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!
Peitz Service Experts sent the family on a Disney Cruise and paid for airfare for four. Rebecca and Bradley (Mom and Dad) took their two oldest children, Korbin and Brooke, on their Disney Cruise during mid-summer. This was Korbin and Brooke’s first cruise and Rebecca and Bradley had not been on a cruise in nearly 10 years.
“I can’t begin to describe the amount of fun we had and how seriously magnificent the whole thing was,” wrote Rebecca. “It was a trip we could have never made happen on our own. Disney does cruising right!”
The Halls were nice enough to give us their itinerary and some photos from their incredible trip. If you’re thinking about going on a Disney Cruise, or just curious what it’s all about, keeping reading for the highlights from the Hall’s trip.
Monday
We were on the ship for two days (Saturday and Sunday) and then landed in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We had reservations for a Catamaran and went out with four different families all day. It was Korbin and Brooke’s first time snorkeling and they loved it. We spotted turtles and stingrays – it may have been the most fun experience of the whole cruise!
Tuesday
We traveled from Tortola to St. Thomas in the American Virgin Islands, where we were able to snorkel some more, went swimming, and laid out on the beach. The water was actually that turquoise blue that they show on TV – truly beautiful.
Thursday
We traveled all day Wednesday and then got off at Castaway Cay, Disney’s Cruise Line Guest-Only Island. The water was very blue and had perfect visibility below, so of course - more snorkeling! They hid 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 basketball, pool, and shuffleboard. They had employees everywhere to watch the kids so we (Bradley and Rebecca) laid out and drank a daiquiri. It was just like a floating Disneyland!
Aboard
We get goosebumps remembering everything on the ship – it was so much fun and unforgettable! They have a “Midship Detective Agency” where you choose the mystery you want to solve and Disney gives you a card so you can write down all your clues. When you place the card up to a painting, it actually springs to life – it talks to the group, tells you about the mystery you are trying to solve, and gives you signals and directions. One mystery lasted two hours because we were going all over the ship.
They are always playing first-run movies out around the pool so we got to enjoy Big Friendly Giant, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Jungle Book, and Finding Dory. We also got to ride the Aqua Duct, which is a huge slide that zooms you up and down and swings you out above the boat!
The whole group went Goofy Golfing and Disney Cruises also have other games and a Tween Club called Edge with events like scavenger hunts, ice breakers, and more.
It’s very easy to see characters on the boat – you only have to wait three or four minutes versus 30 or 40 at Disneyland. We saw about two a day, and one day we got five in a row! They also have several versions of the characters, such as Captain Mickey, Traditional Mickey, etc.
The room was amazing! Ours included an ocean view room with a large porthole and window seat. The stateroom was a perfect size and all four of us were cozy and never felt squished.
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 made me think of Cinderella. The menu is very gourmet and they have an awesome variety. Korbin tried everything, including escargot at the Royal Court. (He said it tasted like dirt!)
Animators Palette is animation-themed and they leave markers on your table so you can illustrate a figure. They offer instructions on how to draw a figure, then they collect the drawings and at the end of your dinner, they animate your drawings on these screens on the wall. It’s completely unexpected! They put them to music and put them in Disney movies. Brooke is our artist so she put a lot of effort into hers and was thrilled – the rest of us weren’t quite as talented
“We cannot thank Service Experts enough for this unbelievable opportunity,” Rebecca said after they returned from their cruise. “I get emotional when I think about the whole experience. Submitting our picture to a contest I never thought would go anywhere, finding out we were a finalist, the stressful voting phase, the big win, planning and selecting which cruise, the excitement of going and finally experiencing an amazing trip. It was such a wonderful time living it all. We are forever grateful!”
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