December 24th
Christmas Eve on the Emerald Princess
We have had two full days at sea which meant sleeping in, hours of relaxation, and pretty much bouncing from meal to meal.
Christmas time on a cruise ship (at least for me) is a mixture of merry and melancholy. The crew has done a lovely job of decorating and providing a variety of holiday activities that ranged from a gingerbread house building competition to making cards to holiday movies to watch either on TV or in the lounge, to singing Christmas carols in the main atrium.
Gingerbread Houses
As much as I am enjoying myself, there is a part of me that is missing being home with family and friends for Christmas.
This morning our highlight was to be a scenic cruise past Amalia Glacier. We navigated through the narrow fjords of the Southern Patagonia Ice Fields to witness the blue ice, only to be fogged in and have very limited visibility.
Amelia Glacier
Ice floating near the ship
Christmas Eve is Tim’s favorite holiday, so we did our best to make it “Merry and Bright”, regardless of the weather.
After a formal dinner, we joined a large group who lined the balconies on all three levels around the central atrium for a robust caroling session. I can’t carry a tune in a bucket, but that did not prevent me from belting out my own version. I found myself wiping away a tear or two.
Singing Christmas carols in the main atrium
I’m not sure where all this sensitive, sentimental side is coming from…
The evening show put on by the crew included more Christmas favorites.
Christmas Eve show
Thankfully the weather had cleared and we closed out the evening sitting in our cabin watching the stunning scenery as we navigated through the Straight of Magellan.
View off the back of the ship
Cruising through the Straight of Magellan
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Today I am grateful for the camaraderie onboard and the lovely selection of people we are having the opportunity to meet and converse with. I’m also thankful for the extra efforts the crew made to make our holiday time special.
Amalia Glacier, Natales, Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena Region, Chile
A Note From Abroad 
As usual, fabulous photographs and plenty of Christmas cheer by the sound of it!! (You probably sing like I do. It’s called caterwauling. But hey, we can’t be good at everything..).Happy New Year!..
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Caterwauling, is a perfect description of my singing voice, but I was not the lone wolf, so, much fun was shared by the masses. 🙂
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Sounds like a wonderful time. Something to remember for many years to come. Enjoy.
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Darlene, I’m sure we will remember our holidays at sea. Special times for sure.
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A really terrific adventure.
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Lulu, yes, we are truly enjoying sharing this time together.
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Love the photos and sounds like a great holiday so far. Relax and enjoy!
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Thank you Jill!
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I just know I’m going to sound like a scrooge, but I’m now 100% convinced never to take a cruise over Christmas! My over-riding fear about taking a cruise has always been the thought of feeling trapped. While at sea, there’s no escaping. Now, I’ve added Christmas carols to the mix, and I feel like jumping overboard!! LOL
It’s got to be tough to provide that Christmas feel, so so much of the holiday is wrapped up in tradition and memories of home. It’s good you had at least one tear-jerking moment!
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Leah, we have settled into a pretty good routine by now, and have found that the sea days are very relaxing. We can do as much or as little as we want. Having met a few people with shared interests to spend some time with has also helped. I’m not sure I would choose to cruise again over Christmas, but thankful for having experienced it at least once.
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And I’m thankful that you shared it. I think the sea days would be lovely!
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Wow, such a beautiful scenery! “I can’t carry a tune in a bucket” so resonates for me, I get a kick out of your choice of words.
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Arati, it is beautiful scenery. Seeing the local areas, especially when ever that includes getting into the parks and mountains brings us great joy. I certainly don’t have any plans on entering any singing competitions, that’s for sure 🙂
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Interesting that you cruised over Christmas. I guess since I am always so far behind in reading posts, I didn’t realize your South American trip would cover the holidays. Glad you had fun and relaxation. The photos from the Strait of Magellan are really beautiful. Watching the scenery from our balcony was probably the best part of our Alaskan cruise.
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This was the first Christmas/New Years cruise we have done. Certainly a different way to celebrate the holidays.
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