Scenic Group is offering travellers the chance to "break with holiday season traditions by letting someone else do all the heavy lifting."
Christmas on the Seas:
Emerald Cruises' Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara will spend the winter season sailing with departures that incorporate Christmas. On 23DEC, Emerald Sakara sails a round trip out of St. John's, Antigua, on the eight-day Eastern Caribbean & Grenadines itinerary, while Emerald Azzurra will sail from Barbados to St. Martin on the Eastern Caribbean with St. Barth's itinerary.
Both will call on ports like Soufrière, St. Lucia, situated in the crater of a dormant volcano, and Terre-de-Haut in Îles de Saintes, Guadeloupe. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners will feature fresh seafood, turkey, glazed ham, roasted duck, veal tenderloin, and vegetarian selections, followed by holiday-themed cocktails. Carolling will also take place on the Sky Deck.
Scenic's Discovery yacht, Scenic Eclipse, departs 13DEC on a 16-day Antarctica & the Weddell Sea sailing in search of the Emperor Penguin. The tallest (up to 4.3 feet) and heaviest (51 lbs) of the penguin species, Emperor Penguins, are found along the ice-chocked Weddell Sea, well past the Antarctica Peninsula. Guests can take the optional helicopter excursion to see them in their natural habitat and learn how they survive the -67°F winters.
River Christmas Cruises:
According to Scenic, both lines offer "the chance to step back in time" with visits to the Christmas markets along the Rhine and Danube Rivers. Scenic provides a 15-day Christmas & New Year from Amsterdam to Budapest (19DEC) and eight-day Christmas market sailings for those with less time.
Emerald Cruises' eight-day Christmas Markets on the Rhine, departing 16DEC from Zurich and ending in Amsterdam, has Christmas market visits nearly daily, with longer sailings also available.
New Year's Voyages:
Eight-day Hidden Charms of the Caribbean on Emerald Sakara departing St. John's, Antigua, on 30DEC, include calls to Gustavia, St. Barths, as well as Culebra Island, Puerto Rico, known for its white sand beaches and active reef system, before concluding in San Juan. Following dinner, a New Year's Eve party, champagne toast and a countdown will be held on the Sky Deck, including a fireworks show.
Emerald Azzurra will repeat its Christmas Eastern Caribbean with St. Barth's itinerary for those looking to escape for a more intimate New Year's celebration.
Scenic Eclipse and Scenic Eclipse II offer a 13-day Antarctica in Depth: New Year Wishes, departing Ushuaia on 27DEC and 28DEC, respectively. "Highlights include traversing the seven-mile Lemaire Channel, where guests can take in the ample wildlife – seals, penguins, whales in their natural habitat."
Christmas & New Year's Combined
A Scenic 15-day Christmas & New Year river sailing on the Rhine, Danube and Main- Canal combines the two holidays, departing Amsterdam on 19DEC, with visits to Christmas markets in Cologne and Miltenberg and a traditional Christmas Mass in Würzburg and ring-in the New Year in one of Europe's most musical of cities – Budapest.
More information on Scenic's website
