If you're looking for a convenient holiday vacation that offers good value, consider a cruise. Cruises from close-to-home ports will take you to those same palm-studded beaches, often for less than the price of a round-trip air ticket. So before you give up on your dream of a warm weather beach getaway for Thanksgiving or the December holiday season, consider a drive-in cruise instead.

Cruise lines recognize that expensive airfares and fewer flights are affecting vacation plans this year. As a result, they have positioned their ships in a variety of locations that are within driving distance of major cities, making holiday cruise vacations easier and less expensive. During the Thanksgiving and December holiday seasons, cruises are available from:

· New York, NY
· Bayonne, NJ
· Charleston, SC
· Jacksonville, FL
· Port Canaveral, FL
· Fort Lauderdale, FL
· Miami, FL
· Tampa, FL
· New Orleans, LA
· Galveston, TX
· San Diego, CA
· Long Beach, CA
· Los Angeles, CA

Holiday cruises come in a wide variety of lengths and itineraries. Shorter cruises of 3 to 6 nights are offered, while longer itineraries of 7-14 nights are also readily available. Parking can be found near all of the cruise terminals and there’s no limit to the amount of luggage and presents you can bring onboard, other than what can comfortably fit in your cabin. Since space is generally limited however, so you may want to leave gigantic presents at home and bring along small gifts to exchange.

Thanksgiving is a popular time for families to cruise and many large family reunions at sea are planned for this holiday week. After all, why gather around in the kitchen when you can get together in the Caribbean or Mexico instead? Cruisers can escape all of the cooking and cleaning and enjoy roast turkey with all the trimmings on Thanksgiving Day. Prices for Thanksgiving cruises are usually lower than those available for Christmas and New Years weeks, but make your reservations early for the best stateroom availability.

Christmas and New Year’s cruises are a great way to celebrate the holiday season. Ships are decked out with evergreen wreaths, colorful poinsettias, elaborate gingerbread villages and oversized twinkling Christmas trees. Some cruise lines, such as Holland America, even allow guests to order a small, fully decorated Norfolk pine to make your stateroom more festive. Santa often makes an appearance during the cruise and a wide variety of holiday entertainment, parties and celebrations are offered. Holiday menus typically include such favorites as roast turkey with all the trimmings, venison, duck, goose, English plum pudding, pecan pie, eggnog and champagne for toasting.

For those wishing to celebrate their religious traditions, a Protestant minister, a Catholic priest, and a Jewish rabbi are usually onboard each ship to lead holiday services. Check with your travel agent or the cruise line for dates and details. In addition, cruisers can take part in festive events and activities such as caroling and sing-alongs, High Teas, New Year’s Eve Holiday Balls, and other holiday celebrations.

If you’re cruising with children, look for ships that offer lots of kid-friendly holiday activities on lines such as Carnival, Celebrity, Disney, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, and Royal Caribbean. Today’s cruise ships cater to kids and teens with extensive age-specific programming, special club and lounge areas, kids menu items and more. For example, Holland America offers such activities as Santa’s arrival with gifts and photos, Santa’s Milk & Cookies Late Night Snack, Christmas story telling, and a special pillow gift for all guests on Christmas Eve. Talk with your travel agent about which ships might be best suited for the age of the children in your party.

Resources:

Carnival Cruise Lines: www.carnival.com
Celebrity Cruises: www.celebrity.com
Costa Cruises: www.costacruises.com
Disney Cruise Line: www.disneycruise.com
Holland America Line: www.hollandamerica.com
MSC Cruises: www.msccruisesusa.com
Norwegian Cruise Line: www.ncl.com
Princess Cruises: www.princess.com
Royal Caribbean International: www.royalcaribbean.com