Christmas Cruising?

[Westiefan]

We are considering going on a Baja Mexico cruise over Christmas and am wondering what it is like, how it might be different than other cruises, and when the best time to get the best price might be. I am looking for all you experts to help us out! :)

[Gunner22aa]

If you are talking about actually being on board for the Christmas New Years wekk or even a bit of each you can expect:

 

The cruise will cost you more as this is a peak time. Two weeks later in January and the same cruise will cost less, maybe even like half the price in some cases.

 

The ship will be decorated to reflect the season and there will be some traditional Christmas meals served.

 

Up to 25% of the passengers will be children as many families can only get away during school holidays

 

The ship will be full to the rafters. Ships have two capacities. The first is based on an average of two per room. Lets say it is 2400 for a given ship. The other is maximum capacity and that is when all the pull out couches and drop down single beds are in use and many cabins have more than two people in them. This could easily approach 3000 on the same ship or over 20% more. Holiday cruises sail much closer to max capacity because of families staying in one room

 

The sailing may sell out faster than the average cruise because it is a holiday period. Moral of this story is book early if this is when you want to go.

 

If you have to fly to the port expect airfares to be at a peak as well. Again holidays equate to higher travel costs. Again book flights early to get the routing you want and avoid not getting a seat at all. If you live in a northern climate fly in at least a day early to give yourself some bad weather room. Book a hotel early as well.

 

For all of the above reasons less the decorations and food we choose to never sail during a traditional holiday period.

Edited February 21, 2014 by Gunner22aa
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[nissach]

I agree with everything in the above post. It will cost you more, but you have the option of booking an interior room vs. a balcony to save money.

 

This is the only time of year that we can travel(along with spring break) due to me being a teacher. So we book early; we are already booked for our Christmas cruise this year, this way we have months to save up and pay for it.

 

The ships look amazing over the holidays and yes they are FULL!!

 

We value our holidays away to warm tropical places, so don't mind travelling during peak season. We just try to save by deciding on which type room we should book based on price and keep our eyes on flights to try to get the best price.