Christmas 2020

Merry Christmas

Holidays are about families, and what better example of a happy family then spending time together on a cruise ship.

Unfortunately, 2020 was not a year that would be possible.  However, with the promise of vaccines and improved treatments for COVID-19, we are hopeful that next holiday season it will be possible to sail the seven seas again during this time of year.

Holiday time is a great time to sail on a cruise ship.  Ships have festive decorations, usually starting early, so sailing before Christmas is also a special treat if you want to be home for Christmas.  You do need to plan in advance if you want to sail on the holiday itself as those cabins sell out quickly.

Celebrity Edge Martini Bar

We've had several opportunities to sail during the holiday season.   We thought we'd share a few images from those journeys in this post.

Celebrity Edge

This giant Christmas tree stands in the atrium of Celebrity Edge.  Listen to music or enjoy a martini while watching this tree come to life with lights and music or listen to one of the other performances throughout the evening.

This isn't the only tree you'll find onboard the Edge.   Everywhere you turn there are some holiday decorations. They come in many sizes and shapes.

We hope that your Christmas tree is filled with many special gifts this year.   Perhaps one of them contains a gift certificate for a cruise or resort stay on Celebrity Cruise Line or any of our other travel partners.

Even if you didn't have a cruise vacation wrapped up in a box under your tree, there's still plenty of opportunity for you to surprise your family in the New Year with a trip that they will remember for years to come.

Make some memories in 2021 with your family and friends.

Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives this holiday season and throughout the year.  We hope that you've enjoyed our gift of stories and photos from our cruise and land trips.

We would be happy to help you plan for your next vacation.

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Merry Christmas 2016

Merry Christmas

Holidays are about families, and what better example of a happy family then spending time together on a Carnival Fun Ship.

One highlight for us this year was sailing on the brand new Carnival Vista for our National Conference.   The cruise began December 3rd in Miami, Florida.   Carnival Vista was decorated for the holiday season.

The first thing we noticed when boarding the ship was the beautiful atrium decorated with garland, a Christmas tree and a mailbox for letters to Santa.  Throughout the ship there were more decorations to enjoy.   

Holiday time is a great time to sail on a cruise ship.  You do need to plan in advance if you want to sail on the holiday itself as those cabins sell out quickly.

Carnival has a partnership with Dr. Seuss.  Shown here is one of the youth program rooms decorated for Christmas.  The age appropriate programs have something for each of your children and best of all, it's included in your cruise price.

They'll have fun playing with other children of the same age if you decide to have them included in the program.  We toured the facility during "family time".

Most importantly, spend some time together as a family enjoying all the entertainment that the cruise staff has in store for you from the time you arrive on board the ship.

We'll post some more details about the children programs in future articles.

We hope that your Christmas tree is filled with many special gifts this year.   Perhaps one of them contains a gift certificate for a cruise or resort stay on Carnival Cruise Line or any of our other travel partners.

Even if you didn't have a cruise vacation wrapped up in a box under your tree, there's still plenty of opportunity for you to surprise your family in the New Year with a trip that they will remember for years to come.

Make some memories in 2017 with your family and friends.

Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives this holiday season and throughout the yea.  We hope that you've enjoyed our gift of stories and photos from our cruise and land trips.

We would be happy to help you plan for your next vacation.

#FriFotos Holiday Themes

Photos on Twitter

For those of you that don't know #FriFotos was a weekly photo forum by @EpsteinTravels @TravelDesigned  @CharlesYap. Theme was revealed every Tuesday 12pm ET.  Recently, @spencerspellman joined the team as a permanent co-host.  We  co-hosted one week late last year and continued to contribute with images from our archives whenever possible.  After five years, the team announced that the final week for #FriFotos would be October 16th.

#FriFotos Returns

On December 4th, the Twitter community was invited to participate in the new #FriFotos weekly photo forum by @alexpublicity. Theme ideas were solicited and #Winter was chosen as the first theme.

We really enjoyed all the years of photo sharing hosted by the original hosts, and wanted to support the new forum, so we've been active participants. Alex invited us to co-host so we joined forces starting with December 18th when the theme was #Holidays.

 

This Week's Theme: #Christmas

Collage of Ornaments from Christmas Trees Around the World

Picture of giant tree at Museum of Science & Industry - Chicago (2014)

 For this week's theme it couldn't be anything else other than #Christmas! So get sharing your best #FriFotos with us pic.twitter.com/1EE4lVhZyF

We'll be sharing some of our ornaments from #AroundTheWorld which were from our photo collection last year.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

 to all our #FriFotos Friends & Blog Followers

Thank you to all that contributed their images.   Photography is a great way to make memories.   We love sharing our images with the world on Twitter and elsewhere and will continue to do so.

We've made a few friends along the way and hopefully that won't end as #FriFotos starts a new chapter. 

If you like Travel & Photography join us online:

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc

Disney to Guests - Magnets Only Please

Fish Extenders Banned
From Disney Ships

Decorating the cabin door is a tradition that guests on Disney Cruise Line's ships have long enjoyed. You may have heard about fish extenders. These organizers would be hung over the doorway or on the fish which the crew uses for delivering your onboard "mail".

Disney has just announced a policy change that goes into effect with upcoming sailings. Due to damage caused by adhesives, tape and the hanging organizers, the line is restricting decorations to magnets only. There will be a warning if guests don't comply and if that is ignored, a $100 fine will be imposed. For those that aren't aware, the organizers were used for gift exchanges with fellow passengers.


Leave Your Tape & Adhesives at Home


Here is the text of a letter that Disney will start putting in the cabins within the next two weeks.  As the letter indicates, you can purchase magnets onboard for your door decorating.   If you plan to exchange gifts with your fellow passengers, be sure it is of the magnetic variety or find some other way to get together for the exchange.

Speaking of magnets, if you want to add some fun to your cruising experiences, why not start a  magnet collection.  Read more about this in our article on the subject.

We are glad that you have joined us aboard the Disney (Choose Ship)! As you may be aware, it is important to us to keep our facilities looking their best for all our guests.  As part of our commitment to this area of focus, we ask that you do not affix anything to your stateroom door utilizing tape or any adhesive, including removable gel adhesives.  We have found that these adhesives damage the finish on our stateroom doors; therefore we ask that you limit door decoration to those of the magnetic variety. Concurrently, we ask that guests not use over-the-door hanging organizers as they have been found to scratch and/or disfigure stateroom doors and trim. Guests found with damaged doors are assessed a $100 damage fee per incident to cover the cost of repairs. Your attention to this matter will greatly assist us in keeping our shipboard environment looking ship-shape.  Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Guest Services, Deck 3 Mid-ship. If interested, magnetic door decorations are available for purchase in our merchandise area.  For your convenience, magnetic strips are also available at Guest Services. We appreciate your cooperation and hope you have an enjoyable sailing.

Merry Christmas 2010

Azamara Journey Discoveries Lounge

Merry Christmas

As I gaze out the kitchen window this morning, I see a white blanket of snow covering the ground and nearby trees.   The snow began falling late last night just in time for a White Christmas.   Looking at the untouched snow, everything looks quiet and peaceful.

Images like this usually stay with you for some time and when you close your eyes, you can sometimes see them again as if you were seeing them for the first time.

We've had the good fortune of being able to add other images to our memory banks this year.   The tree in this picture decorated one of Azamara Journey's lounges. The crew had just started decorating for the holidays on the final day of our 12 Night West Indies voyage.

We had hoped that they would have decorated sooner, but they told us it was too early. The voyage following ours would be the first one that had the holiday decorations.

Allure of the Seas Glass Elevator

Prior to our Azamara Journey cruise, we were onboard the Allure of the Seas for a pre-inaugural cruise to nowhere.   This picture of the glass elevators shows some simple holiday decorations.

Decorations play an important role in helping people get in the holiday spirit. For the cruise ship's crew, the holidays are business as usual as they go about assisting passenger's needs.

We sometimes forget that they are away from home for long periods of time. We had dinner with the Captain of the Azamara Journey one night. We learned that he was heading home after spending three months at sea away from his family. He was excited to be heading home for Christmas to spend time with his young child and wife.

Holidays are a time for family and friends. My wish for you this Christmas Day is that you are sharing the day with those that you love and care about, and who have mutual feelings for you. For those that are away from home, such as cruise ship crew and those serving their countries in the armed services, may the peaceful images in your mind help you to be close to those you love, if only in your heart and mind.

Trunk Bay, St. John USVI

People read this blog from all over the world, so I don't know if you are looking out your window and seeing snow like I did, or perhaps a sandy beach that has just had the tide wash back out to sea leaving a peaceful image of untouched sand.

Whatever images you are seeing, may they sustain you and bring you peace on this Christmas Day.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your lives by sharing our adventures and cruise industry information.   My blog and facebook fan page are my gifts to you.  I hope you enjoy them.  Merry Christmas to all.

Happy Holidays

Holiday greetings to all on this Christmas Day. I hope this day finds you surrounded by family and friends. For the men and women serving our country, a special holiday greeting - may the peace of Christmas stay with you now and until you are safely home again. Thank you for your service.

The military aren't the only people that are away from family this holiday season. You may not even consider this when you are having a good time on a ship, but the people that make your cruise so enjoyable are away from friends and families 6 months on average. If you happen to be reading this while onboard a ship, make sure to wish the crew a happy holiday also.

Celebrating the holidays onboard a cruise ship is a great way to get together with your family and friends. I suspect you won't have a white Christmas, but I'm sure the decorations onboard will get you in the festive spirit. If you are considering this for next year, my advice is to plan early since many people have the same idea and prime space tends to sell out quickly.

I hope you enjoy reading about my cruise experiences. That's my gift to you.

Happy Holidays,
Chris