Well, next Christmas, I'm cruising!

[ekerr19]

I am so exhausted! We have been on the go, non-stop for the past 10 days, at least! I had 25 people over for Christmas dinner and I'm still tired.

My kids are bored - all their friends are gone, and they asked, "Mom, why didn't we cruise this year?" Good Question!

I love being on a ship during the Holidays - not having to deal with all the "hustle & bustle", the cooking, entertaining, decorating, shopping :( , crowds, cold weather etc.. I reminded the kids that a couple of years ago, they were the ones who asked if we could stay home from now on - and they actually do remember this - and my son replied, "since when do you ever take our advice?" and I had to laugh.

We are already looking at cruising for the Holidays in 2005. I had hoped to take the maiden voyage of the new Noordam - but I don't know what I was thinking... the kids can't go! They'd have to miss too much school, so now we've thought do the Christams 2005 on any ship and maybe a Spring Break 2006 on the Noordam. :)

Is anyone else enticed by Holiday sailings?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Not any more. We did several cruises at Christmas.

Far too many children for us.

And we don't want all the extra hassle of flying during that time period.

[dakrewser]

I am so exhausted. Is anyone else enticed by Holiday sailings?
We did the Mediterranean twice over Christmas holidays ('99 and '00) on Renaissance (no kids/no smoking!) and loved it. Sadly, none of the better lines do that right now.


But next December there will be the Statendam's Auckland-Sydney 14 day trip.....

:) -dave

[viennacruiser]

ekerr
I was thinking the same thing for next year..I spend this Christmas at work, so next Christmas its my turn to be off,we alternate years working the holidays!
How old are your kids? I think a minimum of a 10 day would be great! where should we go??
Nancy

[Giorgi-one]

You must be a glutton for punishment cruising over Christmas and Spring Break. However, based on what happened this year, you should plan on leaving at least five days before embarkation day. Four days wasn't enough this year.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Laura, When is Spring Break for 2006? You could join us on the March 15th cruise. But yet it would of been so nice for you to be on her first voyage to carry on the the tradition.:)

I am thinking about a Christmas cruise next year also but it would be out of the West Coast and HAL does not seem to have a Christmas sailing. The Oosterdam has a 5 day leaving on Saturday the 17th and the S Suite is on $864 per person on one of the online web sites. Then there is always the Monarch of the Seas for a 3 night that leaves the 23rd of December but it is a bit costly for 3 nights.

[ekerr19]

ekerr
I was thinking the same thing for next year..I spend this Christmas at work, so next Christmas its my turn to be off,we alternate years working the holidays!
How old are your kids? I think a minimum of a 10 day would be great! where should we go??
Nancy

Nancy-

Ours are 11 (almost 12) and 16... we were looking at the 10-day Maasdam out of Norfolk... I also like the 15-day Prinsendam, RT from Ft. Lauderdale. I am open to anything thing that is over 7 days. :)

[ekerr19]

Laura, When is Spring Break for 2006? You could join us on the March 15th cruise. But yet it would of been so nice for you to be on her first voyage to carry on the the tradition.:)

I am thinking about a Christmas cruise next year also but it would be out of the West Coast and HAL does not seem to have a Christmas sailing. The Oosterdam has a 5 day leaving on Saturday the 17th and the S Suite is on $864 per person on one of the online web sites. Then there is always the Monarch of the Seas for a 3 night that leaves the 23rd of December but it is a bit costly for 3 nights.

Lisa - I was thinking about the 3/15 Noordam criuse too! I am not sure what day Easter is for 2006 - but I am hoping!

For the Holidays, what about a 15-day Hawaiian cruise from San Diego? We have often thought this one might be fun!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

For the Holidays, what about a 15-day Hawaiian cruise from San Diego? We have often thought this one might be fun!
I would love to take the Hawaii cruise but just the 5 days longer would not work for me being gone from work. Trust me I am pushing it with the 10 day cruise or the Noordam. Now DH would have no problem being gone that long I would suffer far too much:(

[DFD1]

What we did a couple of years ago was take the cruise the week before Christmas and then spend a couple of days at the beach in Palm Beach before we came home the day after Christmas.

We were home this year for the holidays and were busy from the 16th until yesterday the 26th. Last night we talked about it being "too much" and we thought out loud about being away next year. With a beautiful 3year old granddaughter, it's hard!

[spcl4cs_gal]

Lisa - I was thinking about the 3/15 Noordam criuse too! I am not sure what day Easter is for 2006 - but I am hoping!

For the Holidays, what about a 15-day Hawaiian cruise from San Diego? We have often thought this one might be fun!

Good Friday is April 14/06 making April 16/06 Easter Sunday. :)

[jhannah]

I am not sure what day Easter is for 2006 - but I am hoping!Sunday, April 16, 2006.

[ekerr19]

Thanks for the dates, everyone! That will mean our kids are out the week before - not the same time you are going Lisa. :(

Lisa -I also hear you about the 15 days! We did a 16-day Holiday and it was a bit too long for me, but DH loved it.

dave- do you have the dates for the Statendam 14-day Auckland-Sydney? That sounds intriguing... :)

I know it seems like there are a lot of kids onboard over the Holidays - but I guess I've really not noticed an excessive amount. It seemed there were more on our August Zuiderdam cruise than any I've ever seen - if I had a choice, I think I would choose to cruise when school is session, though. ;)

[HeatherInFlorida]

I tell you what. All you cruising nuts let me know the next time you're going out of Ft. Lauderdale and I'm coming down to have dinner with you the night before! I think I should do this on a regular basis ... sort of the "Heather Send Off".

I still really like to be home with my tree on Christmas. Call me sentimental, but I love it.

[cusyl]

We are already booked for Christmas week 2005.

[dakrewser]

dave- do you have the dates for the Statendam 14-day Auckland-Sydney? That sounds intriguing... :)

It leaces Auckland on 12/22, docks in Sydney on 1/7. See details at
http://crm.hollandamerica.com/broadbaseema/ha4009/australia.htm

-dave

[iluvcruzin]

For the Holidays, what about a 15-day Hawaiian cruise from San Diego? We have often thought this one might be fun!
This one sounds wonderful. I personally am a big Hawaii cruise fan. I have never taken the RT one's from the west coast but it's on my "I want to do list".

As far as Holiday and Spring Break cruises. I think it's a great time for families ekerr. I took my kids when they were your kids ages. Airfare may be a bit cheaper for Spring Break if that is a concern. As far as the 10 day Maasdam from Norfolk. Honestly.. I think your kids will be bored as this sailing is more geared for adults. It's too many sea days and not enough actitivies for them. The one's out of Florida would have more familes onboard for your teenager to meet up with. Who cares if the ship is crowded with kids? When you are a mom with young ones it's easier to zone it all out.

Have fun planning a family cruise vacation.

[viennacruiser]

Nancy-

Ours are 11 (almost 12) and 16... we were looking at the 10-day Maasdam out of Norfolk... I also like the 15-day Prinsendam, RT from Ft. Lauderdale. I am open to anything thing that is over 7 days. :)
Laura,
My girls are 13 and 16, I also have a 20 year old but she is in a docterate program at USC,so I am not sure she could get away. Since we live a few hours from Norfolk I would love that one, but Ft Lauderdale is not a bad, I wonder how much school we would have to miss. Have you looked at any rates yet?
Nancy

[boards]

Thanks for the dates, everyone! That will mean our kids are out the week before - not the same time you are going Lisa. :(

Lisa -I also hear you about the 15 days! We did a 16-day Holiday and it was a bit too long for me, but DH loved it.

dave- do you have the dates for the Statendam 14-day Auckland-Sydney? That sounds intriguing... :)

I know it seems like there are a lot of kids onboard over the Holidays - but I guess I've really not noticed an excessive amount. It seemed there were more on our August Zuiderdam cruise than any I've ever seen - if I had a choice, I think I would choose to cruise when school is session, though. ;)
How or when will we know what the rates are any of these cruises?

[dakrewser]

Rates are due towards the end of next month


-dave

[JaniceB]

I am with you. A cruise at Christmas is wonderful. I took my first Christmas cruise in 1995 with my DH, DM, and 3 kids. We are taking are first Holland America cruise in March and if my DH and teenagers have a great time, I will push for the Norfolk cruise at Christmas. We also stayed home this year and while it was nice, I would have rather been on a cruise or some tropical destination. My DH is a hard sell, since he was in the Navy for 20 years and has had his fill of sea duty.

[ekerr19]

We are leaning towards the Maasdam out of Norfolk - dave, the Statendam one isn't til 2006 and we'll keep it in mind!

We did the Maasdam/Norfolk this year for Spring Break and it was fantastic!!

I'd love to do Hawaii, but it is expensive and 15 days is a bit long - we could probably do it, depending on when it departs to avoid the kids missing school.

We get their school schedule a year in advance so it helps - they have never had to miss school for a Christmas/New Year's cruise (we've done 3) and only 1 day for the Spring Break cruise last April.

I have looked at the rates for the Maasdam/Norfolk and they aren't too bad for a Christmas sailing..

[arzz]

Just got back from Zaandam Christmas cruise -- love going at the holiday -- there is as much or as little holiday on board as you wish -- and the best part, as many noted during our Christmas dinner, was that we did not have to prepare, cook or clean up ourselves! We had 10 of the most relaxing days of our lives this year! And we also love the Zaandam -- second time on board that ship and we like her as much this time as we liked her the last time.