Top 10 Cruise Destinations For Celebrating Halloween
The great news for cruisers is that you can mix a great cruise holiday with enjoying Halloween with a number of cruise lines really getting into the spirit and offering Halloween themed trips but to really make the best of your holiday, you want to visit a top spooky destination and here are our top 10 picks for where to visit for a spooky day ashore.
The name ‘Halloween’ comes from the celebration held around Europe in celebration of All Hallows Eve, which is the night before All Hallows Day (also known as All Saints Day).
In the festivities, people celebrated the hallows (meaning Saints), with people even dressing up as saints and going door to door asking for ‘soul cakes’.
It doesn’t take too much of a leap t see that that is where modern day ‘trick or treating’ comes from, with other parts of the modern day Halloween celebrations coming from the ancient Gaelic festival of Samheim.
This was celebrated at the end of October to mark the changing of the season’s and involved connecting with the dead.
Back then, people in Scotland and Ireland believed the living world and the dead world were closely linked and whilst it is now a more light-hearted take on the subject, it is why people still dress as ghosts and skeletons to this very day- especially in parts of the world with large Scots and Irish immigrant communities such as the US.
Our list is not just built upon the spooky scene in each destination or on the themed attractions on offer but the overall cruise experience visiting somewhere at Halloween.
With that in mind, it will be no surprise that many places on this list are in those regions or in gothic towns and cities with long histories of darker things such as murders, battles and worse.
Our Top 10 Cruise Destinations For Celebrating Halloween
Edinburgh, Scotland
With the strong Celtic roots of this holiday period it will likely not come as too much of a surprise that our top pick comes from that region.
At any time of the year, the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh is a fantastic place to list on a cruise holiday as it has so much to offer visitors whilst been compact enough to easily explore on a day ashore.
The cities Celtic culture is still strong, including guising where children go from door to door carrying lanterns made from turnips and when you couple that with the often brutal history of the older parts of the city, including the golden mile and you have the perfect setting for some spooky fun.
Dublin, Republic of Ireland
In a similar fashion to Edinburgh, the Irish capital city of Dublin also uses its strong traditions relating to Samhain to celebrate Halloween to this very day with locals participating in large street parties where you can experience fortune telling, fruitcake, bonfires and of course dressing up in their best fancy dress.
Dublin is also a great day out no matter what you like to do with lots of attractions waiting for visitors to enjoy but during the Halloween period, the whole city has an incredible vibe and atmosphere.
New Orleans, United States of America
The United States is somewhere that can often take Halloween too seriously and the fun is taken out of it or many parts of the country over commercials the holiday and make it quite tacky and gaudy but there is one place that does both of that but rather than ruining the holiday, New Orleans incredible history and culture brings everything together to make for a fantastic Halloween getaway.
No matter when you visit the city, you can enjoy lots of spooky activities with New Orleans often thought of as the States’ most haunted city. That is something that the Louisiana city plays up to the fullest with local and visitors alike all embracing the cities past.
Also known as La Nouvelle-Orleans, the city is almost a living museum with a vibrant music and nightlife scene embracing its French, African and American cultures that can be enjoyed as a port of call or as a departure or embarkation port.
Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Derry (Londonderry) on the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is often though of as the Halloween capital of Europe.
The whole city comes together to host one of the biggest festivals in Europe called The Banks of Foyle Halloween Carnival where everything from ghost tours, haunted houses, horror story telling, parades and street parties are offered and enjoyed by locals and tourists alike.
The historic city has seen many dark period that thankfully seem to be in the past now and that adds an aura to the spooky festivities.
Venice, Italy
Venice is an incredible city no matter when you visit but if you are fortunate enough to be in ton when a festival is happening, you are all set for a shore day to remember.
One of the leading festivals held in the canal city is over the All Saints Day and All Souls Day period when many parades and gatherings are attended by locals and visitors alike who all dress up in incredible costumes to watch the festivities, explore haunted islands and visit a number of spooktacular masquerade balls held in the city.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
The majority of the destinations we feature on this list offer a family friendly experience but if you are looking for a more adult orientated celebration, Amsterdam is the place to be.
Already known for its more liberal views on sex and drugs, the Dutch capital hosts massive costume parties and its numerous bars and cafes fully embrace the spooky theme.
On your visit to the city, you can enjoy numerous ghost tours, concerts, scary movies marathons or a visit to the iconic Monster Ball or Amsterdam Halloween Festival.
Cancun, Mexico
Cancun is a popular tourist destination in Mexico and whilst it is normally the sun, sea and sand that attracts visitors from across the globe, it like so many parts of the country love to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) which takes place on November the 2nd.
Originally a day of remembrance when you visited the grave of friends and family, it has now turned into a carnival and celebration of the spooky side of life.
Expect lots of noise, a carnival like atmosphere every you go and some incredible costumes.
London, United Kingdom
The English capital is known as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations thanks to its infamous monuments, great museums, and attractions and some of the best food, drink, shopping and socialising found anywhere.
When you add it the theatres of the West End and the history found around every corner and you are all set for a great time but it is always a city full of murders, killers, dungeons, gothic buildings, and historic gaols full of torture and executions.
It is therefore no surprise that so many places around the capital believe that they are haunted, which make for a spooky backdrop to Halloween when many in the city dress up and head on Jack the Ripper or Ghost tours of visit the numerous dungeon attractions.
You can of course simply head for a theme pub or watch a scary show to enjoy your time in London.
New York, United States of America
New York city love a party and love a celebration and that is especially true of Halloween when numerous events are held across the city including the famous Greenwich Village Halloween Parade.
Millions head to the streets of ‘The Village’ in stunning costumes to have fun and celebrate the Celtic culture of so many of the cities inhabitants.
New York is of course one of the world’s biggest and best cities for tourists and offer slots of cruise options including a couple of departure/embarkation terminals and many lines offer a stop as a port of call.
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona in Spain is another destination where you think more about sun and beaches than you do dark nights and spooky goings on, but the Catalan capital is also known for its Gothic buildings which add a great backdrop to the numerous celebrations held around Halloween.
The Catalan culture is full of celebrations and parades and nowadays a huge occasion is made of what is a relatively new holiday in the region.
The city is also one of the world’s leading cruise ports, with just about every cruise line offering holidays from and/or to its massive port.
