Disney Tips

Love Halloween and cruises. Halloween on the High Seas is Disney’s answer to a unique and original way for your family to enjoy trick o’ treating while cruising.

Do you ever think about trick or treating on a cruise ship?  Not only did my family and I have the pleasure of taking a cruise during Halloween, but did it on the Disney Dream.  I always said that Disney is known for taking it up a notch and they’ve ruined me for other cruise lines, but this time they took the cake.

My husband and I wanted to make my daughter’s 13^th birthday extra special, why not, she was entering her teen years.  It so happens that her birthday lands on the 3^rd of November.  Just to let you know Disney starts celebrating Halloween in September and ends around October 31^st.  We found a 4-night cruise leaving Port Canaveral on Halloween and returning on November 4^th.  Perfect!

What are the best reasons to sail during Halloween:

1. Halloween-theme events for the whole family:

Some of the Halloween theme activities include: Mickey’s Mouse-querade Party (games, trick or treating, and character sightings), theme activities at the youth clubs, storytime in the atrium and wait for it, an adults-only costume party with a costume contest. My husband and I enjoyed the adults-only party; the costumes were great.

We knew not only to start planning for the cruise but also plan for our costumes (adults enjoy dressing up just as much as the kids).  Of course, it had to be Disney-related.   My daughter opted out of a Disney family theme costume and went as Harley Quinn, however, my husband and I love the movie Up.  So, my husband decided to go as Carl Fredricksen and I went as Russell. 

2. Disney Cruise Lines oldies but goodies

In addition to the Halloween theme events, you will find that Disney Cruise Line’s traditional events are still held.  An oldie but goodie is Pirate night.  Everyone on the ship is a pirate for the night, even the Disney characters.  The evening ends with a deck party.  While Disney provides a pirate handkerchief, cruisers, myself included have been known to bring their pirate wear.

Just to let you know, some of the events like character meet and greets require advance tickets, so if you have more than one adult in your party have them line up on embarkation day to do the sign-ups.

Our last night on the ship was my daughter’s birthday.  So, you can purchase a cake in advance through Disney.  We had the cake bought out during dinner and shared it with our table mates.

3. Land and sea during Halloween

Make additional Disney Halloween memories with a land and sea vacation. Prior to or after the cruise head out to Magic Kingdom for Disney After Hours Boo Bash. This is a 3-hour event that begins August 10, 2021 and ends on Halloween. Depending on the date events begins at 9:00 PM or 9:30 PM.

We have been on many Disney cruises, but this was our first Halloween cruise.  We had so much fun, that we are looking forward to booking a cruise for the Christmas holidays.

Are you interested in free help planning your next Halloween on the Seas vacation? Just contact us and we can help you with prices and planning at no cost to you!

Get a free quote and planning help from Magical Fairy Travel

Eating your way around the world

If you are a true foodie, then the 2021 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival is the place to challenge your palette. Food, wine, and entertainment are the primary focus of the Festival, so why not book your vacation with us and enjoy what Disney has to offer.

I had the pleasure of speaking with my good friends, Becky Jo and Kierstin Miller about their annual retreat to the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.

Eating your way around the world is how Becky Jo and Kierstin describe their experiences participating in the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. This Festival is one of many offered at Epcot throughout the year and always runs between mid-summer to late fall. This year it runs from July 15th to November 20th, 2021.

Before I continue on the Food & Wine Festival, I have to briefly describe the Epcot experience.  Epcot is an acronym for The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and is one of the four theme parks at Walt Disney World.  Epcot is known for its scientific and technological subjects and also for its World Showcase, which includes pavilions of various countries.  In each pavilion, you will find restaurants and attractions relating to the country.

Back to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, in addition to the permanent pavilions, additional countries are added as part of the Festival.   As part of your participation, you will receive a Festival Passport, which not only outlines Festival information but also has stickers to keep track of which sections you have visited and which foods you have tasted.

Becky Jo and Kierstin describe themselves as foodies and have been going to the Festival for many years.  While the Festival runs between mid-summer to late fall, the Millers prefer to go in the fall, one of the reasons being the weather is better.  The Festival has food and wine for every dietary need.  You can even find vegan and plant-based options, and each country offers wine pairings with its dishes. The cost is the price of admission to the park, plus the additional cost of the food and wine.  The food is offered in generous size tasting plates to small appetizer size plates.  What works for Becky Jo and Kierstin is the opportunity for each to purchase a different plate and share it.

What advice did Becky Jo and Kierstin offer:

• Purchase the park hopper option. Because you need more than one day to enjoy the Festival, after a day at one of the theme parks, you can hop over to Epcot to sample some more fare.
• Stay at one of the resorts close to Epcot:
  • Value Resorts: Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
  • Moderate Resorts: Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Deluxe Resorts: Disney’s Beach & Yacht Club Resorts, and Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
• Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach are connected to Epcot via Skyliner.
• Because Epcot is so big, you can walk your food off.
• Be sure to enjoy Eat to the Beat. Disney brings in different musical local and international artists to serenade you will you eat.

Becky Jo describes the Festival as taking a trip abroad but having the opportunity to do it in one spot. You can enjoy empanadas or jerked chicken in the Caribbean Pavilion or pork sliders in the Hawaii Pavilion. Most of all you will have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world. Both Becky Jo and Kierstin are truly experts and just by the way they talk about the Festival, are genuine fans.

Are you interested in free help planning your Epcot International Food and Wine Festival vacation? Just contact us and we can help you with prices and planning at no cost to you!

Get a free quote and planning help from Magical Fairy Travel