Church Services on a Cruise?
From time to time, a guest will ask if there will be a religious service aboard the ship, and my answer varies from season to season and from one cruise line to the next. Almost all the cruise lines have a clergy person to conduct services for cruises sailing during religious holidays. And, almost all will make a room available if there’s a clergy aboard who would like to conduct services for a group. Only Celebrity and Holland America seem to meet this need continuously:
- Celebrity: Celebrity ships offer a daily Catholic mass, a special Sunday mass and a Sunday ecumenical service, all hosted by a Roman Catholic Priest. During Easter and Christmas, a Protestant Minister is onboard to perform services. A Rabbi or Cantor is onboard to conduct services during Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Hanukah.
- Holland America: Check your daily program for times and locations, but you can expect a daily Catholic mass, an interdenominational service each Sunday and on appropriate religious holidasy, and a Jewish Sabbath eve each week, with a Rabbi onboard for High Holiday services.
Guests also plan to have their spiritual needs met by checking the schedule of religious observances in the ports they’ll be visiting. If this is important to you, pick your cruise line and ports carefully!