Each year, we celebrate the holidays at either Disneyland or Walt Disney World, so our holiday traditions typically are spent at the theme parks. This year, we did something different and enjoyed Thanksgiving on a Disney Cruise!
Keep reading for our experience on a Disney Cruise Line Very Merrytime Cruise onboard the Disney Fantasy and what it was like to celebrate Christmas at sea, especially with how it differs from a theme park experience. At Mickey Visit, we cover all the recent Disney news, including the pushback on Disney’s disability service program changes and our review of the EPCOT holiday foods.
READ MORE – Disney’s Other Star Wars Bar Sells a $5,000 Cocktail and Actually Feels Like You’re in Space
What Are Very Merrytime Cruise Sailings?
The Very Merrytime Cruise is a special themed sailing that takes place on select ships and select dates each year in November and December. These sailings feature onboard holiday decorations that include a 24-foot Christmas tree, garlands, poinsettias, and more.
Disney Ride Closure ALERTS, Major Changes, Secrets Revealed
Get alerts on closures, park changes, exclusive discounts, and free printables. Trusted by 100,000+ Disney fans & planners.
Special entertainment on these sailings includes a Tree Lighting Ceremony, Mickey and Minnie’s Holiday Party on the upper deck, Disney character interactions in holiday attire, Santa Claus interactions, Christmas carolers, and the movie theater and upper deck screen showing holiday films. You can also find an abundance of holiday-themed food and drinks.
In terms of how this compares to the theme parks, there are some similarities with character interactions, but the entertainment itself is much different since one of the main highlights of theme park holiday experiences is parades and firework displays. Although Disney Cruise Line has a fireworks show on their holiday cruises, it is pirate-themed and not adjusted for the holidays.
How Disney Cruise Line Decorates for Holiday Cruises
The entire ship was decorated with the most spectacular decorations being focused on the atrium which is the main gathering area on the cruise ships.
This area featured the giant Christmas tree, garland strung from all the balconies, and a large gingerbread house.
If you looked closely, you could find stockings hung from the garland.
Each restaurant had its own holiday tree and garland that was inspired by the theme of that restaurant.
The ambiance around the ship was festive with decorations in all areas including the adult-only restaurants and lounges.
The entire ship looked fantastic and the level of dedication that went into transforming the ship into a holiday paradise reminded me of what we see in the Disney theme parks.
Disney Cruise Line Holiday Entertainment
The Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place twice during the first evening of the cruise and features appearances from Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto plus Santa and Mrs. Claus. This was our favorite holiday entertainment from the cruise.
The first night of any cruise is always filled with so much excitement and this was the perfect time to do the holiday lighting. The characters lead the holiday lighting with a countdown ending with confetti and all the decorations in the atrium lit up. Most of our favorite holiday moments took place in the atrium, it was just the most “holiday focused” out of other areas on the ship, including the upper decks which hosted the other seasonal party.
The atrium also featured rotating holiday entertainment throughout the cruise including holiday carolers and piano players.
The atrium is always the main focal point of entertainment on cruise ships with multiple opportunities to meet Disney characters in their seasonal attire. And of course, many moments to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus.
You could also find holiday movies playing in the theater and on the upper decks. Since we traveled during Thanksgiving week, we were also treated to an early showing of Zootopia 2.
And the football fans were well taken care of with the major games that week playing in the theater and in the pub. Since many Americans associate football with the holidays, we definitely appreciated this as our family loves football. It was a great experience enjoying so many highly anticipated games with the other cruisers in the pub and everyone showed up in their favorite team’s gear.
Celebrating the Holidays on the Disney Islands
Our cruise stopped at both of Disney’s private islands: Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point and Castaway Cay. In terms of holiday entertainment on the islands, it was mostly decorations on Lookout Cay which were far more impressive than the ones we found on Castaway Cay.
On Castaway Cay, there was a large photo op when you disembark the ship with this holiday tree and themed “sandy” snowman. At select times during your day on the island, there will be a surprise “snow flurry” in the main gathering areas which is a cute touch.
Overall, the holiday presence on the islands is far more minimal being mainly focused on decorations. But honestly, that did not bother us one bit as our goal on the islands was to enjoy their offerings like taking a beautiful walk by these historic cliffs on Lookout Cay.
Holiday Disney Cruise Line Food
The menus onboard the Disney Fantasy for rotational dining were stocked with holiday favorites including this special Thanksgiving platter option on the holiday. The cocktail menu during the dining experiences also featured a variety of special holiday drinks as well and the sweet shops were stocked with holiday options. You could even find mulled wine in the lounge next to the atrium which only added to the holiday ambiance Disney Cruise Line excelled at.
But aside from the rotational dining and the mulled wine in the main lounge, most of the drink menus in the lounges were their typical offerings. Which we didn’t mind too much, I felt there was plenty of opportunity to sample holiday options in the other areas of the ship.
Our New Favorite Way to Spend Thanksgiving
The ambiance around the ship was wonderful with holiday music playing in the atrium and hallways and there was a festive atmosphere everywhere you turned. Disney Cruise Line did a fantastic job of transforming the ship into a holiday space. I was unsure at first at how a holiday theme would work in a space that is typically more associated with nautical and summer themes!
One thing I really enjoyed was being able to dress up a holiday trip and we especially appreciated “formal” night which fell on Thanksgiving night. This gave us the chance to get a nice, professional family picture. Disney Cruise Line will have photographers taking photos all night usually in front of the gingerbread house and grand staircase. You can see an example of one of these photos above. You might have to do a bit of begging to get your kids to dress up on a cruise though!
We saw many cruisers decked out in holiday sweaters, themed pajamas, and more throughout the cruise. One of the things I love most about Disney Cruises is how most cruisers get into the spirit. It really is a great experience.
READ MORE – Here’s a Secret Way to Skip the Line For This Hidden Gem Attraction at Disney California Adventure
My family has a tradition of spending Thanksgiving at Disney and we’ve celebrated the day at Disneyland and Walt Disney World multiple times. This was our first experience celebrating Thanksgiving on Disney Cruise Line and it just might be my new favorite way to do it!
Don’t Miss the Latest Disney News
Don’t miss the latest Disneyland and Disney World news from Mickey Visit. Join the FREE Mickey Visit newsletter that over 100k readers receive every single week. Mickey Visit is here to help you save money and experience more during your Disney and Universal vacation. See the Mickey Visit guide to Disneyland and the Mickey Visit guide to Disney World for tips.
