Planning a cruise vacation over the holiday season? A Christmas cruise offers a unique opportunity to blend the festive joy of the holiday season with the fun of cruising.
A cruise anytime of the year is special, a cruise over the holidays is extra special. Most cruise ships have their Christmas decorations out the last week of November and have holiday festivities starting in December.
Here are some ways you can make your holiday cruise even more memorable.
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Here are some ideas to make your Christmas cruise extra special:
1. Bring a felt Christmas tree
Decorating your stateroom is the perfect way to make your Christmas cruise feel extra festive.
For us a felt Christmas tree was the best option. It took up so little space in our luggage and we still got to decorate it.
Many cruise ship walls are magnetic, so magnets were perfect to hang up our tree. I used a magnetic hook to hang it at the top and then magnetic clips to hold the sides out. Ours even came with a set of battery operated mini lights.
I would definitely recommend getting a felt Christmas tree for you holiday cruise especially if you cruising with kids.
2. Bring stockings
While the cruise itself is likely the gift, doing stockings on the cruise is a great way to blend traditions from at home and your cruise vacation.
Since suitcase space is limited consider things like gift cards, lottery tickets (for adults) and a Christmas cruise coupon book (see #17 below).
I put the gift cards in cute little gift card boxes to make it a little more festive and fun.
Be sure to bring enough magnetic hooks for these.
3. Christmas sweaters
Whether they are the “ugly” Christmas sweaters or on the cuter side, bringing Christmas sweaters for the family are a great way to add some extra festive spirit and make for some really great photos.
4. Santa hats or reindeer antlers
Another essential you will want to bring on a Christmas cruise is a Santa hat or reindeer antlers for everyone in the family. These take up little space in your suitcase but definitely make things feel more festive.
5. Christmas cruise shirts
Cruise shirts have become so popular. Make your Christmas cruise more memorable by getting cruise t-shirts. There are some really great customizable options, like this one from TeeforUSA. Check out their Etsy shop here.
You can add your names to the ship or leave it blank.
6. Holiday scented soaps
Pack a bottle of liquid hand soap in your favorite holiday scent. This is a great way to make your cruise a little more festive.
7. Scented shower steamers
Since certain smells can instantly make you think of Christmas, why not add a few holiday scented shower steamers to your Christmas cruise packing list. These also make great stocking stuffers especially for a cruise at Christmas as they take up so little space and are unexpected.
8. Elf on the Shelf
If you have young children who have “adopted” an elf, be sure to plan how you are going to deal with the elf on your vacation.
You can bring him or her which can be fun, however the staterooms are small and if your children will be upset if the elf gets touched, this can make it a little more complicated.
A couple of ways around this would be to have him bring a note from the “North Pole” granting him or her special permission to join in on the holiday vacation and fully partake in activities including being touched and moved by the children.
Or you could leave the elf at home and do a cute note that says while you are on holidays he or she will go back to the North Pole for the week to help with the toy making and that he or she will be back a night after you are home.
If you choose to bring the elf along, you could bring along a cute set like this. How cute is that!?!
9. Decorate your cruise cabin door
Many cruise lines (like Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Disney) allow this, but not all. Check with your cruise line first.
Most doors are magnetic making them perfect for adding decorative magnets or using magnetic hooks to hang your decorations.
Here is a cute set you can find on Amazon. Choosing magnets over other options will save you precious luggage space.
10. Christmas cruise ducks
Hiding and finding ducks are great fun on any cruise but Christmas themed ones are even better. This has been so popular on some cruise lines, especially Carnival. Before purchasing some to hide, check that your cruise line allows it. For example, Disney cruise line has recently prohibited the hiding of ducks on their ships.
If you are cruising Carnival, join the fun and grab yourself some Christmas themed cruise ducks.
11. Give the crew cards or gifts
One sure way to feel more festive is to give. Cruise ship crew are so hard working, they don’t get Christmas off and are away from their families. A holiday card and/or a small treat will definitely brighten their day.
Keep in mind that the crew live in a very small space and don’t have room for stuff. A card, cash, or an editable treat is best as a gift. Don’t bring anything homemade as they likely can’t accept that and don’t hand out any loose candies.
A simple chocolate bar, especially gift wrapped is a great gift they would most likely appreciate.
12. Character photo ops
On our Carnival cruise holiday sailing they had photo opportunities with Santa and The Grinch.
These aren’t just for kids. I saw more adults in line to have their photo taken with The Grinch than kids.
13. Collect an ornament from each port
Christmas ornaments are the perfect souvenir. Each year as you decorate your tree you will remember and reminisce about your cruise vacations.
14. Join the festive activities
Joining in on all the holiday activities will definitely make your Christmas cruise extra special. Activities will vary by cruise line, but you can expect things like caroling, holiday scavenger hunts, Christmas tree lighting, and special holiday shows.
15. Take in a holiday outdoor movie
Most ships now have a large poolside movie screen. Keep an eye on the daily activities schedule for the holiday movies. Relaxing in a lounge chair in the ocean air under the stars watching a holiday movie is pretty special.
16. Download Christmas movies
Before leaving home, download your favorite Christmas movies to your phone or tablet. You will have holiday entertainment available whenever you want it.
This is a great Christmas cruise tips for kids. This is great for the evenings as you wind down before bed, a rainy day, or at the airport if you have to fly to/from your cruise.
17. Christmas cruise coupon book
I created this printable Christmas cruise coupon book for our family holiday cruise. It makes a great stocking stuffer. You can choose which coupons you choose to include (that you are willing to redeem) in your booklet.
Many are things you would likely be willing to buy for your kids or traveling companions anyway (like a specialty coffee or souvenir) but having cute coupon they give you in exchange just ups the fun.
There are coupons suitable for both kids and adults.
18. Matching Christmas PJs
Matching family Christmas pajamas are so fun and would make for some great photos. There are so many great styles that you can see here.
19. Enjoy the ship’s decor
The ships are so beautifully decorated it’s worth taking the time just walking around and taking it all in. You are likely to find Christmas trees and decorations throughout the ship.
On our Carnival Celebration December cruise, I counted 26 Christmas trees!! That included a couple table top sized ones. Many had ornaments specific to the area. For example, the holiday tree outside of Bonsai Sushi had little chop sticks on them. The tree outside of the Pig & Anchor bar had little pig and beer stein ornaments.
Incorporating a few or better yet all of these ways to make a Christmas cruise extra special are sure to make memories to last a life time.
If you aren’t able or willing to cruise on Christmas Day itself, consider a cruise earlier in December. The ship will be decorated and the festive activities happening.
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