Celebrating the Holidays on a Carnival Cruise

We went on our second cruise as a family the week right after Thanksgiving. In fact, the day we boarded was the day they started putting up Christmas decorations. It was such a fun experience to celebrate a holiday on a Carnival Cruise! No matter what holiday is happening, there’s going to be something fun to do on the ship!

Since we were on the Carnival Freedom right after Thanksgiving, we got to enjoy the Christmas decorations the whole time in addition to some fun activities. Here’s some of the things we enjoyed:

Tree Lighting. On the first night of the cruise, the HUGE Christmas tree in the lobby is lit and is synchronized with holiday music!

Letter to Santa. There is a mailbox next to the tree with blank letters where the kids can write a letter to Santa and then drop it in the mailbox. Some of the letters are read during the morning show!

Let it Snow and Sing-a-long. On the last night of our cruise, we went down to the lobby where there was a sing-a-long! Song books were passed around and we had so much fun singing classic songs (and watching our Cruise Director Malcolm dance!) but the BEST part was when it started “snowing”! My kids were so excited!

Spending that week on the Carnival Freedom made me want to spend an actual holiday on a cruise ship. The closer you get to December 25th, they also have activities like holiday movies playing, holiday arts and crafts, a holiday show featuring the Grinch and more! There’s also a special Christmas dinner and a special Christmas service.

My friend shared the below photo of meeting the Grinch! They also received Santa hats at their lighting ceremony!

Hanukkah services are also performed in the lobby during December. In addition to the lighting of the Menorah, prayers and songs, Latkes, sour cream, apple sauce and Manischewitz wine will be served.

From Superbowl to St. Patrick’s Day, Carnival celebrates it all! Read how they celebrate the holidays throughout the year!

Celebrating the Holidays on a Carnival Cruise