For a lot of people, Christmas is the time of year when families come together to celebrate the festivities together but some prefer to get away from the endless repeats on TV and slaving over a hot stove cooking the turkey in search of an alternative experience.
If you are one of the latter - or if you are considering doing something different for the festive period in 2022 (or beyond) - then a Christmas cruise could be just what the doctor ordered.
As well as giving you the chance to relax and let someone else do all the work, a cruise at Christmas will allow you to sample different festive cultures from all corners of the globe and - depending on where you travel - could also mean you get to avoid the cold winter weather back home.
But what are the different options that are available?
Pre-Christmas cruise:
If you fancy a Christmas cruise but don’t want to actually be away for the big day itself, then what about booking a short trip put to the some of the Christmas markets that take place from late November across Europe.
A number of companies operate River Cruises that allow you to partake in some festive shopping in the likes of Vienna, Cologne and Budapest, whilst there are larger sea cruises that take in destinations like Bruges, Amsterdam and Hamburg.
These cruises provide the best of both worlds as it means you can enjoy the festive atmosphere of a Christmas cruise before returning home, whilst the shorter nature of a Christmas markets cruise means it is also somewhat cheaper than a cruise that includes Christmas Day.
That means fantastic value for a money - as well as the chance to grab a bargain present at the markets that you wouldn’t find on the local high street…
Three Christmas Market cruises for 2022:
5 Nights with Riviera Travel along the Rhine - http://hotdeal.travel/r/Zc3t
7 Nights with P&O to Northern Europe visiting Rotterdam and Hamburg - http://hotdeal.travel/r/9KGF
8 Nights with Fred Olsen visiting Copenhagen and Hamburg - http://hotdeal.travel/r/dzqF
Christmas Cruise:
As enjoyable as Christmas at home with the family is, there is no doubt that it does include an element of stress - whether you like it or not.
More than any other day of the year, Christmas Day is the one that you want to pass without a hitch but in order for that to happen, you’ll invariably end up worrying about whether dinner will be ready in time, whether the house will end up looking like it’s been hit by a bomb and whether everyone will - quite simply - have a good time.
That’s something you certainly won’t need to consider if you decide to book a cruise that involves you spending Christmas Day at sea.
Now you might have headed out to the local pub for Christmas Dinner in the past or enjoyed a short break in a hotel here in the UK, but a Christmas cruise is a different option altogether.
For a start, you can expect the cruise line you are sailing with to pull out all the stops when it comes to making the ship sparkle with decorations to allow you to fully embrace the festive spirit and get in the mood for Christmas,
Christmas movies will play in the onboard cinemas, festive shows will be a feature of the entertainment, carols will be sung and a certain someone dressed in red is likely to pop in for a visit.
All alongside the usual things you can expect from a cruise holiday, like the chance to relax on a sun deck by the pool or to head for a casino to try your luck on the roulette wheel.
Of course a key element of Christmas Day is lunch but fear not - you’ll get to enjoy the very best cuisine without needing to worry about doing any of the cooking yourself, or doing the washing up afterwards! Turkey and all the trimmings will be part of the offering but you may also get chance to try something different depending on where in the world you are sailing.
Three Christmas Day cruises for 2022:
14 Day Christmas cruise with NCL around South America - http://hotdeal.travel/r/5BHr
15 Night Christmas cruise with Cunard to the Canary Islands - http://hotdeal.travel/r/yv34
30 Night Christmas cruise with Fred Olsen to the Caribbean - http://hotdeal.travel/r/5usP
New Year:
And just because Christmas has passed doesn’t mean that the celebrations have to stop, because you could make sure that your trip also provides the chance to be away for the New Year period as well.
Being on a cruise ship is a great way to see in the New Year because onboard you’ll get to enjoy one big party!
Taking in New Year at sea also means you’ll get to enjoy an experience like no other, such as sitting in Sydney Harbour to watch the fireworks from a front row seat, or bobbing on the water around a Caribbean island with a cocktail in hand as the clock strikes midnight.
Three New Year cruises for 2022/23:
5 Night New Year cruise with P&O in Northern Europe - http://hotdeal.travel/r/NDsP
11 Night New Year cruise with Celebrity around Asia - http://hotdeal.travel/r/B5Jp
12 Day New Year cruise with NCL around Australia and New Zealand - http://hotdeal.travel/r/BZwx
