5 Best Christmas and Holiday Cruises
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Escape to the exotic Galapagos Islands for the holidays with a Silversea cruise. On the 14-night sailing round-trip from San Cristóbal, Silver Origin will alight at a remarkable 27 ports throughout the archipelago. Take the line's newest flagship for a Christmastime spin on a round-trip Fort Lauderdale itinerary that features port calls at Cozumel, Mexico; Belize City, Belize; and Roatan, Honduras. Three sea days give guests plenty of time to explore all the attractions on board, from a dome-covered pool area to a top-deck family activity zone. On a holiday cruise, you can leave the cooking, cleaning and decorating to the pros and simply enjoy time with your family. Christmas and New Year's cruises can also be good options for people trying to avoid the crush of relatives or who don't have family but still want to spend the holiday surrounded by other people and festive cheer.
CZECH REPUBLIC - Prague Christmas Market "Wenceslas Square"
The wooden stands sell Christmas decorations and goodies, as well as delicious sweets. There are additional attractions as folk dances, shows and concerts of carols. The list of most popular Xmas-NYE ship travel destinations starts always with the sunny Caribbean, followed by the Mexican Riviera and Hawaii (from California), Australia and New Zealand. Another interesting and relatively inexpensive destination is Europe's Mediterranean, where during winter you can enjoy guided tours in large port cities with much fewer tourists compared to the summer season.
IRELAND - Dublin Christmas Market "12 Days of Christmas" (Dockland)
Expect cruise fares to be among the highest of the year during the holiday weeks as demand increases. The best prices will be for early bookings; you likely won't find any last-minute discounts. If you do, they'll either be on windowless inside cabins or guarantee cabins, where the cruise line picks your room location.
Costa Cruises
Mark the beginning of the Lunar New Year, with time–honored traditions for an immersive experience. Our Chinese New Year celebrations include symbolic red decorations that adorn the Piazza, mythological Lion Dancers thrill spectators, and much more. Make sure you stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay for an action-packed adventure that everyone will love. Kiddies can splash to their heart's content at Splashaway Bay or head to the swashbuckling Captain Jill's Cannon for the ultimate pirate experience. See who's brave enough to conquer all 13 waterslides at Thrill Waterpark, or relax along the Oasis Lagoon. Get the whole family together on a hot air balloon ride and make holiday memories to last a lifetime.
night Antarctic Explorer cruise on Viking
It's never too early to plan your holiday getaway, especially as these cruises are among the quickest to sell out. Here are the best Christmas and New Year's cruises still available in 2024 and holiday sailings in 2025 to book now, as well as some useful tips about holiday cruise travel. Germany has long Christmas markets tradition for centuries like the ones in Frankfurt, Dresden, Munich and Bautzen.
Reasons a Cruise Is The Best, and the Worst, During the Holidays - Cruise Blog
Reasons a Cruise Is The Best, and the Worst, During the Holidays.
Posted: Sun, 24 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Perforated paper banners, known as papel picado, in bright whites, greens and reds, are strung across buildings from window to window. When you cruise into Puerto Vallarta, attend a morning service at the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, where Mexican culture and regal architecture fill the room. Then, head to the shore and savor seasonal favorites — like turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce — with a beachside view. With a deep appreciation for family and fun, Mexico is one of the best Christmas cruise destinations to spice up your season. A sophisticated British cruise line, Cunard takes an elevated approach to the holidays.
A signature experience is Madeira's/Port Funchal's fireworks show on New Year's Eve. Unless you sail with an adult-only cruise line, there will be lots of children onboard due to having off from school. You can avoid some of the crowds by sailing earlier in December, when prices are also lower. Count on holiday decor for Christmas and Hanukkah throughout the ship plus traditional meals and treats served onboard.
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Always on sale is the most popular figure for Nativity scenes - curious Catalan figure of caganer (crapper) - small figure bending over steaming turd with trousers around ankles. Children line up on the giant caga tio - huge smiley-faced log pooping out pressies when beaten viciously by stick. There is also Nativity scene contest, exhibitions and musical parades, including the Placa Sant Jaume life-size Nativity scene. Fira de Santa Llucia is an authentic Spanish Christmas market, so you'll have difficulties to find bratwurst and gluhwein here but the many restaurants around and festive atmosphere will make up for that.
tropical holiday fun
Don't forget your holiday best, as each ship hosts a Christmas Eve formal ball with dinner and dancing, as well as midnight mass, holiday-themed high tea service, holiday choir performances and Santa meet-and-greets. If you haven't planned your holiday getaway, there's still time to book a Christmas cruise. Here are the 10 best Christmas and New Year's cruises you can take in 2022.
So use the morning to walk around town or get tickets to tour the Anne Frank House. On your second day in Amsterdam, visit the Rijksmuseum and take an evening canal cruise with the group. Foodies will love it when the cruise heads to Gouda to explore the history of the city plus get a tasting of stroopwafels, which are cookie sandwiches invented in the city. The cruise continues into the Netherlands at Maastricht, where you can explore the city and its Christmas market, or head to Aachen, Germany, for festive fun.
The new island destination will highlight island culture with work by local artists and Bahamian music throughout the colorful beachside resort. It's best to double-check with your cruise line before attaching anything to your door or in your cabin, as rules and regulations differ per line. If you're not creative, check if your cruise line offers cabin decoration packages for preorder prior to your sailing. The crew will decorate public areas on board, but passengers often go all-out decorating their doors and cabins for the holidays.
Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland is probably the best-known Christmas market in London with more than 200 chalets featuring handmade decorations and gifts. Food and drink selections at Winter Wonderland are the most extensive, with options that include a Bavarian village, outdoor fire pit, even a bar modeled after alpine ski lodge. Another option is the Skate rink at Somerset House Ice Rink, with DJs spinning tunes after dark. Christmas on the Danube sails from Budapest, Hungary, to Regensburg, Germany – and makes the journey in reverse – visiting Vienna, the Wachau Valley and more. Both sailings are eight days long with departure dates from late November to late December.
Each year during Christmas holidays, Valkenburg transforms in real Christmas town and features Christmas markets in caves. Enjoy the usual Christmas activities, but also see the Christmas parade which is twice a week with Santa Clause himself. As visitors wander around the cave, they meet tables full of displays from local artisans.
However, Vienna is a forerunner with the traditional yearly "December market", dating back to 1294. Today Vienna features about 20 Christmas markets yearly and Christkindlmarkt in front of City Hall is the most famous. Besides the wooden cabins, traditional for Christmas, it features Christmas stories, special post office, and International Advent Caroling. More than 150 stalls sell Christmas decorations, gifts, hot chestnuts and gluhwein (mulled wine).
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