Have you ever wished you could run away from the stress of traditional holidays? If so, why not take a holiday cruise? You’ll be pleasantly shocked at how quickly you forget “back home” once you are aboard this floating paradise.
Go warm or go home! Go tropical and leave your fuzzy hats and wool scarves behind. Think snorkeling, scuba diving, and swimming with sharks. After dark, salsa beneath sparkling stars, see Hollywood-style productions, and singalong in piano bars. You will not be bored.
You can experience the joys of the holiday season—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving—without the stress of shopping, wrapping, cooking, or cleaning.
What About Holiday Gifts?
You have several options for gifts. One is to exchange them with close friends and family before you take your holiday cruise. Postponing gift-giving until you return also is a good option because you can have fun shopping in various ports. (Almost everything is duty-free.) Or, just make everyone aware that you are giving up things for experiences this year.
Why the Holiday Cruise Is a Sweet Deal
Book your holiday cruise ahead of time to take advantage of discounts and special offers. Your cruise fare is almost, but not quite, all-inclusive, as you may have heard. Accommodations, meals, entertainment, onboard activities, and the pool are typically included in the ticket price.
Holiday Season Onboard Cruise Ships
Cruise ships typically adopt a festive persona during the holiday season. Fun activities include a tree lighting, special holiday entertainment, your favorite holiday movies on TV, traditional turkey dinner on Christmas Day or Thanksgiving, a visit from Santa, and more. Some cruise lines offer non-denominational services on holidays.
BlissOut
A contributing factor to the popularity of holiday cruises is the overwhelming need for quiet time. With too much to do in too little time around the holiday season, it’s difficult to find time to meditate, pray, or just sit and think.
This could be you: sitting serenely in a secluded area on deck, watching the ocean, writing in your travel journal, or reading the latest best seller. Call it quiet time or me time; you’ll feel relaxed and rejuvenated following a calming, bliss-out session.
Fine Dining
Ready to embark on a fantastic food voyage? Food options on a cruise ship range from the casual buffet to the elegant dining room. Each meal is an epicurean delight.
If you’re a breakfast lover, enjoy a leisurely meal in the main dining room. Start your day right with omelets cooked your way, assorted breakfast meats, French toast, fresh fruits, and the like. If you’re into grab-and-go, a continental breakfast will supply the energy you need for adventuring.
Dinner on a cruise ship is the epitome of fine dining. Top-class chefs prepare sublime dishes, such as truffle-stuffed quail, coq au vin, prime steaks, and ossobuco veal shank. Can’t make up your mind? Order several entrees. Don’t like them? Send them back and choose something else.
More than a sweet finale to your meal, cruise ship desserts, such as crème brûlée and tiramisu, are a must-have experience.
You won’t have to cook a meal or wash a dish the entire holiday season. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Get Romantic
When you and your honey embark on a holiday cruise, romance is sure to follow. Sunsets and stargazing are romantic. A couple’s massage is romantic. Holding hands while strolling barefoot on the beach is romantic. Date night on a cruise ship is romantic. Even the air seems imbued with romance.
Thanks for the Memories…More Please
Daring to do a different kind of holiday may be your best idea ever. Your holiday cruise is an experience that will remain entrenched in your memories forever.
