Two guys and a baby cruise - Part 2 Halloween on the High Seas!

[CampbellzSoup]

Our Journey starts today I’m book marking this thread for us expect a lot of photos!

 

[Ronneeaght]

I thought that might be you in line ahead of us last night!! I recognized that cutie in the sailor suit. I was the Mom whose niece *also* tried to lean against the backdrop.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

I thought that might be you in line ahead of us last night!! I recognized that cutie in the sailor suit. I was the Mom whose niece *also* tried to lean against the backdrop.

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WHY do they love to lean against the backdrops lol! Beautiful family

Day One: Boarding the Ship!​

Hello everyone welcome to our second family cruise report - Halloween on the High Seas! I love everything about cruising and the lead up to it...but let me tell you I hate the COVID protocols for the little one who isn't vaccinated, yet NO ONE provides a test for those under three outside his pediatrician...oh boy was I on pins and needles waiting for his results to come back. Sadly, I have to place the baby in daycare because we both work full times jobs...daycare as I've found out is the cesspool of child infections! We got the results the night before - uploaded them and we were good to go!

There's something about taking a cruise from New York City where I don't have to take a flight, hotel, or worry about those pretravel arrangements. I live in New York City so it was super simple to just drive to the terminal! Once we get to the terminal, we see the glorious Disney Magic...the only Disney cruise ship I haven't been on... the original! It was absolutely glorious...also there is something about a Disney Cruise having everyone in line in their Halloween attire buzzing with excitement and enthusiasm!

We board the ship, they announce our family name....and I am just floored by the Halloween tree and the decorations that have been placed around the ship...I know I'm in for a magical cruise. PRO TIP when you board the ships they always have a welcome lunch instead of heading to Cabanas and fortunately they had the tangled restaurant available for lunch. Something special about having a sit-down lunch when you first come aboard elevates the cruise to a new level.

We eat lunch and get to our room! And it's a closet! It was the smallest room I've ever been on in a Disney ship with a pack and play it was SO TIGHT and it was located in a maze corner...but I don't like the room upset me as vacation to me is to spend as much time out of the room as possible! After we finished unpacking (does anyone else like to make the room look as clean as possible like I always put everything away to the point where you don't see any of my clothing) and ran up to the deck for the SAIL A WAVE PARTY ITS BACK!

I didn't know I missed this little show so much that truly gives you the excitement and anticipation for your family's cruise that is about to start!

I'm also so happy that the It's a Small World Nursery is back...I love my son trust me I do but I also love adult time as he's only 2 years old and he's not potty trained, yet he's not allowed to pretty much enter ANY pool area outside of the one splash zone area with three ducks. I also feel like the first day FLYS by does anyone else feel like that?

We get to the first show no matter how many times I see a show on a Disney cruise seeing it with my little man who I worked, dreamed, and struggled to have makes it so much more magical. Please see the shows it makes the cruise so special, and the cast is beyond talented!

The Dress Code for the ship was DRESS UP OPTIONAL ...and I took that option! We dressed up in our finest dress and took some wonderful family photos that I will never forget. We also then had diner in Animators Pallet! I love this restaurant in everyone Disney ship I feel it's SO DISNEY from the soundtrack to the drawings on the wall they all feel so classic of what makes Disney it's self!

Because my little one still has to stay with us at all times it was time to hit the hay for now also we needed to get some sleep for HALLOWEEN ON THE HIGH SEAS! I have a lot to say about it and it's all good so please stay tuned for tomorrows report!

Day One Take Aways:
- The Sail A Wave Party is Back!
- Have LUNCH at a Sit Down Restaurant once you board the ship
- Little ones with swim diapers are severely limited in their water activities.
- Don't let your room ruin your vacation your suppose to be out of the room!
- Don't miss any shows!

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Day Two: Halloween on the High Seas​

Hello everyone are you ready for a spooky day! I have never been on a Halloween on the High Seas cruise, and I was very interested in the Halloween theme as we are avid Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party enthusiast. Immediately, you will awake to the ship completely having Halloween theme soundtrack that is ambient among the seas - it really sets the mood for what appears to be an amazing day! I want to warn people that Halloween does not take over your entire Disney Cruise...in fact, outside of this one day, the tree in the atrium, and some characters making sparodic appearances in Halloween attire...it's pretty limited to one day.

Please note I didn't mention this on the previous post but if you want Halloween branded merchandise...please ensure that you get it when the doors to the shops open on the first day of cruising. It was a MAD RUSH to get Halloween merch...I didn't honestly see anything appealing outside of some shirts and a cauldron Halloween mug that is a must have. However, I also understand that I am lucky enough to visit Disney World multiple times a year so these people might want their Halloween Disney fix as well.

Please check your navigator...there are plenty of Halloween activities...from special Halloween crafts, Halloween drawings, and Halloween trivia for families to enjoy. I am always interested in character meet and greets, and I usually get them done at the ending of the night before diner - however since this was a special Halloween Day I knew the character meets were going to be long so please ensure that you get your Halloween character photos in early as the lines later were CROWDED. The infamous Jack and Sally who are a 3 1/2 hour wait in the park were 20 minute wait! Incredible! I don't understand why they don't have the Sanderson Sister Trio of Minnie, Daisy, and Clarabell cow at the Walt Disney World Parks...they were SUPER popular and the lines were incredibly long for them...to the point where there were NO autograph cards, and you were allowed ONE photo with them...very strict too!

I do have a complaint...I don't think the food and drink offerings were themed enough. I think on Halloween day we should be drinking from goblets with specialized theme drinks and food....I understand this isn't for everyone but I love themed food why not make the bread a dark color like they do for burger king or just some fun themed treats in the dining room. I think Disney dropped the ball on the extra mile theming of the Halloween treats. Moreover, I would have preferred a production show that was focused and tailored around Halloween villains - I just think that the ancillary theming could have been turned up a bit. Themed treats, drinks, and food would have put the extra icing on the cake...and I like cake!

I recommend a simple costume we got AMAZING costumes from old navy that were pretty much onesies zip ups...and they were catered towards classic Halloween. We were a pumpkin, bat, and mummy - these costumes also blended with the decor of the ships aesthetics allowing for some REALLY great photo opportunities. We got back to the room and were provided with Halloween bags to make our way up to the deck for some trick or treating...I LOVED this - it flowed really well, the cast members were super patient with my son who was still grasping the concept of what trick or treating was, and the handfuls were plentiful. The candy assortment isn't as good as Walt Disney World, but for the kids to really enjoy a safe, fun, and entertaining trick or treat path this was it! They ENCOURAGED you to get back in line too and get more candy so please don't feel modest or ashamed for loading up that candy bag!

There was no Broadway show this night - but it featured a character dance party with Mickey, Minnie, and all of their friends in their Halloween best. Again, I love the characters, but I think a better produced show would go a long way...if they modified the Sanderson sister show from Disney World, I think it would have worked really well here. The show was MISSING that extra special Disney touch and attention. We then went to dinner where I already referenced a sad menu that was not themed for Halloween at all...which is absolutely ashamed as my cousin had a Halloween party recently and ALL of the food was themed even if it was hokey it still would have gotten you in the spirit that this was Halloween...they also didn't have Halloween music in the dining room which was sad. I was hoping that our waiters would have had special Halloween outfits or the menu really themed towards Halloween or even a special Halloween themed dining show...but nope, a bit sad but not enough to take away from the awesome Halloween themed day.

Lets get to the theater and watch Hocus Pocus 2 - I thought to myself if I saw it on the big screen maybe my view of the movie would change as there is a special something about seeing any movie on a screen that large, and with a large audience. Sadly I still didn't like it...

Off to bed and lets get this cruise on to Bermuda!

Day Two Take Aways:
- Get Halloween Character Photos in the day time as opposed to nighttime.
- Get a Good Space for the Halloween Character Dance Party early as everyone wants to see this show.
- RETURN to lines for trick or treating often and with bags open!
- Don't think Halloween is going to take over your cruise - it's mostly for one day.

 

[Ronneeaght]

Those are some great costumes and what a good idea to keep them simple!