Cruising during the holidays is
absolutely delightful. Onboard, you won’t miss out on any of the festivities,
music, food or fellowship that you look forward to at the holidays. In fact,
you can expect to enjoy all the fun of a Christmas at home, and then some.
Throughout the holiday season, ships are
decorated from bow to stern with glittering ornaments, twinkling lights, Santa,
snowmen and more. Photo opportunities abound! The sounds of the season will be
heard around the ship: some even invite passengers to form choirs and go
caroling.
Most ships offer special holiday dinners
on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, featuring roast turkey with
savory stuffing and all of the traditional holiday favorites. It will be all
the more delicious because you don’t have to shop for it, cook it or clean it
up.
On a holiday season cruise, Santa is
likely to make an appearance or two. Many cruise lines equip him with special
gifts for each of the children onboard, one reason why holiday cruises are so
popular with families. If you sail a mainstream line, expect to have lots of happy
children onboard; even luxury cruises may have more children and family groups
than usual.
Here are a few tips for adding to the merriment
of your holiday cruise:
Choose your itinerary carefully. If you want to attend church on shore on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day,
check the itinerary carefully. Because many onshore businesses and attractions
are closed on Christmas Day, some ships spend the day at sea and offer onboard
worship services.
Bring a little bling for your stateroom. Don’t bring strings of lights, which could be considered
a fire hazard. Instead, bring a few sparkly ornaments or a tiny Christmas tree
to decorate your stateroom.
Leave your gifts at home. You won’t
want to use your luggage space or limited stateroom storage for gifts. You
could bring one small gift for each family member to open on Christmas Day; or,
agree to do your gift shopping during the cruise (and have any large purchases
shipped home).
Bring small gifts for the crew members who serve you. They are not only away from home during the
holidays, they are on duty, too. Some sweets or holiday cards will be
appreciated.
To reserve your 2015 holiday cruise,
talk with Anita, your Cruise Holidays personal cruise expert soon!
