I’ve Tried Christmas Cruises With British, American and Italian Lines – Here’s How They Compare

I love a Christmas cruise! Being away at Christmas takes away a lot of the stress that planning and preparing for a Christmas at home can bring.

I only have to visit the supermarket in the run-up to Christmas, and I feel stressed!

Have I remembered the drinks or the stuffing? Have I got all the different drinks I might need if unexpected visitors pop by? I pick up on everyone else’s stress too..

By taking a cruise over Christmas, all that worry is gone. But the cruise line you choose will have a big bearing on the Christmas experience you will have.

I have sailed with British, American and Italian lines over Christmas and was surprised at how different the Christmas experiences were. I enjoyed all of them – but they were all very different.

I loved all of my Christmas cruises and hope to take another one day!

Christmas Atmosphere Onboard

All the Cruise lines I have sailed with have decorated their ships beautifully for Christmas.

There are wonderful Christmas trees in the main atrium area, and other smaller ones dotted around the ship. (Very securely tied down, of course, in case the ship hits bad weather!)

The crew often dress up or wear Christmas hats. The whole experience feels very festive.

I get so excited when I first step onboard – it’s the excitement of seeing the ship decorated and the knowledge that I can just relax, as Christmas is totally taken care of.

My most memorable embarkation of a Christmas cruise was onboard P&O’s Ventura. They had actually put down an artificial ice rink in the atrium, and skaters were figure skating in Christmas hats!

I’ve never seen anything like that before or since – and it certainly had the “wow” factor!

Main Dining Room Christmas Dinner

This is where you will probably notice a big difference from the Christmas dinner you serve at home. After all, everyone has their own traditions when it comes to food at Christmas.

My first two Christmas cruises were with Norwegian, onboard the Norwegian Spirit and then the Norwegian Epic.

They provided a traditional Christmas dinner, which was very good – the only thing that seemed odd to me (as a British person) was that the turkey was served with mashed potatoes.

In the UK, I would expect to get roast potatoes with my Christmas dinner – in fact, they are probably my favourite bit. It certainly wasn’t a deal breaker by any means, but I do like a roastie…

My third Christmas cruise was onboard MSC Meraviglia, and the Christmas dinner was very nice, but it didn’t resemble any Christmas dinner I have had at home. No Turkey, no Christmas pudding, no Christmas Crackers.

This wasn’t a big deal for us – but if you like to have turkey and all the Christmas trimmings, you are unlikely to find it on an Italian cruise ship.

My last Christmas cruise was on P&O’s Ventura. That was a very traditional British Christmas dinner. For that day only, guests were given a set dining time, and it felt very festive, with everyone enjoying the experience together.

Unfortunately, I was feeling a little delicate, as the seas had been quite rough in the days around Christmas.

I did enjoy the whole experience, though. They had Christmas decorations in the centre of the table and Christmas crackers too.

Christmas Shows

There were lots of Christmas-themed shows on all the Cruise lines I’ve sailed with.

It is lovely to be able to just go to a show on Christmas Eve, it is something I would never consider doing at home. It would be very expensive, and transport/trains are always a problem over the Christmas period.

MSC’s Christmas shows left a little to be desired. Because of the multilingual nature of the audience the shows are more interpretive, and i remember on Christmas Eve watching a show and the cast were dancing around, dressed up as dogs – which I found quite amusing.

Festive Activities and Extras

On Norwegian Cruiseline, the waiters and waitresses dressed up as Christmas Elves on Christmas Eve! It was lovely!

We were docked in Madeira that day, and even the pilot on the pilot boat was dressed as Father Christmas!

There were late night carols in the atrium, and because of the position of my inside cabin, I could hear the sound of the carol singers singing floating up to my cabin as i went off to sleep. It felt truly magical!

P&O also had Christmas Eve Carols in the atrium, and Father Christmas arrived on the top deck to give out presents to the children onboard. I think Norwegian did something similar, but as I wasn’t a child, and I wasn’t going to get a present, I didn’t go along!

I don’t remember MSC having any of those Christmas activities on onboard, but again, this is probably due to the large number of different nationalities of the passengers.

It is hard to find something that would suit everyone when different countries have very different Christmas traditions.

Onboard P&O’s Ventura, they decorated each cabin with a miniature, real Christmas tree, and left us a Christmas tree P&O decoration as a souvenir. I thought that was a lovely touch, and something I have never seen before or since.

Value for Money

I think this is a big factor for me certainly, when choosing a Christmas cruise.

Cruises over Christmas are undoubtedly more expensive, and the price is out of reach for many.

Going just before Christmas and getting back home for the main event is far more affordable, as is leaving your cruise to early January when the big day is over. You can get some real bargains then.

People don’t want to be away in the two weeks before Christmas, as there is a lot of organising to do for the big day.

Most people are back at work in the first week of January at the latest – but if you don’t have to be, there are plenty of cruise bargains to be had then.

The Norwegian Christmas Cruises were the most expensive we took – but they did offer the whole Christmas package. Everyone really went out of their way to give guests the best possible experience.

My Christmas onboard P&O Ventura was a much better value cruise, and offered a very traditional British Christmas experience.

The route (sailing through the Bay of Biscay in winter) wasn’t ideal for me though, as I do sometimes suffer from seasickness.

Find out more about that notorious bay here:

Cruising Through The Bay Of Biscay: What to Expect (Real Experiences)

The MSC cruise we took was great value for money. We visited Spain, Italy, France, and Malta in seven days, and the weather was very pleasant.

It wasn’t as Christmassy as the other Christmas cruises I have taken, but is that important to you?

Find out about that great value cruise here:

Other Things To Think About:

Airports Will Be Busy

If you can sail from your local cruise port, it will be less stressful than going through an airport.

One year, our car broke down on the way to the airport, and we had to be rescued by family! We only just made our flight to Barcelona to board the Norwegian Spirit. It’s an experience I wouldn’t like to repeat!

When we sailed on MSC Meraviglia, we arrived the day before and stayed in a hotel in Genoa.

That was so much better. I will never forget the excitement of seeing our ship docking in Genoa on Christmas Eve morning from my hotel window, and knowing we would soon be getting onboard.

When I sailed on P&O’s Ventura to the Canary Islands, we left from my local port, Southampton. That is just a short drive for me, so quite stress-free.

Weather

The weather is a big thing to consider, certainly if you are sailing out of the UK in December.

When I sailed from Southampton to the Canary Islands at Christmas, we hit winter storm after winter storm.

Flying to the Mediterranean is a far better option for guaranteed weather – but then you have to factor in getting through the airport at the busiest time of year, which can be stressful.

If you want guaranteed sunshine, you might have to consider a fly cruise.

Fewer Presents To Buy

Cruising with family takes away all the stress of finding the perfect gifts for them. The joy of that isn’t to be underestimated!

You can’t physically take lots of presents with you, so it is a great excuse to spend less and have a more pared-down Christmas!

I like to take a small present (usually chocolate or sweets/candy) and leave it in my cabin for the cabin steward on Christmas Day.

It is only a small gesture, but hopefully it makes them feel their hard work is appreciated by me.

It must be awful for the crew to be away from their loved ones at Christmas, but they still go out of their way to give guests the best possible experience onboard.

Have a look at my Christmas experience onboard P&O’s Ventura here:

Saving Money At Home

Although the cost of the cruise fare is likely to be expensive, once that is paid, I save money on things I would normally buy if I were at home – things like festive food, drinks, entertainment, Christmas trees, etc.

We have a one-present policy in our family when we are on a cruise. We all have one present each to open – the cruise is our present to ourselves, which suits us far better.

If Christmas for you is about spending quality time with your friends and family, then a cruise might be a perfect choice for you.

How Christmassy?

Is it important to you to have that Christmassy feeling onboard?

If you are a traditionalist or have children, the answer is probably yes.

If you just want to get away from it all, and have a week of decent weather, good food and relaxation, maybe that traditional Christmas experience isn’t so important?

Italian cruise lines offer far better value for money than American or British lines at Christmas (in my experience). But you might not get the same “Christmassy” feel.

Having fun experiences together and making memories is far more important to me than buying material things.

My advice would be to take a Christmas Cruise if you have the time and the money.

If you don’t, maybe consider a cruise in the run-up to Christmas instead. You will still get that Christmassy feeling, the ship will be beautifully decorated, and you might bag a bargain!

Before You Go

When I sailed to the Canary Islands on P&O’s Ventura over Christmas, I was quite seasick! Find out what remedies actually worked for me here:

I’ve Tried Every Seasickness Remedy – Here’s What Actually Works For Me

Find out about additional expenses you can avoid when you cruise here:

6 Things First-Time Cruisers Get Tricked Into Paying For (That You Don’t Actually Need)