Christmas and New Year Cruise

[fudge]

Hi Everyone,

We have just booked a Christmas New Year cruise Barbados to Barbados, we have sailed with Seabourn before, is this cruise any different to all other cruises please? Always wanted to do a Christmas New Year cruise.

[Isklaar]

I've been on SB most Christmases for the last few years. This is my opinion only, I'm sure others will have a different take. Overall i don't find the cruise to be much different than any other time of year.

 

There are usually a lot more kids on the Christmas cruise.

The atmosphere onboard - in the Caribbean especially - is generally a little bit more lively.

SB decorates the ship beautifully. it's not over the top, usually quite elegant. 

There's a party including countdown on NYE, usually held on deck but in the grand salon if it's rainy. 

A couple of formal dinners.

A gift in your suite on Christmas Eve night and some extra sweeties or chocs.

A Christmas themed show in the theatre on Christmas Eve.

Depending on number of kids onboard, Santa and his elves romp through the ship for a while after breakfast on Christmas Day giving the kids a gift. 

 

Honestly I'm trying to think what else is different...I saw some SB promotional blurb about their holiday cruises on a brochure last week and it seemed to be not quite an accurate description. Unless they're planning to change things up this year?

Anyway, we're not big Christmas people but we keep going back to SB to spend our precious time off work over the Christmas period, so clearly they're doing something right!

 

[fudge]

Hi,

Thank you for your reply, very informative. 

Unfortunately we are not into kids however, we are very much looking forward to the cruise.

[raphael360]

Hi fudge,

We will be on this same cruise but are getting on in St. Marten on the 14th.  We did the holiday Panama Canal cruise a few years ago and I would agree with Isklaar's comments.  Christmas is low key but the ship is festively decorated for Christmas.  The ship's various departments all put up a themed Christmas tree in Seabourn Square on Christmas morning.  I most enjoyed the Christmas tree from the maintenance department.

 

New Year's eve is a fantastic 'rock the boat party' around the pool.  In our case this year, we are docked overnight on New Years Eve so no rough seas to contend with.  This was our best rock the boat party ever as every entertainer on the ship was "mic'd" and all singing together.

 

I'm not a big Christmas person either but did enjoy the holiday atmosphere.  Regarding kids, there weren't any on our last holiday cruise.  It there were, they were entertainers' children and we never saw them.  It's not a Disney cruise for sure.  See you on board!

[fudge]

Thank you for your replies, really excited about this cruise now.

Has anyone used the fast track service at Barbados airport please? We land at 6pm so should have enough time to get to the ship but we have been there before and the queues at customs can be very busy. 

[raphael360]

I would absolutely use fast track any time its available in the Caribbean. I would also consider arranging airport to ship transportation through SB.  This private car service saved my butt when I flew into St. Martin this year and Our flight was 5 hours late. SB waited for us but I had chewed my finger nails down to my finger tips. 

[Isklaar]

3 hours ago, fudge said:

Hi,

Thank you for your reply, very informative. 

Unfortunately we are not into kids however, we are very much looking forward to the cruise.

 

We're not into them either. The only time I've found them horribly intrusive was last year on Ovation. Spoilt our time around the pool on deck 5. . We find we can usually track down a quiet-ish spot though. 

Edited July 22, 2019 by Isklaar

[CLOU]

Pulled up this thread because we are about to book a Christmas and New Year's cruise for this year.  We don't observe Christmas, but we certainly have no problem with being around others who are enjoying the festivities.  We also have never been on a Seabourn cruise with more than a few children.  I was a little concerned but this thread makes me feel that the presence of children will not be too intrusive.  I was wondering if anyone on a current cruise or perhaps just returning in the next few days can add anything new.

[auldlassie]

Hi Clou,

currently on Soujourn and there are only 2 or perhaps 3 children on the ship. No intrusive issues whatsoever any time I have been at the pool or in any public areas. It’s all good 🙂 

 

[cruiseej]

I concur with @auldlassie. On the Sojourn holiday cruise we just left yesterday, there were just two pre-teen children, I believe, and a handful of mid-to-late teenagers, all of whom were well behaved and completely non-intrusive.

 

I'd also note, because I've seen it mentioned in some threads with regard to Caribbean itineraries, that the passengers were not skewed young, and there was no "party boat vibe". (Perhaps that's because this was a 14-day trip, not a 7-day.)

 

In short, it felt exactly the way we'd expect a Seabourn cruise to feel, passenger-wise, with no differences due to it being over the holidays. 😀

 

 

[labates629]

The Odyssey holiday cruise (pertaining to children) was a little different to the Sojourn experience it seems.   There were a handful of teenagers on board who were perfectly well behaved/dressed appropriately at all times and not a bother at all. 

 

However, there were a few children approximately 10 or under, which did impact our experience somewhat.  There were 2 boys (1 family) probably around 8 and 10 or 9 and 11,  and the mother allowed them to jump repeatedly into the pool, throwing a ball for them to catch, creating noise and splashing anyone in the vicinity.  Not just in the main pool either, the parents also allowed/encouraged this game in the rear pool on deck 5.  They weren't doing anything 'wrong' -  just being kids, but it is amazing to me how the parents don't pick up on the general vibe of the other passengers/ambiance, especially on deck 5.   We also had another little boy on board  (around 4 or 5 years old) who was generally delightful, but still sometimes noisy in the pool as you would expect, especially when the other boys were there at the same time.    Also there was a baby of around 12 - 15 mths, who was allowed to stand on bar stools at the patio bar/sit on the bar during dinner times (impacting passengers eating at E&O), and also run in front of the deck stage during performances (i.e during classical sail away).  I also heard him banging his cutlery in the restaurant repeatedly.   We did manage to avoid the children for the most part (by moving away from deck 5/sitting in a different restaurant section etc.) so it wasn't a huge issue for us and of course it is to be expected during a holiday cruise, we knew that going in.    

 

I really wish Seabourn would restrict to adults only, or even 12 and older.   I just don't understand why parents want to bring younger kids on a cruise line that really does not cater to them.   I understand that some parents do not wish to sail on mainstream lines just because they  have children, but they really should consider the impact children inevitably have on the experience of other passengers.

 

[wripro]

Parents who bring kids that young on to Seabourn do it for one reason only....they are more interested in their own needs than those of their kids. That's why they selfishly allow the kids to misbehave without any reprimand or curtailment.

[scamper]

It's sometimes remarkable to me who the actual "parents" are in public places. It's very often not the adults.

[florisdekort]

On 1/7/2020 at 4:24 AM, wripro said:

Parents who bring kids that young on to Seabourn do it for one reason only....they are more interested in their own needs than those of their kids. That's why they selfishly allow the kids to misbehave without any reprimand or curtailment.

That’s quite frankly offensive to parents like us who do travel with their young children. And no, we don’t take them to The Restaurant  (they go to bed at 7 pm) nor to the pool area, except occasionally to the Patio at lunch time. We always do our absolute utmost to make sure our children don’t adversely impact the other guests’ cruise experience.

 

Floris 

Edited January 9, 2020 by florisdekort

[Isklaar]

On 1/1/2020 at 5:44 PM, CLOU said:

Pulled up this thread because we are about to book a Christmas and New Year's cruise for this year.  We don't observe Christmas, but we certainly have no problem with being around others who are enjoying the festivities.  We also have never been on a Seabourn cruise with more than a few children.  I was a little concerned but this thread makes me feel that the presence of children will not be too intrusive.  I was wondering if anyone on a current cruise or perhaps just returning in the next few days can add anything new.

Just back from a cruise on Sojourn which covered the Christmas and New Year period.
We had fewer kids on the ship than any previous holiday cruise. Just one, maybe two,  under 10 years old and a few teens. All were well behaved and there was no negative impact on our cruise at all. 

In previous years there have been more kids, this time was unusual in our experience.

[2seabournsailors]

24 kids on Ovation. Lots of running and jumping in and around the pool. Sitting at the Bar. Wouldn't do this cruise again. Many complaints but nothing changed. Heard lots from people who were unlucky enough to have rooms "next" to where kids were.

[Isklaar]

1 hour ago, 2seabournsailors said:

24 kids on Ovation. Lots of running and jumping in and around the pool. Sitting at the Bar. Wouldn't do this cruise again. Many complaints but nothing changed. Heard lots from people who were unlucky enough to have rooms "next" to where kids were.

 

Heard this from our friends who were on Ovation. We were on the same holiday cruise in 2018, also problematic. 

[Flamin_June]

10 hours ago, florisdekort said:

That’s quite frankly offensive to parents like us who do travel with their young children. And no, we don’t take them to The Restaurant  (they go to bed at 7 pm) nor to the pool area, except occasionally to the Patio at lunch time. We always do our absolute utmost to make sure our children don’t adversely impact the other guests’ cruise experience.

 

Floris 

It is good to learn that you take an exemplary approach to the behaviour of your children and in your consideration for other passengers. Unfortunately many passengers with children do not, as the posts from 2seabournsailors and Isklaar show.

I think Wripro's scorn was directed at the many described in those posts above,  not the few, like yourselves who are thoughtful, considerate, socially aware, and are instilling those same qualities in your children.

We too have been on cruises/hotel stays with children and teenagers present and have seen wonderfully well-behaved children, as well as woefully spoilt and uncontrolable brats (I'm afraid there is no other word), allowed to run rampant. Unfortunately it is the latter group that appears to be in the ascendency these days.

Like many other Seabourn customers , we are done with bringing up children, and don't find the current crop intellectually stimulating nor particularly endearing, so we try to plan our cruising at times when the little darlings should be in school, and we avoid like the plague any hotel that claims to be family friendly or has children's clubs or facilities.

Edited January 9, 2020 by Flamin_June