Spending time onboard a cruise is the perfect holiday for families, offering everything from a magical Winter Wonderland Village to visits from Santa himself, or celebrate in style with a themed New Year’s Eve party. Here’s a selection of what’s on offer this festive season.
MSC Cruises
Guests can embark on a European Christmas adventure onboard MSC World Europa departing from Genoa on a stunning 7-night itinerary sailing around to Rome, Palermo, Malta, Barcelona and Marseille. Balcony Cabin fares start from $2,465 with both 22 and 29 December departure dates.
Cunard
Cunard Christmas and New Year’s Eve cruises let’s guests enjoy extravagant dinners, much-admired decorations, twinkling lights, and festive finishing touches. Cunard Christmas traditions flow through the journey including festive menus, celebratory drinks, onboard seasonal shopping, and a gingerbread village display.
Cunard’s 13-night South Pacific Christmas voyage whisks travellers through the beautiful islands of the South Pacific, with time ashore to explore in New Caledonia, Vanuatu, and Fiji. Fares start from $14,059pp in a twin share Queens Grill Suite.
European Waterways
Guests embark on a White Christmas holiday to visit the Christmas Markets of the Alsace region of France. They travel on the deluxe, 12 passenger hotel barge and capture the true spirit of the holiday season. The Christmas Market Cruise takes guests from Plobshiem, Strasbourg along the canal through the countryside to visit some of the most historic Christmas Markets in Europe.
European Waterways Christmas Market Cruises for the 2025 season depart on 30 November, 7 December, and 14 December with cabins starting at $12,192pp based on two sharing a cabin.
Explora Journeys
Travellers can experience luxury onboard an Explora Journeys cruise in the Caribbean over the festive season. They can welcome 2025 aboard both EXPLORA I and EXPLORA II, which will be transformed havens, adorned with twinkling lights, wreaths, trees, and elegantly crafted ornaments. Guests can enjoy gingerbread houses and a range of festive treats. Special holiday entertainment includes choirs, carols, parades, and a heartwarming Santa visit.
At midnight on New Year’s Eve, guests can expect to see fireworks lighting up the night sky in San Juan and St George’s, providing the perfect backdrop for the occasion. Afterwards, guests are invited to dance the night away at the exclusive New Year’s Eve gala.
Australian’s will feel right at home with the Caribbean climate over Christmas. Book an Ocean Suite for a 16-night cruise departing Miami from $14,400 per person sailing around the Caribbean Isles with stops in Road Bay, Jost Van Dyke, Marigot, San Juan, Charlotte Amalie, and more.
Viking
There is nothing more festive than visiting the exuberantly decorated Christmas Markets in the charming villages along Europe’s waterways. Enjoy traditional winter scenes of storybook villages and snow-capped castles on the riverside before meandering narrow, winding cobblestone streets illuminated by holiday lights. Savour Yuletide cookies, cakes and other freshly baked treats and browse the stalls of rosy-cheeked market vendors for hand-carved toys and ornaments from Christmases gone by. All against a backdrop of angelic strolling carolers guaranteed to add Yuletide cheer wherever the destination. Onboard, enjoy festive music performances, tree trimming and gingerbread house baking and making.
Viking’s 8-day Christmas on the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel and vice versa visits the capital of Christmas in France, Strasbourg, and home to the emblematic Christkindelsmärik, the oldest Christmas market in France for more than four centuries. The city’s cathedral square takes centre stage as it transforms into a winter wonderland with hundreds of stalls brimming with colourful wares, fine food and mulled wine, bringing festive cheer in abundance. Priced from $6,295pp in a Standard Stateroom.
