The holiday season is a special time, and for crew the whole of December was filled with joy and celebration.
While being away from home over the festive season can be challenging, the incredible efforts of teams across our ships ensured that the festive spirit shone brightly. Here’s a look back at what’s been happening …
Arcadia: A Season to Remember
On Arcadia, the celebrations began with Christmas Craft Nights, where crew members gathered to make handmade cards and clay decorations – a chance to slow down and share creative moments. The fun continued with a lively Christmas Karaoke Night, followed by an Open Mic Night that showcased the amazing talents onboard.
One of the most heartfelt highlights was the Christmas Gift Distribution, bringing smiles and festive cheer to the entire ship’s company. Christmas Eve Mass, hosted by Fr. Sheline Varghese, offered a peaceful moment of reflection, followed by cake and conversation. A beautifully crafted Christmas crib, made entirely by the crew, became a meaningful focal point throughout the season.
The season concluded with a New Year’s Mass, the stunning Madeira fireworks, and a vibrant Crew Disco, welcoming 2026 together at sea.
Queen Mary 2: Festive fun
From Jackpot Bingo and a visit from Santa to festive crafts and a recycled wreath making competition, Queen Mary 2 celebrated the festive season in style! Here’s some of the highlights:
Crew Admin and LDO, Marlon and Yumi helped crew to make festive painted mugs and paper snowflake decorations. The crew watched Christmas films, sang carols in the crew mess; and even had a Christmas Party with a Magical Winter Wonderland Theme.
Our talented Carpenters on board created an amazing Advent Calendar, counting down the 25 days to Christmas. Behind each door was a surprise gift for 25 lucky winners. The Star Prize on Christmas Day was a Sony PlayStation 5 Console!
Throughout the festive period, Queen Mary 2’s crew added over 120, heartfelt messages to a festive message board – proudly representing 26 nationalities from around the world. These wonderful messages, filled with creativity and festive spirit, truly brightened the season – celebrating the unity that makes life at sea so special at this time of the year.
Iona: A Month of Connection and Celebration
For Iona, festivities included Bingo for the night shift team, with thoughtful prizes like Amazon vouchers and smartwatches.
Creativity took centre stage in the Recycled Christmas Tree Competition, where eight talented crew members transformed everyday materials into festive masterpieces. The winner walked away with a £500 prize, but every effort was priceless. The Christmas Gift Distribution, led by the Ops Team and HR elves, brought joy to all, while the Escape Room in an Envelope challenge tested teamwork and puzzle-solving skills.
Other highlights included a Photography Contest, an Officers’ Christmas Quiz Night, and a beautiful Christmas Mass in the Headliner Theatre, where volunteers formed a choir. And of course, Christmas Bingo was a showstopper, featuring a £3,000 jackpot and 20 raffle gifts -three lucky winners shared the jackpot, each taking home £1,000!
Britannia – The Galley Team Cooked Up a Feast!
The magic of the Christmas feast begins not in the restaurants, but with planning and precision deep within the ship’s galley. Britannia Galley Team have been working hard over the Christmas period to ensure perfection in every meal that is presented to our guests.
As well as delivering excellence for our guests, the galley team ensure that every crew member gets a taste of home this Christmas, catering everything from delicious curries, festive mince pies and warming roast dinners in the crew mess.
Ventura – Feels Like Home This Christmas
This holiday season, one of our crew members reminded us that Christmas is not just a celebration, it’s a feeling of home. George created a beautiful, handcrafted Christmas village made entirely from recycled materials, spreading warmth and holiday spirit across the ship. His creation reflects creativity, tradition, and the true meaning of Christmas on board.
For George, the inspiration comes from faith and family tradition.
“Christmas is about the history of the birth of Jesus. Since I was a child, it has been our tradition at home to make a Christmas crib. Seeing what I created here makes me feel at home, and that’s what I wanted to share with my fellow crew.”
Being away from family during the holidays is never easy, but George found comfort and strength through teamwork.
“It’s not easy being separated from family during Christmas, but this project of mine was made possible with the help of my galley friends, head of department and supervisors. Our Welfare Officer also supported us with everything we needed.”
A huge thank you goes to everyone involved in making the Festive Season on our ships unforgettable.