Merrytime Cruise if you don't celebrate xmas...

[kiford]

And I would think that they will be playing secular holiday songs and not hymns.

Yes, the music is strictly secular - no religious Christmas music. Lots of snow-related songs. Even many of the decorations are quite secular: snowflakes, garlands, gingerbread houses and men.

 

[kiapepito]

On our Christmas sailing this year on the Wonder they had a menorah. Christmas night the carolers sang "Let there peace on earth" with the kids in the atrium.

They had different services onboard for different religions.

 

[Dug720]

On our Christmas sailing this year on the Wonder they had a menorah. Christmas night the carolers sang "Let there peace on earth" with the kids in the atrium.

They had different services onboard for different religions.

Whether there is a menorah or not depends on when Chanukah falls. I believe in 2016 they coincided exactly. I don't see them leaving the menorah up the entire time if it isn't Chanukah - they could though.

 

[DisneyConvert]

You're not wrong, what Disney does has almost nothing to do with religion. Nor does the way many many Americans celebrate Christmas. It sounds like you have a problem with the secularization/commercialization of the religious holiday.

I personally love the secular version of the holiday season (I'll give you most of it is around Christmas) there's a lot of love and kindness and people are reminded to help those in their community in need. I also happen to love lights and decorations and the movies!

You are actually making the same arguments that many more traditional/fundamental Christians make about the holiday. It's an opinion shared by many.

Oks . . . I do love (some of) the movies. "Trading Places," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Home Alone/2," "Christmas Story." But that's pretty much it.

We do a lot of kindness and helping throughout the year, so I don't get the connection with the Winter Equinox . . . did the Pagan's who originated the light at the darkest time of the year thing? Cookies, popcorn and other food, m'ehh? Songs are overdone. B'ahh humbug I suppose.

IMO, Easter celebration including the entire Holy Week is 7 days . . . . that's enough.

Everything else is merchandising and commercialization that imo should not supersede the what-should-be-more-important religious aspect of the celebration.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm as agnostic bordering on atheistic as they come, but I would go on a Merrytime cruise if that's what worked and I won the lottery LOL.

It's about the least secular thing I've seen on a Merrytime cruise. Everything else is either winter or appropriated pagan symbols like Christmas trees.

To me, Disney's version of "Mickey's Mirthful Money-making Merrytime" isn't about Jesus, except for the "Candlelight Processional" as far as I can figure. And throwing in a stray menorah is kind of patronizing as Hanukah isn't a particularly important holiday on the Jewish calendar (it became important as a Jewish substitute for Christmas).

It might be patronizing, but if they did NOT have it it wouldn't be OK.

I personally love the secular version of the holiday season (I'll give you most of it is around Christmas) there's a lot of love and kindness and people are reminded to help those in their community in need. I also happen to love lights and decorations and the movies!

Not sure I *love* it, but it's nice. I think lights should be up all year, personally. Not into the movies, though; It's a Wonderful Life is about an abusive husband that should be divorced immediately, not forgiven after he meets an angel. IMO.

You are actually making the same arguments that many more traditional/fundamental Christians make about the holiday. It's an opinion shared by many.

Ayep.

We do a lot of kindness and helping throughout the year, so I don't get the connection with the Winter Equinox . . . did the Pagan's who originated the light at the darkest time of the year thing? Cookies, popcorn and other food, m'ehh? Songs are overdone. B'ahh humbug I suppose.

OK so...most Christians that I know (both the ones that get into the trappings, the extra stuff, and the ones that treat it all very seriously) won't look at the pagan background of it. Those of us who are outside of it notice it. Know it. We can see where the pagan holidays were and can figure out that they were taken over in order to convince people to convert. But others don't see it that way. The SUPER serious ones see it and that's why they don't partake of the trappings.

IMO, Easter celebration including the entire Holy Week is 7 days . . . . that's enough.

I know very FEW, overall, Christians who do a 7 day holy week. For most that I know it's a church visit and an easter egg hunt.

 

[phinz]

I know very FEW, overall, Christians who do a 7 day holy week. For most that I know it's a church visit and an easter egg hunt.

You mean "Pagan fertility symbol hunt", don't you?