It’s the most wonderful time of the year … to go on a cruise.

Trade the glow of a Christmas tree in your living room with the warmth of the sand and the sun on a holiday cruise. Skip the mulled wine on your stovetop for some of the world’s best at a European Christmas market.

Christmas cruises can level up your holiday celebrations — and are an ideal opportunity to escape the conventional holiday celebrations in place of an adventure.

On a holiday cruise, you can leave the cooking, cleaning and decorating to the pros and simply enjoy time with your family. Christmas and New Year’s cruises can also be good options for people trying to avoid the crush of relatives or who don’t have family but still want to spend the holiday surrounded by other people and festive cheer.

Winter cruises feature holiday-themed activities for all ages, special feasts that capture the magic of the holiday season and port calls at destinations that let you enjoy the holiday spirit without shivering from frigid temperatures.

It’s never too early to plan your holiday getaway, especially as these cruises are among the quickest to sell out. We found a handful of Christmas cruises still available in 2024, but you’ll want to book fast before they’re snatched up. Planning for next year or beyond? We’ve also rounded up the best Christmas and New Year’s cruises available to book in 2025 and 2026, as well as some useful tips about holiday cruise travel.

The best prices will be for early bookings; you likely won’t find any last-minute discounts. If you do, they might be on windowless inside cabins or guarantee cabins, where the cruise line picks your room location.

Sailings will sell out

Holiday sailings sell out earlier than other itineraries, as people plan their holiday vacations months in advance. Suites and special cabins (family, spa, solo rooms and so forth) book up the fastest.

Consider booking your holiday cruise as early as possible, as the December sailings often fill up a year in advance.

Consider your own decorations

The crew will decorate public areas on board, but passengers often go all-out for the holidays, decorating their doors and cabins.

Magnetic doors on cabins are blank canvases for the imagination. You’ll find cabin doors on Christmas cruises covered in wrapping paper, adorned with garlands or dotted with holiday-themed images.

It’s best to double-check with your cruise line before attaching anything to your door or in your cabin, as rules and regulations differ per line. If you’re not creative, check if your cruise line offers cabin decoration packages for preorder prior to your sailing.

Specialty dining is not advised on the actual holiday

Most of the specialty dining restaurants on major cruise lines have set menus that do not change for the holidays.

The main, included dining options on board are your best bet for traditional holiday dinner options (think roast turkey, smoked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy). If you’re looking for a more intimate holiday meal, it can’t hurt to ask if any extra-fee restaurants are offering a Christmas or New Year’s menu.

Expect holiday hours in port

Most cruise ships will plan for Christmas to be a sea day, but if you’re in port Dec. 25 (or on Boxing Day, as many islands celebrate the day after), expect shops, restaurants and attractions to have modified hours or be closed.

Onboard services won’t stop, so if all your top lunch spots in port are closed, you’re always guaranteed a hot meal on the ship.

Consider a holiday bonus for the crew

Cruise ship crew members go beyond the standard service on all lines for the holidays, whether it’s a kind note wishing you well, a Champagne toast for New Year’s or a fanciful towel animal creation.

They can’t be at home celebrating with their families because they’re working hard to make your holiday special. While gratuities are often included in your fare or added automatically to your final bill, consider tipping extra on a Christmas cruise. The hardworking staff will appreciate your extra generosity during the holiday season.

Enjoy a tropical escape and be home in time to open presents on Christmas morning with Norwegian‘s five-night Caribbean: Great Stirrup Cay & Cozumel itinerary.

Sailing round-trip from Miami, the voyage includes stops in Key West, Florida; Cozumel, Mexico; and Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, the line’s private island destination. Explore Key West attractions like the Key West Shipwreck Museum and The Hemingway Home & Museum. In Cozumel and Great Stirrup Cay, snorkel your heart out in the gin-clear waters of Mexico and the Bahamas.

During the cruise, passengers will enjoy special holiday-inspired menus and even a visit from Santa.

Rates start at $474 per person (based on double occupancy) for an inside cabin, including all taxes, fees and port expenses.

7-night Mediterranean cruise on MSC Cruises

Sail dates: Dec. 17-24, 2024

Ship: MSC Lirica

If cruising the Mediterranean is on your travel wish list, you might be able to check it off before the year ends with this seven-night itinerary with MSC Cruises, sailing round-trip from Rome (Civitavecchia) in Italy.

Port calls include Florence, Italy, where passengers can sample Tuscan cuisine, wander historic towns and visit art museums housing works by Michelangelo, Raphael and Botticelli. Stops in Palma de Mallorca and Valencia, Spain, provide opportunities to explore the Drach Caves and bask in the sun on idyllic Playa de las Arenas.

Holiday events on board include gift exchanges (for kids 11 and under), a Christmas parade, a movie with Santa and the Doremix Xmas, a fun holiday-inspired disco game for the whole family. Passengers can also visit Winter Wonderland for games, line dancing and other Christmas activities.

Rates start at $581 per person (based on double occupancy) for an inside cabin, including all taxes and fees. The line currently offers a “kids cruise free” promotion, so kids 18 and under who stay in the same cabin as a parent sail for free.

4-night Very Merrytime Bahamas cruise on Disney Cruise Line

Sail dates: Dec. 22-26, 2024

Ship: Disney Fantasy

Access Disney Cruise Line’s newest exclusive destination when you sail Disney Fantasy this Christmas. This four-night Very Merrytime cruise sails from Port Canaveral, Florida (near Orlando), to Disney’s Castaway Cay, followed by a day at the new Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, both in the Bahamas. The new island destination highlights island culture with works by local artists and Bahamian music throughout the colorful beachside resort.

This sailing is one of Disney Cruise Line‘s Very Merrytime Cruises, so expect plenty of holiday-themed surprises and special moments. Disney’s December sailings feature snow flurries in the ship’s atrium, pop-up meet-and-greets with Disney characters dressed in their holiday best, and a Christmas wonderland on the beach at Castaway Cay and Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

Rates start at $3,928 for two adults sharing an inside cabin, including all taxes and fees.

16-night Circle Hawaii Holiday cruise on Holland America

Sail dates: Dec. 18, 2024-Jan. 3, 2025

Ship: Zaandam

The 16-night Circle Hawaii Holiday on Holland America‘s Zaandam is a great way to retreat from the cold this December. The extended itinerary will whisk you away for both Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

The ship sails round-trip from San Diego with stops in Honolulu; Kahului, Maui; and Hilo and Kona, Hawaii. You’ll spend five days traversing the Pacific Ocean on your way to Hawaii and five days at sea, returning to the West Coast for one more stop in Ensenada, Mexico, before returning to San Diego. You can also enjoy scenic cruising by the Kilauea volcano.

Passengers can indulge in a Christmas Eve feast with traditional holiday dishes from around the world. Fresh jelly donuts and crispy potato latkes will be offered for Hanukkah. Don’t forget your holiday best, as Zaandam will host a Christmas Eve formal ball with dinner and dancing and a midnight Mass. New for 2024, cruisers can celebrate the holidays with a Nutcracker Afternoon Tea experience. Other seasonal events include holiday choir performances and Santa meet-and-greets.

Rates for inside cabins start at $1,999 per person (based on double occupancy), including taxes and fees.

The most appealing holiday itinerary on Celebrity Cruises takes you Down Under for a two-week celebration, sailing round-trip from Sydney.

You’ll cruise during the region’s summer season with an itinerary that traverses the picturesque Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound and Dusky Sound before making port stops in Dunedin, Napier, Auckland, Tauranga and Bay of Islands, New Zealand.

The cruise doesn’t call on Australian ports, but since the ship sails from Sydney, you can easily add a land-based precruise or postcruise stay.

If you’re feeling the holiday spirit, sign up to join a group of crew members and passengers to go caroling around the ship. Cookie decorating, visits with Santa and Christmas games are also part of the holiday fun. On New Year’s Eve, gather for a special party with a complimentary midnight Champagne toast, party favors and live music.

The lowest cabin fares start at $2,469 per person (based on double occupancy), which includes taxes and fees.

15-night Africa Cruise: Cape Town, Durban & Port Louis on Azamara

Sail dates: Dec. 20, 2025-Jan. 4, 2026

Ship: Azamara Journey

Azamara is known for its travels to less-frequented ports, often with longer stays providing more time for immersion. Go somewhere new with Azamara’s 15-night Christmas and New Year’s cruise around South Africa. Azamara Journey sails round-trip from Cape Town with stops along the east coast of South Africa, including Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Durban and Mossel Bay.

Holiday events include caroling concerts, pop-ups with Christmas cookies and hot chocolate, and a special tree-trimming party Dec. 24. Azamara Journey will time its popular White Night pool deck party to coincide with New Year’s Eve. The line has a tradition of seeking out the oldest person on board to ring the ship’s bell two minutes prior to midnight to “ring out the old.” Then, the youngest passenger on board will “ring in the new” as the clock strikes midnight.

Rates start at $3,329 per person (based on double occupancy), which includes taxes, fees and port expenses.

7-night Christmas Markets on the Danube cruise on AmaWaterways

Sail dates: Dec. 7-14, 2025

Ship: AmaMagna

A river cruise through Europe is the most convenient way to visit many of the continent’s famous Christmas markets.

Your ship will dock in the heart of each city, usually just a few steps from the markets. While sailing with AmaWaterways during the holiday season, guests return from a day exploring the markets to events on board that include tree-trimming, caroling and a fun European tradition called “Shoes for St. Nick,” where passengers who leave their slippers outside their cabin awake to find them filled with sweets.

Unlike most Christmas-related retail stores in the U.S. that stay open through the holiday season, many of Europe’s Christmas markets close up shop by Dec. 22, so you’ll need to take your vacation before Christmas itself. AmaWaterways’ seven-night Christmas Markets on the Danube cruise takes place aboard AmaMagna. You’ll be immersed in the holiday spirit with port stops in Passau, Germany; Vienna and Linz, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Budapest.

Rates for the weeklong cruise start at $4,439 per person (based on double occupancy), which includes port charges and taxes.

7-night Western Caribbean cruise on Princess Cruises

Sail dates: Dec. 21-28, 2025

Ship: Sun Princess

Sun Princess, which debuted in February 2024, is the first of Princess Cruises‘ brand-new Sphere Class series of ships.

Take it for a Christmastime spin on a round-trip Fort Lauderdale itinerary that features port calls at Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and Roatan, Honduras. Three sea days give guests plenty of time to explore all the attractions on board, from a dome-covered pool area to a top-deck family activity zone.

The 4,300-passenger vessel is about 21% bigger than the current biggest ships in the Princess fleet. It’s the line’s first ship that features suites with exclusive access to a private restaurant, lounge and sundeck. Sun Princess also has an innovative new “cabana cabin” on Deck 10 with access to a private sundeck.

It will be easy to get into the holiday spirit while on board Sun Princess, with festive decor throughout the ship and an occasional “snowfall” in the atrium. If you’re traveling with kids, you can leave cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer. Christmas caroling, storytime and other holiday events will help you create special holiday memories.

Rates for the Western Caribbean cruise start at $919 per person (based on double occupancy), including taxes and fees.

12-night Antarctic Explorer cruise on Viking

Sail dates: Dec. 17-29, 2025

Ship: Viking Polaris

While instinct might say to stop by the North Pole to check in on Santa’s operations, it’s just too cold, dark and icy for cruising. Instead, head toward the South Pole and Antarctica for a Christmas expedition.

Spend close to two weeks exploring the farthest reaches of Earth on the Antarctic Explorer itinerary aboard Viking‘s Polaris. The route sails round-trip from Ushuaia, Argentina, before traversing the Drake Passage and cruising Antarctica for seven days. You’ll have a cruise line-provided precruise stay in Buenos Aires the night before you fly down to Ushuaia to meet your ship.

You’ll explore the icebergs and cliffs of Antarctica on Christmas, presumably followed by a hot cocoa or a warm cocktail on deck. Afterward, treat yourself to Nordic-inspired dishes like smoked salmon and caviar, along with holiday treats like krumkake (a Nordic take on the cannoli) and sandkaker (Norwegian sugar cookies).

Polaris’ Antarctica itinerary is more of a suggestion rather than a set itinerary, and the onboard team will choose each day’s landing spot based on weather conditions. Rates for available cabins on the cruise start at $12,995 (based on double occupancy), including airfare, port taxes and fees.

7-night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day cruise on Royal Caribbean

Sail dates: Dec. 20-27, 2025

Ship: Icon of the Seas

Catch a ride on the world’s largest cruise ship during the 2025 holiday season. Highlights of Royal Caribbean‘s new Icon of the Seas include a reconfigured AquaTheater, now set at the bow of the ship inside a giant glass dome and featuring a dazzling 50-foot waterfall and dancing robotic arms, and Category 6, the largest water park at sea with six waterslides, including the tallest drop slide at sea.

This holiday-week sailing departs round-trip from Miami with stops in Philipsburg, St. Maarten; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; and Perfect Day at CocoCay (Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas). Two days at sea might not be enough time to try everything on board!

Holiday highlights often include Christmas Eve caroling, an ugly Christmas sweater crafting competition, Christmas ornament and gingerbread cookie decorating classes, and holiday games and trivia.

The lowest available cabin category for this sailing is an ocean-view cabin, starting at $2,714 per person (based on double occupancy), including taxes and fees.

14-night Galapagos cruise on Silversea

Sail dates: Dec. 13-27, 2025

Ship: Silver Origin

Escape to the exotic Galapagos Islands for the holidays with a Silversea cruise. On the 14-night round-trip voyage from San Cristobal, Silver Origin will alight at a remarkable 27 ports throughout the archipelago.

Silver Origin’s Christmas sailing will include many festive enhancements, beginning with an extensive overlay of greenery and ornaments throughout the ship’s interiors. The ship’s culinary team will prepare a special Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner menu, along with mulled wine, eggnog and hot chocolate.

Adding to the cheer, guests and the ship’s crew can participate in caroling, and despite there being no chimney in sight, a special visitor from the North Pole is scheduled to make an appearance.

The “door-to-door” rate for this sailing starts at $22,800 per person (based on double occupancy), including port fees and taxes. It also includes a transfer service to the airport, airfare, shore excursions, premium alcoholic beverages, all gratuities, butler service and a return transfer back home at the end of your trip.

8-night Lower Mississippi Christmas cruise on American Cruise Lines

Sail dates: Dec. 21-28, 2025

Ship: American Symphony

Glide up the Lower Mississippi River and soak in the charms of historic towns decked out in their holiday finest.

This holiday itinerary from American Cruise Lines begins with a precruise hotel stay in New Orleans, where you can explore bustling Bourbon Street. Along the way, stops include Natchez and Vicksburg, Mississippi; Oak Alley, Louisiana; and Memphis.

Guests can take part in holiday port excursions such as The Jeweled Christmas in Natchez, which features a visit to The Towers of Natchez, one of the state’s most opulent privately owned antebellum homes adorned with festive decorations and displays that include more than 100 Christmas trees. Additionally, Louisiana’s historic Southern estates, such as Oak Alley Plantation and Houmas House, will showcase 1850s Christmas decor, including fresh fruit greenery.

While on board, passengers can enjoy a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, Christmas cookie decorating, holiday music and caroling, and a holiday gift exchange.

Rates for the eight-night Christmas cruise from New Orleans to Memphis start at $5,275 per person, including taxes, port fees and gratuities.

Carnival‘s seven-night Eastern Caribbean sailing is an excellent way to experience Carnival’s Celebration Key, the line’s new private destination on the south side of Grand Bahama Island. Carnival Celebration sails round-trip from Miami with stops at the line’s private beaches, Celebration Key and Half Moon Cay, plus Nassau, Bahamas, and Amber Cove, Dominican Republic, so you can get some much-needed beach time and warm weather.

The line understands its family-forward “fun” ships are built for cheery escapes, and its Christmas celebrations fit perfectly into that world. Seasonal holiday events include Christmas caroling, an ugly sweater competition and a live holiday show with appearances by Santa and the Grinch.

Rates for inside cabins start at $1,254 per person (based on double occupancy), which includes taxes and fees.

21-night Transatlantic Crossing on Cunard

Sail dates: Nov. 29-Dec. 20, 2026

Ship: Queen Mary 2

You’ll have ample time to save up vacation days for Cunard‘s epic transatlantic sailing. The 21-night voyage begins in Southampton, England, and ends in New York City.

On board, sparkling Christmas trees, bright decorations and glittering lights greet passengers at every turn. More days at sea will provide guests additional time to enjoy festive holiday activities and events, such as an upscale celebratory feast for Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Off the ship, cruisers can soak in New York City’s iconic Christmas finery and experience Caribbean holiday traditions in Tortola, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Kitts.

Rates start at $4,259 per person (based on double occupancy) for a Britannia Inside cabin, including taxes and fees.

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