You may recall the sweet Hall family who were the winners of our Unfrozen Winner contest earlier this year. They won by submitting this precious snowman photo:
Winnipeg Supply Service Experts sent the Halls on a Disney Cruise and paid for airfare for four. Mom and Dad (Rebecca and Bradley) took their two oldest youngsters, Korbin and Brooke, on their Disney Cruise during mid-summer. This was the first cruise for Korbin and Brooke and the first in about 10 years for Rebecca and Bradley.
“I can’t even begin to explain all the fun we had and how truly wonderful the whole thing was,” wrote Rebecca. “It was a getaway we could have never taken on our own. Disney does cruising right!”
The Hall parents were kind enough to show us their itinerary and some photos from their awesome trip. If you’re thinking about going on a Disney Cruise, or just looking to see what it’s all about, keeping reading for the highlights from the Hall’s experience.
Monday
We were on the water for 2 days (Saturday and Sunday) and then landed in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We scheduled a Catamaran and went out with four different families all day. It was my son and daughter’s first time snorkeling and they had a blast. We saw turtles and stingrays – it was probably the coolest experience of the whole trip!
Tuesday
We sailed from Tortola to St. Thomas in the American Virgin Islands, where we got to snorkel even more, went swimming, and bummed around on the beach. The water was truly that turquoise blue that they show on TV – truly incredible.
Thursday
We traveled all day Wednesday and then ported at Castaway Cay, Disney’s Cruise Line Guest-Only Island. The water was incredibly blue and had amazing visibility beneath, so of course we had to do more snorkeling! They had hidden Mickey Mouses you could find underwater, which helped make up for the fact there weren’t as many fish. They also have an 18+ beach which we enjoyed while our children played with other kids. Castaway Cay had people everywhere to keep an eye on the kids so we (Mom and Dad) hung out and enjoyed a daiquiri. It was basically a floating Disneyland!
Aboard
It gives me goosebumps thinking about everything on the ship – everything was all so fun and extraordinary! Disney Cruise Line has a “Midship Detective Agency” where you choose the mystery you want to solve and Disney gives you a card so you can keep track of all your clues. When you put the card up to a painting, it actually comes alive – it talks to the group, tells you about the mystery you are solving, and gives you hints and directions. One mystery went on for two hours because we were going all over the ship.
They are continually showing first-run movies out around the pool so we got to see Alice Through the Looking Glass, Jungle Book, and Big Friendly Giant. We also got to experience the Aqua Duct, which is a huge slide that shoots you up and down and swings you out over the boat!
The whole group went Goofy Golfing and Disney Cruises also have other games and a Tween Club called Edge with activities like scavenger hunts, get to you know you games, and more.
It’s so easy to find characters on the boat – you only have to wait a couple minutes versus 30 minutes or more at Disneyland. We saw about two each day, and one day we hit five in a row! They also have multiple versions of the characters, such as Captain Mickey, Traditional Mickey, etc.
The actual room was incredible! We had an ocean view room with a large porthole and window seat. Our room was a really good size and all four of us were comfy and never felt smothered.
Dining
You alternate three restaurants. Enchanted Garden has awesome flower lights on the ceiling that open and close and the ceiling changes colors during your meal and Royal Court was really elegant and put me in mind of Cinderella. The food is very gourmet and they have a great variety. My oldest tried everything, even the escargot at the Royal Court. (He told us it tasted like dirt!)
Animators Palette is animation-themed and they give you markers on your table so you can illustrate a figure. They give you directions on how to draw a figure, then they pick up the drawings and at the end of your dinner, they animate your drawings on big screens. It’s completely unexpected! They arrange them to music and place them in Disney clips. Brooke is our artist so she did really well with hers and was ecstatic – the rest of us weren’t quite as talented
“Our family can’t thank Service Experts enough for this incredible experience,” Rebecca said after they returned home. “I tear up when I think about the experience as a whole. Entering a contest I never thought would go anywhere, hearing we were a finalist, the anxious voting round, the big win, reading about and selecting which cruise, the excitement of going and finally experiencing a sensational vacation. It was such an amazing time living it all. Thank you, thank you!”
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