Christmas Ship™ FAQ

The official Christmas Ship™, the Spirit of Seattle, is a family-friendly holiday experience on the water. When the Christmas Ship™ arrives at the designated parks, the choir on board sings a 20-minute concert which is broadcast to the surrounding boats and people onshore. Santa rides along to entertain, and a cruise director will guide you through the evening. Snacks, pre-wrapped food, and beverages are available for purchase.

The 21+ Follow Boat is another fully decorated Argosy Cruises boat that follows the Christmas Ship™ along the night's cruise route. This boat is adults-only and has select availability. As it follows along the same route, it is a different experience providing a fun holiday celebration for those 21+ to enjoy dressing to a theme, light trivia, etc. There will be a moment when the boat stops with the Christmas Ship™, this is when guests onboard can feel free to head to the bow on the 1st deck to listen to the broadcasted choir performance OR enjoy the continued celebration upstairs. View the schedule to find a 21+ event.

We have a range of wonderful professional and community choir/singing groups who work with us. If you'd like to see which choir is singing on your specific night, please head to the Schedule page. The performance is live on the second deck and will be streaming onto a monitor for those on the 1st deck to watch and listen in.

Guests who cancel 10 days or more in advance of their departure date and time will be offered a 50% refund on the total amount paid for their booking (excluding our non-refundable Ticketing Fee). Cancellations less than 10 days in advance will not be refunded. Future open credits will not be offered for any cancellations.

Trip Protection is not available for Special Events.

Tickets to our Christmas Ship™ Festival are only sold through the Argosy Cruises website, Viator and Groupon. Please do not purchase tickets from any anonymous accounts or resellers or any site not listed above. Tickets are not transferable and are under the specific guest's name.

When booking online, a MAX of 15 tickets is allowed to be purchased. If you have group ticket interest, please send your inquiry to cruises@argosycruises.com. Please include group size, reason for making a group reservation, company if applicable, and any other details. Booking group tickets onboard the Christmas Ship means this is not a complete private party to your group. Other guests will be onboard who have also booked this public sailing - onboard large group guidelines will be communicated.

If you are looking for a venue to host your next company holiday party or event, please reach out to our private charter department HERE.

If you are part of a group that has booked under separate reservations, check your confirmation letters to ensure you are booked on the same date and time. You can also call to confirm that all parties are on the same boat.

We are so excited to share some of our favorite holiday drinks and snacks this year aboard the Christmas Ship™. To check out what other goodies we have onboard, view the full menu.

Planning to enjoy food onboard? Pre-order your favorite sandwich, salad, wrap or snack tray during the check-out process to guarantee availability. Then add on to your pre-ordered item with plenty of snacks, sweets, or a cup of Ivar's Clam Chowder that we have onboard!

The last day to pre-order for your sailing will be the 10 days before your scheduled departure.

The Follow Boat will also be serving beverages! To view what drinks are available, check out the Follow Boat menu.

Please, no outside food or beverages allowed onboard. The bar will have festive, specialty cocktails, local beer & wine, plus non-alcoholic beverages. Snacks, bites, and chowder will also be available to purchase on board.

Unfortunately, we can’t keep the scheduled performances and hundreds of people waiting. Please arrive with plenty of time to find parking and complete the boarding process. We pull the boarding ramp up promptly at the scheduled departure time.

We recommend wearing warm, comfortable clothing and footwear (we recommend flat shoes that are not smooth-soled, stilettos are very strongly discouraged). Most guests enjoy both the indoor heated decks as well as the outdoor spaces. Please dress accordingly for both as we sail rain or shine. Festive holiday attire is always encouraged!

We recommend flat shoes that are not smooth-soled. While the boats are warm and comfortable, they do rock with the waves they are floating on. If it is raining, the dock and the boat deck can be slippery. Please watch your step and be aware of rainy docks and the motion of the waves.

We only cancel sailings if the mayor or governor declare a state of emergency due to weather or other causes. If a cruise or sailing is cancelled, we will contact you directly via phone call, email, or notification. 

It is not common, but we do like to warn parents that there may occasionally be more than one Santa on the dock during boarding times when we have multiple Argosy vessels sailing. We have often told our own children that they are Santa’s helpers who dress up and carry his messages, as he cannot be everywhere at once. Please know that there will be only one Santa on board your boat. It is not guaranteed that Santa will be on the Follow Boat.

A full list of our departure locations and parking options can be found on our Christmas Ship™ Departure Locations Page.