Christmas Break Cruise

[donarubj]

My family of 4 are thinking of a cruise during the Christmas break period. Either right after Dec. 25 or Right after Jan. 1. Can anyone tell me of any experiences they have had cruising this time of year. We would leave from FL and do a Caribbean cruise - not sure which one yet. We will be traveling with 20 and 22 year old sons - will there be enough for them to do. I don't want them to feel like they are cruising with "mommy and daddy"! Please let me hear of any experiences all you experienced cruisers have had. Thanks

[pheifej]

As a 24 yearold cruiser who has cruised over the holidays with "mommy and daddy" many many times... I feel qualified to asnwer this question :D

 

Last year, on our Galaxy cruise (Dec. 21st-Jan. 2nd I think) my 20 year old sister and I had a blast. We had our own room, and did our own excursions, so didn't feel tied down. We ate dinner and breakfast with our parents, and ocasionally hung out in their room (they had a varandah, we did not) Last year was our first Celebrity Cruise, and we were suprised how many families like us (parents in 50s kids in 20s) there were. On other lines, we found that the families on the cruises were with younger kids.

 

We were definately NOT bored, especially not in the Caribbean. The Caribbean is so port-intensive. There's usually only 1 or 2 sea days, and the ships have so much going on on those days. Holiday cruising really works for our family. For us, it's the perfect combination of family time and freedom :D

 

You know your family. Personally, my favorite vacations have been holiday cruises. When we go on traditional vacations, they are more family-intensive, and I acctually at times found myself bored in PARIS :eek: because my parents and sister didn't want to do anything, and I didn't want to get lost. On the ship, I could easily find something to do by myself.

 

Hope this helps!

Happy Planning

[Keith1010]

A holiday cruise will be wonderful for the family. Keep in mind that the cruise lines charge a higher rate for the holidays as many others want to cruise then as well. But it is well worth the extra money. Be sure to book early as the cabins on the holiday cruises go quickly. And, be sure to book a hotel in Florida early as well as it is a very popular time of the year then.

 

Keith

[jerseygirl3]

Just one bit of advice. Fares for "just after Jan. 1" will be significantly lower than those right after Dec. 25. The week between Christmas and New Years is among the highest priced week of the year. But right after the New Year, prices drop drastically. It sounds like your kids are college age, which is good, because you can take advantage of the week or two after the holidays when prices drop, as most college kids don't restart until the second or third week of January. The families with younger kids are forced to do that week between Christmas and New Year's because their kids have to be back in school right after the holidays.

[jerseygirl3]

As an addendum, we have cruised many times with our four 20-something sons and they have never felt like they are cruising with Mommy and Daddy. They are old enough to be on their own in the evenings. They usually bring along a couple of friends and they have a blast. They tend to stay up much later than us and sleep much later than us. There are only two things I enforce when they are with us. We all must meet up at least half an hour before the ship leaves a port (so we make sure no one has been left behind) and we all meet for dinner. We thought they'd hate hanging around with us other times of the day/evening, but surprisingly they seem to enjoy being around us. Go figure! However, having said that, they are just getting their evening started when we are ready to head for bed!

 

Your kids will have a blast. Enjoy. Family cruises are wonderful and we've created some fabulous memories that our boys will have for a lifetime. Their friends are always asking us when we are taking them cruising again (actually, next up is April!).

[kelmac]

My family of 4 are thinking of a cruise during the Christmas break period. Either right after Dec. 25 or Right after Jan. 1. Can anyone tell me of any experiences they have had cruising this time of year. We would leave from FL and do a Caribbean cruise - not sure which one yet. We will be traveling with 20 and 22 year old sons - will there be enough for them to do. I don't want them to feel like they are cruising with "mommy and daddy"! Please let me hear of any experiences all you experienced cruisers have had. Thanks

 

This will make the sixth year in a row that we will spend the holidays at sea!:) My wife is a teacher and this kind of locks us into this time frame. You will get a different crowd, much younger, and with some welcomed energy. There will be the added holiday decor and some Santa stuff for the younger children, but it's all kind of "cute" and positive.

This will be our 27th cruise together and for the first time we will bring along Lauren's parents. It's their first cruise, so we will try and make it special.

Last year we did a BtoB matching the Millennium with the Westerdam -- the week of December 16th will be about half the price of the week of December 23rd. The week of January 5th will also be much cheaper.

Last year we did a balcony cabin on the Millennium (pre-Xmas) for less than 1/2 the price of a inside on the Westerdam (Xmas cruise).

Good luck!

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

Kel