You may recall the sweet Hall family who were the winners of our Unfrozen Winter contest earlier this year. Check out their adorable snowman submission!
Rob's Albertan Service Experts sent the winners on a Disney Cruise and paid for airfare for four. Bradley and Rebecca 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 describe all the fun we had and how absolutely magnificent the whole experience was,” wrote Rebecca. “It was a getaway we could have never done on our own. Disney does cruising right!”
The Halls were sweet enough to give us their itinerary and some snapshots from their incredible trip. If you’re interested in taking a Disney Cruise, or just want to find out what it’s all about, keeping reading for the highlights from the Hall’s experience.
Monday
We were on the ship for two days (Saturday and Sunday) and then docked in Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We booked a Catamaran and went out with 4 other families for several hours. It was Korbin and Brooke’s first time snorkeling and they loved it. We got to see turtles and stingrays – it was probably the most fun experience of the entire cruise!
Tuesday
We went from Tortola to St. Thomas in the American Virgin Islands, where we were able to snorkel some more, went swimming, and bummed around on the beach. The water was really that turquoise blue you always see in pictures – truly picture perfect.
Thursday
We were on the ship all day Wednesday and then ported at Castaway Cay, Disney’s Exclusive Island. The water was incredibly blue and had clear visibility below, so of course that meant more snorkeling! They had hidden Mickey Mouses you could find underwater, which was nice because there weren’t as many fish. They also have an 18 and older beach which we took advantage of while Korbin and Brooke played with other kids. They had staff everywhere to keep an eye on the kids so we (Bradley and Rebecca) hung out and drank a daiquiri. It’s like a floating Disneyland!
Aboard
I (Rebecca) get goosebumps thinking about everything on the cruise ship – everything was all so fun and extraordinary! The cruise has a “Midship Detective Agency” where you choose the mystery you want to solve and the cruise gives you a card so you can keep track of all your clues. When you put the card up to a painting, it actually springs to life – it speaks to the group, tells you about the mystery you are trying to solve, and gives you signals and directions. One mystery went on for two hours because we were chasing clues all over the cruise ship.
They are constantly running first-run movies out near the pool so we got to watch Finding Dory, Big Friendly Giant, Alice Through the Looking Glass, and Jungle Book. We also got to experience the Aqua Duct, which is a huge slide that shoots you up and down and swings you out above the boat!
We went Goofy Golfing and they also have other games and a Tween Club called Edge with events like scavenger hunts, ice breakers, and more.
It’s really easy to meet characters on the boat – you only have to wait three or four minutes versus a half-hour or more at Disneyland. We got to see about two each day, and one day we met five in a row! They also have multiple versions of the characters, like Captain Mickey, Traditional Mickey, etc.
The stateroom was incredible! Ours came with an ocean view room with a large porthole and window seat. Our room was a really great size and all four of us were cozy and never felt smothered.
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 throughout your meal and Royal Court was extremely elegant and put me in mind of Cinderella. The menu is very gourmet and they have a good variety. Korbin tried everything, including escargot at the Royal Court. (He thought it tasted like dirt!)
Animators Palette is animation-themed and they give you markers on your table so you can draw a figure. They give you a tutorial on how to draw a figure, then they pick up the drawings and at the end of your meal, they animate your drawings on big screens. You have no warning! They put them to music and position them in Disney films. Our daughter is our artist so she worked really hard on hers and was ecstatic – the rest of us weren’t quite as proud
“We can't thank Service Experts enough for this once in a lifetime trip,” Rebecca told us after they returned from their cruise. “I get teary-eyed when I think about it all. Entering a contest I never thought would go anywhere, hearing we were a finalist, the nail-biting voting round, the big announcement, planning and picking which cruise, the anticipation of going and finally experiencing a sensational adventure. It was such a wonderful time living it all. We are forever grateful!”
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