Spend the festive season afloat with these sunny Christmas and New Year cruises

Ask someone about the idea of taking a cruise for Christmas and their thoughts will likely turn to taking a trip down a European river, sipping eggnog and gluhwein in cosy comfort, passing river banks frosted in snow, rugging up to visit Christmas markets and castles decorated for the season.

Christmas onboard Oceania Regatta.

But ocean cruising is also big business across the festive season, and for Southern Hemisphere types who aren’t keen to swap summer warmth for festive cheer afloat, there are some fabulous options for spending Christmas Day and New Year onboard a cruise ship that combines both.

Oceania alone has more than 40 sailings departing from Miami, Lima, Sydney, Singapore, Abu Dhabi or Dubai during the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 Christmas seasons and as a line that prides itself on its culinary offerings, you can expect all the trimmings.

From Sydney, Oceania Regatta sails its Awe of Australia itinerary, a 14-day holiday leaving December 21 bound for Bali. After spending Christmas Eve in Mooloolaba, Christmas Day is spent cruising the Coral Sea.

It’s sold out for this year – book early for next, when the ship goes on a 20-day Christmas adventure, doing the Sydney to Bali route, spending a couple of days in Bali before pushing on to Perth. Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve are spent at sea.

Other Oceania options for a warm Christmas cruise include Polynesia and cruises include the Caribbean from Miami; Abu Dhabi to Singapore via India and South-East Asia; and Miami to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal with stops in Cartagena in Colombia and Puntarenas in Costa Rica.

The smaller sized ships will be decorated to the hilt and hosting seasonal rituals including the lighting of the Menorah for Hanukkah. There is seasonally themed entertainment, including New Year countdown parties with champagne toast and a gala brunch on New Year’s Day. Oceania serves Christmas and Hanukkah dining menus across breakfast, high teas and dinners.

Celebrity Edge is in Australia for the festive season and this year sails a 13-night New Zealand route from Sydney, perfectly timed to arrive home January 2. At the time of writing, there were some sweet deals going for remaining staterooms.

The Christmas lineup on Celebrity Edge.

Expect Celebrity’s signature Christmas Tree (she’s big), Christmas-themed shows, carollers, and holiday movies under the stars.

With Celebrity, other Christmas cruises include a Thailand and Vietnam trip, and one visiting the Bahamas and Mexico.

There are also ocean cruising opportunities for those who are, after all, dreaming of a white Christmas.

For instance, Christmas 2024, the luxurious small ship company, Ponant is deploying Le Commandant Charcot to the dreamy Gulf of Bothnia, leaving the Finnish capital, Helsinki on December 20, 2024, taking guests to Sweden before arriving in Lulea, Swedish Lapland, 150 kilometres from the Arctic Circle for a Christmas Day spent on snow shoes, in snowmobiles or exploring the old town by lamp light.

See oceaniacruises.com ; celebritycruises.com ; au.ponant.com