Holiday cruises are popular getaways, and Carnival Cruise Line has announced the dates when its ships will be officially decorated for the holiday season.
Every ship in the fleet will be decked out in holiday decorations, with the first ships decked out starting Friday, November 25, 2022.
Holiday decorating dates are announced
Carnival Cruise Line Brand Ambassador John Heald has announced the holiday decorating dates for the entire Carnival fleet.
Each ship is decorated by professionals – not the crew on board – and therefore the decoration dates vary based on when each ship is in port to allow the decorations and staff to be brought on board for the seasonal transformation.
The first ships to be decorated will be Freedom Carnival AND Carnival radiationwhich will debut new holiday decorations on Friday, November 25.
Freedom Carnival is homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida, offering short 3-4 night cruises to the Bahamas, while Carnival radiation is sailing from Long Beach, Californiawith 3-4 night itineraries to Baja, Mexico.
The rest of the fleet will unveil holiday decorations over the next 10 days as follows:
- Saturday, November 26 – Mardi Gras, horizon, Panorama, Vista
- Sunday, November 27 – Dream, glory, Magical, Miracles, Spirit
- Monday, November 28 – elation, bravery
- Thursday, December 1 – the breeze, Freedom
- Friday, December 2 – The invasion
- Saturday, December 3 – Paradise, Sunrise
- Sunday, December 4 – Legend, Bright, Pride
- Monday, December 5 – brightness, sun
Of particular interest will be the holiday decorations for brand new Carnival celebration as she celebrates her first holiday season with the cruise line. The ship will unveil its Christmas decorations on Sunday, December 4, 2022, just one month after it welcomes guests for the first time.
Carnival celebration will offer 7-8 night Eastern and Western Caribbean round trips from Miami during the holiday season.
While the decorations vary for each ship and the space available on board, they typically include lighted trees in the atrium area, wreaths along the promenade and other beautiful and elegant touches of arches, ivy, twinkling lights, wreaths and more.
“The Christmas and holiday season is a wonderful time to sail and I hope you all get a chance to experience this special time on our ships.” Heald said.
Festive activities on board
In addition to decorating each ship for Christmas, Carnival Cruise Line has one variety of holiday activities to be presented on board from the end of November until the New Year.
Special holiday story times for new guests, holiday-themed trivia contests, seasonal menu items, holiday music played in the elevators, visits from Santa, and more all help transform the Carnival ships in wonderful festive locations for wonderful holiday memories.
Some ships will also feature “snow” in the ship’s atrium for an extra magical experience to welcome the holiday season.
New Year’s cruises will also include balloon release events to mark the start of 2023. An evening countdown and balloon release is usually planned for younger guests, and at midnight a massive deck party and ringing of the ship’s horn is the traditional carnival way of ringing in the New Year.
When the decorations come down
Just as holiday decorations must be installed while each ship is in port, the decorations will also be removed between cruises as guests are disembarking and boarding.
While no timetable is published for the decorations to be taken down, they are usually dismantled and stored shortly after the New Year to wait until the start of the next holiday sailing season.
