You might remember the sweet Hall family who were the winners of our Unfrozen Winter contest earlier this year. Check out their adorable snowman submission!
Sunbeam sent the Halls on a Disney Cruise and provided airfare for four. Bradley and Rebecca took their two oldest kids, 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 cannot begin to describe how much fun we had and how seriously amazing everything was,” wrote Rebecca. “It was a vacation we could have never done on our own. Disney does cruising right!”
The Halls were kind enough to give us their itinerary and some pictures from their amazing trip. If you’re thinking about going on a Disney Cruise, or just want to find out what it’s all about, read on to see the highlights from the Hall’s experience.
Monday
We were on the ship for a couple days (Saturday and Sunday) and then ported in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We booked a Catamaran and went out with 4 other families for several hours. It was my children’s first time snorkeling and they had a blast. We spotted turtles and stingrays – it was probably the best experience of the whole trip!
Tuesday
We went from Tortola to St. Thomas in the American Virgin Islands, where we were able to snorkel some more, got to swim, and bummed around on the beach. The water was really that turquoise blue you always see in pictures – truly beautiful.
Thursday
We were on the ship all day Wednesday and then got off at Castaway Cay, Disney’s Cruise Line Guest-Only Island. The water was incredibly blue and had perfect visibility beneath, so of course we had to do more snorkeling! They placed a bunch of Mickey Mouses you could find underwater, which helped make up for the fact there weren’t as many fish. They also had an adults-only beach which we took advantage of while Korbin and Brooke played games. The island had staff everywhere to help take care of the kids so we (Mom and Dad) laid out and drank a daiquiri. It’s like a floating Disneyland!
Aboard
We get goosebumps reminiscing about everything on the cruise ship – it was so much fun and extraordinary! They have a “Midship Detective Agency” where you pick the mystery you want to solve and Disney gives you a card so you can record all your clues. When you hold the card up to a painting, it actually comes to life – it speaks to you, tells you about the mystery you are trying to solve, and gives you signals and directions. One mystery took us two hours because we were going all over the ship.
They are continually playing first-run movies out around the pool so we got to enjoy Finding Dory, Big Friendly Giant, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and Jungle Book. We also got to ride the Aqua Duct, which is a big slide that zooms you up and down and swings you out above the boat!
All of us went Goofy Golfing and Disney Cruises also have games like foosball, basketball, and a Tween Club called Edge with things like scavenger hunts, ice breakers, and more.
It’s so easy to see characters on the ship – you only have to wait a few minutes versus 30 or 40 at Disneyland. We met about two a day, and one day we met five in a row! They also have multiple versions of the characters, including Captain Mickey, Traditional Mickey, etc.
The actual room was amazing! Ours included an ocean view room with a large porthole and window seat. The room was a really good size and all four of us were cozy and never felt squished.
Dining
You go between three restaurants. Enchanted Garden has awesome flower lights on the ceiling that open and close and the colors on the ceiling change during your meal and Royal Court was very elegant and put me in mind of Cinderella. The food is very gourmet and they have an awesome selection. My oldest tried everything, even 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 draw a figure. They offer directions on how to draw a figure, then they collect the drawings and at the end of your dinner, they animate your drawings on the wall. You have no idea it’s coming! They choreograph them to music and put them in Disney films. Our daughter is our artist so she worked really hard on hers and was thrilled – the rest of us weren’t quite as proud
“Our family can’t thank Service Experts enough for this unbelievable trip,” Rebecca said after they returned home. “I get emotional when I think about the whole experience. Submitting our picture to a contest I never thought would go anywhere, learning we were a finalist, the anxious voting stage, the big announcement, planning and picking which cruise, the elation of going and finally experiencing an unbelievable trip. It was such an amazing time living it all. Thank you, thank you!”
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