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New Year & Christmas Cruises

Celebrate Christmas and New Year on the high seas with 409 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 11,461
Save 724

16 Days Buenos Aires to Buenos Aires

Operator: Scenic

From 34,014
Save 5,311

10 Days Athens to Venice

Operator: Viking Cruises

From 7,051
Save 220

17 Days Oslo to Helsinki

Operator: Hurtigruten

From 8,214
Save 98

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

A New Experience Every Day     , QLD, Australia, May 2024
Our trip to the Galapagos Islands was one that was long planned and eagerly awaited, and proved to be everything we had hoped. We had decided that, since we were only going to be there once in our lives, we should spend as much time as we could. I wondered whether the 10 nights on the Grand Queen Beatrix might prove too much, but it was fantastic, ...read more and every day brought a new experience. The wildlife was spectacular and much of it incredibly tame. The opportunity to snorkel every day had us swimming with sea lions, penguins, white-tipped sharks and a huge variety of colourful fish. The unique land and marine iguanas were impressive and birdlife was prolific. Every island was somewhat different and beautiful in its own way.

Intrepid’s Grand Queen Beatrix was a lovely small ship and we were pleased that we had booked one of the balcony rooms. It allowed more air into the cabin and a place to dry wet clothes. The rooms did not have a lot of storage and we ended up with one of us living out of a suitcase, but that worked fine and was not a problem. The crew were wonderful and the guides excellent, food was delicious, healthy and plentiful, which we needed because the high level of activity every day meant increased appetites. We were only filled to capacity (16 pax) for a few days of the trip and our fellow passengers were great company.

The tour included one additional night both before and after the Islands in Quito at Le Parc Hotel. We also booked 2 further nights before and 3 after at Le Parc and made good use of them doing the hop-on/hop-off bus and day trips with to the Mindo Cloud Forest to see hummingbirds and tucans, and Mitad Del Mundo where the equator passes through the outskirts of Quito. We did all these tours with the Quito Tour Bus (quitotourbus.com) which proved good value for money. We also went up the Telerifico Cable Car with expansive views down over Quito and spent a couple of hours in the wonderful Botanic Gardens just one block from the hotel.

I had originally thought I might book a different hotel in the “old town”, but was very glad I had not. Although Le Parc was some distance from the old centre of Quito, it was a comparatively safe area and very cheap to get anywhere by taxi.

For anyone contemplating going to Galapagos Islands and Ecuador, my advice is to do an Intrepid cruise for as many nights as you can afford, and add a couple of extra nights in Quito, where there is much to see and do.
Wonderful Cruise Sydney to Auckland NZ     , QLD, Australia, Dec 2023
What an amazing experience! From the time we boarded the Viking Orion in Sydney to disembarking in Auckland our expectations were exceeded at every point. The staff were very friendly and accommodating - nothing was a problem. The entertainment was brilliant and the food terrific. What was very noticeable was the high standard of cleanliness that ...read more was maintained throughout the ship - it made us very confident that we would be unlikely to become ill because of some bug on the ship. Well done Viking - we have booked another cruise with you and Global Journeys.
Galapagos Explorer   , VIC, Australia, Jun 2023
My sister and I embarked on an unforgettable journey organised by Global Journeys and travelling with Intrepid, exploring the wonders of South America, from the mesmerizing Galapagos Islands to the vibrant cities of Buenos Aires and Rio De Janeiro, with an awe-inspiring stopover at the majestic Iguazu Falls. Despite encountering initial setbacks due ...read more to flight cancellations, Georgie's exceptional assistance and expertise ensured our trip remained seamless. Georgie secured refunds and rearranging our travel arrangements when flights were cancelled. We are immensely grateful to Georgie for orchestrating a brilliant trip!
Cruising the Dalmation Coast   , NSW, Australia, Jun 2023
Well organised cruise. Loved the talks and entertainment was excellent on board. Port guides and tours were excellent and boarding and disembarking procedures were also well organised. The only down side experienced was the ship was a little too cold outside our cabin and we needed to wear a jacket when we exited.

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