Tell me about Christmas cruising, and the Oasis!

[micmacmissy]

We’ve sailed on Allure (during spring break, pre-covid) and really enjoyed it.  That trip was 100% capacity with 2,500 kids on board - and still it didn’t feel crowded…but that was in 2015 or so.

 

Looking at booking 12/22-12/29 and wondering what Christmas cruises are like.

 

On Christmas Day, in port, are there things to do or is everything closed down?  We’ll be in Roatan that day.

 

Anything else we should know about a christmas cruise?

 

Thanks in advance!

[cruisegirl1]

Ship will be full, lots of kids/families.  Ship will be beautifully decorated.  Special  dining meal for Christmas .  Specialty restaurants will increase prices for Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  

 

A few Christmas activities like caroling/ Christmas themed trivia etc.   Santa makes an appearance and I believe the kids get  a gift.  Often Christmas cookies in the food venues.

 

We love holiday cruises.  Yes prices are high, but we have a good time and we find that the passengers are in particularly good spirits. Many of our Christmas/New year cruises have a good number of foreign passengers, and we love that. It is so nice to meet others from around the world. 

 

Enjoy

M 

[Jerseygirl1416]

Did a Christmas cruise a few years ago. We never sail usually during holidays or summer so I was blown away by the crowds and lines. We were in Belize on Christmas Day and did a snorkeling excursion on our own and didn’t notice anything closed.

[karena1]

39 minutes ago, cruisegirl1 said:

Ship will be full, lots of kids/families.  Ship will be beautifully decorated.  Special  dining meal for Christmas .  Specialty restaurants will increase prices for Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  

 

A few Christmas activities like caroling/ Christmas themed trivia etc.   Santa makes an appearance and I believe the kids get  a gift.  Often Christmas cookies in the food venues.

 

We love holiday cruises.  Yes prices are high, but we have a good time and we find that the passengers are in particularly good spirits. Many of our Christmas/New year cruises have a good number of foreign passengers, and we love that. It is so nice to meet others from around the world. 

 

Enjoy

M 

We cruise over Christmas every year and love it!  The decorations, the caroling, etc is just so amazing.  We do a short cruise, but still love being on the ship for Christmas!

 

[PhillyFan33579]

I have done several Christmas cruises and really enjoy being on a ship that time of year. Will be on Wonder for Christmas this year. From my experience the ports we have visited on Christmas Day have seemed the same as any other day, other than Christmas decorations being up. All of the stores, restaurants, etc. around the port were open and there were lots of excursions going on as well. 

[lovelife]

The first couple weeks of December is another  great time to cuise. Loveley decor is already up and it's much less expensive.

 

[jerseyjjs]

On 9/10/2022 at 8:20 AM, micmacmissy said:

We’ve sailed on Allure (during spring break, pre-covid) and really enjoyed it.  That trip was 100% capacity with 2,500 kids on board - and still it didn’t feel crowded…but that was in 2015 or so.

 

Looking at booking 12/22-12/29 and wondering what Christmas cruises are like.

 

On Christmas Day, in port, are there things to do or is everything closed down?  We’ll be in Roatan that day.

 

Anything else we should know about a christmas cruise?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

The price for a Christmas sailing is about twice as high as the few weeks before it.   Major mark-up in fare.

Edited September 11, 2022 by jerseyjjs

[Ourusualbeach]

9 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I have done several Christmas cruises and really enjoy being on a ship that time of year. Will be on Wonder for Christmas this year. From my experience the ports we have visited on Christmas Day have seemed the same as any other day, other than Christmas decorations being up. All of the stores, restaurants, etc. around the port were open and there were lots of excursions going on as well. 

We are also booked on this cruise.  Looking forward to another stress free holiday without having to cook or clean.

[Airbear232]

On 9/10/2022 at 8:20 AM, micmacmissy said:

We’ve sailed on Allure (during spring break, pre-covid) and really enjoyed it.  That trip was 100% capacity with 2,500 kids on board - and still it didn’t feel crowded…but that was in 2015 or so.

 

Looking at booking 12/22-12/29 and wondering what Christmas cruises are like.

 

On Christmas Day, in port, are there things to do or is everything closed down?  We’ll be in Roatan that day.

 

Anything else we should know about a christmas cruise?

 

Thanks in advance!

We've done six Xmas cruises so far, and this year will be our 7th.  The ship's decorations go up the day after Thanksgiving.  The cruise has a great family feel with lots of kids.  Many families dress in matching PJs on Xmas morning.  There will be pictures with Santa and all kids who go get a gift.  A lot of the entertainment is in line with the holidays.  In terms of ports, I think that might be specific to the individual port.  However, expect most shops to be closed or only open for a limited time.  Roatan is great for the beach, I hope you have a great time!

[Russ Lomas]

8 hours ago, lovelife said:

The first couple weeks of December is another  great time to cuise. Loveley decor is already up and it's much less expensive.

 

As an employee as a teacher in the public school board, I will not be able to enjoy those early December cruises until I retire.  We cannot take the time off work.  Alas, until that time, those of us working in education or who have kids that we do not want to miss school, are forced to pay triple or quadruple to sail over the Christmas holidays.

[micmacmissy]

20 hours ago, Russ Lomas said:

As an employee as a teacher in the public school board, I will not be able to enjoy those early December cruises until I retire.  We cannot take the time off work.  Alas, until that time, those of us working in education or who have kids that we do not want to miss school, are forced to pay triple or quadruple to sail over the Christmas holidays.

School principal here - I'm in the same boat!

[micmacmissy]

@lovelife

You'd be surprised at some of the good deals on the bigger RCCL ships over Christmas!

Edited September 12, 2022 by micmacmissy

[Mum2Mercury]

I sailed a holiday once -- Thanksgiving, not Christmas.  Never again.  High price, crowded ship -- we sailed at over 100% capacity.  Worst of all, we were assigned to a side-room instead of the MDR (this was pre-My Time Dining).  

 

I was a teacher for three decades and just retired at the end of last school year.  I just enjoyed my first retirement cruise, and sailing in September was GREAT!  Hang in there, Friends!  

[gmkgks]

We cruise every Christmas. Just FYI, this year the Mariner itinerary covers both Christmas and NYE. 

[Morecruisesplz]

Last year Oasis Christmas cruise was sad. Booked an aft area inside balcony to watch water shows from balcony. Crew practiced but never did a show. No theater shows either. No announcements or reasons given. Limited decorations. It was our 1st cruise w/5 night dining package but we did not know that was not accepted on Christmas eve or Christmas day. Live and learn! Im just saying... anything can happen.

[Russ Lomas]

9 hours ago, micmacmissy said:

School principal here - I'm in the same boat!

Literally, the same boat (or ship), due to our schedules