Catholic Masses On Board Ship

[Tom P.]

Hi folks,

How frequent is it for there to be a Catholic priest on board the DCL ships to offer Mass on Sundays?

I know that they only have an "official" Mass on Christmas and Easter, but that if a priest is on board they will provide them space to celebrate Mass. I'm just curious from others' experiences how often that actually happens.

My family and I are Catholic, and while there is certainly an exemption from the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday if you are on a cruise ship with no opportunity to attend, we would still feel better if we could find a Mass to attend. It's one of the things I'm considering when deciding on what length of cruise, and on what dates, we should be considering.

Thanks,
Tom

 

[MouseMomx2]

They do not bring a priest on board except for Christmas or Easter. At any other time of they year you will only have mass if a priest is sailing on his own and chooses to say mass.

 

[OrcaPorkka]

One thing to keep in mind is to time your port days for a Sunday. Attending different masses all around the world with my family (my dad was Navy) is one of my favorite memories. Especially being Catholic, the service, even in another language, will be similar enough to follow along.

 

[imm93]

We are sailing on Wonder next week and seems like a stretch but we get to Key West at 11:30a and last mass there is noon....anyone have experience trying to attend that mass?

 

[wilkeliza]

Usually on Sunday the navigator may mention a "service" in one of the meeting rooms. Not sure who sets them up. I know in my cruise group a pastor was holding a non-denomination service and had set up with Disney beforehand a place to offer it.

I've also noticed in the Saturday navigators there are sometimes people doing Shabbat.

I guess it depends who is on board and decides to set up a public event for others on board.

 

[Tom P.]

Thanks, folks! I do understand that there won't be any Disney-arranged Masses during a cruise unless it is Christmas or Easter. I was just wondering if anyone knew, from their experience, how often there seems to be a priest on board who offers a Mass.

And, thanks, @OrcaPorkka! I wasn't really thinking about port days, but that could certainly be an option too!

 

[Dismama2]

We went to daily Mass at Catedral de San Juan in PR- it was lovely!

 

[Empress Room]

We have been on 22 DCL cruises, none during Christmas or Easter, and, unfortunately, there has never been a mass on board during any of our cruises. Holland America, to the contrary, has weekly mass as they have a priest on board their cruises. Pretty special. I do agree with the other poster who said to pay attention to port days. Can almost always find a Catholic church and attend mass when the timing is right.

 

[GenerationK-er]

I always cruise during the week of Mardi Gras which culminates on Fat Tuesday, with Ash Wednesday being the following day. On most of my trips, there was an Ash Wednesday service, and daily mass. I cruised the Wonder this year over Ash Wednesday(5nights), and there was a Catholic priest who mentioned he was retired. He asked for volunteers to read the readings, and also asked for Eucharistic ministers in the audience (we had two) to assist with giving communion. There was mass every morning at 8 am and it usually lasted about 30 minutes, but longer on Ash Wednesday due to a larger number of participants. I have been on 4 Disney cruises over Ash Wednesday (since kids in the New Orleans area are off from school for the week) and I remember Catholic Mass being available at least 3 of those times because I went. The service was listed in the Navigator.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

...I've also noticed in the Saturday navigators there are sometimes people doing Shabbat...

Awesome.

 

[southerngirl528]

Oh. My. Goodness.

Mikedoyleblogger, on the Hawaii cruise in September if I recall correctly there was a Shabbat service offered. Not sure if that was because it was a longer cruise but I've seen Shabbat as well as Catholic and Protestant services offered. Very nice.

 

[mmouse37]

On the Panama Canal cruise that had a non denominational service led by one of the crew chaplains. It was held in the Buena Vista Theatre on Sunday morning. It was very generic. It was pretty well attended.

MJ

 

[C6PT7]

On the Panama Canal cruise that had a non denominational service led by one of the crew chaplains. It was held in the Buena Vista Theatre on Sunday morning. It was very generic. It was pretty well attended.

MJ

Do they have chaplains aboard just for the crew?
Or do you mean a Christian CM lead the service?

 

[mmouse37]

Yes, a Christian CM who said he leads weekly Bible study and services for the crew. There was also a guitar player for the guest service. They have a power point presentation with lyrics to the hymns and words to the prayers so all in attendance could follow along.

MJ

 

[C6PT7]

Yes, a Christian CM who said he leads weekly Bible study and services for the crew. There was also a guitar player for the guest service. They have a power point presentation with lyrics to the hymns and words to the prayers so all in attendance could follow along.

MJ

So not ordained, just a fellow Christian who choses to perform services with dcl provided guidance?
Do they also provide services for other faiths?

 

[southerngirl528]

dcl provided guidance

??? "Guidance"? Not sure how that would be "guidance". I've been sailing with DCL since 1999 and there is almost always some type of service offering on the longer cruises, whether Catholic, Protestant or a Shabbat. My understanding is that it is if someone is available to conduct one of these services. I think DCL simply offers a space. They scarcely "endorse" or "guide"….

 

[ASchwa]

Oh. My. Goodness.

Mikedoyleblogger, on the Hawaii cruise in September if I recall correctly there was a Shabbat service offered. Not sure if that was because it was a longer cruise but I've seen Shabbat as well as Catholic and Protestant services offered. Very nice.

Just an FYI, Jewish services don't need a rabbi to conduct a service. In fact, most prayers can be said alone. The only time a congregation (10 people) is needed is when you read the Torah and saying Kaddish (prayer for the dead). Then a Cantor or a Chazan (leader) will direct a service.

 

[mikedoyleblogger]

Just an FYI, Jewish services don't need a rabbi to conduct a service. In fact, most prayers can be said alone. The only time a congregation (10 people) is needed is when you read the Torah and saying Kaddish (prayer for the dead). Then a Cantor or a Chazan (leader) will direct a service.

True, anyone can lead a Jewish service. But there are other key elements of the prayer service that technically cannot be performed without a minyan (10 people.) While I feel free to daven alone during the week, on the Sabbath, as others here of other faiths have noted, I really prefer to do so with a community. The nice part about an organized Shabbat service mentioned in a Navigator would be other people sharing a service together regardless of who leads.

 

[C6PT7]

??? "Guidance"? Not sure how that would be "guidance". I've been sailing with DCL since 1999 and there is almost always some type of service offering on the longer cruises, whether Catholic, Protestant or a Shabbat. My understanding is that it is if someone is available to conduct one of these services. I think DCL simply offers a space. They scarcely "endorse" or "guide"….

There was a nondenominational service offered on a Sunday morning, with hymns picked to be played and provided by dcl as appropriate.
By that, dcl guided what what given and offered, and the crew member read from a script, mostly.

 

[southerngirl528]

picked to be played and provided by dcl as appropriate.

Thanks for the answer, C6PT7, but how do you know that the above was indeed provided by DCL? That DCL "guided what was given"? I'm truly not trying to be contentious, but I just have a very hard time thinking that DCL "sanctioned". They are very good to provide space but I cannot see them orchestrating in any way. Not saying it is entirely impossible, just implausible. Thank you again for your kind answer.