Christmas Cruise?

[cindyleigh]

Hi,

We are a family of 5: 21 and 19 y/o sons, 14 y/o daughter.

We are thinking about an Xmas cruise for Dec. 08. We have been on one 5 day cruise before (NOLA to Mexico) and enjoyed it. All but the oldest- he was in school.

We're thinking of Xmas because it's the only time all 3 kids have the same vacation, and because we've outgrown the "toy" stage of Xmas.

I know the prices are much higher- so here are my questions:

where can I find the best prices? Does that timeframe ever go on sale?

Is there a church service on Christmas or Christmas eve?

First cruise, we had both younger kids in our room. Do they have family staterooms for 5 people? Or would I have to get 2 rooms?

Many Thanks!

[sunny_side_up]

Cindy,

We just got back from the Christmas sailing of the Carnival Conquest and loved it! The ship is beautifully decorated for Christmas and they really make it special for everyone on board. There was a kids Christmas show as well as an evening show for families. Unfortunately, no church services as our family would have participated.

I am a teacher and the only time of the year that my husband can get time off from work is the week between Christmas and New Year's. So, Christmas is the best time for us to sail. Our little boy is 7 but we don't do the Santa Claus thing so this was really easy for us.

In answer to your questions:

1. Best prices: I booked directly through my TA and she gave me the same prices that Carnival's website quoted. We booked a year in advance and the prices only went up, not down. Since Christmas and New Years are very popular times to sail, the prices are at their highest of the year and the ships usually sell out. Book early to get the best rooms.

2. No church service :(

3. Family staterooms: You might look on Carnival's website but I believe that they only hold up to four people. Not entirely sure on that, though. I know that Disney has family staterooms that hold five people but they are EXPENSIVE! I priced out Disney 7 day for Christmas last year and for three people it was going to be $9000 dollars! In comparison, we got a balcony cabin on the Conquest and only spent about $3000. However, if you book early, you can get connecting staterooms, which might help!

 

I hope this helps you! We had a blast on our cruise and my review just got posted for our sailing if you would like to read more about our trip and the Conquest.

 

Lisa

[cindyleigh]

Cindy,

We just got back from the Christmas sailing of the Carnival Conquest and loved it! The ship is beautifully decorated for Christmas and they really make it special for everyone on board. There was a kids Christmas show as well as an evening show for families. Unfortunately, no church services as our family would have participated.

I am a teacher and the only time of the year that my husband can get time off from work is the week between Christmas and New Year's. So, Christmas is the best time for us to sail. Our little boy is 7 but we don't do the Santa Claus thing so this was really easy for us.

In answer to your questions:

1. Best prices: I booked directly through my TA and she gave me the same prices that Carnival's website quoted. We booked a year in advance and the prices only went up, not down. Since Christmas and New Years are very popular times to sail, the prices are at their highest of the year and the ships usually sell out. Book early to get the best rooms.

2. No church service :(

3. Family staterooms: You might look on Carnival's website but I believe that they only hold up to four people. Not entirely sure on that, though. I know that Disney has family staterooms that hold five people but they are EXPENSIVE! I priced out Disney 7 day for Christmas last year and for three people it was going to be $9000 dollars! In comparison, we got a balcony cabin on the Conquest and only spent about $3000. However, if you book early, you can get connecting staterooms, which might help!

 

I hope this helps you! We had a blast on our cruise and my review just got posted for our sailing if you would like to read more about our trip and the Conquest.

 

Lisa

Thanks for that info, Lisa, it's very helpful.

Were you in port on Christmas? Maybe we cold find a local church if we're in port that day.

[sunny_side_up]

No, we were at sea on Christmas Day. I think that Carnival plans their cruises to have Christmas Day at sea. It might have something to so with places not being open on Christmas Day. Double check on the itineraries because Boxing Day is December 26th and we found that some places in the British Commonwealth Countries (Jamaica, Grand Cayman) are closed in observance.

Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions!

[geoherb]

We were on the Emerald Princess for Christmas last week. I tracked the prices of 10 different Christmas cruises, hoping that the prices would drop. Most of them did not. Fortunately for us, the price of our cruise was less right after the final payment date. It's a risky strategy that's paid off for us the past few years. This was our fourth Christmas cruise in a row and we always book them after the final payment date.

 

If your dates can't be flexible, go ahead and book now and keep watching prices. I'd recommend two cabins, primarily for the extra bathroom. It's hard enough for two people to get ready for dinner with one bathroom. I can't imagine five in a cabin.

 

On Princess, Celebrity, and Holland America there have always been services for Christmas Eve (usually both a Catholic Mass and a Protestant service) and on Sundays. Only on our Celebrity cruise was there not a separate Protestant service on Christmas Eve--but that was only because the minister's flight was snowed in and he missed the ship.

[oceanhut]

Hi,

We are a family of 5: 21 and 19 y/o sons, 14 y/o daughter.

We are thinking about an Xmas cruise for Dec. 08. We have been on one 5 day cruise before (NOLA to Mexico) and enjoyed it. All but the oldest- he was in school.

We're thinking of Xmas because it's the only time all 3 kids have the same vacation, and because we've outgrown the "toy" stage of Xmas.

I know the prices are much higher- so here are my questions:

where can I find the best prices? Does that timeframe ever go on sale?

Is there a church service on Christmas or Christmas eve?

First cruise, we had both younger kids in our room. Do they have family staterooms for 5 people? Or would I have to get 2 rooms?

Many Thanks!

 

We just returned from a Christmas/New Years cruise aboard Carnival's Miracle, and my one comment is "Never Again"! This was our 5th Holiday Cruise, and our 1st and last Holiday Cruise with Carnival. We boarded Christmas Eve in Fort Lauderdale, and inquired about where the Christmas Eve Mass or Service would be held. No services, no acknowledgement, etc., for Christmas Eve, or Christmas were scheduled for the passengers or crew members. I was later told by a very rude Maitre De that Carnival never has religious services aboard their ships. I know from previous experiences with Carnival, that they do.....on other ships! So, don't automatically take for granted that all ships acknowledge the true meaning of the Christmas season.

[goldminer1951]

Christmas is a peak pricing time for most cruises, and discounting is not going to be very common. However, it is a good time for folks with kids in school to go to South America as it is their start of summer. Celebrity and HAL do have church services, and perhaps other lines. With five in a family, two rooms or a suite are a good idea, especially when everyone is getting ready for dinner. Happy Sailings!

 

'Miner

[iluvfun]

I have a friend who was on a Christmas and Hanukkah cruise. There were services on it for all of these.

[oceanhut]

Cindy,

We just got back from the Christmas sailing of the Carnival Conquest and loved it! The ship is beautifully decorated for Christmas and they really make it special for everyone on board. There was a kids Christmas show as well as an evening show for families. Unfortunately, no church services as our family would have participated.

I am a teacher and the only time of the year that my husband can get time off from work is the week between Christmas and New Year's. So, Christmas is the best time for us to sail. Our little boy is 7 but we don't do the Santa Claus thing so this was really easy for us.

In answer to your questions:

1. Best prices: I booked directly through my TA and she gave me the same prices that Carnival's website quoted. We booked a year in advance and the prices only went up, not down. Since Christmas and New Years are very popular times to sail, the prices are at their highest of the year and the ships usually sell out. Book early to get the best rooms.

2. No church service :(

3. Family staterooms: You might look on Carnival's website but I believe that they only hold up to four people. Not entirely sure on that, though. I know that Disney has family staterooms that hold five people but they are EXPENSIVE! I priced out Disney 7 day for Christmas last year and for three people it was going to be $9000 dollars! In comparison, we got a balcony cabin on the Conquest and only spent about $3000. However, if you book early, you can get connecting staterooms, which might help!

 

I hope this helps you! We had a blast on our cruise and my review just got posted for our sailing if you would like to read more about our trip and the Conquest.

 

Lisa

Lisa,

Do you know if any of the other Carnival ships had Christmas Eve or Christmas Day services for their passengers and crew? Is this a new policy with Carnival to ignore the true meaning of the season as they did with the "Miracle" and "Conguest" ? :mad: Shame on Carnival Cruise Line, and shame on those Cruise Directors for not putting together some type of service to acknowledge the Christian and Jewish holiday. Did they forget, it was the holiday Christmas Season that brought us all on their ships, and the reason why they were able to raise their rates for that time period? I guess we need to start a separate topic elsewhere to see if anyone else had the same experience on their cruise. I'd certainly like to know before I book another Christmas/New Years cruise.