Holiday Family Cruise

[ESR24]

I have been put in charge of organizing a family cruise for Christmas 07. I have never cruised (my first one will be April 07) and so I'm finding this a little difficult to plan.

 

We would be a small group of 4 rooms. If we all book together can we get our cabins in similar areas of the ship? Also are there any special activities that happen on cruises that include Christmas on board?

 

Thanks for your help!

[bld16]

Yes, you can get cabins right next to each other if you choose. The earlier you book, the easier this will be. Also, the pricing should be less the further out you book. I booked a family cruise with 5 cabins, 2 are connecting for the "tweens", an extra bathroom for all those girls. Many others here could help you out more, but I use a TA, I am just more comfortable with that. They can link your reservations together helping with dining, etc. Remember that Christmas and NY weeks are more expensive than the week before.

 

Have a great time- I know our family plans to on their pre-Christmas curise this year!:)

[Arubalisa]

Sorry this is so long, as you can tell, I am a little passionate about Christmas. Hope something helps.

 

We would be a small group of 4 rooms. If we all book together can we get our cabins in similar areas of the ship?

This will depend on the ship and of course the category cabin. Our family has sailed over Christmas for the past 3 years, with this year making #4.

 

Year #1 cabins were together and then upgraded to mini-suites on the Grandeur of the Sea (dh and I went to NJ that Christmas- we won't be making that mistake again) so only two cabins.

Year #2 cabins were booked late August and we had 4 cabins together on the Zaandam.

Year #3, 2 cabins were booked on the Galaxy and then paid to upgrade to suites in September and were able to get 2 suites together

Year #4, 4 cabins were booked on the Galaxy at the beginning of April and couldn't get anything remotely close to one another. Beginning of September as the cruise was nearing final payment, many cabins became available we now have 2 pairs of cabins each together separated by 2 cabins between the 2 pairs. We can live with that considering how we started out.

 

What this all comes down to is which ship you choose. It is a very tough job, been there done that, planning such a cruise for a family. If you find a ship without the cabins available that you want, everyone will have to agree what is the priority for them-- that ship/itinerary (itinerary was our sole reason for booking the Galaxy two years in a row- grandma pays and felt this was the most enriching experience for the kids :) ) OR the proximity of cabins to one another. Depending on ages and temperament of kids, some families choose to book a combo of outside/balcony cabins with additional cabins across the hallway for the children/teens. This can save $$$.

 

Some good articles to check out:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles/articles.cfm?ID=56 What to Expect: Holiday Cruising

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles/articles.cfm?ID=228 Holidays on the High Seas

http://www.cruisecritic.com/cruisestyles/articles.cfm?ID=234 Season's Eatings: Holiday Meals Onboard

Also are there any special activities that happen on cruises that include Christmas on board?

Again each ship/cruise line is unique.

 

Christmas on the Grandeur of the Seas the women in the family were moved to tears by the beauty and amount of decorations aboard the ship. If photos tell a 1000 words.

 

The Zaandam in their opinion was very lacking in comparison. Just no oomph! I didn't have anything to compare it to and thought it was pretty nice. It was pretty exciting shortly after embarkation, to encounter strolling carolers. Unfortunately this was the one and only occasion where we saw this. OTH, Christmas music was heard poolside the entire 10 nights of the cruise. Didn't bother me, but began to annoy some as the days went on.

 

Each cabin door had a small wreath, there were Gingerbread houses at the entrance to the dining room, and a few Christmas trees here and there. There were fresh flowers in Christmas displays, including the cabins and dining room. HAL is famous for their Crew Show, ours was on Christmas Eve with a compilation of Christmas greetings from around the world. Religious services were also provided.

 

I also thought Holland America was first class in serving Egg Nog Christmas morning to those waiting in the Mondrian Lounge for Santa. Following an old fashioned "sing-a-long”, we watched via two large screens, Santa's trek from arrival at the top of the ship's stack, down the ladder onto the sports deck and then various stops such as the spa, weight room and Lido prior to his "live" entrance to the Lounge. Kid's sat on Santa's lap and received a wrapped gift, a "Club HAL" baseball cap, and had their picture taken with Santa by the ship's photographer. This made another nice cruise keepsake for only the price of the photo from the photo gallery. There was probably a cabin gift, don't remember what it was. Chocolate Santa’s were put out on display at the Lido Buffet on the 27th of December, the day after the Chocolate Extravaganza on the 26th. Never figured out that one!

 

On the Galaxy, there was just not much of Christmas anything decoration wise. There were some Christmas trees spread out around the ship, a poinsettia here and there. The Grand Foyer had some decorations, but it was almost like you had to go out and look for it. Definitely not the extent of decorations we had experienced on the Zaandam or my family had on the Grandeur of the Seas in 2003. Each cabin received a wooden teak "like" box with a compass as a gift and chocolates.

 

The Galaxy on Christmas Eve offered a Family Holiday Show and separate Protestant and Catholic midnight masses. There was also a Rabbi for Channuka services. Another thing we enjoyed for its beauty (with late seating dinner who could eat a morsel) was the Midnight "Tree Trimmer" Buffet on Christmas Eve. One of the most beautiful buffets I have ever seen. Le Grand Buffet also featured a Christmas theme and was also gorgeous to look at.

 

The ship did have what I guess you would call, typical cruiseline things for the kids on Christmas Day. Announcements were made Christmas morning regarding the anticipated arrival of a special visitor. Santa arrived on the Sun Deck and led a parade of cruisers down to the Celebrity Theater. Each child sat on Santa's lap for the obligatory photo and received a very nice polar fleece blanket with the Club X (kids club) insignia. Again, picture taken with santa by ship's photographer.

 

The movie theater that day offered "White Christmas" and "A Christmas Story"- just wish they served popcorn like HAL does...:D

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day on both HAL and Celebrity featured special dinner menus. These are along the lines of what you would expect on a formal night, lobster tail, chateaubriand, etc. Also traditional items like Plum Pudding and Roast Turkey. HAL did petit fours along with dessert and Celebrity offered mini-eclairs and such as well as Christmas cookies. Never a shortage of Christmas cookies on either ship.

[wrp96]

One thing. Since you want to try and get rooms together, don't wait to book. Christmas 2007 may be 15 months from now, but I know some cruises at that time are already close to full (or sold out already) since it is an especially popular time to cruise.