cunard xmas cruise 2023

Overall Review: Christmas Cruise on Cunard Queen Mary 2

Our first cruise over the Christmas holiday! This was our 19 th voyage with Cunard, so it is obvious we like the line a lot. Every cruise line has a personality. Formal nights, fine dining and attentive service ticks all the right boxes for us. This was the first year we skipped the Christmas party and decorating the house activities and set sail for the holidays. How did the trip measure up?

Overall Score: 96/100.

We have sailed with Cunard 19 times. We often compare the current experience to those on previous trips. If you don’t, plenty of the passengers around you will! We had a good time. There were far more pleasant surprises and few disappointments.

  Evaluating the Cruise: This is done across 10 categories, each worth a maximum of 10 points.

• Boarding and Disembarking: In 2023, most of the information Cunard once gathered at check in is now done online. This speeds up check-in enormously. Boarding is done in timed segments. Our timeslot was 1:00 PM. Everything proceeded very smoothly. When going ashore in port, Cunard used to scan the barcode on your boarding card with a handheld device. Today, you lay your card on a panel, similar to tapping a credit card and the system records the details. It’s all very fast. Disembarkation in New York was quick too. 10/10.
• Health: Many of the Covid restrictions have been relaxed, but they are still careful about health. Paper towels, not cloth towels in the public restrooms. Large parties like the World Club reception have returned. The online advance information indicates they conform with the protocols for each port. You can request to be seated at a larger table in the dining room once again (1 st or 2 nd seating). There is no “Captain’s Table” on formal night, presumably because you would be mixing strangers not traveling in a group. 10/10.
• Ship Design: Everyone knows Queen Mary 2 is an ocean liner. There were no problems with rocking and rolling on our voyage to and from the Caribbean. Passengers who sailed transatlantic the week previous told a different story, but I think they sailed through a Force 10, which is beyond Gale and into Storm category. In terms of interior design, the ship rarely felt crowded, although it was sailing full, with 2,600 passengers. (10/10)
• Stateroom: We occupied a balcony stateroom in Brittania grade. Brittania represents about 87% of the accommodations. Balcony staterooms average about 260 square feet, which I think is larger than the industry average. This was a sheltered balcony, which you find on decks 4,5 and 6. This means you see the sea through a huge opening cut into the side of the ship. Cabins on Deck 8 and above have glass railed balconies. There was plenty of room. 10/10.
• Shopping: We have never found this ideal on any cruise ship. Generally speaking, the shops tended to have few customers when we walked through. The duty-free liquor store’s prices were higher than on previous cruises. To their credit, the shops offer a price match guarantee. When I bought Bombay Saphire gin on shore at $17/liter, they reduced the onboard price of $29/liter to match it. I bought another two liters. There was an onboard promotion for a chain of jewelry stores with a presence in the different ports. This was on TV, and in lectures. It felt self-promotional. The port maps they distributed highlighted the locations of their stores, omitting other businesses they were not promoting. 8/10.
• Food: We were generally happy with the food served in the Britannia restaurant. On this occasion the selections appeared to have been scaled back. Less beef, for example. However, the Christmas and New Year gala diners had spectacular selections. Worried about gaining weight?  The portions in Britannia are tasty, but on the small side. You can ask for seconds. We dined in the Verandah Steakhouse restaurant three times in 12 days. That was excellent. There is a supplemental charge, but the portions are huge! 9/10.
• Drink: Cocktails, beer and wine onboard are fairly priced. You can bring your own wine into the dining room for a modest corkage charge. The wine list is extensive and has plenty of bottles under the $40 price point. Cunard lets you bring a bottle of two of your own wine onboard. Some of their wine list selections are priced at about retail back home. 10/10.
• Entertainment: We did not attend many lectures or evening shows. I attended the Wine and Food pairing lunch in the Verandah Steakhouse. It was about 2.5 hours long with five courses and nine wines!  It was $80 well spent. They also offered a fine wine tasting, which only accommodated eight to 10 people. It featured eight Pinot Noirs from the Old and New Worlds. This was $120 per person. I attended and had a great time. We caught a bit of the comedian’s show in the Royal Court Theater. We were not impressed. We saw some of the lectures on TV. Good films on TV. The daily quizzes are very popular, drawing big crowds. . 9/10.
• Ports: The ports were good. Of the five ports, Barbados, Dominica and St. Maarten were the standouts. I have developed a new appreciation for booking shore excursions. Piers are often located in the less attractive parts of town. My disappointment with walking around onshore was countered by other passengers raving about the beauty of the island they experienced, once the tour got them out of town. 10/10.
• Staff Attentiveness: Cunard has high standards. Our cabin stewardess was fabulous. We were barely out of our cabin before she was in changing the towels and making the bed. She was always cheerful. Our waiter, assistant waiter, headwaiter and sommelier were very good. They learned what you liked and anticipated your needs. I am amazed they can “reset” and do this over again when one group of passengers departs and new ones arrive. We were very impressed. 10/10.

High Points:  There were plenty!

• Singing Christmas carols. It’s announced ahead of time. Passengers gather around the huge Christmas tree in the grand lobby as the Captain and officers lead the singing. Hundreds of adults and children attended. The quality of singing was superb.
• Santa’s arrival. This was another event drawing hundreds into the enormous Queens Room. Santa and his elves arrive to give presents to the children. It was a high energy event.
• New Year;s Eve. Five parties to choose from! Years ago, the luxury hotel in your city likely has a dinner dance in the ballroom where everyone dressed up. This experience is recreated. There was a countdown to midnight. It was fabulous!
• The gala dinners. Two of the formal nights were Christmas Day and new Years Eve. The table settings were spectacular. The food was excellent, including lobster, Beef Wellington, Filet mignon and Baked Alaska. The party favors were great too.
• Religious services. They are not forgetting Christmas is a serious holiday. There were several services for Christmas including both Midnight Mass and an interdenominational service led by the Captain.
• Internet. This has improved greatly! You buy a package either one day at a time or for the entire voyage. We have heard Cunard now use Starlink, the service offered by SpaceX/Elon Musk. Internet access and stability has greatly improved.

Areas for Improvement:  There are very few.

• No Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party. We are thrilled the large parties have returned. We had the World Club party and the Senior Officer’s reception, but no “shake hands with the Captain” welcome party.
• The onshore jewelry shop promotions. Although billed as “how to shop onshore” and similar themes, these tended to promote specific stores that did not please all guests.

Overall, we had a great experience!

Photos credit Bryce Sanders

Many thanks to  Cunard Line  and to  All Things Cruise.

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Queen Anne Queen Elizabeth Queen Mary 2 Queen Victoria

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• Cunard christmas cruises

Cunard Christmas and New Year

Christmas cruises 2024, 2025, 2026 new year's eve.

All Cunard Christmas and New Year cruise offers listed here are just itineraries and not cruise deals for sale. Vessels are ordered alphabetically. Comparing all the ships in the Cunard fleet is a most convenient way to select the best for you Holiday voyages as departures (homeports, dates), destinations (regions, visited countries), itineraries (ports of call, arrival dates, port times) and also to compare cruise prices.

CruiseMapper shows cruise prices per person. These are only indicative fares on the ship's lowest category staterooms. All rates are based on double occupancy (twin share) and don't include cruise line or travel agency promotions, group booking rates or any other special offers and discounts.

Featuring longer itineraries, Cunard Line's Christmas voyages offer a good combination of Holiday party fun experiences on reasonably priced cruises.

Cunard's classic British luxurious travel style is marked by the ambiance of sophistication and the jolly company of rich people. The exceptional cuisine and premium wines selections, the first-class hotel amenities in some of the industry's largest staterooms and the "Cunard White Star" service are among the best perks guests can enjoy on each of the three Queens.

Next tables show all Cunard Christmas New Year cruise itineraries as ships, departure ports, call ports (dates and arrival/departure times) and regions.

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Cunard Christmas Cruises

Celebrate Christmas the Cunard way with these magical voyages departing in 2024 and 2025.

Take your pick of exotic Caribbean sailings on the iconic Queen Mary 2 or enjoy the splendour of the Canary Islands while relaxing aboard either the beautiful Queen Elizabeth or Queen Victoria .

Should you wish to make your Cunard Christmas experience extra special, why not ask our Voyage Consultants about our tailor-made Cruise & Stay packages? We offer Christmas cruises in 2024/25 and can design a holiday that meets your requirements with the addition of hotel stays, land programmes – even helicopter transfers!

For further information, please call 0800 008 6677 or choose your preferred Cunard Christmas itinerary from the collection below and make an online enquiry.

For more cruise deals with Cunard, please visit Cunard Cruise Deals .

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Cunard Cruises from Southampton Winter 2023

The ultimate adventure, from the pioneers of world travel. 

Join Cunard in 2023 as they celebrate 100 years of World Voyages . From astounding destinations to magical events, it’s a travel experience you won’t want to miss.

There’s so much to look forward to in winter 2022/2023 with Cunard’s extraordinary adventures and World Cruise 2023. Exploring from the comfort and freedom of a Cunard ship is truly an unparalleled experience.

QUEEN MARY 2 From the heady streets of Safaga on the shores of the Red Sea, to the golden sands of South Africa, Queen Mary 2 will call at 31 ports in 18 countries, in 2023, combining a 102 night Centenary World Voyage with in-depth explorations of Australia, Asia and Africa. Discover ancient civilisations in Egypt, and cities less than a century old in the United Arab Emirates. See rhinos and elephants on a visit to a wildlife reserve from Port Elizabeth, or savour the iconic design of Sydney’s opera house on a visit to New South Wales’ cosmopolitan capital. Overnight port calls in Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sydney and Cape Town, are complemented by late evening departures from Safaga, Colombo, Sydney and Port Elizabeth, while stops in Mauritius, Reunion and Arlie Beach, bring salt-white sands, gently swaying palms and spellbinding blue sea.

QUEEN ELIZABETH Starting her 2022 – 2023 season in Barcelona, Queen Elizabeth will swap European shores for the Asia Pacific, where she’ll embark on a full circumnavigations of Australia, complemented by voyages to Japan, New Zealand and South East Asia. Calling at 49 ports in 16 countries, she’ll enjoy overnight stays in Hobart, Auckland, Singapore and Hong Kong, coupled by late evening departures from Safaga, Barcelona, Fremantle, Yokohama and Fukuoka and a maiden call to Vladivostok. Her New Zealand voyages offer opportunity to sail through the islands’ famous Fiordland National Park, where waterfalls spill down glacier-carved gullies, while her Japanese voyages are rich with UNESCO World Heritage sites to explore. Manila, Chan May (gateway to the historic cities of Hue and De Nang) and Busan, in the Republic of Korea, are further highlights of Queen Elizabeth’s vibrant 2023 voyages. Be captivated by Buddhist shrines, emerald mountains and the palatial homes of former Emperors.

QUEEN VICTORIA 2023 sees Queen Victoria visit 26 ports in 20 countries, the undoubted highlight of which is a 101 night Centenary World Voyage, commemorating 100 years since Cunard’s first circumnavigation of the globe. In the same spirit of exploration, Queen Victoria will visit ten of the ports originally called at by RMS Laconia in her 1923 World Voyage, giving guests the unique opportunity to retrace part of the iconic journey undertaken a century to the year. Further highlights of Queen Victoria’s 2023 season include evening departures from Colombo and Dubai, and overnights in New York, San Francisco, Sydney, and Hong Kong. A full transit of the Panama Canal offers yet another bucket list experience to savour, while stops ashore in Jordan (gateway to Petra), Tonga and the Samoa Islands are sure to ignite the senses and inspire unforgettable memories.

Got a future cruise credit? Now’s the perfect time to use it with Southampton Cruise Centre. Especially given the fantastic offers that go with it. Simply mention your Future Cruise Credit (FCC) when you make your enquiry and your booking and we’ll take care of the rest.

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Cunard Christmas Cruise - What do the Cruise Ships look like?

Walking onto a Cunard Ship is always a fabulous experience but at Christmas it is something else!

We cruised just before Christmas on the Queen Elizabeth Cruise Ship and had a fabulous time. Cunard Cruise Ships are pretty spectacular during the Festive Season and in this photo post we show you what you can expect to see if you are cruising with Cunard at Christmas time

Relevant reading –

Cunard Drinks Prices and Packages

Cunard Dress Codes – What to pack for a Cunard Cruise

Cunard Cruises WiFi Packages – How much do they cost?

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Cunard Queen Elizabeth Cruise Ship Review

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Cunard Christmas Card 2023

By North West Newbie , December 19, 2023 in Cunard Line

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North West Newbie

Just received this in today's post.

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We have received one as well but don't understand it at all.

Didn’t get it either.   Thought it may have depicted a somewhat stylised version of Royal Ascot in the rain. 

did not get mine this year oh......

Toffeegirl68

I have opted put of postal mailings.

I decided I can live without them in this increasingly digital age. 

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Cunard Christmas Card 2023

By bluemarble , December 1, 2023 in Cunard Line

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Looks like the 2023 Cunard Christmas ecard has arrived in the US. Here's what I received via email a few hours ago. This one has a bit of animation. The star and other portions of the image blink once every 2.6 seconds by my timing.

I'll also post this on my other thread titled "Cunard Christmas ecard images from years past." where I've been keeping an archive of images from each of the Cunard Christmas ecards since 2007.

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Love Exploring

A Retro Look At Cruises Through The Decades

Posted: November 29, 2023 | Last updated: November 29, 2023

Sailing through time

1830s: the very beginnings

1840s: the first pleasure cruises

1840s: a landmark in cruise-line history

1850–60s: early developments

Passenger cruising continued to develop through the mid-19th century, with luxuries like on-board lounges and simple entertainment emerging. Shown here, in 1856, is Cunard's RMS Persia, one of the largest ships of her time and an early Blue Riband winner (an award given for high-speed Atlantic crossings).

1870s: the New World

1880s: lighting up the ocean

1890s: “floating palaces”

1900s: entering cruising’s golden age

At the turn of the century, there was still a frisson around cruising and large, buzzy crowds would often gather to see off the ships. This nostalgic photograph was snapped between 1900 and 1915, and shows large steam boats leaving from the White Star Line dock in Detroit, Michigan. Well-dressed passengers fill the ships' upper and lower decks too.

1900s: the first purpose-built cruise ship

1910s: onboard entertainment

1910s: the Titanic disaster

One of the most famous and devastating events in cruise history occurred in this decade. Dubbed "unsinkable" by the White Star Line's vice-president, the Titanic set out from Southampton on her maiden voyage on 10 April 1912 to much applause. But just four days later, she collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic: the compartments in her hull filled with water and she tragically sank. The disaster claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people.

1910s: First World War

1920s: cruising’s golden age continued

1920s: setting the bar high

1920s: a festive feast

1920s: the first round-the-world cruise

Another major milestone came in the 1920s: the very first round-the-world cruise. The Cunard Line's RMS Laconia (pictured here leaving Liverpool circa 1920) sailed around the globe in 1922, calling at 22 ports along the way, and taking 450 lucky passengers with her.

1930s: all games on deck

1930s: making a splash

1940s: post-war cruising

1950s: the post-war decades

Come the 1950s, cruise ships had another phenomenon to compete with: jet planes. Commercial air travel boomed in this decade, with comfier aircraft and improved routes enticing travelers into the skies. Many cruise liners underwent swish post-war refits in an attempt to stay afloat: this 1950s photo shows the opulent dining room of French liner SS Île de France after a dramatic post-war makeover.

1950s: going Down Under

1950s: the Blue Riband record breaker

Though formalized in the 1930s, the Blue Riband – the award for the passenger cruise liner with the fastest Atlantic-crossing time – has its roots right back in the 19th century. The record is still held by SS United States of United States Lines, which first sped across the Atlantic in 1952. She's pictured here on 9 July 1952, docking in Southampton.

1960s: the Jet Age

1970s: The Love Boat

As flying became more commonplace, the popularity of cruising looked set to dwindle. However, one particular TV series is often credited with keeping travelers' passion for cruising alive. The Love Boat – aired from the 1970s – was a comedy series that followed the crew and passengers of luxury liner SS Pacific Princess. Such was its popularity, some say it brought cruising back into the mainstream once more. This shot shows Cunard Line's Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1975. 

1970s: cruising opens up to the masses

1980s: the cruise to nowhere

The 1980s is thought to be the decade that pioneered the "cruise to nowhere," where the ship really was the destination. The SS Norway (pictured) – a lavish mega ship with room for thousands of passengers and amenities like a casino – embarked on a no-docking cruise in this decade.

1990s: Disney takes to the water

2000s: making waves in the modern world

The 2000s saw larger-than-life, no-expense-spared, mega cruise ships sail onto the scene. This sunset snap shows Cunard Line's Queen Mary II as she completes her first trans-Atlantic voyage in January 2004. At this time, she was the largest and most expensive cruise ship ever constructed with room for 2,200-plus passengers, a theater and even a planetarium, setting the bar for the ships of posterity. 

2010s: bigger, better and healthier

2020s: off to a rocky start

The 2020s got off to an eventful start. The COVID-19 pandemic halted almost all cruises, with some passengers and crew marooned onboard while testing and entry protocols were debated. In 2021 rife cancellations, last-minute border changes and variant outbreaks persisted. However, the years since have indicated a return to pre-pandemic popularity, with 300 cruise ships departing in April 2022 – pretty impressive compared to just 22 departing in April 2021. Cruise lines have incorporated more health and safety protocols, such as advising passengers to control their TV, light and temperature via an app instead of touchpoints. 

If this has floated your boat, here's where to see the world's most famous ships

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A Side trip to Moscow

Have you thought about a cruise visit to the Baltics? One of our clients offered this very interesting diary of a summer trip  to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and we thought you might enjoy reading it. Enjoy…

This offered us the unique opportunity to explore the Russian capital in one day. Indeed, we were going from one capital – St. Petersburg, the capital for 200 years – to the historical capital of Moscow, which was founded back in the 11th Century, and restored as the capital by the Bolsheviks in 1917. We were taken by air in a one-hour flight to Moscow, where waiting coaches, escorted by a police car took us directly to the Kremlin. As we transferred to a bus and saw the countryside surrounding Moscow, we were struck by how clean and cosmopolitan the city was. And then the Kremlin, which means “fortress” in Russian. It’s aptly named, as the entire facility (70 acres worth) is surrounded by a high wall. Once inside, our first stop was the Armory, the repository of famous artifacts stored their throughout the centuries. Old Bibles encrusted with jewels, magnificent carriages that once transported the Tsars, and 10 of the surviving jeweled eggs crafted by Carl Faberge as gifts for the last Tsar, Nicholas II, and his wife Alexandra.

Then we were off to visit some of the most beautiful churches in the world, including one of the most famous (St. Basel’s, with its colored turrets reflecting the Ottoman Empire style) in the world. Also impressive was the world’s largest cannon, commissioned centuries ago and fired but only a few times. And then it was lunch time in the Alexandr Pushkin restaurant, one of the most famous eateries in the city (and only a few blocks from the Kremlin, down the street from the old KGB headquarters.) Lunch consisted of tomato and mozzarella salad, beet and beef soup, chicken and veal patties, sorbet for dessert, and an excellent Bordeaux. After this tasty meal, it was back to the Kremlin for one more visit – this time to view the famous (and vast) Red Square, and some last-minute shopping at the G.U.M. department store on the corner of the Square. (Remind me to show you my prize purchase – a necklace of heart-shaped amber, a popular semiprecious stone in Russia.)

Then it was back to the airport – again under police escort – for the one-hour flight back to St. Petersburg. We didn’t get back to the ship until 11pm, but have no regrets for this exhausting but fascinating day. And…it was still light outside when we arrived at the ship, compliments of the famous “White Nights” representative of St. Petersburg at this time of year.

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Request a Galapagos Quote for 11/1/2020 – Galapagos Inner Loop – 7 Nights Roundtrip Baltra | From $8,512

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All fares are in US dollars, per person, based on double occupancy, and reflect promotional savings, are for new bookings only, are subject to availability, and must be booked by September 1, 2019. Promotional savings in categories F-B on the December 21st sailing and categories C-D on the December 27th sailing only. *Included roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco is based on availability in class of service. Offer may be combined with applicable 3rd guest in stateroom offer but may not be combinable with other offers. Port, security, and handling charges of $149 per person are additional. Additional terms and conditions may apply. Call for details. Ship’s registry: Bahamas.