Ho, ho, ho and pass the dreidel. The holiday season is upon us, and those who have booked a cruise during this festive time are in for treats aplenty.
With cruising now firmly established as a family vacation option, cruise lines have made special provisions for children onboard during the holiday season -- but it's not just the kids who'll get feted and fed! There's merriment for all ages, whether you relish a visit from Santa, choose to ring in the New Year with some top-notch bubbly, crave a turkey and cranberry sauce Thanksgiving dinner just like Grandma's, or celebrate by lighting a Hanukkah menorah (or all of the above).
We queried several cruise lines to see what they have planned for this holiday season, and whether they were offering anything new and different. We were particularly interested in Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's Eve.
For the most part, the cruise lines stick to time-steeped traditions without wandering too far out of the box -- so don't expect elf-tossing competitions on the promenade deck! However, there are some innovative festivities. For example, Princess Cruises employs snow-making machines to offer daily snowfalls in the atrium throughout the month of December. On Disney Cruise Line's private island, Castaway Cay, the tram will be “magically” transformed into a sleigh. And, luxury line Crystal does a full-on balloon drop in the atrium to ring in the new year.
What can you expect onboard? In general, here's what we learned:
Of the four major holidays -- Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's -- Christmas garners the most attention.
On holidays, cruise lines serve special meals. For instance, expect latkes (potato pancakes) during Hanukkah. On Thanksgiving, you'll find roast turkey, along with such trimmings as stuffing and cranberry sauce.
Nearly all lines decorate to some degree, starting with pumpkins and cornucopias, followed by wreaths and decorated trees. Decorations generally go up around Thanksgiving and stay until the new year, but the timing does vary from ship to ship.
On New Year's Eve, a shipwide countdown to midnight is to be expected, as is a Champagne toast.
Of course, every cruise line puts its own spin on holiday cheer. Keep reading for a line-by-line roundup of onboard celebrations. And, if you're interested in British and European lines, check out our companion story: U.K. Lines' Onboard Holiday Festivities.
Editor's note: This year, Thanksgiving falls on November 22, and Hanukkah begins at sunset on December 8 and ends on December 16. Christmas Day and New Year's Eve are, as always, on December 25 and December 31, respectively.
Azamara Club Cruises
Seasonal Style: Traditional.
Thanksgiving: A traditional Thanksgiving meal will be served.
Hanukkah: Hanukkah will be celebrated with lighting of the menorah on each of the eight nights and with a traditional meal, including potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts. A rabbi will be onboard to lead prayers.
Christmas: The ships will be decorated with greenery and ornaments. Christmas celebrations include caroling by the ship's staff in public areas, holiday house music and seasonal movies. Most ships will also have some sort of holiday-themed show. A traditional Christmas dinner will be served. A priest and a reverend will be onboard to lead religious services.
New Year's Eve: New Year's Eve parties will include party favors and a Champagne toast at the dawn of 2013. A special holiday-themed dinner will be served.
Carnival Cruise Lines
Seasonal Style: Traditional.
Thanksgiving: A traditional Thanksgiving dinner will be served in the main dining rooms.
Hanukkah: On each of Hanukkah's eight nights, a menorah-lighting ceremony will be held.
Christmas: The ships will be decorated with holiday wreaths, Christmas trees and lights and signs proclaiming traditional holiday greetings. Seasonal music will play in passengers' cabins. The cruise director and staff will offer several holiday-themed shows throughout each cruise, and at least one seasonal movie will be shown (such as "Polar Express"). A special holiday performance featuring children and the decorations they made in Camp Carnival will be a highlight. Santa will visit with gifts for the kids, and a traditional Christmas dinner -- featuring turkey and pecan pie -- will be served.
New Year's Eve: Passengers will be provided with hats, favors and noisemakers, and complimentary Champagne will be served.
Celebrity Cruises
Seasonal Style: Traditional.
Thanksgiving: A traditional Thanksgiving meal will be served.
Hanukkah: Hanukkah will be celebrated with the lighting of a menorah on each of the eight nights and with a traditional meal, including potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts. A rabbi will be onboard to lead prayers.
Christmas: The ships will be decorated with gingerbread houses created by the line's pastry chefs. Christmas celebrations include caroling by professional singers in public areas, sing-alongs, holiday scrapbooking sessions, and seasonal movies. Most ships will also have some sort of holiday-themed show. The shops will have special holiday shopping events, along with festive decorations, holiday music and freshly baked cookies, while the spa will offer special holiday treatment options. Santa will pay a visit, and hand out gifts to kids ages 3 to 17. Every passenger onboard holiday sailings will receive a gift of a Celebrity tote bag. A traditional Christmas dinner will be served, as well as a midnight “Tree Trimmers Buffet” on Christmas Eve and a special brunch on Christmas Day. Holiday-themed cocktail specials will also be available. A priest and a reverend will be onboard to lead religious services.
New Year's Eve: New Year's Eve parties will include party favors and a Champagne toast at the dawn of 2013. A special holiday-themed dinner will be served.
Costa Cruises
Seasonal Style: Christmas ... Italian style.
Thanksgiving: Costa will offer a Thanksgiving Day menu on Costa Mediterranea, its only ship sailing from North America over the holiday.
Hanukkah: Costa celebrates Hanukkah onboard its ships by displaying menorahs and offering services.
Christmas: The ships will be exuberantly decorated, and staff members will lead passengers in caroling. Meals will be traditionally Italian, though American fare can also be found on Caribbean itineraries (Costa Atlantica will be there for the Yule) -- a nod to the North Americans. Santa will visit, and each child onboard will be invited to take a photo with him. There will be a midnight mass on Christmas Eve and services on Christmas Day.
An adults-only arts and crafts session will provide an opportunity for last-minute gift making. Teens will have their own arts and crafts session in the Teen Zone. Select bars will feature holiday cocktails, such as the Santa Claus -- a rum, fruit punch and banana cream concoction -- at special pricing. A classical Christmas concert, as well as a crew show presented by the cruise director, are scheduled.
New Year's Eve: Celebrations will be held all day throughout the ship, so passengers can sip Champagne in a lounge or up on deck. Revelers can learn to count in Italian so they can keep up at one of the countdown parties, including a Spanish-Latin-and-Caribbean party, a teens-only party, a swing dancing party and a more traditional New Year's Eve party.
Crystal Cruises
Seasonal Style: Family fun in an elaborate and elegant setting.
Thanksgiving: A traditional five-course feast will be the highlight of the day.
Hanukkah: Hanukkah will be festive with blue, white and silver floral arrangements. There will be a menorah lighting, morning get-togethers with a rabbi and Hanukkah gelt (chocolate coins) for kids of all ages. Special Hanukkah meals will include gefilte fish, kosher chicken, matzo ball soup and latkes (potato pancakes).
Christmas: Each Christmas cruise will be kicked off by a tree-lighting ceremony with the captain, featuring carol singers. Hot chocolate, glogg (mulled wine) and cookies will be served. Decorations planned include trees bedecked with shimmering glass ornaments and jewels, gingerbread houses, and whimsical reindeer wearing pine harnesses. Special seasonal movies will be shown in the ships' theaters and on the in-room televisions. Clergy will be onboard to lead Catholic and Protestant Christmas Eve services.
Christmas Eve will include a teatime dance, a dinner of roast goose with chestnut stuffing, holiday music in the piano bar and an evening holiday musical production. Christmas Day will bring eggnog in the morning, a gala luncheon and a visit from Santa in the afternoon with gifts for youngsters onboard. A traditional Christmas Day dinner -- featuring roast turkey -- will also be served.
New Year's Eve: Both ships will offer passengers a gala dinner, followed by drinks (Champagne), dancing, live music and a midnight countdown. Crystal Symphony's post-dinner soiree, however, will be aboard glass-walled catamarans in Sydney Harbor. The vessels will sail around the Harbor as part of the "Light Parade" flotilla, and then anchor inside the “exclusion zone” for special, VIP viewing of the world's biggest fireworks. On Crystal Serenity, passengers will count down to 2013 with a balloon drop in the atrium. On New Year's Day, celebrations will continue with complimentary Bloody Mary parties and a special brunch with Champagne and mimosas.
Cunard
Seasonal Style: Traditional, classy and British -- with a nod to the Yanks.
Thanksgiving: A turkey dinner will be served.
Hanukkah: Menorahs will be displayed, and rabbis will conduct daily services during Hanukkah (yarmulkes available). A selection of kosher meals will be available, including traditional potato latkes.
Christmas: All three ships will be festooned with greenery, including trees and wreaths, poinsettias, ornaments, nutcrackers, gingerbread cottages and twinkling lights. Father Christmas will visit, of course, and hand out gifts to the kids. All passengers will find a Christmas gift and card in their cabin. There will be special shows in the theater, caroling and pantomime, and a gala Christmas supper with roast turkey and Christmas pudding. Queen Mary 2's Grand Lobby is also featuring periodic “snowing events” whereby special holiday activities are conducted under a light snow fall (simulated, of course). Since Christmas is ostensibly a religious holiday, the ships will offer Catholic and Protestant services.
New Year's Eve: Passengers will have a jolly old time at the black-tie gala with horns, hats, streamers and blowers.
Disney Cruise Line
Seasonal Style: Traditional family celebrations with Disney's magical twists.
Thanksgiving: The ships will be filled with seasonal decorations, and each dining room will provide a Thanksgiving feast. Kids will have the opportunity to make holiday crafts, and characters will wear seasonal costumes. Those interested in football will also be able to catch NFL games on the family pool's jumbo LED screen.
Hanukkah: Services will be held each day. Holiday storytellers will share tales of Hanukkah.
Christmas: A three-deck-tall Christmas tree will be located in the atrium, replete with "snow" flurries and decorations. Throughout the holiday season, there will be afternoon tropical pool parties to celebrate the island way. Families can also get together to do holiday-themed craft projects. On Christmas Eve, storytellers will share tales of diverse holiday traditions. A midnight mass is planned for Christmas Eve and church services for Christmas Day. Santa Goofy and Santa Claus will visit with children on Christmas Day while elves pass out gifts, cookies and milk. All three themed restaurants will feature traditional Christmas feasts on Christmas Day.
Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, will become a tropical winter wonderland -- complete with "snow" and carolers. The island's tram will be transformed into a sleigh. Kids and adults can partake in craft-making activities along the beach, such as designing snowflake mobiles and creating candy-cane reindeer.
New Year's Eve: There will be a shipwide party on New Year's Eve with a countdown to 2013, featuring sparkling wine in commemorative flutes, confetti and balloons.
Holland America Line
Seasonal Style: Generally traditional with exceptions on Mexican Riviera cruises; ships in this area celebrate Las Posadas (the nine days before Christmas) and Ano Nuevo (New Year's).
Thanksgiving: Traditional Thanksgiving supper will be served, and the ships will be decorated with fall and Thanksgiving icons, such as squash, pumpkins and colorful foliage.
Hanukkah: A rabbi will lead a menorah lighting each evening during the holiday.
Christmas: A full range of family activities -- including holiday decoration-making and special movie screenings -- is planned. There will be carolers, a tree-lighting ceremony, eggnog served in the atrium, and special activities in Club HAL. Christmas Eve celebrations will include a special crew show, a Santa's late-night milk-and-cookie snack, and a turndown gift in passenger staterooms. A Christmas brunch is planned and, of course, a visit from Santa for the kids. Clergy will be onboard to hold services.
New Year's Eve: A special gala celebration will be followed by New Year's Day college football; Holland America will arrange to broadcast some of the bowl games.
MSC Cruises
Seasonal Style: Celebrations are a blend of European (Italian) and traditional festivities.
Thanksgiving: MSC offers a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on ships catering to Americans.
Hanukkah: MSC does not observe Hanukkah onboard.
Christmas: The ships will be decorated with traditional ornaments and lights. Mass will be held on Christmas Eve.
New Year's Eve: At 11 p.m., after the special evening show, there will be a disco deck party by the pool, complete with live music. The captain will offer good wishes, and there will be a countdown to 2013, followed by dancing and a magnificent midnight buffet.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Seasonal Style: Traditional.
Thanksgiving: The main dining rooms will serve seasonal favorites. The ship will be dressed in Thanksgiving decorations.
Hanukkah: A rabbi will be onboard to perform services for Hanukkah, and a menorah, lit each evening, will be in a central location on each ship.
Christmas: The ships will be decorated throughout with poinsettias, twinkling lights and other holiday decorations. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, crewmembers are slated to perform in the theater and lead carols throughout the ship. A priest or minister will be onboard each ship to lead services on Christmas Eve; Santa will visit and hand out gifts on Christmas Day.
New Year's Eve: Party time! Meals in the main restaurants will be festive. Passengers will be given hats, noisemakers and streamers for the party, and a captain's countdown from the bridge is planned.
Oceania Cruises
Seasonal Style: Traditional.
Thanksgiving: A traditional Thanksgiving dinner is planned. Select NFL football games will be broadcast onboard, and Marina will also broadcast select college football games.
Hanukkah: Hanukkah activities will include a nightly menorah lighting ceremony. The holiday menu will include potato latkes, matzo ball soup and challah.
Christmas: The ships will be decorated with traditional festive holiday decor. The holiday menu will include roast turkey, goose or ham, traditional trimmings, sweets and eggnog. There will be caroling on Christmas Eve, themed entertainment, special guest performers and a reading of "A Visit from St. Nicholas." Midnight mass on Christmas Eve will be followed by an ecumenical worship service on Christmas Day. Santa will visit Christmas morning with gifts for children onboard.
New Year's Eve: Weather permitting, there will be a New Year's Eve gala held out on deck, as well as parties throughout the ship, to ring in 2012. Passengers will enjoy live music, noisemakers, party hats and Champagne.
Princess Cruises
Seasonal Style: Traditional and well-rounded
Thanksgiving: All ships will feature a typical Thanksgiving feast of roast turkey, stuffing and pie.
Hanukkah: Hanukkah will be celebrated on each of the eight nights with the lighting of the menorah, religious services, traditional songs and special holiday meals that will feature Jewish foods, such as latkes, matzo ball soup and gefilte fish.
Christmas: Christmas Eve will include a special show, caroling, parades and music throughout the ship. There's a midnight mass; Christmas Day brings Santa, eggnog, a special Christmas feast and themed children's activities. Other Christmas celebrations will feature a "gingerbread challenge," a card-making craft activity, a Christmas carol pop star talent show, holiday films and even an onboard reading of "A Visit from St. Nicholas." Ships will be trimmed with festive holiday decor, and cabins will feature virtual traditional Yule logs.
Princess' Christmas revelry will also feature a daily snowfall aboard all December sailings (with the exception of Pacific Princess and Ocean Princess). Innovative snow-making machines will create romantic winter flurries in the atrium, allowing passengers to experience a white Christmas without the need for mittens or a coat!
New Year's Eve: Clackers, hats, streamers and Champagne are all on hand to help the captain count down to 2013. Passengers will enjoy a special New Year's Eve menu. So parents can party, Princess offers free group babysitting for children ages 3 to 12 in the youth centers on New Year's Eve.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Seasonal Style: Traditional.
Thanksgiving: A special Thanksgiving dinner is planned.
Hanukkah: There will be candle lighting services each night of Hanukkah.
Christmas: The ships will be festively decorated for the holiday season, including magnificent gingerbread house displays, and passengers can attend holiday-themed entertainment and delight in a special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner. An interdenominational service is also held on Christmas Eve.
New Year's Eve: A special New Year's dinner is planned. Weather permitting, a New Year's party on deck will include complimentary Champagne.
Royal Caribbean
Seasonal Style: Traditional and vibrant, with special activities for kids.
Thanksgiving: Expect the usual: a special menu with roast turkey and all the fixin's, seasonal decor, Thanksgiving arts and crafts, and family activities and games.
Hanukkah: A rabbi will be onboard for services. Hanukkah will be celebrated with lighting ceremonies, songs, games, food and even a kids' history of Hanukkah.
Christmas: Christmas celebrations will feature holiday music and decorations, as well as screenings of holiday movie classics in the theater, an ice-skating party (on ships that have rinks) and a special Christmas menu. Religious services will be led by an onboard priest. Kids in Adventure Ocean can enjoy a parade of Santa and his elves, Christmas cookie decorating, and a professional face painter or caricaturist.
New Year's Eve: Festive countdown parties for kids and teens are planned, and the children's center will have extended hours. For adults, each lounge will have a New Year's Eve party, complete with party favors and decorations. The captain and cruise director will lead a countdown at midnight.
Seabourn Cruises
Seasonal Style: Traditional.
Thanksgiving: Seabourn will offer a traditional American-style Thanksgiving dinner with roast turkey and all the trimmings.
Hanukkah: A traditional menorah will be on display.
Christmas: Seabourn ships will be decked out for the holidays with a gingerbread "village" (complete with cookies to keep passengers from eating the display), Christmas trees throughout the public areas and evergreen decorations on the railings. A special Christmas performance will showcase holiday music throughout the ages, and a formal dinner will include a holiday feast, paper crowns and Christmas crackers. A Catholic priest will be onboard during these cruises.
New Year's Eve: The gala evening will be made festive with a formal dinner and a holiday ball in the main show lounge.
Silversea Cruises
Seasonal Style: Traditional with an old-fashioned flair.
Thanksgiving: Expect a traditional meal of roast turkey and typical fall decor.
Hanukkah: A rabbi will be onboard during Hanukkah to lead services and light the menorah.
Christmas: Not only will the ships be decorated for the season, but the cruise line's master chefs get into the act as well. Cheery and whimsical gingerbread cottages, chocolate creations and cookies will add to the decor, along with the traditional greenery and ornaments. Christmas services will be led by onboard clergy.
During the season, eggnog, mulled wine and hot chocolate will be available. Both passengers and crew will participate in caroling. There will also be a special holiday offering in the show lounge and a visit from Santa Claus for all onboard.
New Year's Eve: Complimentary Champagne, streamers, party hats and noisemakers will all be on hand for the gala New Year's Eve celebrations, which are scheduled to start early with a pre-dinner performance in the show lounge and continue with dinner and dancing in the main restaurant. Live music, gifts and surprises will continue until the countdown to 2013.
Windstar Cruises
Seasonal Style: Traditional, though low-key.
Thanksgiving: Windstar will offer a special Thanksgiving menu. Culinary delights are to include pumpkin soup; Tom turkey with chestnut-cornbread stuffing and native cranberry-orange relish; and American apple pie with toasted pecan ice cream, a crab apple coulis and caramel.
Hanukkah: A menorah will be on display.
Christmas: Each Windstar ship will be decorated with beautiful holiday decorations including trees, wreaths, garlands, lights and gingerbread house in the reception area. The crew also puts on a caroling show. The ships' executive chefs will go all out with a special holiday menu, featuring foie gras, roasted butternut squash soup and traditional roast turkey with gravy, cranberry sauce, apple-pecan stuffing and whipped sweet potatoes.
New Year's Eve: Windstar will serve up caviar and Champagne on New Year's Eve. A special New Year's Eve dinner will also be served. It is tradition on Windstar ships for the oldest crewmember to ring out the old year and the youngest to ring in the new. Passengers will be able to partake in a festive New Year's Eve party, complete with party favors, live music, an official countdown by the captain and a Champagne toast.
Of the four major holidays -- Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's -- Christmas garners the most attention.
Seasonal Style: Traditional.
Seasonal Style: Generally traditional with exceptions on Mexican Riviera cruises; ships in this area celebrate Las Posadas (the nine days before Christmas) and Ano Nuevo (New Year's).
Seasonal Style: Traditional and well-rounded
