Ding dong merrily on sea: the Christmas season is just around the corner and there’s no better way to ring in the new year than sailing on a festive cruise. We’ve found the best of the bunch whether you want to soak up some winter sun in Barbados or glide to the coolest corners of Norway.
This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue
1. Caribbean Christmas
Bask in the Caribbean sunshine as you celebrate the festive season on Oceania’s newest ship, the sleek Vista. Even though it’s sailing in the tropics, the ship will be decked out with lights, garlands, Christmas trees and gingerbread villages. Expect carol singing and a visit from Santa too. You’ll sail from Miami on a 12-night voyage to St Barts, Dominica, Barbados and Grenada. Christmas Day is in St Lucia, with further calls at Antigua, San Juan in Puerto Rico and the private Bahamian island, Great Stirrup Cay.
Details Twelve nights’ full board from £4,939pp, including drinks with meals, shore excursion credit, wi-fi, all dining and flights, departing on December 18 (oceaniacruises.com)
2. Amsterdam to Budapest
You’ll sail right across Europe on this 14-night Christmas cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest, the luxurious Scenic Opal as your floating home. The cruise departs Amsterdam on December 21 after an overnight stay, with Cologne and Koblenz the first two stops, so you’ll be able to enjoy mulled wine and sizzling sausages at the Christmas markets, which will still be in full swing. There’s a chance to attend Christmas Mass in pretty Rüdesheim, with Christmas Day spent sailing through (hopefully) romantic, snowy scenery. You’ll be in Vienna, famed for its traditional New Year’s Day concert, on January 1 before continuing to Budapest for an overnight.
Details Fourteen nights’ all-inclusive from £6,615pp, including drinks, wi-fi and all excursions, departing on December 20 (scenic.co.uk). Fly or take the train to Amsterdam
3. Arctic escapade
There’s arguably no more romantic setting for Christmas than around the Arctic, for husky driving, reindeer sledding and watching the northern lights ripple across the sky. In December the sun barely rises, bathing the snowy landscape in a soft blue light. Havila Voyages sails the classic route along Norway’s west coast, from Bergen to Kirkenes and back, calling at 34 ports, some just fishing villages, along the way. Enjoy Christmas Norwegian-style on board, with dishes including lutefisk (a dried white fish), pork chops and lamb ribs and traditional morr sausages. There’s also plenty of mulled wine, cakes and even a Norwegian Christmas porridge to sample.
Details Eleven nights’ full board from £1,570pp, departing on December 22 (havilavoyages.com). Fly to Bergen
Advertisement
4. Yuletide on the Danube
Toast the festive season on Uniworld’s sumptuous SS Maria Theresa, a riverboat done out in an opulent baroque and rococo style that would have pleased the Archduchess of Austria herself. On a Danube trip from Passau to Budapest, you’ll visit Linz, Grein, Melk, Dürnstein, Vienna and Bratislava. Christmas Day is divided between Salzburg and Oberndorf, the town where Silent Night was composed and performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 for the first time. There’s a lavish gala dinner on New Year’s Eve too, with the sparkling lights of Budapest as a backdrop.
Details Ten nights’ all-inclusive from £2,499pp, including drinks, excursions and flights, departing on December 23 (uniworld.com)
5. New Year in Namibia
Head south to the sunshine and ring in the new year in Walvis Bay as part of an action-packed itinerary round trip from Cape Town. Regent’s cruises may be pricey but they include a vast range of excursions, not least a safari from Port Elizabeth to the Addo Elephant Park, a tour of Durban’s Little India, birdwatching from Richards Bay and a drive along the lush Garden Route to an ostrich farm. You’ll sail on the sumptuous Seven Seas Voyager, which will be festively decked out for the big bash on New Year’s Eve.
Details Fifteen nights’ all-inclusive from £11,539pp, including drinks, unlimited excursions, laundry, tips, wi-fi and flights, departing on December 28 (rssc.com)
● Best Christmas market cruises
● Best Christmas holiday destinations
6. Festive family fun
Take the family on a tropical escape from New York to the Bahamas and back, with a day on Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay, a playground of plunging waterslides, a zip wire, a vast lagoon pool with swim-up bars and dreamy beaches with private cabanas. There are calls at Orlando (from Port Canaveral) and Nassau too. Anthem of the Seas is a fabulously family-friendly ship, with bumper cars, a skydiving simulator, rollerskating and a surf simulator, as well as top-notch entertainment; one of the shows on board is We Will Rock You. You’ll spend Christmas Day at sea, heading south to the sunshine, and will be back in New York in time for all the razzmatazz of New Year’s Eve.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £1,501pp, departing on December 24 (royalcaribbean.com). Fly to New York
7. Coral and cloud forests
Christmas Day snorkelling over the coral reefs of Cozumel and a transit of the Panama Canal are just two of the events to look forward to on this central American adventure on the sleek Viking Neptune. You’ll sail from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles, with stops in the beautifully preserved old city of Cartagena; Colon; Puntarenas, for trips to Costa Rica’s cloud forest and coffee plantations; and Cabo San Lucas, gateway to the Sea of Cortez, a prime spot for whale-watching. There’s time at sea to enjoy the balmy weather and the many delights of the ship, which is done out in soothing Scandinavian style, with a private balcony for every cabin.
Details Seventeen nights’ full board from £5,490pp, including drinks with meals, six excursions, tips, wi-fi, flights and access to the spa, departing on December 23 (vikingcruises.co.uk)
8. Arabian adventure
Advertisement
There will be no shortage of twinkling lights, tinsel and traditional treats on Windstar’s Star Legend, which will spend Christmas in the Gulf, sailing from Muscat to Dubai with overnights in Doha and Abu Dhabi. An unusual setting, perhaps, but there will be a Christmas service and Christmas Eve dinner on board, as well as a slap-up afternoon tea on Christmas Day and a rip-roaring party on New Year’s Eve, with a day at sea to follow for sleeping off any hangovers. In port, you can explore the souks, learn about pearl fishing, visit Abu Dhabi’s beautiful Louvre, go dune bashing in the desert in a 4x4 and on Sir Bani Yas island, a wildlife reserve, join a safari to spot the gazelles and cheetahs before dancing on the sand at Windstar’s popular beach party and barbecue.
Details Ten nights’ full board from £3,949pp, including flights and a night in Dubai pre-cruise, departing on December 23 (windstarcruises.com)
9. Sail to the Big Apple
Get into the Christmas spirit on Cunard’s stately Queen Mary 2, where a massive Christmas tree sparkles in the Grand Lobby and all the bars and lounges are festooned, tastefully, with lavish decorations. You’ll sail across the Atlantic from Southampton, with seven nights to soak up the seasonal excitement, listen to lectures, unwind in the spa and commune with the mighty ocean. You’ll arrive in New York on December 22, so add on a couple of days for last-minute Christmas shopping and ice skating in Central Park.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £799pp, departing on December 15 (cunard.com). Fly one-way from New York
10. Astonishing Antarctica
Celebrate Christmas in Antarctica’s icy wilderness on Ponant’s luxurious icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot. Because it can bust through the pack ice (which quickly knits back together), the ship heads deep into the frozen continent, crossing the Antarctic Circle and, conditions permitting, tracing the route first explored by the vessel’s namesake, the adventurer Jean-Baptiste Charcot, more than a century ago. Activities include snowshoeing, kayaking, forays ashore to observe penguins and seals and a chance to brave the “polar plunge”. The ship carries a team of working scientists and runs citizen science programmes, so you can contribute to research projects too. What’s more, there are no single supplements on this expedition.
Details Fifteen nights (one with dinner in Santiago and 14 all-inclusive on the ship) from £19,120pp, including internal flights in Chile and all activities, departing Santiago on December 12 (uk.ponant.com). Fly to Santiago
Sign up for our Times Travel newsletter and follow us on Instagram and X
