How To Give A Cruise As A Christmas Gift: Creative & Easy Ideas

Figuring out how to give a cruise as a Christmas gift can feel a bit tricky. A cruise is a big, generous present, and you want a reveal that feels just as special as the trip itself.

The good news is that you don’t need an over-the-top production to make the moment memorable. Below, you’ll find a dozen reveal ideas you can adapt to fit your personality, your family, and your holiday setting. A well-chosen presentation can turn a single booking confirmation into a story your family and friends will savor for years. 

Creative Ways To Give A Cruise As A Christmas Gift

It is relatively easy to purchase a family cruise since you only need each guest’s personal information (i.e., birth name, birth date, etc.). Finding a creative way to present the gift on Christmas Day can make it even more special.

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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!

Create A Cruise Reveal Basket Or Box

If you want the gift to feel substantial on Christmas morning, a cruise reveal basket or box is a great next step up from a single small item. Instead of handing over paperwork, you’re giving a collection of things they’ll actually use on the trip—with the cruise itself hidden inside.

Add one item that hints at the bigger surprise—a travel journal or destination guidebook—and tuck the cruise tickets or booking confirmation inside the pages. You can also place the paperwork at the very bottom of the basket so they only discover it once they’ve unpacked everything else.

This approach gives them something fun to unwrap now and a much bigger adventure to look forward to later.

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 Surprise With A Custom Jigsaw Puzzle

A custom jigsaw puzzle is a great way to turn your cruise reveal into an activity everyone shares. Instead of opening an envelope, your family has to build the surprise piece by piece.

Choose a piece count that fits your audience—fewer, larger pieces for younger kids or a more challenging puzzle for teens and adults. Wrap the puzzle box like a normal gift, or remove the box and put the loose pieces in a decorative bag so no one sees the image in advance.

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!)

Create A Cruise-Themed Scavenger Hunt

If your family loves games and puzzles, a cruise-themed scavenger hunt is one of the most fun ways to reveal the surprise. Instead of simply opening an envelope, they’re solving clues, collecting small prizes, and working together toward the big reveal—the cruise itself.

Start by deciding where the hunt will take place: around your house, in the backyard, or even at a grandparent’s home if you’re celebrating together. Then build a simple trail of 6–10 clues that each hint at a different part of cruise life.

You might:

• Tie each clue to a cruise experience.
  Send them to the kitchen for a clue about “dining,” the bathroom for “spa treatments,” the living room couch for “poolside lounging,” or the bedroom for “resting in your cabin.”
  
• Use nautical or pop culture references.
  Work in mentions of Pirates of the Caribbean, The Love Boat, famous islands, or classic cruise phrases like “all aboard” and “bon voyage.”
  
• Include small cruise-related rewards along the way.
  After each clue, let them find a little gift: luggage tags, sun hats, sunglasses, lanyards, or “bon voyage” cards. These build anticipation and hint that something bigger is coming.
  

Encourage everyone to work together rather than compete to be first. The cooperative feel turns the reveal into a fun, shared memory.

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!

Put Together A Cruise Cabin Door Decoration Kit

If your gift recipient loves personal touches and a bit of fun, a cruise cabin door decoration kit can be a playful way to hint at what’s coming. Many cruise fans enjoy decorating their stateroom doors with magnets, nameplates, and themed signs, and giving them a ready-made kit turns that tradition into part of the reveal.

Include a short note that connects the dots, such as: “You’ll use these to decorate your cabin door on our cruise next spring” or “Get ready to put these on our door on Deck 10.” You can even add the ship’s name and sail date to one of the magnets or signs so the moment they notice the details, they realize they’re not just getting decorations—they’re getting a cruise.

Before you finalize the kit, double-check the cruise line’s current rules about door decorations.

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.

Create A Handmade Cruise Coupon Book

A handmade cruise coupon book is a fun way to reveal the gift while also personalizing what the cruise will feel like. Instead of just telling your loved one they’re going on a cruise, you’re handing them a stack of “experiences” they can redeem before or during the trip.

You can keep this simple with index cards and ribbon, or design printable coupons in Canva and staple or bind them into a small booklet. On each coupon, include a title, a short description, and any limits or details (for example, “good for one use during our cruise”).

To use the coupon book as the actual reveal, tuck one last coupon at the back labeled something like “Redeem For: One Cruise Vacation” and write in the ship name and sail date.

Give A Cruise Packing Checklist As Part Of The Gift

A printable or laminated cruise packing checklist is a practical way to reveal the surprise and help your recipient feel prepared from day one..

Start by creating or printing a packing checklist tailored to your trip: clothing, swimwear, formal night outfits, toiletries, medications, travel documents, tech gear, and a few “nice-to-have” items like motion sickness bands or a waterproof phone pouch. Print it on sturdy paper and either laminate it or slide it into a sheet protector so they can use a dry-erase marker to check items off as they pack.

As a nice extra, you can pair the checklist with one or two items from the list. For instance, a new set of packing cubes. Place everything in a folder or small gift bag. On the last page or at the bottom of the checklist, add a line such as:

“You’ll need all of this for our cruise on [Ship Name], sailing [Dates] to [Destination].”

Considerations For How To Gift A Cruise As A Christmas Gift

Before you decide exactly how to gift a cruise for Christmas, you’ll need to think through the practical side: whether to book a specific sailing or give a more flexible cruise credit, how firm your recipients’ schedules are, and other basic planning questions. We have a separate article that lays out the nuts and bolts of gifting a cruise for you in much more detail.

Keeping the Gift a Surprise

If you’re planning to surprise your family with the cruise, take extra care to keep the details under wraps. Use your own contact information for the booking to avoid any notification emails or calls tipping off the recipients.

If you’re going with the 100%-surprise route, consider taking out cancellation insurance. This way, you are financially protected should something unforeseen force you to cancel the trip.  You can also 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 it out for more information!

Closing Thoughts

If you’ve been wondering how to gift a cruise for Christmas, the good news is that you don’t need an over-the-top production. One thoughtful idea, done well, is enough. Pick a reveal that fits your style and tailor it with your ship, dates, and destinations. Then you can relax, knowing you’ve given a gift that lasts much longer than anything under the tree.

Last update on 2025-12-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

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