As you’re carving your pumpkin this year or accompanying your children as they enjoy a spot of trick-or-treating, perhaps you’ll be dreaming of a holiday in warmer climes, and you may wonder, ‘Do cruise lines celebrate Halloween?
The great news is, yes, there are plenty of Halloween-themed cruises sailing to some fabulous destinations worldwide. So, how about donning your spooky witch’s outfit next year and celebrating Halloween onboard a luxury cruise ship?
To help you make the most of this spine-tingling season on a Halloween-themed cruise, below we share our top Halloween cruise tips.
Children and adults can enjoy the Halloween cruise fun
If you’re part of a family that loves all things Halloween, you’ll be pleased to learn that children can go on Halloween cruises too. Many leading cruise lines offer Halloween-themed cruises with activities suitable for children, including Halloween cruises’ trick-or-treat, themed movies and activities.
But the fun is not just for the children; some Halloween cruises offer adult-only events, too, such as Halloween costume parties and themed dinners, where adults can dress up in their most spooktacular Halloween outfits.
Choosing your Halloween cruise line
There are many cruises with Halloween themes, so you’ll have plenty of options. Here’s a lowdown of some of the best-themed Halloween cruise ships.
Disney Cruise Line
Halloween cruises with Disney Cruise Line are full on with the theme right from September to early November. So, if you love this time of year, Disney is one of the best themed Halloween cruise ships.
You can expect everything to have a Disney Halloween touch, from special seasonal entertainment, activities and trick-or-treating to creative décor throughout the ship, spookily themed menus and Disney-magical Halloween parties.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Halloween cruises with NCL are more traditional in their approach, with seasonally spooky decorations, dinner events and cocktails, and activities with Halloween-themed cruise prizes. Cruise guests and staff dress up, and there are even costume parades.
Celebrity Cruises
Halloween cruises with Celebrity Cruises offer fun for all the family. Children can enjoy trick-or-treating, candy scavenger hunts and Halloween-themed movie nights.
But, if you think Halloween cruises are just for children, Celebrity Cruises will show you otherwise. Adults can also dress up on Halloween cruises and attend their Halloween Ball, which uses innovative silent party technology.
Holland America Line
On a Halloween cruise with Holland America Line, the spectacular spooky fun does not stop when you leave the ship to explore your port destinations. As well as epic onboard costume masquerade parties, themed movies and trick-or-treating,
Holland America Halloween cruises offer themed excursions, exploring old ghost towns, chilling graveyards and haunting catacombs.
Royal Caribbean
While there are no specific Halloween cruises with Royal Caribbean, this cruise line does an outstanding job of marking the day of 31st of October with haunted houses, Halloween-themed costume parties and children’s trick-or-treating.
Pack your best Halloween costumes
Most cruises with Halloween themes will host a Halloween-themed costume party. And remember, Halloween cruises are not just for children. Adults dress up on Halloween cruises too, and often have some of the best parties and Halloween-themed cruise prizes!
So, when you’re working out what to pack for your Halloween cruises, make sure you include Halloween costumes for all the family. We’d recommend carrying them in your hand luggage so you have them ready should there be any delays with getting your suitcases.
Halloween costumes on cruises can be pretty amazing, so don’t hold back when planning your outfit. Some of the trending children’s Halloween costumes on cruises include comic superheroes, such as Harley Quinn and Spiderman, Top Gun’s Maverick, the Little Mermaid and even jellyfish.
If you are wondering if there are any costume rules for Halloween cruises, there are only really three things to consider:
1) Choose items that are easier or less bulky to pack.
2) Think about the weather. You may be used to celebrating Halloween in a much cooler climate than you’ll have on your cruise holiday, so adapt your costume accordingly to be comfortable.
3) Avoid bringing any fake Halloween weapons or accessories that could appear dangerous. Even if they are harmless, they still have to go through security and will likely be confiscated until thoroughly examined.
Make-up makes it easy
Bring your Halloween-themed costumes to life with some creative make-up. It’s easy to pack and will add an extra spooky touch to your outfit. With the best make-up for Halloween cruises, the costume itself can be relatively simple, yet you’ll still have the overall wow factor.
Try a scary skeleton with an easy white base, blacks around the eyes and some dark shadows for bony detail. Halloween cats require minimal make-up, just a simple black nose and upper lip and some feline-style eye make-up.
And children can become cute pumpkins with some inventive orange and black designs.
Bring some more formal evening wear too
On Halloween cruises, the dress code is obviously quite different from any other time of year.
However, while there will be Halloween parties on your cruise ships and Halloween-themed dinners, you’ll also likely have the opportunity to wear something more formal at other times in the restaurants, so bring your evening wear too.
Let the children enjoy trick-or-treating
Trick-or-treating on cruises is fun and safe, so let your children make the most of it. Many Halloween cruises’ trick-or-treat activities are well-organised, calling at places such as Guest Services, where staff are ready to hand out sweets.
For example, on Disney’s Halloween cruises, children dress up and can search for cast members around the ship who are giving out goodies.
Book early to avoid disappointment
When you’re looking at how to book a Halloween cruise, one of our best Halloween cruise tips is to start early. If you want to sail at the end of October with one of the leading cruise lines, they will likely offer some kind of Halloween theme.
However, these dates are popular, as they often fall in the school holidays too, so if you’d like to experience a Halloween-themed cruise, get in early.
