Last year, we started entertaining the idea of a Halloween-themed Disney cruise thanks to my son Parker’s love for this particular holiday, and this fall, we made it happen. The best part was that the entire trip was a complete surprise to the kids!
We picked Parker up from school for what he thought was a doctor’s checkup, and instead picked up Mia Belle from preschool and headed to the airport. We landed in Orlando that night after no less than 10 people asked my kids if they were going to Disney World, but luckily they are both young enough that the surprise was’t ruined.
We took a shuttle from the rental car place to the cruise ship, and as we passed it on the way in, Parker asked, “Maybe we can go on a Disney cruise next year!”. We went on our first one back in 2016 when he was 2, so he’s seen plenty of photos and has some memories of it.
But it wasn’t until we made it through the entry and got right up beside the boat that we told them we were in fact going on a Disney cruise right now! Needless to say, they were very surprised and very happy :)
The next 4 days were a whirlwind of shows, meeting characters, beach excursions, and way too much delicious food.It was so much fun seeing the kids react to everything — especially Mia, who was only 6 months old when we took our first cruise.
We met just about every Disney character, including Elsa and Anna (pro trip: you have to make reservations to see them right when you get on the ship, because the spots fill up right away). Parker may be outgrowing these character meet-ups just a little, but Mia loved every second!
Of course, since this was a Halloween cruise, we had to plan a family costume. Mia was already going as Minnie Mouse and had her costume, so we decided to round out the gang by dressing as Mickey, Daisy Duck, and Goofy.
One of the biggest highlights of the trip for the kids was our day at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. They loved playing on the beach and in the ocean, though after a few hours, Parker was eager to get back on the boat and hit the water slides with my husband.
On our first Disney cruise, the fact that we had no internet or phone service was pretty unnerving for me. This time around, though, I loved being completely unplugged and disconnected for a few days! Those few days of focusing just on my family were pretty wonderful.
If you’d like to see my entire photo album, you can do that right here. Going through all of the pictures made me want to plan another Disney vacation! Have you ever been on a Disney cruise? They are just as fun for the adults as they are for the kids!
