Couples ask me about holiday cruises every fall, usually in October, usually a few weeks after the good cabins went. Cruising over the holidays is a genuinely good idea and a genuinely different animal from cruising in April. Here is what I tell them first.
Holiday Sailings Do Not Get Cheaper
The instinct with cruises is to wait. Rates soften, promotions land, patience pays. That is broadly true, and it is not true of late December.
New Year’s is the most expensive week on the calendar, with Christmas right behind it. Thanksgiving runs cheaper, though only slightly. The real value sits in the first two weeks of December, wedged between the two rushes, and if your dates flex that far you will feel it in the fare. What you should not plan around is a late price drop on a holiday week.
Cruising Over the Holidays Means Sailing With Families
This is the part the brochure leaves out. School is out, so holiday sailings fill with families. The ship you board on December 26 has a different center of gravity than the same ship in February.
Not a reason to skip it. A reason to be deliberate about where you book and where you plan to spend your afternoons.
Every Line Draws the Line in a Different Place
Adults-only means something different on every ship, and the age is the part people get wrong.
Carnival’s Serenity is 21 and over, it is included in your fare, and it is on most of the fleet. Norwegian’s Vibe Beach Club is 18 and over, but you pay for it and the passes are capped per sailing, so buy before you board rather than hoping. Celebrity’s Solarium is 16 and over and it is on every ship, with one catch worth knowing: on some cold-weather itineraries Celebrity now lets supervised children in during the early evening.
Explora Journeys is the one I would gently correct. It does feel like an exclusive resort at sea, 922 guests, all oceanfront suites, no formal nights. It is also not adults-only. There is a kids’ club on board and infants sail from six months. In practice you will see very few children, and there is an adults-only pool up on deck twelve, but quiet and child-free are not the same promise.
The Other Holiday Cruise: Christmas Markets on a River
If your idea of the holidays runs more toward mulled wine in a cathedral square than a swim-up bar, the Rhine and the Danube are the other answer. Sailings run late November into December, the ships are small, and they fill early. There is still space on 2026 departures, which is not something I can usually say in August, but the list is short.
River also handles the family question differently. Viking is eighteen and over fleetwide, the only river line that is fully adults-only. The others take children from somewhere between four and twelve, and a couple of them relax that for Christmas sailings specifically. Quieter by default, but still worth asking about.
The One Ship With No Children At All
Virgin Voyages is adults-only across the entire fleet, eighteen and over, no exceptions. Not a deck, not a pool, the whole ship.
I have sailed Scarlet Lady. Beyond the no-children part, what stands out is the friction that is missing: no formal nights, no buffet, no main dining room with a fixed seating time, and gratuities and Wi-Fi already in the fare. It is not the right fit for every couple. But if “the ship will be full of families” made you wince, Virgin is where I would start.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cruising Over the Holidays
When should I book a Christmas or New Year’s cruise?
Sooner than feels necessary. Holiday weeks tend to fill rather than soften, so the cabin you want is usually the constraint, not the price. By fall you are choosing from what is left.
Is Thanksgiving cheaper than Christmas for a cruise?
Usually, but only slightly. Thanksgiving is still a peak week. The genuine bargain window is the stretch between Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas.
Which cruise line is completely adults-only?
Virgin Voyages. Every ship in the fleet is eighteen and over, with no exceptions. Most other lines carry children and set aside adults-only areas on board instead of restricting the whole ship.
Is Explora Journeys adults-only?
No. It feels adult and you will typically see very few children, and it does have an adults-only pool, but there is a kids’ club on board and infants are welcome from six months. If a child-free ship is the requirement, Explora is not it.
Is it too late to book a Christmas market river cruise for 2026?
Not yet, but it is close. These sail late November into December and they typically fill a year out. There is still space as of late August, though you are choosing from a short list rather than an open calendar.
Is Norwegian’s The Haven adults-only?
No, and this one trips people up. The Haven is a suite-class enclave, not an age-restricted one, and families book it. Only the Haven Sundeck carries an age limit, at sixteen and over.
When is the cheapest time to cruise during the holiday season?
The first two weeks of December. You get the decorations and the winter itineraries without the school-holiday surge on either side of you.
Ready to Talk About a Holiday Sailing?
Tell me your dates and who is coming, and I will tell you honestly whether the week you want is still worth booking or whether you are better off in early December. I have been doing this for nearly thirty years, and I have sailed a good deal of what I recommend. You can also reach me at 800-838-1830.