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Cookie decorating, visits with Santa and Christmas games are part of the holiday fun. On New Year's Eve, gather for a special party with a complimentary midnight Champagne toast, party favors and live music. The German-style Piazza dei Signori Christmas market in Verona sells german specialty foodstuffs and handmade items. Sip vin brule on a cold night, or eat specialty bread and wurst while the kids visit babbo natale and whisper christmas wishes.
FAQs on Christmas Cruises
This cruise also showcases Dresden, known as the "Florence of the Elbe" and Meissen where you'll learn about the city's world-famous porcelain. Fares include Wi-Fi, wellness activities, daily entertainment and cultural performances, all meals, drinks at lunch and dinner plus a daily cocktail hour, excursions in each destination and access to knowledgeable guides. AmaWaterways' Gems of Southeast Europe departs on multiple dates between late November and late December in 2024 (2025 dates run mid-November to mid-December).
LIGHTING UP THE SEA
Fares include shore excursions in every port; free Wi-Fi; all meals; beer, wine and soft drinks with lunch and dinner; port taxes and fees; and visits to UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In select ports, passengers can sign up for optional excursions that are an added cost. These could be worth the upcharge, depending on the type of experience you want to have.
AmaVerde on the Danube River
Unlike most European cities, the atmosphere here is more authentically "Christmassy" and less commercial (maybe sub-zero temperatures are one of the reasons). The Russian theme is still going strong, although Nordic touches also have returned. The St. Basil's Cathedral replica remains, and the traditional Father Christmas is residing in 19th-century pantomime theatre.
8 Best Christmas Cruises For 2023 – Forbes Advisor - Forbes
8 Best Christmas Cruises For 2023 – Forbes Advisor.
Posted: Wed, 01 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
When you visit Barcelona, grab a warming cup of hot chocolate and stroll through hundreds of festive stalls featuring wooden toy soldiers and hand-painted ornaments. On a cruise to Southampton in November, make your way to London’s Regent Street to see a spectacle of lights that decorate windows of some of the world’s most famous stores. Or stay close to home and explore Los Angeles, where Universal Studios and Third Street Promenade are embellished with decorations and holiday-themed food.
After a motorcoach transfer from Paris you'll board your Viking Longship in Reims. This is the perfect spot to raise a glass and toast Christmas as it is the "capital" of the Champagne wine-growing region and home to one of France's largest Christmas markets. The midpoint of the cruise will bring you to the decision to visit either Ghent, which is one of the oldest cities in Belgium, or Bruges, known for its medieval architecture and beautiful canals. The cruise also visits Antwerp, where you can explore the various Christmas markets that are spread throughout the city. Your trip ends in Brussels, with a whole day to explore the cute squares and charming markets and try local fare. If your cruise starts in Amsterdam, you don't have to be on the ship until 4 p.m.
night New Zealand holiday cruise on Celebrity Cruises
Christmas and New Year cruises offer the perfect combination of the three best buys - holiday, travel, vacation. Combined Christmas (Xmas) and New Year's Eve (NYE) voyages are operated with longer and usually roundtrip itineraries. Depending on shipping company and destination, Xmas-NYE itineraries vary from 4-5 days (short breaks) to 7-10 days and even up to a month, extending from early or mid-December through early January. You will also find the holiday spirit in abundance in the ports of call, making this one of the best winter cruises for those who enjoy the season.
This particular trip stops in five Norwegian cities and offers extended visits in two of them so you can take your time instead of rushing. Tromso is known as Norway’s Christmas town, decorated to the nines for the holiday for a fairyland look. You’ll have time on Christmas Eve, including nighttime hours, in the city of Alta to search for the aurora borealis—a Christmas miracle indeed. The best Silversea itinerary this winter spans all the holidays while escaping to the most exotic locations. On the 16-day Mumbai-to-Singapore sailing, Silver Spirit will alight at unique ports with overnights in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Chennai, India, and visits to Phuket, Thailand, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dress to impress for the ship's New Year's Eve gala, celebrated on this itinerary while cruising the Bay of Bengal.
Spain and Portugal
Credit cards for cruises can provide extra travel benefits as well as the option to earn or redeem rewards for your trip, making them an attractive way to pay. Most co-branded cruise cards won’t make sense for anyone but the most loyal cruisers but other travel rewards credit cards are still great choices. Families with school-age kids often cruise over winter break, meaning a ship’s atmosphere might take on a new personality around Christmas.
Glide up the Lower Mississippi River and soak in the charms of historic towns decked out in their holiday finest. This American Queen Voyages itinerary will also visit the special European-style Christmas market in Natchez, Mississippi, created especially for the line. Carnival's seven-night Eastern Caribbean sailing is an excellent way to experience Carnival's Celebration Key, the line's new private destination on the south side of Grand Bahama Island. Carnival Celebration sails round-trip from Miami with stops in Celebration Key; Nassau, Bahamas; Amber Cove, Dominican Republic and Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, so you can get some much-needed beach time and warm weather. If you want to score the best prices on a holiday cruise, book far in advance.
Trade in the traditional snowy landscape for vast icy expanses, towering icebergs, and unique wildlife with a Polar Christmas cruise. As the cruise sails along the Rhine Gorge, passengers will be able to see up to 30 castles. From exploring living nativity sets in Baden-Baden to sampling crepes, sausages, baguettes, and chocolates in Colmar, this cruise promises an itinerary filled with festive cheer.
Christmas cruises can level up your holiday celebrations — and are an ideal opportunity to escape the conventional holiday celebrations in place of an adventure. Berlin's most popular Christmas Market is Kaiser Wilhelm Gedachtniskirche (receiving ~2 million visitors annually). Tourists visit for the jewelry, artworks and decorations on sale as well as to indulge in the cliched seasonal treats - mulled wine and chestnuts. Tallinn Christmas market originated in 2001 and is not the biggest market, but has lots of charm featuring the most important Estonian Christmas tree surrounded by traditional Christmas stalls. Tallinn Christmas market is set among cobbled streets and medieval squares. With a handful of stalls around Old Town Hall Square - Raekoja plats, selling hats, sweaters, gloves, Estonian arts and crafts, the market is very charming.
Enjoy the ultimate holiday celebration with loved ones this festive season. Access Disney Cruise Line's newest private island when you sail Disney Fantasy this Christmas. This four-night Very Merrytime Bahamian cruise sails from Port Canaveral, Florida (near Orlando) to Disney's Castaway Cay, followed by a day at the new Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.
