Holiday cruises are popular getaways, and Carnival Cruise Line has announced the dates when its ships will be officially decorated for the festive season.
Every ship in the fleet will be decked out in holiday adornments, with the first vessels decorated as early as Friday, November 25, 2022.
Holiday Decoration Dates Announced
Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald has announced the holiday decoration dates for the entire Carnival fleet.
Each ship is decorated by professionals – not the onboard crew – and therefore the decoration dates vary based on when each ship is in port to allow decorations and staff to be brought onboard for the seasonal transformation.
The first ships to be decorated will be Carnival Liberty and Carnival Radiance, which will debut their new holiday decorations on Friday, November 25.
Carnival Liberty is homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida, offering short 3-4 night sailings to The Bahamas, while Carnival Radiance is sailing from Long Beach, California, with 3-4 night itineraries to Baja, Mexico.
The rest of the fleet will reveal holiday decorations over the next 10 days as follows:
- Saturday, November 26 – Mardi Gras, Horizon, Panorama, Vista
- Sunday, November 27 – Dream, Glory, Magic, Miracle, Spirit
- Monday, November 28 – Elation, Valor
- Thursday, December 1 – Breeze, Freedom
- Friday, December 2 – Conquest
- Saturday, December 3 – Paradise, Sunrise
- Sunday, December 4 – Legend, Luminosa, Pride
- Monday, December 5 – Splendor, Sunshine
Of special interest will be the holiday decorations for the brand new Carnival Celebration as she celebrates her first holiday season with the cruise line. The ship will reveal her Christmas decorations on Sunday, December 4, 2022, just one month after she welcomes guests for the first time.
Carnival Celebration will be offering 7-8 night roundtrip Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami through the holiday season.
While decorations vary for each ship and the space available onboard, they typically include lighted trees in the atrium area, garlands along the promenade, and other beautiful and elegant touches of bows, holly, ivy, twinkle lights, wreaths, and more.
“Christmas and the Holiday season is a wonderful time to sail and I hope you all get a chance to experience this special time on our ships,” said Heald.
Festive Activities Onboard
In addition to decorating each ship for Christmas, Carnival Cruise Line has a variety of holiday activities that will be presented onboard from late November through the New Year.
Special holiday story times for young guests, holiday-themed trivia contests, seasonal menu items, holiday music playing in the elevators, visits from Santa, and more all help transform Carnival’s ships into festive wonderlands for amazing 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 sailings will also include balloon drop events to mark the beginning of 2023. An early evening countdown and balloon drop is usually planned for younger guests, and at midnight a massive deck party and sounding the ship’s horn is Carnival’s traditional way to ring in the new year.
When Decorations Come Down
Just as holiday decorations must be installed while each ship is in port, the decorations will likewise be removed between cruises as guests are debarking and embarking.
While no schedule is published for when decorations come down, they are usually dismantled and stored shortly after the New Year, to wait until the next season of holiday sailings will begin.