Christmas Cruise - What should I expect?

[jim85254]

I'm booked on Destiny for Christmas week. What, if anything, does Carnival do to make Christmas Day special. My wife and two daughters (21 & 20 at cruise time) will be with me, so it will be special anyway. But I was wondering if we should anticipate any extra fun or not.

[cruisinaz]

We were on a Christmas cruise 2 years ago. Overall, it was nice. Its far from overkill with Christmas decor and cheer..just enough to be tasteful. The Christmas dinner menu was a traditional holiday dinner, the kids program did a nice Christmas show and the staff shared holiday greetings.

 

We took a few box of Christmas candies for our room attendants - they loved it!

 

We were at sea on Christmas day, but on Christmas eve we were in Aruba...there you could barely tell it was Christmas. But we spent it getting a sunset massage on the beach - that is still one of my fondest holiday memories yet!

 

Have fun!

[jim85254]

Thanks for the quick answer, From Scottsdale - near Kierland!

[DEL67]

We were on the Carnival Liberty last Christmas. There were some decorations and they has a Christmas show in the afternoon which ended with a couple of songs by the Camp Carnival children, but that was about it.

[Happy ks]

Not on Carnival but another line, we've taken two Christmas cruises so far. If we could afford it, we would be on a ship every year at Christmas.

 

There are a lot of families with children, but never have they bothered us, it's such a family time. There are probably fewer partiers and a wider range of age groups than on other weeks of the year, as many multi-generational families are together. I know the ship did something special for the little ones, but we didn't go into the Centrum on Christmas morning, our kids are teens and have no interest in Santa.

 

The ship is festive and the staff are very friendly. We always remember them with a small box of candy and a card with a bit of Christmas cheer tucked into it. I'm sure you will have a very memorable time, it's a lovely way to spend the holiday.

 

We have had our kids open gifts at home before we leave, especially if something is intended for use on the cruise. The cruise is our present :) , so we don't buy gifts for each other. I do take along the kids (they will always be my kids!) stockings, so they have something to open Christmas morning.

[BruceMuzz]

If you really want to know how Christmas Cruises on Mass Market ships are, you should go to the Member Review Section of this website.

 

For nearly every ship listed there, you will see a trend of lower ratings during the Christmas season. If you read those reviews, you will find that more cruisers were generally disappointed during Christmas.

 

There are many possible explanations:

 

Higher holiday prices probably cause higher expectations - that are rarely met.

Ships and airlines tend to be overbooked at this time of year.

More flights are cancelled and delayed, and more suitcases lost this time of year.

Many attractions and tours are closed on Christmas in certain countries.

Weather for cruising is more often not so good at Christmas.

Many cruisers are surprised to find families and children cruising at Christmas.

Christmas food on a ship doesn't taste the same as the food made by Aunt Mary back in Ohio.

American political and religious correctness has caused cruise lines to cut back on Christmas themes.

Many of the crew would rather be at home with their families, so are not as happy/friendly as usual.

Christmas cruisers tend to tip less than other cruisers, so crew are not entirely happy to be there that week.

[buddyjo143]

You can read my review and see pictures through the links in my signature.

 

We had three balcony cabins on the Glory this past Christmas.

 

Santa was available the night before for pictures (it was formal night).

 

We ate breakfast in the dining room that morning. While we weren't offered egg nog in the dining room they had it at the buffet lunch with or without rum.

 

The games for the day had Christmas themes.

 

It was a sea day for us.

 

Overall the service was not as good as other Carnival cruises we have taken and I have to agree with the above poster. I don't think it was our inflated expectations but some of the staff seemed sad to be there so they didn't provide the level of service that we have had on cruises past or since.

 

It is different to cruise at Christmas but can be a nice break from the commercialism at home.

[mamaofami]

You should expect lots of kids on board.

[jim85254]

You can read my review and see pictures through the links in my signature.

 

We ate breakfast in the dining room that morning. While we weren't offered egg nog in the dining room they had it at the buffet lunch with or without rum.

:D With, but of course!

 

It is different to cruise at Christmas but can be a nice break from the commercialism at home.

;) looking forward to that!

 

:) Great pics and you did a nice job on the review. You mentioned having room numbers changed on your sign and sail cards. Right now I am booked with one daughter and DW is with the other. But that's not how we'll stay. Will the purser allow us to fix the cards so that mom's and mine unlock one room and the girls' will unlock the other?

[Happy ks]

It is interesting how peoples perceptions are so very different. I'd have to say our experience has been the opposite of what BruceMuzz has written :)

[BruceMuzz]

Happy ks,

 

Everyone's perception is indeed different. Many cruisers have a great Christmas cruise.

I have worked 28 christmas cruises in the past 29 years - on 25 different ships for 9 different cruise lines. A few of those cruises were great successes overall. Most were something far less than successful.

Does that mean that everyone had a lousy cruise? Of course not.

But far higher numbers of my guests were unhappy on those cruises, than what we normally see.

 

What does this mean to the average cruiser?

It means that the odds of you having a great cruise at Christmas time are reduced by the many additional factors working against you.

If you are a gambling sort like me, you might not mind risking your vacation dollars on something that is far less than a sure bet.

But regardless of your risk-taking abilities, everyone should know what they are facing when booking a higher priced cruise at christmas time.

[WELSH WIZARDS]

Christmas Cruise - What should I expect?

 

santa in his submarine .....what else !!

Sorry. could not resist !! :o .......:D

[caviargal]

One holiday cruise was enough for me. Ship was VERY crowded, overrun with kids (where they should not be included) and food and service not up to normal standards.

 

For the price, I can enjoy 2 cruises in the off season when school is in. I prefer to be in NYC at Christmas time...it really feels like Christmas there!

[Happy ks]

Happy ks,

 

Everyone's perception is indeed different. Many cruisers have a great Christmas cruise.

I have worked 28 christmas cruises in the past 29 years - on 25 different ships for 9 different cruise lines. A few of those cruises were great successes overall. Most were something far less than successful.

Does that mean that everyone had a lousy cruise? Of course not.

But far higher numbers of my guests were unhappy on those cruises, than what we normally see.

 

What does this mean to the average cruiser?

It means that the odds of you having a great cruise at Christmas time are reduced by the many additional factors working against you.

If you are a gambling sort like me, you might not mind risking your vacation dollars on something that is far less than a sure bet.

But regardless of your risk-taking abilities, everyone should know what they are facing when booking a higher priced cruise at christmas time.

 

It also depends on what you're looking for. As the wife and mother, it's a vacation for me, Christmas at home represents a lot of work and rushing around. Only to spend a few days with relatives I really don't care to see all that much. When we cruise at Christmas, I get to enjoy the holiday and relax.

 

We're not the type to chase down a fun time, we make ourselves happy. We don't need to be by the pool, we aren't gamblers or bingo players, we hardly ever make it to any of the shows. Our idea of a nice cruise is to relax and wait for the crowds to exit at port, then we go at our leisure or even stay onboard for the day.

 

I asked my husband about our last Christmas cruise and he did remind me our cabin attendant had some surly times. But, I read a review from a woman staying 3 cabins down from us, she thought he was great.

 

I've always had a lovely time on Christmas cruises and would definitely go again every year.