We've cruised x 5 holidays, but always in the Carib and Mexico. As you may imagine, there are not many cruises in Europe at that time of year because of the weather.

I went to http://www.vacationstogo.com to get a first "read" on the situation. I like the user-friendly interface. Travelocity's advanced cruise finder is good, too, but more limited as to cruise lines. Of course, these types of travel sites cover only the major "mass market" lines.

For Europe, all I'm finding are (1)The QE2...yes, the old one, not the new Queen Mary 2...is doing a Med roundtrip out of London 12/18 - 1/3, and (2) the Italian line MSC, which is breaking into the US cruise market to "thumbs up" reviews, will be repositioning the Opera from 12/27 to 1/14, Genoa, IT to Ft. Lauderdale, FL, with a lovely 5-day crossing and lots of nice ports on both sides. (This looks pretty wonderful...wish I could do it!)

However, a quick pass at a few specialty sites is more fruitful. Viking River Cruises is featuring several on the Danube http://www.vikingrivers.com/ and the package deals at http://www.gate1travel.com are pretty attractive. The first one that caught my eye was an 8-day Christmas cruise from Praha (via land, transfer to Nurmberg to pick up Danube) to Vienna.

I suggest you work with a travel agent who is a cruise specialist to help you and your mom make this holiday trip special. Good luck!

Diana Ball near Houston, TX