Planning a Holiday Cruise--Atmosphere

Overview

There are basically three types of people who book cruises for a holiday. People who revere the holiday and want to celebrate it in memorable fashion. People who want to get away from the demands the holiday brings while leaving it up to the crew to handle the decorating and meals. And the people who have no interest in celebrating any particular holiday but see that time of the year as the most convenient to escape work and school. Fortunately, cruise ships are large enough to handle all three groups.

Holidays

Christmas, as you may have guessed, is the busiest cruise holiday. However, New Year’s Eve and the American holiday of Thanksgiving are also popular, along with Hanukkah.

Decorations

Basically, anything that would be used on land is used on sea. There may be live plants, wreaths, tinsel, lights, ornaments, vintage toys, fake snow and multiple Christmas trees. For Hanukkah there’s a menorah and other traditional decorations.

Celebrations

In an effort to provide for as many worshipers as possible, a cruise ship might have as many as three clergymen representing two of the three major monotheistic religions-- Judaism and Christianity. Both Protestantism and Catholicism may have their own representative.

There may be special services on Thanksgiving in addition to the ones normally found on Christmas and Hanukkah.

Of course, New Year’s Eve is marked by the countdown to the new year and the party before and after the fact. For those who can stumble out of bed and back on deck the next day, some cruise lines continue the party atmosphere with more free champagne.

Special Activities

The level of activity during the holidays is generally consistent with the ship’s usual atmosphere. If the ship caters to a rowdy crowd, expect the holiday activities to increase proportionally. If the clientele is more laid back, so too will be the holiday festivities.

In general, the busiest holiday cruise vessels are those that attract entire families. Aboard these ships expect to see plenty of activities designed for children including appearances by the big fat guy in red. There will also be holiday-themed parties, arts and crafts projects, games, talent shows, and caroling.

For the sports lover the large screen televisions are tuned to the college football bowl games during the holidays. Tip: If the broadcast is a live-feed, make sure you plan your football watching according to local time where the game originates and not according to local time where you happen to be sailing.