My family spent last Christmas on a cruise ship. We'd never do it again.

Terri Peters
Updated ·6 min read
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  • My family has always spent Christmas at home, but last year, we took a 10-day cruise.

  • While we enjoyed the trip, we realized how much we loved our Christmas traditions at home.

  • I would go on another Caribbean cruise, but never again over the Christmas holiday.

Christmas is my favorite holiday to celebrate with my family. We put up our holiday decorations right before Thanksgiving, we regularly wear Christmas pajamas and ugly Christmas sweaters, and I move the Elf on the Shelf every night, even though my teenagers have long since caught on to the game.

But last year, we decided to do something different for Christmas: a 10-day cruise through the Caribbean.

Since the birth of my now 15-year-old son, we had never spent a Christmas away from our home. But we were all curious about whether we'd enjoy waking up in Turks and Caicos on December 25 instead of sitting on the floor around our Christmas tree, opening gifts in our pajamas. We decided to go for it and planned to spend more than a week on a cruise, visiting destinations such as the Dominican Republic, Bonaire, and Aruba.

While the trip wasn't all bad, I don't think we'd travel on Christmas again. Here's what we liked and what we didn't during our holiday at sea.

The crew helped make the ship feel distinctly Christmassy

Image of Terri Peters and her family smiling and posing on a stairwell. Terri's daughter stands on the left and has blonde hair tied back and blue eyes. She wears an off white sparkly strappy dress and her right hand resting on the bannister with the other by her side. Terri stands to her left and has dyed blonde hair with dark roots and brown eyes. She wears a one-shouldered red dress. The other shoulder has a thin strap. To her left stands her husband who has blue eyes and dark brown hair gelled up. He wears a grey suit with a red and blue plaid tie. To his left, his son stands a little apart and leans against the other bannister. He wears a red Santa hat, navy suit and red and white plaid tie.
The author's family on their Christmas cruise.Courtesy of Terri Peters

We sailed aboard Holland America's Nieuw Statendam, on which the crew did plenty to give the trip a festive vibe. The ship had lots of decorations, including Christmas trees and a gingerbread holiday village, and most nights, there were holiday-themed photo ops. There was even a Christmas Eve dinner in the main dining room with holiday dishes from all over the world.

My teenagers no longer believe in Santa, but I loved watching the younger kids get excited when the ship's captain came on the loudspeaker on Christmas Eve to give updates tracking the man in red.

Crew members also gave out cookies and milk on Christmas Eve so kids could leave them out for Santa. I've cruised many times on non-holidays, but seeing these extra touches made the trip feel special.

I packed an entire suitcase with gifts and holiday decorations

Image of a tiny Christmas tree that has gold bells, ornaments, a red bow, and lights. It's surrounded by wrapped Christmas presents and sits on a wooden shelf.
The author's packable Christmas tree and presents for her family.Courtesy of Terri Peters

I offered to let my kids open their Christmas gifts before our trip, but they were adamant that they wanted to open them on Christmas morning or else "it wouldn't feel like Christmas." Luckily, since they wanted gifts such as video games and leggings, their presents were small enough that I could wrap them and pack them in a suitcase.

Following the advice of a friend who'd cruised on Christmas, I also brought a tiny, packable Christmas tree and ornaments, along with a few other holiday decorations to put in our room. I also packed our copy of "The Night Before Christmas" since we read it every Christmas Eve and take a photo together with it. Bringing little bits of our traditions on board the ship helped make it feel more like Christmas.

It felt like a novelty to lay on the beach on Christmas Day

Image of a hand holding a rum cocktail in a plastic cup with a straw. Behind the drink is a beach out of focus and a ship on the left side. Overhead is a red umbrella in the left top corner of the photo.
The author enjoying a rum cocktail at a beach bar in the Turks and Caicos.Courtesy of Terri Peters

We spent Christmas Day at a beach bar on Grand Turk, an island in Turks and Caicos, which was surreal. While my brain knew it was Christmas — I had just watched my kids open gifts in their holiday pajamas, after all — it didn't feel like a holiday. We sipped rum-based drinks under beach umbrellas and swam in blue water.

Our Christmas meal was jerk chicken and fried conch instead of the turkey and sides we usually prepared at home. Despite the differences, one part of the day was the same: My daughter made a friend on board, and her family joined us for the celebrations. Since we live far from our families, we're used to spending the holidays with friends, and having our new friends along for the ride felt fitting.

We all agreed that we missed being at home on Christmas

Terri Peters reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" with her son on her right side and her daughter on her left.
The author reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" with her children.Courtesy of Terri Peters

As a mom, I've always prioritized making the holidays special and memorable for my kids. On Christmas and the days leading up to it, we observe a myriad of traditions, from attending church together on Christmas Eve to cooking a huge meal to share with friends on Christmas Day. Being unable to do many of our normal things created a void; I realized how important these small rituals were to me, and I missed them.

My husband and kids agreed with me. They even acknowledged that while they might not have previously realized how hard I had worked over the years to create these holiday traditions, they felt their absence while we were away. We realized that while we enjoyed cruising together as a family, we loved the life we'd built inside our home.

Moms rarely know whether the things they do for their families are appreciated or even noticed. Hearing my family express sadness that we weren't doing random acts of kindness on Christmas Eve — another tradition — or playing a board game together on Christmas night made me realize they'd come to expect that I would facilitate a special Christmas season for them every year.

While I missed doing these things with my family while we were cruising through the Caribbean, I think I'll appreciate them even more this year now that I've heard how much my family appreciates them. I'll probably even continue to move that creepy Elf on the Shelf because it's a tradition my kids feel tethered to.

I'd take a 10-day cruise again, but would rather spend Christmas at home

Photo of Terri and her family posing and hugging. Terri's husband stands on the left with his arm around his daughter in front of him and his son to his right. He wears a navy suit. Terri's daughter is in front of him and wears a flouncy floral dress with puffy sleeves and her hair in a braid, hanging over her left shoulder. She has both arms around her dad's arm which wraps her waist. Terri stands to her right and wears a brown and white patterned sleeveless dress. Her son stands to her right and wraps his arm around her waist, with his other around his dad's. Terri holds her son's arm. Her son wears a grey suit.
The author and her family during a cruise.Courtesy of Terri Peters

I love cruising with my family. It's my favorite way to vacation with them since it requires much less planning than a vacation we schedule on our own. It's so relaxing to book excursions and let the cruise line handle all the logistics.

I won't give up my love of hopping on a cruise ship, but the experience did teach me that my family and I prefer to celebrate the holidays in our own home. But despite what we missed, the trip was filled with memories we'll cherish forever.

Terri Peters and her family sit on a wooden fence, with monkeys sitting on their shoulders and heads. Terri's husband wears a green shirt with cats wearing a Santa hat and faux antlers and blue shorts. Terri's daughter wears a pink tank top and white shorts. Terri wears a white tank top and black shorts. Terri's son wears a black t-shirt with the "Playstation" logo and grey shorts.
The author and her family feeding monkeys.Courtesy of Terri Peters

We still talk about visiting a donkey sanctuary in Aruba, feeding monkeys in the Dominican Republic, and marveling at the salt flats in Bonaire. So no, I don't regret taking the trip — I just regret the timing.

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