You might remember the cute Hall family who were the winners of our Unfrozen Winner contest earlier this year. They won by submitting this precious snowman photo:
Coastal Service Experts sent the Halls on a Disney Cruise and provided airfare for four. Rebecca and Bradley (Mom and Dad) took their two oldest kids, Korbin and Brooke, on their Disney Cruise in July this year. Korbin and Brooke had never been on a cruise before and Rebecca and Bradley hadn’t been in about 10 years.
“I can’t even begin to explain how much fun we had and how truly unbelievable the whole thing was,” wrote Rebecca. “It was a trip we could have never done on our own. Disney does cruising right!”
The Hall parents were nice enough to send us their itinerary and some pictures from their amazing trip. If you’re interested in taking a Disney Cruise, or just want to find out what it’s all about, keeping reading for the highlights from the Hall’s experience.
Monday
We were on the ship for two days (Saturday and Sunday) and then ported in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We had reservations for a Catamaran and went out with a few other families for several hours. It was Korbin and Brooke’s first time snorkeling and they were in heaven. We got to see turtles and stingrays – it may have been the coolest experience of the entire trip!
Tuesday
We went from Tortola to St. Thomas in the American Virgin Islands, where we got to do more snorkeling, swam, and hung out on the beach. The water was truly that turquoise blue you always see in pictures – truly perfect.
Thursday
We traveled all day Wednesday and then got off at Castaway Cay, Disney’s Exclusive Island. The water was so blue and had perfect visibility underneath, so of course - more snorkeling! They had hidden Mickey Mouses you could hunt for underwater, which was nice because there weren’t as many fish. They also have an 18 and older beach which we enjoyed while our children played with other kids. The island had staff everywhere to help take care of the kids so we (Rebecca and Bradley) laid out and had a daiquiri. It’s like a floating Disneyland!
Aboard
I (Rebecca) get goosebumps remembering everything on the cruise ship – it was all so fun and amazing! The cruise has a “Midship Detective Agency” where you select the mystery you want to solve and the cruise gives you a card so you can write down all your clues. When you hold the card up to a painting, it actually springs to life – it talks to you, tells you about the mystery you are trying to solve, and gives you signals and directions. One mystery lasted two hours because we were running all over the cruise ship.
They are continually showing first-run movies out by the pool so we got to watch Big Friendly Giant, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Jungle Book, and Finding Dory. We also got to experience the Aqua Duct, which is a large slide that zooms you up and down and swings you out over the boat!
We went Goofy Golfing and Disney Cruises also have games like foosball, basketball, and a Tween Club called Edge with activities like scavenger hunts and more.
It’s so easy to find characters on the ship – you only have to wait three or four minutes versus 30 minutes or more at Disneyland. We got to see about two per day, and one day we got five in a row! They also have multiple versions of the characters, such as Captain Mickey, Traditional Mickey, etc.
The actual room was amazing! Ours included an ocean view room with a
really big porthole and window seat. The room was a really great size and all four of us were cozy and never felt smushed.
Dining
You alternate three restaurants. Enchanted Garden has cool flower lights on the ceiling that open and close and the colors change on the ceiling during your meal and Royal Court was very elegant and reminded me of Cinderella. The food is very gourmet and they have a good variety. Korbin tried everything, even escargot at the Royal Court. (He told us it tasted like dirt!)
Animators Palette is animation-themed and they leave markers on your table so you can draw a figure. They offer a tutorial on how to draw a figure, then they take the drawings and at the end of your meal, they animate your drawings on these screens on the wall. It’s completely unexpected! They choreograph them to music and position them in Disney films. My daughter is our artist so she put a lot of effort into hers and was so excited – the rest of us weren’t quite as polished
“We can't thank Service Experts enough for this amazing trip,” Rebecca wrote after they returned from their cruise. “I get teary-eyed when I think about the experience as a whole. Submitting an entry I never thought would go anywhere, learning we were a finalist, the anxious voting phase, the big reveal, researching and picking which cruise, the elation of going and finally experiencing an amazing trip. It was such a wonderful time living it all. We are so grateful!”
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