPhotog]

Having worked a few Christmas cruises, they are can be very busy, with many large extended family groups on board.

 

Shorter (cheaper) cruises have so many extra kids running about that additional kids club staff are brought on just for these few weeks! (i’ve met a few who normally work in schools and then work on ships during school holidays - not sure how they survive that!)

 

That said, the decorations are beautiful, festive energy is contagious, and the entire ship just seems happier. 

 

 

[nini]

Just be aware that there will be MANY children and teenagers at that time of year. Many cruisers swear that they will NOT do that again.

[SoTXGirl]

We did a Panama Canal full transit on the Island Princess over the holidays.  We sailed through the Canal on Christmas day, which I thought was perfect.  No worries about stopping at a port where all the shops were closed.  We had all the Christmas "extras" mentioned by other posters plus the Canal.

 

The cruise was 15 days long, ending in January after most schools were back in session, so we had very few children on board.  This may be an option for folks who don't enjoy cruising with a lot of children and teenagers. We are definitely member of that group.  

[TNTLAMB]

We have cruised Christmas every year for the last 22. However this year will be the first out of Florida. Previous have been out of Galveston or LA.  FYI.. We cruise with kids. We are in our early  70's Wife is a retired teacher. All of our kiddos (14) are permanently placed older kids Usually about  10 when we get them. For most of these Kids Christmas is not a good time. I won't go into details why....

 

Princess does an amazing job Enough Christmas to be Christmas but not overboard.  It has gotten better over the years as cruising has become a very inexpensive way to travel. We see more families which is great. The youth programs are great.  (This litter was so enthralled they didn't want to get off the ship) I've never noticed much in the way of crowding lines etc.

 

Formal nights are a kick as many participate. Photo lines are a bit overwhelmed. The biggest issues have been those older cruisers who still think it's 1980 or the newer cruisers with "Expectations" though that is a problem other times too.  Lines are inevitable with 4000 folks....

 

I'd give it a try.

[MissP22]

2 hours ago, nini said:

Just be aware that there will be MANY children and teenagers at that time of year. Many cruisers swear that they will NOT do that again.

Doing it once wasn't enough for us but the second one did it.

Never again. 

[charliedalrymple]

On 1/15/2024 at 6:29 AM, nini said:

Just be aware that there will be MANY children and teenagers at that time of year. Many cruisers swear that they will NOT do that again.

 

Count me among them.  We just returned from a holiday cruise on Majestic and it was crawling with loud, ill-behaved children.  Never again.

[nini]

1 minute ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

Count me among them.  We just returned from a holiday cruise on Majestic and it was crawling with loud, ill-behaved children.  Never again.

 

Exactly. We had contemplated (for about 5  seconds) going on one even over New Year's but that even is not really an option for us.

[nzrainbow]

I second the ghastly Christmas Cruise experience.... lesson learnt..... things have changed and it's NOT for the better 😞

[MissP22]

For some reason the people on Christmas & New Years cruises feel they have a lot to get out of their system - so much more so than a normal cruise. 

[jennybenny]

We absolutely love the holiday cruises and prefer when we can do both Christmas and NYE! We did it for years out of Los Angeles and San Francisco with the kids when they were younger, and now, as young adults, they still enjoy the holiday cruises. We agree, the bratty kids are annoying, but the hope is usually that parents will take care of their kids, I know we did when the kids were littles. I wish the cruise ships should fine parents when their kids are not being taken care of and misbehaving, but they won't. 

There are a lot of people on holiday cruises, the ships are usually at capacity with 3rd and 4th beths taken. We have been waitlisted for holiday cruises and gotten on, happily. We just haven't done them (holiday cruises) since the restart. The unexpected benefit for us has been the adjusted price point because holiday cruises are more expensive, and as we have been used to paying that for years, we can now play with other cruise lines during non holidays. So far so good. 

Edited January 15 by jennybenny
typo

[karatemom2]

The kids on our recent New Year’s cruise were great. I love seeing families sharing special times together. The kid’s club staff did a fantastic job keeping them occupied and entertained, including a family fun fair in the Piazza. I have seen much more bad behavior by adults. 
 

Some of the rude, obnoxious, drunken behavior we witnessed on our Super Bowl weekend cruise last year and our recent Nee Year’s cruise have convinced me to avoid certain cruises on certain holidays because of the horrible antics of the adults. I will take a bunch of kids over that any day. 

Edited January 16 by karatemom2

[Lemony32]

We're a couple with no kids. We really enjoy holiday sailings. We've done 2 New Year's Eve cruises and have a cruise booked for Christmas 2024. I love the energy on the ship. Everyone gets into the holiday spirits and they dress up for formal nights. The ship is decorated with holiday decor.

The ship is very busy and filled with families and kids but I find they are easy to avoid. 

We look for a ship with an adults only deck or spa and I book a cabin near those elevators and stairs. And we book the late dinner seating. We avoid the small kids in their earlier seating. The kids are usually excited and well behaved. Not complaining. It could be worse.

[nwnittany]

We (DW and our 2 college-aged boys) have done 2 recently:  Sky out of Fort Lauderdale, and Regal out of Galveston.   We loved both and have another booked this year.  

 

The ships will be decked out in holiday decorations, with plenty of themed music, outfits, events, and movies.  And, the ports as well.  We preferred the Sky (just felt brighter), but also enjoyed the Regal.

 

On the other hand, school is out and you'll find alot more multi-generational families and along with that comes, you got it, kids.  All kinds, from toddlers crying, 10-year old's splashing in the pool, and teens with ripped jeans walking in bunches, giggling at each other.  🙂   I think it just comes with the territory when cruising when school is out (at least on some cruise lines). 

 

I think this is a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder.  If what you truly enjoy about Princess is the understated elegance and charm of a mature set of passengers, and don't really want to deal with a bunch of erratic kids, then I wouldn't suggest going at this time; take the advice of the smart/experienced cruisers who pick times before/after (probably get a better deal, too).  

 

If you are traveling with kids, and/or don't mind seeing a few of the critters over the holidays, then by all means, go for it.  There'll still be enough "Princess" in your experience to enjoy it.  

 

Like they say, look at life the way it is, not the way you want it to be.  If you love the typical Princess experience and don't really want to deal with kids, then a Princess Christmas cruise probably isn't the way to go.  I think you'd find yourself getting annoyed and comparing it to quieter seasons. 

 

I can't speak to the religious and religious services side of things.  I would doubt Princess would interfere with anyone's traditions, but might not offer as many as desired. 

Edited January 17 by nwnittany

[AlpacaBag]

Hmmm, reading through this, am reconsidering our booking on the enchanted princess this dec 20 to 30... No fan of kids at all or parents that won't/can't control them.

 

Edit: Confirmed. Emailed TA to cancel booking for a diff sailing.

 

Thanks for asking this question QTBabyNurse.

Edited January 17 by AlpacaBag

[NRWPA]

I'm currently on Enchanted, leaving tomorrow after 20 days. It's been great. Never saw many kids until today...but then again, I don't do the pool deck on sea days or probably would have seen more.  The kids I saw today were with parents (that's a plus) and seemed well behaved. I'll be back 12/20/24 for another 20 days to cover Christmas, New Years and my birthday. If you want to do a holiday sailing, I think Princess ships are your best option. Princess attracts fewer families with small children than the other lines I've been on (NCL, RCCL and Carnival). Have fun with whatever you choose to do!

[charliedalrymple]

On 1/16/2024 at 10:56 AM, jennybenny said:

I wish the cruise ships should fine parents when their kids are not being taken care of and misbehaving,

 

Hear, hear!  In my post-cruise survey for our holiday cruise, I said that crew members should be empowered to intervene with parents when their children are misbehaving.  It seems that they are currently unwilling or unable to do so.

[ExPhotog]

54 minutes ago, charliedalrymple said:

 

Hear, hear!  In my post-cruise survey for our holiday cruise, I said that crew members should be empowered to intervene with parents when their children are misbehaving.  It seems that they are currently unwilling or unable to do so.

While I agree that some parents seem to forget they have children in their care, it's unlikely that crew intervention would have a positive outcome.

These are likely the same ignorant individuals who complain about no service during ship emergencies. (yes, really)

[jennybenny]

4 hours ago, ExPhotog said:

While I agree that some parents seem to forget they have children in their care, it's unlikely that crew intervention would have a positive outcome.

These are likely the same ignorant individuals who complain about no service during ship emergencies. (yes, really)

I agree. No need for an intervention from crew, but security won't worry about a bad review. Every time they get called out, fine the parents if the behavior is unacceptable. Kids have medallions now. Contact parents, tell them there will be a fine every time the kids have security called, and start the fines coming. Some parents won't care, some parents, even absent parents, won't want to pay the fine. Sure, some people will try to get out of it, but if security has to get called, have body worn cameras, record the footage, and fine the parents. Hopefully the parents with annoying kids will chose a different cruise line. 

This is just a dream, no one would do this, but it's fun to think about. 

 

In ALL of my holiday cruises we've only encountered disruptive children twice on the same cruise, same kids and one time security was there. After that, we didn't see the group of kids terrorizing the halls. Some people just don't like kids, and when they splash around the pool, they get mad they got wet.... YOU ARE IN A POOL! So, people who are child adverse should not cruise during high kid season, pick an all adult line for that. 😁