In short
Almost every ship has a sail-away party, a captain's welcome and a festive dinner. On Italian ships (MSC, Costa) the whole restaurant waves napkins at the Italian night; on Carnival the waiters dance; Princess pours a champagne waterfall; Cunard serves afternoon tea with white gloves; Holland America throws an orange party. At sea there are ceremonies for crossing the equator and the Arctic Circle. All of it is optional — the daily programme tells you when.
Leaving port
- Sail-away party. Music on the open deck as the ship leaves the first port; on luxury ships a glass of champagne. A great moment for photos.
- The horn. One long blast means the ship is leaving the berth. Ships also greet each other with their horns, and some horns play tunes: every Disney ship plays "When You Wish Upon a Star", and on some departures Princess plays "The Love Boat" theme.
- Signature songs. Windstar and Star Clippers leave port to Vangelis's "Conquest of Paradise"; AIDA plays "Orinoco Flow". On TUI's Mein Schiff fleet "Große Freiheit" is the ship song.
- Disney sail-away. Right after the safety drill, the characters host a party on the pool deck as the ship sails.
In the restaurant
| Tradition | Where you meet it | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| Italian night with napkins | MSC and Costa: once a cruise the menu, music and decoration go Italian; waiters parade and dance between the tables, the chefs come out of the galley at the end. | Twirl your napkin above your head, sing along, join the dance. |
| Dancing waiters | Carnival: short dance routines by the waiters in the main dining room, often every evening. | Clap along — some guests learn the moves by the end of the week. |
| Dessert parade | A festive dessert carried through the room — traditionally baked Alaska, on Italian ships often tiramisu. Still seen on Princess and, now and then, on Carnival; Holland America serves baked Alaska at its farewell dinner. Royal Caribbean has dropped it. | Wave your napkin and cheer the galley team. |
| Captain thanks the dining team | MSC gala night and many other lines: the captain or maître d' thanks the waiters during dinner. | Raise your glass to your own waiter. |
| Captain's table | Traditional lines such as Cunard and Celebrity invite a few guests to dine with the captain or senior officers, by card in the cabin. | If you get the card, say yes — it is a great evening. |
| Signature desserts | Carnival's warm chocolate melting cake, Holland America's Dutch treats, Viking's heart-shaped waffles with brown cheese. | Try them at least once. |
Which evening has which theme is in the daily programme.
The captain and gala nights
- Captain's welcome. Early in the cruise the captain introduces the officers with a toast and a photo — on MSC as the Captain's Welcome Cocktail on gala night. See our dress code guide.
- Gala nights by line. Princess and Cunard keep classic formal evenings; Celebrity calls them "Evening Chic"; Carnival "Cruise Elegant"; Norwegian has a "dress up or not" night; Viking has none.
- Princess champagne waterfall. Officers fill a tower of glasses from the top in the atrium; on the newest ships it ends a whole champagne evening.
- Cunard afternoon tea. Every afternoon at about half past three in the Queens Room: waiters in white gloves, a string trio, scones and cakes. In the evening the same room is the largest ballroom at sea, with dance hosts on Queen Mary 2.
Theme parties
| Party | Ships | What to wear |
|---|---|---|
| White party | MSC (White Party), Royal Caribbean (White Night), Carnival (White Hot Night), Norwegian (Glow / White Hot), Azamara (White Night). | Anything white. |
| Orange Party | Holland America, one evening each cruise, in honour of the Dutch King's Day: Dutch music, snacks and a stroopwafel on your pillow. | Something orange. |
| Scarlet Night | Virgin Voyages: an adults-only party across the whole ship. | Red. |
| Pirate Night | Disney: pirate dinner, deck party and fireworks at sea (Caribbean and Bahamas sailings). | A pirate touch — a scarf or hat. |
| Decades and tropical nights | MSC Flower Power and tropical nights, Carnival 80s Rock-N-Glow, Royal Caribbean Decades party, Costa toga night, Cunard masquerade and black-and-white balls. | One accessory is enough. |
| Movies under the stars | Princess: films on a big screen by the pool, with blankets and popcorn. | Something warm for the evening. |
Many parties fall on sea days, when everyone is on board.
Ceremonies at sea
- Crossing the equator. King Neptune and his court, played by the crew, welcome first-timers ("pollywogs") who then become "shellbacks" — with a kiss of a fish or some slime by the pool, and a certificate. Celebrity, Holland America and others hold it whenever a route crosses the line.
- Crossing the date line. On Pacific crossings you gain or lose a whole day; many lines hand out a "Golden Dragon" certificate.
- Arctic Circle on the Norwegian coast. On Hurtigruten, as the ship passes the globe on the islet of Vikingen, Neptune pours a ladle of ice cubes down volunteers' backs; Havila uses a bucket of ice water.
- Antarctic Circle and polar plunge. Expedition ships (HX, Lindblad, Quark, Seabourn, Silversea and others) mark the crossing with champagne, and brave guests jump into the polar sea with harness and safety boats.
- Panama Canal. A local guide comes on board and narrates the day-long transit through the locks.
- Noon announcement. The captain or officer of the watch gives position, weather and a bit of sea trivia. On Queen Mary 2 the clocks move an hour at noon on most crossing days, so a westbound crossing has 25-hour days.
Signature traditions of cruise lines
- Cunard. Afternoon tea, ballroom dancing, gala themes; Queen Mary 2 carries a whistle from the original 1936 Queen Mary, and when Cunard's Queens meet they salute each other with their whistles and fireworks. Queen Mary 2 even has kennels for dogs on the crossing.
- Holland America. A Dutch Day with Royal Dutch tea and a Dutch dinner, Indonesian rijsttafel, and since 2026 a farewell dinner on the last night where guests and crew sing the Indonesian song "Gelang Sipaku Gelang".
- Princess. The Love Boat heritage: the TV series was filmed on a Princess ship; a 70s Love Boat disco party; movies under the stars.
- MSC. Italian dinners with napkins, the gala night with the captain, the White Party; on newer ships there is no deck 17.
- Viking. A Norwegian deli named after the founder's mother, with waffles and brown cheese; ships are christened with aquavit instead of champagne.
- AIDA. The red "kissing mouth" painted on every bow.
- Seabourn. Caviar in the Surf: on some beach days officers serve champagne and caviar from surfboards in the sea.
- Disney. Musical horns, Pirate Night with fireworks and "fish extender" gift exchanges at cabin doors.
Small customs and superstitions
- Towel animals. Cabin stewards fold an elephant or a swan on your bed — best known on Carnival; on some lines now only on request.
- No deck 13. Many ships skip it, for example the largest Royal Caribbean ships; Cunard and MSC do have a deck 13.
- No deck 17. In Italy 17 is unlucky (in Roman numerals XVII can be read as VIXI, "I have lived"), so newer MSC ships go from 16 to 18. Costa keeps its deck 17.
- Rubber ducks. Guests hide small ducks around the ship for others to find. Some lines, such as Disney and Norwegian, ask you not to.
- Door decorations. Birthday or group magnets on cabin doors — usually magnets only, nothing covering safety signs.
- Old sailors' superstitions. Bananas, whistling on deck and Friday departures were once bad luck, and renaming a ship is said to anger Neptune — which is why a renamed ship gets a special ceremony.
Holidays on board
- Christmas. Tree lighting, Santa in the atrium, gingerbread villages by the pastry chefs (Cunard, Seabourn), crew choirs and midnight mass on many ships.
- Hanukkah. Celebrity and Regent light the menorah each evening.
- New Year's Eve. Countdown, a toast and on Royal Caribbean a balloon drop over the Royal Promenade.
- Valentine's Day. Princess holds group vow renewals led by the captain; in 2020 it set a world record with more than 1,400 couples.
- King's Day. On 27 April Holland America celebrates the Dutch king's birthday at sea.
Traditions in the life of a ship
- Coin ceremony. When the keel is laid, coins are placed under it for luck — and often welded in for the life of the ship.
- Float out. The dock is flooded and the hull touches water for the first time, often with a blessing.
- Godmother. At the naming ceremony the godmother names the ship and a bottle breaks against the hull — if it does not break, sailors call it bad luck. Sophia Loren is the godmother of the MSC fleet; Queen Elizabeth II named Queen Mary 2; the city of Liverpool became godparent of Cunard's Queen Anne.
On river cruises
- Lowering the wheelhouse. Before low bridges on the Main and Rhine the sun deck is cleared, railings are folded down and the bridge sinks into the deck.
- The Loreley. On the Rhine the ship slows past the famous rock and the guide tells the legend of the siren.
- The continental divide. On the Main-Danube Canal you cross the point where rivers start flowing either to the North Sea or the Black Sea.
- Rafting. River ships moor side by side, so you walk through another ship's lobby to reach the shore.
- Galabeya party on the Nile. Guests and crew dress in Egyptian galabeyas for one evening.
At the end of the cruise
- Crew farewell. On the last evening many ships bring crew from many countries on stage or into the restaurant to say goodbye.
- Thanking the crew. A word of thanks, a note or an extra tip for your cabin steward and waiters. See money and tips.
Sources
We checked the traditions on this page against cruise line announcements and travel sources (2022–2026):
Show all sources (16)
- Holland America Line — Farewell Dinner (June 2026)
- Holland America Line — Koningsdag Orange Party
- Princess Cruises — Star Princess entertainment (2025)
- Cunard — Time for tea
- MSC Cruises — Gala Night relaunch (2022)
- Virgin Voyages — Scarlet Night
- Hurtigruten — The Arctic Circle
- Seabourn — Caviar in the Surf
- Cruise Critic — Cruise theme nights
- Cruise Critic — Crossing the line on Celebrity
- Cruise Critic — Disney Pirate Night
- Cruise Critic — What is a cruise ship godmother
- Cruise Passenger — Weird and wacky cruise customs
- Emma Cruises — Ships without deck 13
- Cruise Mummy — The Baked Alaska parade
- U.S. Navy History — Crossing the line
Common questions
Do I have to take part?
No. All traditions are optional. Many guests just watch and clap — that is part of it too.
Why do people wave napkins in the restaurant?
It is a festive way to cheer the parade of waiters and chefs, especially on the Italian night on MSC and Costa. Twirl it above your head and sing along.
Is baked Alaska still served?
On some lines, yes — Princess, sometimes Carnival, and Holland America at its farewell dinner. Royal Caribbean has dropped it.
Which ships have a white party?
MSC, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian and Azamara. Holland America has an orange party instead.
What happens when you cross the equator?
King Neptune's ceremony by the pool for first-timers, usually with a certificate. It only happens on routes that actually cross the equator.
Why is there no deck 13 or 17?
Superstition: 13 is unlucky in many countries, 17 in Italy. It depends on the ship.
When is the Italian night on MSC or Costa?
Usually once per cruise, often on a sea day or together with a gala evening. The exact evening is in the daily programme on board or in the app.
What do you wear to a white party on a cruise?
Anything white: a white shirt, trousers, dress or T-shirt. It is a relaxed party on deck, not a formal event.
What happens on the last night of a cruise?
A farewell show or dinner, often with the crew on stage or walking through the restaurant; on Holland America a farewell dinner with baked Alaska and a crew song. Pack your luggage the same evening.
Which cruise line has afternoon tea?
Cunard is best known for it: every afternoon in the Queens Room, with white-gloved waiters and live music. Holland America has a Dutch high tea, and many lines serve tea on sea days.
How the club fits in
Traditions depend on the cruise line and the ship, not on how you booked. In the club's search you see the ship and the itinerary, so you can look for the style of cruise you like. Not every cruise line mentioned here can be booked through the club: check the specific sailing. More about booking with points.
General information collected from cruise line news and travel sources in 2024–2026; traditions, theme nights and ceremonies differ by ship and itinerary and can change. Check the daily programme on board. Cruise line and ship names are trademarks of their owners; mentioning them does not mean a cruise can be booked through the club. Reislite is an independent information site run by partners, not a website of inCruises.