Thanksgiving on the Sea- pros & cons please

[ladybug57]

Found a great thread on what Christmas is like on the sea but would love to know about Thanksgiving. Is it celebrated on board? Would we get our turkey & dressing :o) Looking to spend T-day 2011.

[jpg1747]

You get pretty much the same turkey selection you get every week. They change up the menu a bit on Thanksgiving day (it's different from the standard menu), but otherwise not much is done.

 

There are more families, and therefore more children, on board this week than in weeks before or after, but I don't notice them much. Carnival does a good job of keeping them occupied.

[texas greeneyes]

I have done one cruise Thanksgiving week, on Conquest.

 

For me, these were cons: On the holiday itself I especially missed my family members who did not cruise with us. I also missed our own homemade traditional Thanksgiving dinner more than I expected (didn't care for Carnival's turkey at all)...and I am the one who does all the cooking for our very large extended family! And of course the inflated price tag I could have done without.

For me these were pros: Christmas decorations were already displayed around the ship. Understated and very elegant, and they made nice backdrops for photos. And more pax with children seemed to dress up for Formal Night (which was also Thanksgiving night). I adore seeing the little ones all "gussied up" as my Grandma used to say!

 

Patty in Houston

[Webecruzen]

Our first Thanksgiving cruise I felt that I should be cooking. The following year at home shopping, cooking, cleaning for days and dinner was done in an hour. The next year back on the seas and turkey Carnival style with 12 other family members. I enjoy the Pumpkin soup, the turkey dinner, and the pumpkin mouse for desert. I really enjoy not being in the kitchen all day. I now prepare Thanksgiving dinner for Christmas. This year we will be on the Miracle for Thanksgiving can't wait!

[RatherBFishin]

Pros:

 

No Cooking.

No Family.

No Kids.

You're on a cruise.

 

Cons:

 

None that I can think of.

[okwriter]

The disadvantage that comes to my mind is price.

We're booked for December 12 on the Legend.

Prices are considerably less that week than they are during Thanksgiving or Christmas.

[ladybug57]

Great replies! Thanks everyone, I appreciate your input.

[CMM]

Found a great thread on what Christmas is like on the sea but would love to know about Thanksgiving. Is it celebrated on board? Would we get our turkey & dressing :o) Looking to spend T-day 2011.

 

Pro's

- Kids don't miss as much school.

 

-It is nice to cruise tropical when it isn't warm back home (verses summer with our kids)

 

-Personally would rather miss out on some of Thanksgiving celebrations than Christmas. Christmas is too important in our house. Plus Easter/Christmas we like to attend worship service, which Carnival does not have/won't guarantee. Thanksgiving can be celebrated privately easier.

 

Cons

- You feel like you skipped Thanksgiving. You come home and it is already Christmas Season and it is hard to get in the swing of things. Suggestion have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner/celebration early before you cruise

 

- Carnivals Turkey dinner is gourmet not traditional. No mashed pot., gravy, pumpkin or apple pie. Still it was turkey with filling and the mdr is always good. Cruised Celebrity and experienced the same.

 

-Tons of kids and extended family groups. Not a problem for us as we were cruising as a family

 

-We had a bummer of a day in Belize for Thanksgiving too.

 

Thanksgiving greeting with announcements, photographers dressed like pilgrims when at port on Thanksgiving, turkey option at dinner, but otherwise a normal day.

 

Our Thanksgiving 2009 Legend Family Cruise Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1098358

[dan40]

Some of the meals will be turkeys!!!:p

[AngelKappie]

We are SOOOOOOO looking forward to cruising Thanksgiving week!;) If you actually book way in advance you will get great price!!!!!! We actually were booked on the Carnival Dream for Thanksgiving, but switched over to the Miracle becaue of the new itinerary they have out now! We booked over a year from Thanksgiving and got a great price I thought!

 

Pros:

Don't have to cook for Thanksgiving

Kids do not miss much school

You have less days you have to take off of work

 

Cons:

You will not be with your family unless they cruising with you!

More families on board! BUT nice for us we are family still!

A little more expensive

Watch your airfare, get it as early as you can at good price the closer you get to Thanksgiving the higher it will be! This is the most popular time for people to fly!

 

 

SOOOOOOO MUCH looking forward to this! I know I said that already!!! :p

[onthehighseas606]

No cooking, cleaning, and you get the same food - turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie. No leftovers, no doing dishes and pots and pans. We might go to Las Vegas this year for Thanksgiving since we are going on a cruise in October. Thanksgiving is a nice time of year to cruise.

[yesterdaystime]

We cruised this past Thanksgiving on the Freedom. Great cruise, hovever, as the ship was scheduled for "dry dock" at the completion of the cruise, the mood was not festive, and decorations, non existent. Once again, any day on the water is a great day!

 

The traditional Thanksgiving dinner was served, as always, it was good!

 

In my opinion, there are no drawbacks to spending Thanksgiving on the ship. The only drawback, if any, (and this goes for All cruises) is having to suffer through "Cruise Withdrawal"! Of course, there is only One cure - Another Cruise!!!!!!

[CWcruisers]

This will be my third year in a row cruising the Spirit for Thanksgiving.

 

Enough said!;)

[tiger belle]

I loved our Thanksgiving week cruise in 2008 on Glory...it was a different and special way to spend Thanksgiving...I was with some of my family members, and there were lots of extended families on board--I liked that! :)

 

most of the pros have been posted already, including the festive atmosphere with holiday decorations already up...we booked fairly well in advance, so price wasn't that big of a con...turkey was served, although it was not the traditional American Thanksgiving fare--that is what made it unusual and special

 

I really wouldn't mind spending every Thanksgiving on a cruise :cool: ...it's a possibility I'll spend the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday on board

[srm54]

Have not cruised Carnival but was on HAL cruise to Hawaii during Thanksgiving 2008. Really enjoyed it as the ship was decorated for Christmas. However, based on that experience I would not count on the "traditional" Thanksgiving dinner. If I were to do it again I would plan a Thanksgiving dinner before or after the cruise so I could have my traditional dinner. Also, we were docked in Hilo Hawaii and found many of the attractions closed for the holidays. But the pros far outweighted the cons and I would definitely do it again.

[Cristen817]

I have done two Thanksgiving cruises and absolutely loved them. Everyday the staff would put up a couple of Christmas decorations throughout the ship and by the end of the cruise the ship was fully decorated. This became a game between my kids and I to see if we could locate the new decorations.

 

Also, in the MDR they had the usual dining room food but with an option for turkey, dressing, etc... The staff also did a baked alaskian display. It was nice to be served on Thanksgiving rather than me serving everyone else. The only negative was that my husband had a hard time getting the CD to put on the Cowboys game!!

[ladybug57]

Thank you all so much! You've provided me with much to ponder & your input was much appreciated. What a great bunch of people!!!