This will be my first holiday cruise and i will be traveling alone. I dont have any family and find this time if year rather painful. What will christmas eve be like onboard? I am not afraid of socializing but wonder how others, particularly families view older solo cruisers during the holidays?
Christmas day the ship will be in Melbourne and i have already paid for a tour but worry much will be closed. Is there likely to be special meals? A church service? How about New Years Eve?
Hi AlkiRagdoll,
My family (my husband and I and my parents) has done a couple of Christmas/New Years cruises -- we like them precisely because they diminish the stress of the holidays: no gifts to exchange, no family drama, no elaborate meals to prepare, no house to clean. We do often note that Christmas doesn't feel like *Christmas* probably because we're not at home doing the traditional family celebration (although the cruise lines do try to make a special meal and to decorate). But it works for our family because we don't have any children, so we aren't looking for a traditional Christmas at this stage of our lives. If you are looking to escape/ignore Christmas, a cruise is, a smart choice (not to say that people won't be celebrating but you can pick and choose what you want to do and ignore it if you want to). There will probably be a lot of people in the same boat that you'll find people to socialize with.
Most cruise lines do have a church service (Protestant and Catholic) on either Christmas eve and Christmas day. They usually have a pretty good showing but most people won't attend (especially if you are docked, people will want to get out and explore).
News Years Eve on the other hand is always fun! The ships go all out with decorations and celebrations. By that point of the journey you will have met a number of people through tours and other activities. Last holiday cruise we were on we ended up ringing in the New Year with people we met our very first night at the cruise critics connections event (be sure to register for it!). I think you'll have a great time.
Xmas & NYE cruise questions
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Hi AlkiRagdoll,
My family (my husband and I and my parents) has done a couple of Christmas/New Years cruises -- we like them precisely because they diminish the stress of the holidays: no gifts to exchange, no family drama, no elaborate meals to prepare, no house to clean. We do often note that Christmas doesn't feel like *Christmas* probably because we're not at home doing the traditional family celebration (although the cruise lines do try to make a special meal and to decorate). But it works for our family because we don't have any children, so we aren't looking for a traditional Christmas at this stage of our lives. If you are looking to escape/ignore Christmas, a cruise is, a smart choice (not to say that people won't be celebrating but you can pick and choose what you want to do and ignore it if you want to). There will probably be a lot of people in the same boat that you'll find people to socialize with.
Most cruise lines do have a church service (Protestant and Catholic) on either Christmas eve and Christmas day. They usually have a pretty good showing but most people won't attend (especially if you are docked, people will want to get out and explore).
News Years Eve on the other hand is always fun! The ships go all out with decorations and celebrations. By that point of the journey you will have met a number of people through tours and other activities. Last holiday cruise we were on we ended up ringing in the New Year with people we met our very first night at the cruise critics connections event (be sure to register for it!). I think you'll have a great time.
Hope that helps!
R2bK