Top Holiday Cruises

By Brooke Franco

Ring in the holiday on a cruise! - *Photo by Canva*

Oh, there’s no place like a cruise ship for the holidays! If you have yet to experience spending the season on a cruise, what are you waiting for? To help you plan, we’ve shared our pics of top cruises to consider for the 2024-2025 holiday season.

From November to January, cruise lines transform their ships into winter wonderlands at sea, with festive decorations and fun holiday-themed activities to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s. Spending a holiday on a cruise is a great way to gather family and friends to celebrate and create lasting memories as you travel to new destinations worldwide.

Following are some of our picks of top holiday cruises to start planning now for next year. If you want an extra special present for someone this holiday, any of these voyages will make for the perfect gift!

Celebrate Thanksgiving on Koningsdam

7 Night Baja Peninsula (San Diego Roundtrip)

*Koningsdam* - *Photo by Holland America Line*

Leave the turkey cooking to Holland America Line next Thanksgiving and enjoy your time on this Mexican Riviera cruise onboard Koningsdam. Sailing from San Diego, you will visit Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, and Loreto and spend three fun days at sea.

Explore November 2024 Cruises from Holland America Line

Deck the Halls on Norwegian Encore

7 Night Caribbean Escape (Miami Roundtrip)

*Norwegian Encore* - *Photo by Norwegian Cruise Line*

Tell Santa Claus to re-route the reindeer and send your presents to the Norwegian Encore - you will be cruising over Christmas! This seven-night voyage sails from Miami to Puerto Playa, Charlotte Amalie, Tortola, and NCL’s private Bahamas island, Great Stirrup Cay.

See Holiday Sailings from Norwegian Cruise Line

Cruise the Danube During Christmas Time on Viking Atla

7 Night Eastbound Danube (Regensburg to Budapest)

This river cruise adventure on the Viking Alta is the perfect way to participate in time-honored European holiday traditions and explore the beautiful markets in Germany, Austria, and Hungary. On this voyage, you will depart Regensburg and visit Passau and Krems, overnights in Vienna, and disembark in Budapest.

Explore All Holiday European River Cruises from Viking

Celebrate the Season with Mickey on Disney Fantasy

7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

*Holiday Season on Disney Cruise Line - Photo by Disney Cruise Line*

No one does family holiday cruising like Disney Cruise Line! On this ‘Very Merrytime’ voyage, expect to see favorite Disney characters in their holiday attire and Disney Fantasy transformed into a winter wonderland. The cruise sails roundtrip from Port Canaveral, making stops in Cozumel, Georgetown, Falmouth, and Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.

See All Holiday 2024 Sailings from Disney Cruise Line

Ring in the Holidays Down Under on Royal Princess

14 Night Australia/New Zealand (Auckland Roundtrip)

Pack your bags for a dream holiday adventure exploring Australia and New Zealand with Princess Cruises! This cruise sails roundtrip from Auckland, making port calls in Tauranga, Wellington, Lyttleton, Christchurch, Port Chalmers, Sydney, the Bay of Islands, and spends six days at sea to enjoy all the amenities of the Royal Princess.

Explore Holiday Season Itineraries from Princess Cruises

Toast to the New Year on Icon of the Seas - New Ship!

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Icon of the Seas - Photo by Royal Caribbean

Warm up in the tropics over the holidays onboard Royal Caribbean’s newest ship, Icon of the Seas! This Caribbean adventure sails roundtrip from Miami, visiting Basseterre, Charlotte Amalie, and Perfect Day at CocoCay, with three days at sea. This cruise sails over New Year’s, making it the ideal locale to ring in 2025!

See December 2024 Cruises from Royal Caribbean

Have a Holly Jolly Time on Queen Mary 2

Transatlantic (Southampton to New York)

*Spend the holiday in NYC!* - *Photo by Canva*

Cross the Atlantic in style with this December 2024 cruise on Queen Mary 2. The voyage starts in Southampton, spending six days at sea crossing the Atlantic en route to the Big Apple. It’s the perfect way to see London and NYC during the holiday season!

Explore Cunard 2024-2025 Holiday Cruises

Celebrate the New Year on Carnival Miracle

Panama Canal (Galveston Roundtrip)

*Carnival Miracle* - *Photo by Carnival Cruise Line*

This bucket list voyage with Carnival Cruise Line is the perfect way to explore the Caribbean and the Panama Canal as you celebrate the New Year. Sailing roundtrip from Galveston, you will visit Cozumel, Puerto Limon, Colon, and Roatan and spend five days at sea.

See 2024-2025 Holiday Cruises from Carnival

Skip the Kitchen and Head to the Mediterranean for Thanksgiving with MSC Cruises

7 Night Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)

*MSC World Europa* - *Photo by MSC Cruises*

What could be better than adventuring through the Mediterranean onboard one of MSC Cruises’ newest ships, MSC World Europa? This cruise homeports from Barcelona, visiting Marseille, Genoa, Rome, Palermo, and Valletta.

Check Out November 2024 MSC Cruises Sailings

Explore the Caribbean In Style on Insignia

10 Night Caribbean Cruise (Bridgetown to Miami)

*Castries, St. Lucia* - *Photo by Canva*

A luxury cruise in the Caribbean over the holiday with Oceania? Yes, please! This 10-night cruise onboard Insignia sails from Bridgetown, making stops in St. George’s, Kingstown, Castries, Roseau, St. John’s, Gustavia, San Juan, and Puerto Playa.

See 2024-2025 Holiday Cruises from Oceania

Whether you choose the Caribbean, Europe, Australia, Hawaii, or wherever else, we hope your holiday season is filled with many adventures and cruises. Happy holidays, and wishing you smooth seas in the year ahead!