Christmas church service

[def0715]

Hi. Has anyone been on a recent holiday sailing that would know if Mass/a church service is offered? If you attended, how was it? A friend is considering a family Panama Canal sailing on the Beyond, but her mom always attends a church service for Christmas and not being able to attend some sort of service might be a deal breaker. Thanks!

[cruisestitch]

Does it need to be a Catholic mass?  They try to bring a priest on board at Christmas time, but cannot guarantee it. If a nondenominational service will suffice, you can be assured that there will be one.

[mahdnc]

48 minutes ago, def0715 said:

Hi. Has anyone been on a recent holiday sailing that would know if Mass/a church service is offered? If you attended, how was it? A friend is considering a family Panama Canal sailing on the Beyond, but her mom always attends a church service for Christmas and not being able to attend some sort of service might be a deal breaker. Thanks!

 

We were on Solstice for Christmas 2023.  In the Christmas Eve Celebrity Today, it listed an 11 pm "Christmas Mass with Father Leo" at the Solstice Theatre.

 

 

We were also on Solstice during Christmas 2019 (pre-Covid) and the Christmas Eve Celebrity Today listed an 11pm "Interdenominational Christmas Eve Service" also held at the Solstice Theatre.  

 

[def0715]

I think nondenominational would work. Thank you both.

[Jim_Iain]

It really depends on whether their is a Priest on the ship.  In the OLD DAYS many cruise lines comped rooms for officiants, but I don't believe they no longer do.   Of course I could be wrong.

 

I've been on many cruises where where they have had Christmas Mass, Hanukah and non-denominational services.    I don't know who can officiate at what type of service but I believe on a Passover  Service I remember reading that a passenger lead the service who was not a Rabi.

[cruisestitch]

31 minutes ago, def0715 said:

I think nondenominational would work. Thank you both.

If a non-denominational service will work, there’s no problem. There always will be one of those.

[mahdnc]

10 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

If a non-denominational service will work, there’s no problem. There always will be one of those.

 

There wasn't a non-denominational Christmas/Eve service listed during our Solstice sailing. 

Edited February 5 by mahdnc

[cruisestitch]

Did you look at the Community board? Things which are organized by passengers are usually posted there rather than in the printed program and that’s what the nondenominational service usually is

[mahdnc]

4 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Did you look at the Community board? Things which are organized by passengers are usually posted there rather than in the printed program and that’s what the nondenominational service usually is

 

No, I didn't.  However the interdenominational services have been listed in our past Christmas cruises. 

[cruisestitch]

Each activities manager and cruise director does it differently.  Some put all kinds of passenger-led activities in the Daily Program—-things like Friends of Bill, Veterans Get Togethers, etc. while others put them on the Community board.