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New Year & Christmas Cruises

Celebrate Christmas and New Year on the high seas with 389 cruises departing over the festive season. Enjoy themed activities on board as well as immersive experiences on shore as you create lifelong memories with your loved ones and newfound friends. Wake up Christmas morning to views of the Hawaiian coastline or the islands of the South Pacific and see in the New Year with ship wide celebrations.

Popular Cruises View all

15 Days Sydney to Auckland

Operator: Viking Cruises

From 10,285
Save 258

11 Days San Juan to San Juan

Operator: Viking Cruises

From 6,463
Save 500

13 Days Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires

Operator: Scenic

From 20,242
Save 10,466

6 Days Singapore to Singapore

Operator: Royal Caribbean

From 1,457
Save 21

Discover Popular ways to celebrate Christmas and New Year on a festive cruise

Switch to Island Time

Switch to Island Time

Island hop through the South Pacific and wake up to tropical beaches on your doorstep. Swim, snorkel, and find ultimate relaxation on holidays.

New Year, New Adventures

New Year, New Adventures

Take a small ship cruise through the icy waters of Antarctica and kick off the new year with exhilarating expeditions by Zodiac and kayak.

A Caribbean Christmas

A Caribbean Christmas

Enjoy the gift of sundrenched days, clear turquoise waters, secluded cays and idyllic private islands. It’s Christmas in paradise on a Caribbean cruise.

Spend the Holidays in Hawaii

Spend the Holidays in Hawaii

Spend the holiday season cruising around the Hawaiian Islands and enjoy festivities such as a traditional luau complete with a delicious feast and captivating performances of song and dance.

Celebrations at Sea

Celebrations at Sea

Embrace the festive spirit with onboard celebrations and holiday decorations. Whether it's a Christmas themed feast or hearing the new year countdown chorus around the ship, a festive cruise delivers plenty of holiday cheer.

Recent Reviews What our clients are saying about their cruises over the festive season

Great Med Cruise     , QLD, Australia, Nov 2022
A great cruise on a fantastic ship. We booked excursions and went off the ship every day - we probably should have taken a day or two to relax, but there was so much to do. Make sure you bring comfortable sneakers, as you will do a lot of walking. I was in the spa and sauna every day, as it was a great way to wake up and recharge after being out in ...read more the European autumn (~5-10°C). Overall, I had an incredible time on the cruise and highly recommend it to anyone. I can't wait to go on another Viking cruise. Make sure you order the strip steak from the World Cafe - it's the ship's best-kept secret.
Perfect adventure   , QLD, Australia, Jul 2018
Excellent trip of a lifetime. The wildlife is amazing and we would recommend it to anybody who loves seeing new and interesting wildlife, snorkelling and adventure. The Daphne was a great boat with excellent crew who looked after us very well. Our guide Jose was very passionate, entertaining (especially reinacting the mating ritual of the Blue Footed ...read more Boobie bird) and approachable. It was great being onboard with a small group of fellow travellers (12 in our group) which allowed for good conversation.
Cruising the Caribbean in Comfort and Style   , QLD, Australia, Mar 2018
As a first experience of ocean cruising, Viking has probably spoilt us for a number of other lines. While not a small ship (~900 passengers), we did not encounter the congestion that we imagine happens in much larger ships. The stateroom was lovely, the bathroom larger than expected and very functional, with plenty of storage for everything.

Dining ...read more options were varied and all very good. Most notably, the tasting menus at The Chef’s Table, which we booked three times, were absolutely exquisite. All the included extras (shore excursions, drinks and wifi) as well as the “no casino, no kids” policy made a positive difference.

The “Viking Sea” is only 2 years old and is decorated in sleek and simple Scandinavian style, featuring beautiful Scandinavian artworks. The ship is spotlessly clean, and one of the highlights was the exceptional quality of all the onboard staff, who were friendly, helpful, engaging, and always happy to have a chat. Viking must have an impressive staff training program.

Our itinerary for the 11 day cruise was a busy one and the included shore excursions were all excellent and very well organised. We visited 9 different islands, with different history, scenery and cultures, shown to us by excellent local guides, and all were both beautiful and fascinating.

The days when we did additional optional excursions were very busy, but we especially loved the French Cooking Class with a local chef in Saint Martin. We were sad to see the lingering devastation of cyclones going back a number of years on all the islands. I would recommend this cruise to others and I am sure that we will travel with Viking again in future.
Galapagos   , WA, Australia, Feb 2018
Fantastic trip, accommodation was really good - small family operated hotel so got a real feel of staying local instead of big city hotel. The boat Daphne was excellent, best decision to go for a small number tour, other travel guests were great, easy going, and well matched age bracket. Food on board was beautiful if anything there was way too much. ...read more Cabin size yes they are small and a bit cosy but you are only in there to sleep. Boat was spotlessly clean, crew brilliant, helpful, funny, take pride in their work, and safety was always top priority.

Guide - Jose - this man was one of the best guides we have ever had in our travels. He was passionate about his islands and his knowledge on wildlife, history, and the environment was remarkable. Was never phased when asked one of those stupid questions that other travellers eye roll at. Great tour - highly recommend, but due to physical activity of shore landings, walking, it is not for elderly travellers.

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