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Affordable Christmas Cruise?

cask2393

By cask2393,
in First Time Cruisers

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cask2393

cask2393

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Hi all! I am in the process of planning a December 2014 cruise as a family Christmas present. My mother(48) has been on 3 cruises with her bf and this will be mine(20), and my 3 brothers(18, 14, and 13) first cruise. We are looking at possibly doing a Carnival cruise. I personally would love to do a Christmas cruise, but from what I have seen, the prices double at Christmas time and it makes it less of a possibility for our family of 5. We are looking at a 4-5 day cruise. Is it possible to do an affordable Christmas cruise without spending a fortune. Also is a Christmas cruise even worth it?

 

 

Thanks :)

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kcwingwalker

kcwingwalker

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I've done a family Christmas cruise and it was great fun.

 

Fares for holidays are higher and fill up quickly. Many people book holiday cruises several months in advance. The earlier you book the cheaper the fare will be and you'll be getting the cruise you want.

 

At this point all you can do is watch the fares and hopefully you will find something that fits your budget.

 

Good Luck and Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Edited by kcwingwalker
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spookwife

spookwife

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the week before will be much less expensive.

 

we did a cruise( Royal) over Xmas and I will never do one again.. just way too many people, especially kids. great of you want a multigenerational get together, not so great if you want to relax.

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panoramaofthepast

panoramaofthepast

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the week before will be much less expensive.

 

we did a cruise( Royal) over Xmas and I will never do one again.. just way too many people, especially kids. great of you want a multigenerational get together, not so great if you want to relax.

If you can go after the first of the year [Jan. 2 or 3rd] prices should drop $200-300 a person. Wrap up the tickets and give them to her for Christmas - and go after the first of the year!

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cask2393

cask2393

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If you can go after the first of the year [Jan. 2 or 3rd] prices should drop $200-300 a person. Wrap up the tickets and give them to her for Christmas - and go after the first of the year!

 

Thanks! We thought of going in January, but we are not sure if we can work that with the younger boys school schedule, as they normally go back a day or two after New Years and they don't want to miss school. I will definitely look at it though. Thanks!

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Sauer-kraut

Sauer-kraut

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Carnival and Norwegian are very family oriented. The newer ships on both lines have water slides and other fun things on board. The younger of your siblings will probably enjoy the kids club offerings as well.

 

First decide on price and destination, then worry about which ship. Have a great first cruise and have fun with all the planning! :D

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JimAOk1945

JimAOk1945

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We have sailed over Christmas week on Carnival and Royal Caribbean. We find the experience is very enjoyable on both with RC being a better choice for us.

 

The price is lower if you book a cruise the week before Christmas.

 

Happy cruising!

Edited by JimAOk1945
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wallie5446

wallie5446

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RCCL would be 1st choice for a first cruise, but! Princess has returned to the port of Houston for the winter and has some very good pricing right now.

We have sailed during Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas and both were very good cruises.

Edited by wallie5446
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cruiserking

cruiserking

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The week before Christmas as you have discovered features some great discounts plus you will still experience of the trimmings, trees, wreaths, lights and holiday splendor.

 

I would look at Princess, Royal Caribbean Line and Celebrity especially the newer Solstice Class Celebrity ships. Also, try and book a 7-day cruise the short cruise go much to quickly and often attract a different crowd than the longer cruises.

 

Jonathan

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zoncom

zoncom

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Ships are decorated for Holidays after Thanksgiving.A Christmas week cruise can be crowded and rather hectic. Look up pricing on discount cruise only agencies on line. Looks like Dec 15 is cutoff for DEALS. All the following are Inside cabins 5 nighters from Ft Lauderdale. Dec 9/CCL Freedom $192. Dec 14 Liberty Seas$280. Celebrity Constellation $272. CCL Victory$219. Those first 10-14 days of Dec. are lowest priced of year, with good weather too, not crowded. Check out the ships on Member Reviews on this site.There will be service charges and taxes added to these prices.Too cold to cruise out of NY.It will be snowing.

Edited by zoncom
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Gunner22aa

Gunner22aa

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While you will actually miss Christmas Day and New Years I strongly recommend a week or two prior to Christmas or the same after New Years. The holiday period is a zoo and the ship will be filled to overflowing with famalies. Before or after the holidays will be much quieter and a lot cheaper.

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iheartbda

iheartbda

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While you will actually miss Christmas Day and New Years I strongly recommend a week or two prior to Christmas or the same after New Years. The holiday period is a zoo and the ship will be filled to overflowing with famalies. Before or after the holidays will be much quieter and a lot cheaper.

Great advice since I went on the Crown Princess two weeks before Christmas and it was dirt cheap. Ended up getting upgraded to a balcony and we paid only $486.88 pp.! Even with air fare, and pre/post hotels, it was still a bargain. However, the OP has children and not everyone is willing to take them out of school, especially when they will be off later for the holidays.

Edited by iheartbda
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cask2393

cask2393

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It would help a tad if we knew which port you are thinking about departing from, in making helpful comments.:)

 

We are thinking New Orleans or Galveston, as we do not want to fly. I am also trying to suggest Houston, we are from Missouri.

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mitsugirly Great Review Rare

mitsugirly

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We have sailed twice the week before Christmas, and will be doing it again next month. We have found the prices to be excellent at the time we booked them and very affordable!! (You can look for specials that the cruise lines run, like NCL has a "Kids Sail Free" special every so often and we have used it every time for our cruise). :)

 

It's beautiful sailing at Christmas. They will have all the decorations up and trees everywhere (even in some ports if you are in the Caribbean) :D

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sublarry

sublarry

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I have been looking for one of these too. My wife's work is closed the week of 4th of July and the week of Christmas. I have found these are probably the two most expensive times to cruise. I keep hoping to see some cheap deals for 2014 but so far no luck.

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bluehenfan01

bluehenfan01

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Thanks for the input guys :) I have been looking at one of the cruises that is the week before and we like the price and date. Which cruise lines do you all recommend?

 

I'm a Carnival guy! Have never had an issue with them. I also did 1 cruise with Princess. I took my dad on that for his first time and he loved it! Remember, a cruise is what you make of it. Have a great time! :)

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