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[This message has been edited by sympatico (edited 09-08-2000).]
quote:Originally posted by Alan:We are booked on the Westerdam for Dec. 23rd and was wondering how a holiday cruise compares to a regular cruise....any comments would be most welcome...THANKS!
Hi Alan. My one & only Christmas cruise was the best holiday I've ever spent as an adult. It was magical on the Costa Marina during the holiday week. Christmas fell on a Wednesday, and when we boarded the ship on Saturday it looked as elegant as expected, but no decorations, nothing "Christmasy" looking, not even a tree. We were disappointed but figured it would be fine. By Tuesday night, we knew something exciting was brewing. We had a lovely traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner in the dining room, little gifts & cards were waiting for us in our cabins after dinner, the bars were serving eggnog with rum. There was a midnight service on deck under the stars, with a brilliantly lit outline of a star at the bow. By the time we went to bed, we began to see crew members scurrying around the hallways with arms full of garland, lights, & evergreens. We heard someone at our door around 4 am and when I got up to see what was going on, the hallway had been transformed into a winter wonderland. All the doors had garland around them, all with colorful cardboard decorations in the middle, with a small tree with lights and red ornaments.
When we went to breakfast we found a huge tree in the lobby, all the hallways and public rooms beautifully decorated, most of the cruise staff were dressed in red and green outfits, Christmas music was playing everywhere, and since it was a day at sea, all the shops were open and giving away little trinkets.
Some of the rules & regulations were relaxed for Christmas day, and the crew, staff, & passengers were all enjoying the spirit of the season.
As I said, it was a magical experience and obviously one etched in my memory forever.
What a very nice experience!!! Wonderfulmemories!!
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