Enjoy the season’s sights by ship or train

  • By Ashley Stewart Herald Writer
  • Friday, November 16, 2012 12:47pm
  • Life

There may be no place like home for the holidays, but that doesn’t mean you need to stay inside.

Get out and celebrate the season over the water or through the snow with one or more of these festive activities.

Board a ship

The annual Seattle Christmas Ship Festival sets sail Nov. 24 to Dec. 23, inviting families to celebrate the holidays on the water several days each week.

There are different cruises for different experiences, so check the online schedule:

Family sails: The big Argosy Christmas Ship leads a nighttime parade of decorated private boats with choir performances and crafts for kids. An Argosy parade boat tags along too, with Santa on deck.

The ship parade cruises to different parks around Lake Union, Lake Washington, and cities on the Sound, including Edmonds on Dec. 4, stopping to sing carols for people gathered on the shore.

Cruise with Claus: Special Santa brunch cruises are slated for families with younger kids. On these mystery-themed cruises, passengers can help Santa solve the puzzling disappearance of his Christmas bag while enjoying a buffet brunch.

Family nights: The Parade Family Buffet Dinner Cruises set out early to make it back before bedtime.

The menu includes a Northwest-style menu for adults. Meals for kids include Chef’s macaroni and cheese.

Cocktail cruises: Ages 21 and older can hop aboard the Cocktail Idol Christmas Parade Boat and compete in teams to design a Christmas cocktail, which they have to present to judges with a song, dance, rap, poetry or other performance.

This event takes place only on Nov. 24, 30 and Dec. 21.

Dinner sailings: On the Royal Argosy Dinner Boat you can enjoy private tables, a live band and a three-course buffet.

The Christmas Ship Festival kicks off with a preview night and value night (that means a price break) from 7 to 9:40 p.m. Nov. 24. The ships, with Dickens Carolers aboard, depart from Lake Union Park.

Not all ships are available every weekend and the parade departs from different places each time.

Prices range from $12 up to $89 for various cruises. Children 3 and younger are free on all ships.

Seattle Christmas Ship Festival: Call 206-622-8687. For more information and reservations, check the website, tinyurl.com/christmasships.

Ride a paddle boat

The Queen of Seattle paddle wheeler will celebrate the holidays with Christmas Lights on the Lake.

Guests can steam along Lake Union and Lake Washington, spend some time with Santa, and enjoy a light display, holiday music and a dessert buffet.

The event is scheduled from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 7, 8, 21 and 22 and departs from South Lake Union Park. Boarding starts at 6 p.m.

Prices are $59 for adults, $29 for kids, and free for ages younger than 5.

Queen of Seattle’s Christmas Lights on the Lake: Call 425-898-2701; tinyurl.com/QoSchristmas.

Take a train

Board a snow train to Leavenworth for the Bavarian town’s annual Tree Lighting Festival with all the holiday trimmings: chestnuts roasting on an open fire, carolers strolling down the streets and sleigh rides with Santa.

Alki Tours offers the snow train trip to the event on Saturdays in December.

A continental breakfast is included and onboard entertainment povided by strolling musicians, magicians and Santa.

The train rolls through the snowy Stevens Pass and arrives in Leavenworth at about 12:30 p.m., leaving plenty of time before the tree-lighting ceremony at 4:30 p.m.

The snow train departs from the Everett Station, the Edmonds Station or the King Street Train Station in Seattle.

The trip is planned on Dec. 1, 8, 15 and 22, but the lighting festival only happens on weekends through Dec. 16.

Coach seating is $169 for adults and $159 for children.

Premium seating is $199 for adults and $189 for children.

Dome seating is $239 for adults and $229 for children.

Leavenworth Snow Train: Call 206-935-6848; www.alkitours.us.

For information about the Leavenworth Tree Lighting Festival, see tinyurl.com/xmasfest.

Ashley Stewart: 425-339-3037; astewart@heraldnet.com.

Ships to shore

Even if you can’t take one of the Christmas Ship Festival sailings, you can enjoy the lighted boat parades and choir concerts at one of the parks.

The ships will be at Edmonds Fishing Pier from at 7 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 with the Shorewood High School Choir aboard.

Check the ships other stops at tinyurl/com/christmasships.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.