Holidays at Sea

This year, try a whole new take on Christmas. Swap snowmen for sand castles, sweaters for swimsuits. Sail through the season on a cruise. It'll be the easiest―and most memorable―holiday ever.

Seven days for the family. No decorating. No cooking. No cleaning. Sound like a fantasy? Not on a Disney cruise. It's perfect for a newlywed couple, a family with kids, or a sprawling multigenerational clan.

All Aboard With Disney
If you can wish it upon a star, you'll find it on board. The Disney Magic, which sets sail from Port Canaveral, Florida, blends the sleek looks of a classic ocean liner with modern perks: Internet access, daycare, movies, and nightclubs. Imaginative restaurants with good food. Quiet, kid-free spaces just for adults. Best of all, this boat stays clean. Pools are drained and scoured daily. So is your room. Courteous deckhands pass out antibacterial wipes at the entrance to every restaurant, buffet, and ice-cream station, keeping germs at bay.

Little Things Set This Cruise Apart
As you glide through one of the snorkeling lagoons off Castaway Cay, Disney's private island, never mind the stingrays. They've been de-barbed. It's just one of the ways a Disney cruise leaves others in its wake. And where else can you bump into Peter Pan and Captain Jack Sparrow on your way to the Goofy Pool?

You'll get larger-than-average staterooms, parties with Mickey and the gang, and a highly trained staff. Returning cruisers (aka Castaway Club members) pack an eye patch and hone their "Yo Ho, Yo Ho" for the Pirates IN the Caribbean deck party.

For your grand finale on Castaway Cay, you'll dance a conga line with Donald Duck and see the Flying Dutchman (the phantom ship filmed in the sequels for Pirates of the Caribbean). Bonus: This is the only cruise ship that shoots fireworks off the deck while sailing, as Mickey rappels down the smokestack.

Please the Whole Bunch
Obviously, this cruise tops the list for families, especially those spanning age groups. Tots love seeing Minnie in a bikini. Teens dig hanging out in their own club, The Stack, where young staffers host late-night pizza-and-pajama parties. Parents appreciate the daycare. Tweens have a blast in the Oceaneer Lab, where a mad scientist teaches how to make Flubber, that famous goo from the movie. Fun choices abound for all, but privacy is never far away.