You want to treat your family with an exceptional Christmas gift. Why not book them a holiday on a cruise ship? A cruise will give you all a well-deserved break, with many opportunities to have a magical holiday experience. How to give a cruise as a Christmas gift requires some consideration, but it is well worth the effort.
Remember that there is some logistical planning required when it comes to a cruise holiday. Think carefully about the when, where, and how to get your incredible gift’s purchase and delivery perfect.
Creative Ways To Give A Cruise As A Christmas Gift
It is easy to purchase a family cruise since you only need each guest’s personal information (i.e., birth name, birth date, etc.). How to creatively deliver the gift to your family on Christmas day is vital and will require some planning to make it a memorable moment.
Gifting a cruise to anyone, regardless of whether they are your spouse, parents, or kids, is very generous. Understandably, you would want the moment to be unique, like a big reveal ending with the recipients being blown away by your gift.
To take the pressure off coming up with your own innovative idea, here are a few to serve as inspiration for your gift delivery to your family on Christmas Day.
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Create A Boarding Pass Christmas Card
On platforms like Pinterest, you can find Christmas cards designed as cruise line boarding passes. Download the template, and you can add each family member’s name, the cruise details, and a fun comment. You can also get creative on Canva where they have hundreds of templates for making a variety of boarding passes, as well as other options for gift certificates and gift cards.
Give A Small Gift Representing The Cruise
Give each person in your family a small symbol of the real thing. For example, a nautical-themed t-shirt, a toy sailboat, anchor charm jewelry, other cruise-themed toys or puzzles, and so forth. You can also buy stocking stuffers for the upcoming cruise – think suntan lotion, flip-flops, lanyards (for the cabin door keycard), sunglasses, etc. (Check out our list of recommended cruise accessories for ideas.) You can also find a variety of cruise-themed Christmas ornaments, including some personalized options!
Reveal The Gift Through Art
If you have Photoshop skills, edit a free stock image of a family taking a selfie with a cruise liner in the background by adding the faces of your loved ones instead. You can also give them a beautiful print with a nautical theme or a framed map with all the highlighted ports they will visit.
Reveal The Gift Through Music
Instead of a Christmas playlist, compile a cruise holiday playlist for your family. You can create your own one on a platform like Spotify or use their pre-selected boat-themed playlist. If you are creating your own list, here are some song ideas to include:
- “Cruisin” by Gwyneth Paltrow & Huey Lewis
- “Come Sail Away” by Styx
- “Beyond the Sea” by Bobby Darin
- “The Love Boat” by Jack Jones
- “(Day-O) The Banana Boat Song” by Harry Belafonte
- “Under the Sea” by Samuel E. Wright (the kids will love this one!)
Make Them Work For It
Create a scavenger hunt where your family must solve puzzles to find items symbolizing the cruise. You can get creative with riddles about boat themes from TV and film (e.g., Pirates of the Caribbean, Love Boat, etc.). Each correct answer will get them small rewards, like luggage tags, a sunhat, or a bon voyage card, until they reach the ‘treasure chest’ (i.e., cruise tickets).
Use Social Media
Create a Pinterest board with pins relating to cruising and port destinations. Name the board Merry Christmas and share it with your loved ones. You can also create suspense before Christmas by posting a daily countdown on Facebook or Instagram and tagging your family members. They won’t know what they are counting down to, but it will definitely build anticipation!
Message In A Bottle
Print copies of the cruise tickets or cruise-themed messages and give them in gift bottles to each family member on Christmas. You can even add a little story that you picked up the bottles by the ocean and think they are worthy recipients of the potential treasure map inside.
It doesn’t matter how you gift a cruise. The generosity of your present will overwhelm any loved one.
Considerations For How To Gift A Cruise As A Christmas Gift
Buying a cruise for others is as easy as booking it for yourself. The only difference is you add the details of any additional cruisers as the passengers. Regarding payment, there is also no requirement that the cruiser issue the credit or debit card you use – it can be in your name. So, you can even surprise your spouse without them ever knowing.
However, it can be tricky if you want to buy a cruise for your family as a surprise.
For starters, it would be best to work out exactly when your family can go on a cruise. So, confirm school holiday dates and any work commitments you or your partner might have well in advance. You will also need to research the activities each cruise liner offers families to ensure your kids will be entertained.
If you prefer to play it safe and allow your family’s input on the best liner and dates to go cruising, you can opt to buy them cruise gift cards instead. Most cruise liners allow you to use these gift cards to purchase a cruise, or you can redeem the value onboard the cruise ship for gifts, drinks, etc.
Take out cancellation insurance if you still insist the cruise must remain a surprise. This way, you are protected financially should something unforeseen happen that forces you to cancel the trip. You also have the option to get Cancel For Any Reason coverage which gives you maximum flexibility and whimsy! The Platinum Plan from AXA Insurance is one of the top-rated companies that offer that option. Check itBenefits Landing page
Pre-purchasing A Gift For Your Family On Their Cruise
Suppose you’ve already surprised your family with a cruise as a Christmas gift. In that case, it’s safe to say that you probably gained all the brownie points imaginable in their books. Yet, you can treat them further by purchasing a gift in advance that will be delivered to their cabin on the cruise, making their holiday even more special.
- Step 1: Go to the relevant cruise line website.
- Step 2: Access the ‘manage’ or ‘manage your cruise’ tab.
- Step 3: Depending on the website, you need to navigate to gifting. It will be under categories like ‘In-room gifts and shopping’, ‘onboard packages’, ‘royal gifts’, and so forth.
- Step 4: Once you arrive at the gifts page, most sites will allow you to purchase gifts for yourself or someone else (e.g., if you have older children staying in a separate room from yours). All you will need is the reservation details.
- Step 5: Once you have entered your family’s personal and booking details, you can choose your gift from multiple categories. You can send them gift cards, snacks, beverages, or goods.
- Step 6: Next, you’ll have to enter the exact date you want to gift delivered to your family members, along with other options, like adding a personalized message.
- Step 7: The final step is to go to complete the necessary payment.
Closing Thoughts
We hope you’ve enjoyed these fun ideas for how to give a cruise as a Christmas present. Booking a cruise to give as a gift is straightforward; the most difficult part is deciding when to book and how to surprise them with this gift of a lifetime. Let the memory-making begin!
