Caribbean Christmas Vacations: Escape To The Caribbean For A Christmas Vacation To Remember
How To Have a Holly Jolly Christmas at Sea
By Anthony Basile | Published on August 19, 2025
It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year — but some years, it's tricky to get into the Christmas spirit. The weather is cold, everyone’s busy and it can be tough to get the whole family together for fun, festive activities.
What you need is a change of pace, a way to get into a new rhythm and new routines for the holiday season. And what could be more of a change of pace than spending Christmas at sea? If bright sun on pure blue waves are your idea of a good time, it's time to consider spending your Christmas holidays in the Caribbean.
Considering the wide range of Christmas cruises available, this dream may be much closer to reality than it seems. Explore why Caribbean Christmas vacations are an excellent choice, what you can expect, where to go and more.
Why A Caribbean Christmas Vacation Is The Ultimate Holiday Escape
At first glance, a Caribbean Christmas cruise doesn't evoke the holiday spirit. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, this isn't. With that said, there are plenty of reasons why you should consider getting out to sea around the holidays.
The reasons to sail away this Christmas really fall into two big categories — what you're getting away from and the experiences you'll be able to have in the islands.
Getting Away From It All At The Holidays
Christmastime can be complicated. It's no fun to admit, but it's just a fact. If you're the lucky person responsible for organizing the holiday celebrations for your family, you have to find a time and place to get everyone together. This is made less fun by struggles with holiday traffic and, depending on where you live, harsh December weather.
There's also the pressure to cook a nice dinner, and the extra challenge of finding presents for your nearest and dearest who are hard to shop for. Maybe they already have everything you try to buy for them, or maybe their tastes are just tricky to match. Either way, Christmas can turn from a season of fun and enchantment to a month-plus of stress.
Did just reading that make you start to tense up? Breathe, relax and imagine yourself on a Royal Caribbean Christmas cruise. The luxurious experience at sea and the careful itinerary planning mean that everything is handled for you. Once you pick an itinerary, you can put your feet up and enjoy the Caribbean breezes.
The cruise experience also has another fun hidden benefit: It can be a present for someone who's hard to shop for. Inviting your family to take a whirlwind trip to the Caribbean during December means swapping slush and stress for sandy beaches and gentle waves. Suffice it to say, that's a great trade.
Experiencing Celebrations at Sea
Of course, turning your family vacation into a Christmas celebration isn't just about what you're escaping — it's also about the incredible things you'll see and do on your voyage. Cruises around the holidays pull out the stops to give guests a long list of fun activities that will liven up their days.
These include:
- ● Gourmet dinners: Ships' chefs relish the chance to plate up amazing meals during the holidays. These dinners feature homestyle cooking and classic main courses like ham to make sure they feel like home, but with an extra flair — and no clean-up for you afterwards.
- ● Glimmering tree-lighting ceremonies: You'll really start to feel the holiday spirit when you see the onboard Christmas tree lit up with all the appropriate pomp and circumstance. Ships also host menorah lighting ceremonies, so you can have a happy Hanukkah in the Caribbean.
- ● Fun activities throughout the voyage: After the trip-opening tree lighting ceremony, holiday events keep going throughout a Christmas cruise. These include contests and giveaways, ornament- and gingerbread-making courses, themed walking tours and many others.
Once you get a great deal on a holiday cruise, you can start looking forward to all the things you'll experience at sea. It's enough to make you start counting down days on an advent calendar.
What Are The Best Destinations For Caribbean Christmas Vacations?
It's hard to go wrong when you sail to the Caribbean in December — you're opting for warm tropical weather close to the Equator, as well as beautiful views and friendly experiences set up for your enjoyment.
With that said, we can recommend a few Caribbean destinations that can lay claim as the best Caribbean island for Christmas, and are especially welcoming when blustery December weather takes hold farther north:
- ● St. Lucia: Defined by its warm, dry climate and beautiful scenery, St. Lucia is a perfect stop any time of the year. It also has a special attraction during the holiday season: the Festival of Lights to celebrate National Day on December 13.
- ● Perfect Day at CocoCay, The Bahamas: This is an attraction-packed resort on a private island. That description alone is probably enough to fire up your imagination. Specifically, it's home to luxurious spots like the Coco Beach Club, along with Oasis Lagoon, the biggest freshwater pool in the Caribbean and the Thrill Waterpark.
- ● Nassau, The Bahamas: When you're in The Bahamas, you're in for fun in the sun — and all without traveling too far from the continental U.S. December is a great time to stop off in Nassau, because the local Junkanoo Festival turns the islands into a full-on party on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
- ● Oranjestad, Aruba: Aruba is one of the warmest places in the Caribbean during the holiday season, thanks to the island's location. You can spend the warm winter days exploring Oranjestad's pastel-hued Dutch-style buildings between gourmet meals and luxury shopping trips.
- ● San Juan, Puerto Rico: Marvelously warm and full of Christmas spirit, you can have plenty of fun exploring the cobbled streets of Old San Juan. As an extra bonus for American travelers, visiting Puerto Rico doesn't require a passport — it's a U.S. territory.
- ● Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands: The Caymans are known for their beautiful beaches and remarkably clear water. Exploring these islands is especially fun during December, when you can get swept up in the world-class performances of Cayman Jazz Fest, which draws musicians from around the Caribbean — and the world.
- ● Cozumel, Mexico: You may not naturally make the connection between scuba diving and Christmas, but one trip to Cozumel could change that. This Mexican port is home to world-renowned coral reefs to explore, along with Mayan ruins, fun clubs and many other attractions.
Slipping away to the Caribbean for Christmas combines all the fun of a tropical vacation with the ability to see how another part of the world celebrates the holidays.
How To Plan A Caribbean Christmas Vacation With Family Or Friends
Planning a Caribbean cruise vacation doesn't have to be complicated, even when you decide to think big and bring the whole family along. At Christmas or anytime, you simply have to agree on a few major details, which will allow you to choose a package that meets all your needs.
You and your nearest and dearest can choose what's best for you in terms of:
- ● Number of days: Do you want a quick jaunt to a nearby destination like The Bahamas or Puerto Rico, or do you want to spend weeks cruising from one port to another? Every option in between is available, timing-wise.
- ● Timing: "Holiday cruise" can mean a lot of things. Do you want to time your trip to perfectly coincide with Christmas or Hanukkah, or go a little earlier? What about the New Year? Or even an early-season Thanksgiving cruise? These are all on the table.
- ● Destination: There are different agendas available depending on whether you'd like to cruise the Western, Eastern or Southern Caribbean. There are also specialized offerings, like trips that spend a lot of time on the open seas and others that go directly to Perfect Day at CocoCay.
- ● Boarding destination: Cruises depart from multiple ports, so you can focus on ships that leave from Orlando, San Juan, Galveston or another fun city which could, itself, become part of your trip.
Simply get on the same page with your friends and family about details and destination and your exciting cruise agenda will start to fall into place. Perusing the list of destinations shows just how many options you have.
What People Say About Christmas Cruises
Still not convinced that Christmas in the Caribbean is a top-shelf experience? Here are some Royal Caribbean reviews that show just what these trips mean for Royal Caribbean guests:
- ● "Food was outstanding, entertainment was top-notch, beaches provided much-needed relaxation. Instead of Christmas gifts this year, we took a vacation with our 12 and 13-year-old daughters. We all agreed this was much better than any gift."
- ● "The ship has so much to offer for any age group or interest. It was a pleasure to be on this vessel and seeing the Christmas decorations only added to the experience."
- ● "The Christmas tree and everything to do with Christmas was wonderful, and I just loved the Christmas music. Thanks for a great vacation."
The next amazing Christmas vacation in the Caribbean could be yours.
Get Ready For Christmas In The Caribbean
Taking a cruise at Christmas is a way to turn a slushy, complicated season into a sunny, fun adventure. Who knows, you may love tropical Christmas vacations so much that they turn into an annual tradition. And with so many ports to sail into in the Caribbean, you can add some variety while still getting out to sea.
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