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Holiday cruising guide
Ships: Entertain the big-ship-versus-mid (or small)-ship debate. Larger ships — with space for huge playrooms, swimming pools with slides and video arcades — are a great choice for families with school-age kids. However, these ships can sometimes seem overrun with youngsters during holiday sailings and are not always ideal for quiet, adults-only getaways. Mid-size ships are more conducive to parents with young children who want to socialize with other adults or multi-generational groups looking to make everyone happy. Small luxury ships tend to have fewer kids and a more mature clientele. If you're taking kids of any age, be sure to look into the youth program before you sign up. While most mainstream and premium ships have youth facilities, some offer more creative and large-scale programming than others. Babysitting options vary by line, and options for very young, still-in-diapers tots may be limited.
Pre-trip planning
Packing for a holiday cruise can be a little different from a regular cruise. You'll want to bring special holiday outfits for Christmas and New Year's Eve. In addition to your tuxes and party dresses, you might consider accessories like Santa hats, reindeer antler headbands, party hats, colorful beads or other festive items you might want to wear.
For Christmas or Hanukkah, consider decorating your cabin to get in the holiday spirit. Creative cruisers have been known to decorate cabin doors with wreaths, holiday cards and photos. To spruce up your cabin's interior, pack a small artificial tree (disassemble it for easy packing), electric menorah (you can't light candles in your cabin), strings of lights, inflatable decorations and stockings. If you're bringing Christmas or Hanukkah presents, leave them unwrapped if you're flying to the homeport, and pack some scissors (in checked luggage, please), tape and wrapping paper to doll them up once onboard. (For great gift ideas for cruise lovers, visit Cruise Critic's Holiday Gift Guide.
For New Year's, you might want to bring your favorite bottle of Champagne or sparkling wine onboard. Just check your cruise line's alcohol policy to make sure ship's security won't take your beverage from you when you try to board.
Families and large groups might want to get into the spirit by printing up matching T-shirts or hats to wear onboard.
Onboard
Taking a cruise during the holidays by no means requires you to forego the celebration. In fact, cruise lines go all out for the holidays. The ships' restaurants will offer holiday menus with seasonal favorites: turkey with cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, potato pancakes and jelly donuts for Hanukkah, roast turkey or ham on Christmas (with eggnog to drink) and midnight buffets for New Year's Eve. The ships are decked out with seasonal decorations — autumn leaves, pumpkins, trees, menorahs and wreaths.
For adults, there are holiday parties in the ships' lounges, special holiday drinks and religious services led by priests, rabbis or ministers. For the kids, count on visits from Santa, holiday snacks, craft-making and storytelling. Passengers of all ages can enjoy special performances by the ships' entertainment staff and special guests, caroling, tree- and menorah-lighting ceremonies and seasonal movies shown on in-room TV's and onboard movie screens.
For more details on the onboard offerings of specific lines, see our pieces on onboard festivities.
In port
In some regions, particularly the Caribbean, the holiday week is a time of islandwide celebrations that can make a trip memorable — and give you a hint of real island life (as opposed to the limited views one normally gets from one day in port). Take a look, for instance, at St. Kitts, where the island's national carnival runs from December 15 through January 2; activities vary, but expect parades, revelry and folkloric performances.
However, other destinations pretty much shut down on Christmas, with stores and attractions closed to visitors. Grand Cayman is so dead on Christmas that no ships are calling at that port that day. Also, beware of Boxing Day (December 26). Many Caribbean islands with British roots, such as Antigua, Barbados, Grand Cayman and St. Kitts, celebrate this December 26 holiday, and generally shops and sites are as closed up, as on Christmas. One exception: On Nevis, Boxing Day is a huge horse racing day at its Newcastle Racetrack.
In general, island retailers have gotten savvy to the fact that cruise ship visitors mean big business, and cruise lines know which islands to avoid on holidays. Carnival, for one, tells us that all the islands it visits during the holiday season keep stores open and excursions running so as not to lose out on those tourist dollars. But, before you set your heart on eating at a specific local restaurant or taking a particular tour, check to make sure they're operating on the day you're in port.
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