“Christmas cruises” is searched more than 18,000 times a month across the United States in November, and the question behind most of those searches is practical: which ships sail over the holidays, from which ports, and what does the week really cost? Here is the national picture for Christmas and New Year’s 2026, port by port, with the booking rules that apply wherever you live.
Where ships sail from over the holidays
Florida: the most choice
Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral are the three busiest cruise ports in the world, and every major line sails Caribbean and Bahamas itineraries over Christmas week from at least one of them: Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, MSC, Celebrity, Disney, Princess and Virgin. Tampa adds Western Caribbean sailings on mid-size ships, and Jacksonville has short Bahamas cruises. Florida has the most December flights too, which is what makes it the default for anyone who has to fly.
The Gulf: drive-to for the middle of the country
Galveston is a year-round home port for Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and, in winter, Disney, within a day’s drive of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. New Orleans sails year round with Carnival and Norwegian, serving the Deep South and the Mississippi valley. Mobile sails seasonally, and its 2026 season runs through December, which gives Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee a holiday sailing with no airfare.
The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
New York (Manhattan and Brooklyn) and Cape Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey, sail year round to the Bahamas and the Caribbean, with Christmas-week itineraries that go south for a week and come back. Baltimore and Norfolk sail year round as well, serving the Mid-Atlantic. A holiday cruise from these ports starts cold and ends warm; pack for both.
The West Coast and Hawaii
Los Angeles, Long Beach and San Diego sail the Mexican Riviera over the holidays, from three-night Ensenada runs to seven-night Cabo and Puerto Vallarta itineraries, and San Francisco adds winter Mexico and Hawaii sailings. In Honolulu, Norwegian’s inter-island ship sails every week of the year, Christmas included. Seattle and Boston have no winter sailings; their seasons end in autumn.
What a holiday sailing is like
Ships are decorated from the first week of December: a tree in the atrium, gingerbread villages on the bigger ships, holiday menus on the 24th and 25th, religious services and a visit from Santa on Christmas morning. Sailings that cross the 31st add a countdown party on deck. The passenger mix is heavily family and multigenerational, so connecting cabins and the adults-only decks are both in demand.
What Christmas week costs
Christmas and New Year’s are the two most expensive weeks of the cruise calendar, typically 30 to 60 percent above the same cabin in early December or mid-January, and New Year’s week is often the higher of the two. The pre-Christmas week, departing December 12 to 19 and home by the 24th, is priced like an ordinary December sailing and has the same decorations and shows.
When to book
For Christmas or New Year’s week, by the end of September for real choice; by late October the balconies and connecting cabins on popular ships are gone. For the pre-Christmas week, mid-November is usually fine. Late deals exist on inside cabins and odd itineraries, but by then holiday airfare is the problem, which is why drive-to ports matter so much.
Paperwork and packing
- Passports for everyone, even on closed-loop sailings that accept a birth certificate and ID.
- Two climates: your home port in December and the Caribbean two days later.
- Formal nights are real on holiday sailings.
- Travel insurance with missed-connection cover and a hotel night before sailing; December weather is the most common reason a cruise is missed.
Booking from anywhere in the country
Dove Travel & Cruises International is a Nashville, Tennessee agency that has planned cruises by phone and email for travelers across the United States since 1994. Tell us where you live, who is going and whether you would rather drive or fly, and we send real sailings with real prices from the ports that make sense for you. There is no planning fee; the cruise line pays our commission, so the price matches booking direct. Start on the cruise planning page, see Caribbean cruise packages, or find your state on the locations directory.
Christmas cruise questions
Which US ports have Christmas cruises?
Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral, Tampa, Jacksonville, Galveston, New Orleans, Mobile (through December 2026), New York, Cape Liberty, Baltimore, Norfolk, Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, San Francisco and Honolulu. Seattle and Boston do not sail in winter.
How much more does a Christmas cruise cost?
Typically 30 to 60 percent more than the same cabin in early December. The week before Christmas is priced like a normal December sailing.
When should I book a Christmas cruise?
By the end of September for Christmas or New Year’s week; by mid-November for the week before Christmas.
Can a Nashville agency book a cruise for me if I live in another state?
Yes. We plan by phone and email for travelers nationwide and book from whichever port and airport is closest to you.
