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Tag: christmas cruises

  • The Best Christmas Cruises

    The Best Christmas Cruises

    Christmas cruises, in a lot of ways, are some of the most perfect holiday gifts. They’re great presents in a material sense, but they also let you spend time with a special someone and have some amazing experiences. Whether you’re looking for a Christmas-themed cruise to up your holiday spirits or a getaway to make you forget the winter, any of these cruises would make an excellent option.

    Carnival

    Carnival Cruises is one of the most popular cruise lines out there, and for good reason. Their affordable prices make them a favorite of many travelers, and their price points make their trips economical Christmas gifts. They have a whole slew of holiday-centered cruises that you can check out over here. Wreathes, mistletoe, Christmas trees and lights are across the boats to help you get in the feeling. They offer some Hanukkah services as well, but much of the focus is definitely on Christmas.

    Celebrity

    Celebrity Cruises is another company that is offering themed cruises for the 2019 holiday season. Some of the on-board features include Santa giving out gifts, classic holiday meals prepared for you, and some themed performances like the Nutcracker. You can check out their December cruises over here, many of which last over two weeks, giving you ample time to rewind and forget about how cold it probably is at home (we don’t blame you!).

    Disney

    For those with kids (or just a Mickey Mouse affinity), Disney Cruise Line is an obvious choice. The fun is definitely increased during the holiday season, with the company offering a multitude of trips that line up with holidays. On their Very Merrytime Cruises, kids can decorate trees with Mickey, meet Santa and Disney characters, listen to storytime with Mrs. Claus, check out a life-sized gingerbread house, and the list goes on. It definitely sounds like an undeniably fun excursion for the kiddos. Four different ships offer these themed trips, and you can check them out on Disney’s website.

    These three cruise lines offer some great Christmas options, especially if you have kids. Of course, let’s not forget that a non-themed cruise from almost any cruise line will make for a great gift this holiday season, no matter what holiday it is you’re celebrating. Keep an eye out for deals (plenty of Black Friday and holiday sales extend all the way into January) and give a unique present to someone you love (or yourself maybe, we won’t judge).

  • 5 Things to Know About European Christmas Cruises

    5 Things to Know About European Christmas Cruises

    If you’re traveling on a European Christmas market cruise this year, there are some things you should know before you get to your destination. Fun and merriment is in store. Of course, you know that or you wouldn’t have planned your cruise. But, be prepared for some unexpected surprises.

    1. The Weather Will Be Really Cold

    European Christmas cruises take you to joyful and beautiful locales that are typically sprinkled with snow. You’re not going to be hunkered down in blankets of it most likely. But know that your clothing and shoes will need to keep you warm in cheerfully chilly weather, so layer and bring cozy hats and scarves. It’s a good ideal to pack hand warmers to keep in your coat pockets too.

    2. Security Is Pretty Tight

    There are extra security measures in place at most European Christmas markets because of the unfortunate deadly attack that happened in Berlin in 2016. Some of the larger markets have armed police and police vehicles blocking the ends of the market street and the entrances to the market squares. Other markets have mild police presence, just enough so you’ll feel secure while you shop and those that would do harm are discouraged.

    3. The Masses Are at the Markets

    Expect that the Christmas markets will be crowded. They’re not so jammed with people that you can’t move or get to the vendors, but there are a lot of people trying to soak up the season. It’s wise to visit the markets during the week and earlier in the day.

    4. Your Ship Won’t Be That Crowded

    Even if the markets are packed with people, your ship will probably won’t be. The cruise lines want you to experience a pleasant journey where you can relax and simply have a festive time. Many Christmas market cruises sell out, but others set sail without full occupancy. Either way, the scene on these cruises is serene for the most part.

    5. There Are Places to Shop Other than the Markets

    The Christmas markets are a great place to pick up holiday sweets, decorations, gifts and trinkets. But do visit the boutiques and shops in your port city if you can. You’ll usually be able to spend an entire day touring a destination, so head to the stores around the markets and search for local wine, candies and clothing.

    Are you going on a Christmas market cruise this year? If not, do you have plans to take a journey to the markets next year? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

  • Christmas Market Cruises for 2017

    Christmas Market Cruises for 2017

    It’s starting to feel like the holidays! Are you going on a holiday cruise this year? Perhaps, a Christmas Market cruise? If not, consider it because they’re absolutely fantastic and something to experience at least once.

    Christmas Markets have been an annual tradition throughout Europe for hundreds of years. It’s only been in the last few decades, though, that there have cruises to the most famous markets.

    Starting sometime around the late 13th century, the winter markets provided townspeople with ways to stock up on their supplies before the dead of winter hit. Since then, these markets have been a hallmark of the abundance of the holiday season, instead of being a necessity.

    Locals and tourists love to stroll the Christmas Markets picking up mulled wine, holiday cookies and cakes, toys, decorations and more. In German, the Christmas Markets are called Christkindlmarkt. Hungary, Austria, France, Switzerland and other countries also join in the merry tradition each year.

    Cruising to see the European Christmas markets is a joyous time. Most of the river cruise companies offer Christmas Market cruises, and some British ocean cruise lines provide them. Look for itineraries that say Christmas on the Danube or Rhine Christmas Markets, or the like.

    Cruise Lines with Christmas Market Itineraries

    If you want to experience the wonder of a Christmas Market cruise, turn to these cruise companies:

    • Abercrombie & Kent
    • AmaWaterways
    • Avalon
    • CroisiEurope
    • Grand Circle
    • Scenic
    • Tauck
    • Uniworld
    • Vantage
    • and Viking

    Some of the ports you’ll get to experience on a Christmas Market cruise include:

    • Budapest – A wondrous experience on a Danube Christmas Cruise
    • Copenhagen -Tivoli Gardens illuminates with glass lights from Tiffany’s head designer
    • Nuremburg – One of the most famous Christmas Markets
    • Prague – Many markets are spread throughout Prague
    • Strasbourg – Popular on Rhine Christmas Market cruises
    • Vienna – A beautiful market that runs until Christmas Eve

    Have you been on one of these Christmas Market cruises? If so, we’d love to hear about your trip in the comments below!

  • Holiday and Christmas-Themed Cruises for 2015

    Holiday and Christmas-Themed Cruises for 2015

    Thinking about spending the holidays at sea? We’ve found some winter and Christmas-themed cruises that you should know about for a splendid holiday on open oceans. The winter and Christmas cruises on our list offer fun festivities for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. And, they give passengers a bit of winter magic through special parties, décor, and meals.

    The 2015 winter and Christmas-themed cruises we’ve spotted can be great ways to join others in merriment, while celebrating the beauty of our planet.

    For your next holiday at sea, consider the following winter and Christmas-themed cruises:

    Royal Caribbean Holiday and Christmas Cruises

    Royal Caribbean cruises are fantastic any time of year. But, during the holidays, they’re mesmerizing and miraculous. Royal Caribbean cruise vacations are royal gifts for the holidays, offering fully-planned seasonal activities and events so you can sit back and just enjoy it all.

    Fill up on holiday cuisine like apple chestnut stuffing and potato pancakes. Sip holiday-inspired drinks, eat cookies with Santa, and savor a hot chocolate as you watch a movie onboard. Traditional holiday entertainment is reimagined on Royal Caribbean’s holiday-themed cruises. Magical moments like taking photos with Mr. Claus are part of the festivities on December voyages, as are watching Jolly Old St. Nick parade around the ship.

    Kids sailing on select Royal Caribbean’s holiday cruises get a DreamWorks experience with a seasonal makeover. They enjoy family story time, holiday movie screenings, and surprise little towel animals in their cabin.

    Holiday shopping on Royal Caribbean winter cruises makes it easy to find exactly what you need for gifts. You have access to special holiday deals that are only accessible on your ship!

    Disney Cruise Line

    When many people think about hospitality and travel companies doing the holidays right, they think of Disney. Disney Cruise Lines offers a holiday occasion on its ships that’s just as magical as the ones in the Disney Resort theme parks. Starting with Thanksgiving, Disney Cruise Lines pampers passengers with their holiday best by serving a delicious feast.

    Disney ships fleet wide let you relax over a Thanksgiving meal that highlights traditional mains and sides, along with festive holiday decor. Disney characters are dressed in holiday costumes, Thanksgiving towel animals make their way into staterooms, and holiday fun is found all over the ship.

    Disney’s Very MerryTime Cruises let you sit back and enjoy the holidays, while the ships’ staff takes care of cooking, cleaning, and decorating. You get to spend more time with loved ones as you sail from one fantastic port to another.

    Book a Very MerryTime Cruise from November until the end of December. Enjoy winter wonderlands onboard and the splendor of the holiday season. When you venture off your Very MerryTime ship, Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island paradise) awaits and it’s been transformed with “snow” flurries and a Christmas tree. Mr. and Mrs. Snowman are ready to greet you in their island attire. The island’s tram is dressed up as a reindeer, complete with tail and antlers.

    These are just a few of the winter and Christmas-themed cruises you can enjoy this season. Another option for a holiday at sea is Holland America’s Holiday Cruise. This adventure includes some of the best holiday meals and family activities, with tropical breezes and private island excursions thrown into the mix.

    No matter where you spend the holidays this year, we hope you’ll enjoy them to the fullest and savor the times that make memories.

  • Christmas Cruise Deals

    It is a relatively well-known fact, at least to those of us familiar with the world of cruises, that there exist special Christmas cruises that are offered by nearly every cruise line during the holiday season. For those who fancy the traditional Christmas experience, one that is filled with snow and caroling and other such merriment, it may seem strange that anyone would take a cruise around Christmas, but evidently many people do, often precisely to avoid the traditional Christmas experience (or at least certain components of it – in-laws and cold weather come to mind), and hence the abundance of Christmas cruises available. But what exactly is a Christmas cruise, and more relevantly for the present article, how do you go about finding a good Christmas cruise deal?

    The answer to the first question is quite simple. A Christmas cruise is what the name implies: it is a cruise that takes place during the Christmas holiday season. Any such cruise can technically be called a Christmas cruise (what else would you call it?), but generally the term “Christmas cruise” carries with it a little more. In particular, Christmas cruises attempt to recreate the holiday atmosphere on board by putting up Christmas decorations, playing Christmas music, serving Christmas dishes, and so on. Santa can even be found on board some cruise ships on and around Christmas, faithfully cataloging the gift requests of the ship’s younger passengers. All of these holiday preparations undertaken by the cruise lines merely compliment the traditional offerings of a cruise vacation, like trips to the spa and wild nights at the casino. So, a Christmas cruise can offer the best of two competing desires – to take a cruise and participate in Christmas festivities.

    That’s what a Christmas cruise is, but how do you find a Christmas cruise deal? There are of course a number of different ways, just as there are to book a regular cruise, but to find a really good deal, we have a couple of tips. If you are particular about which cruise line you vacation with, you should check the official websites of your preferred cruise lines for deals. You may not find the cheapest cruises this way, but you’ll at least know what you’re getting if you book through a cruise line with which you have previous experience. Also, almost all cruise lines have loyalty programs for repeat customers. If you are a part of such a program, you will likely be offered some good deals for Christmas cruises (depending on the program, your participation in it, etc.).

    For those who are not loyal to one particular cruise line, there are tons of cruise deals available. Since you aren’t concerned with which cruise line you book with, it is best to search deal sites (e.g., Orbitz) because they will list vacations associated with a broad range of cruise lines, increasing the likelihood that you’ll find a really good deal. One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to search explicitly for Christmas cruises. If you have some flexibility in your scheduling, it often best to search multiple dates to find the best deal. In other words, you can look for a Christmas cruise without having to sign up for something that is billed as a Christmas cruise, as the latter may cost more money. You can clearly see the sagacity of this advice when you look for last-minute cruise deals around Christmas time. You can find cruises that depart on, say, Dec. 22nd that are extremely inexpensive, and you likely wouldn’t be able to find this deal if you were searching for a Christmas cruise specifically. Sometimes it is easiest to find what you are looking for when you search for it indirectly.

  • Christmas Cruises

    Just about every cruise line has special Christmas Cruises each holiday season. Of course, most Christmas cruises are headed for hot places, but the cruise lines try to keep the atmosphere onboard as “Christmassy” as possible. These theme cruises typically include Christmas decorations, Christmas music, Christmas themed meals, Santas, and more. While Christmas cruises will offer much in the way of holiday spirit, guests can still gamble, club hop, relax at a spa, swim, and sign up for fun excursions.

    Just a few of the best Christmas cruise this year include Norwegian Cruise Lines 9-night Southern Caribbean Cruise, Carnival Cruises 8-night Western Caribbean Cruise, Celebrity Cruises 8-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise, and P&O’s popular Calypso Christmas and Magical Mediterranean.

    To book a Norwegian, Carnival, of Celebrity Christmas cruise, just click the cruise line above to go directly to the official website to get started. P&O Cruises’ Calpyso Christmas and Magical Mediterranean cruises depart on the 17th and the 20th (CC) and19th (MM) of December. *Descriptions of each cruise are as follows:

    *The Caribbean’s laid-back charm and idyllic islands are certain to make your Christmas go with a swing. Exchange the frantic festive rush for lounging by the pool with a good book, relaxing on deck with a Planter’s Punch and exploring a different island almost every day and feel the Christmas spirit mount!

    2010 cruises:

    -Aurora R016 departs 17 Dec 10 for 23 nights
    -Ventura N031N departs 17 Dec for 15 nights, Ventura N031B departs 17 Dec 10 for 28 nights and Ventura N031C departs 18 Dec 10 for 28 nights
    -Oceana E027 departs 20 Dec 10 for 14 nights

    Combine all the magic of Christmas with some stunning destinations in the Mediterranean on this Arcadia holiday. From the piazzas and fountains of Rome to the chic Riviera atmosphere of Cannes and the buzz of Barcelona where you’ll see in 2011, you’re sure to have a Christmas and New Year to remember.

    2010 cruises:

    -Arcadia J022 departs 19 Dec 10 for 17 nights

    To book a P&O Christmas cruise for this year or 2011, visit the official P&O Cruises website at
    www.pocruises.com. If you are feeling a little adventurous and you want to book a P&O cruise last minute, you are in for a treat. At this close to the departure date, your cruise could cost up to 75% less than regular price. Please visit the website or simply call P&O cruises at 0845 678 00 14 for details.

    P&O Address and Hours:

    P&O Cruises
    Carnival House
    100 Harbour Parade
    Southampton
    SO15 1ST
    Tel: 0845 678 00 14 (from U.S. 011 0845 678 00 14)
    Fax: 023 8065 7030 (from U.S. 011 023 8065 7030)

    Opening times:

    Mon-Fri: 8.00 – 8:00
    Saturday: 9:00 – 5:00
    Sunday: 10:00 – 4:00

    Discount Booking Search Engines

    Kayak.com
    Expedia.com
    Orbitz.com
    Travelocity.com
    CheapTickets.com
    VacationsToGo.com
    Cruise411.com
    Cruise.com

    Sources

    *P&O Cruises, www.pocruises.com
    Cruise Compete, www.cruisecompete.com

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