Sail Away to a Magical Winter Holiday with Disney Cruise Line

This holiday season, give a gift that’s both nautical and nice: a cruise on the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder or Disney Dream, all decked to the “raft-ers” with holiday cheer.

From Thanksgiving through the new year, Disney Cruise Line adds sparkle to each ship, with traditional “turkey day” fanfare, Christmas feasts, “snow flurries” and New Year’s Eve galas.  But the best part might just be relaxing on deck instead of shoveling snow.

The spirit of the season surrounds guests the moment they arrive at the Disney Cruise Line terminals in Port Canaveral, Fla. or Los Angeles, Calif., with festive, seasonal decorations and Disney characters in their finest holiday attire welcoming guests.

Special stem-to-stern holiday events begin during each of the Thanksgiving cruises and include:

• Nightly “King Triton’s Tree Lighting” in the atrium lobby, where a young guest helps Disney characters light the glittering, three-deck-tall tree.
• Family holiday crafts such as decorating stockings, building gingerbread houses, making holiday cards and creating holiday animation cells.
• Holiday storytellers sharing tales of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.  Plus, a story just for Disney Cruise Line guests about the magical feeling of the holidays on a ship.
• Traditional holiday feasts in the Disney Cruise Line themed dining rooms.
• “‘Til We Meet Again” on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, and “See Ya Real Soon” on the Disney Dream feature a special holiday edition of Disney Cruise Line’s cheerful farewell on the final night of each cruise with beloved Disney characters and the ship’s crew in an engaging musical finale led by Mickey Mouse.

When the Disney Magic and Disney Dream stop at Disney’s private island in the Bahamas Castaway Cay, during the holidays, the celebration continues with “snow flurries,” decked-out Christmas trees, Disney character meet-and-greets, holiday carolers, and holiday-themed activities and crafts for children.

Disney Cruise Line kicks off the holiday cheer with special Thanksgiving voyages setting sail Nov. 19 with a seven-night Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Disney Magic, Nov. 20 with a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise on the Disney Wonder, Nov. 20 with a three-night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Dream and Nov. 23 with a four-night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Dream.  Guests will enjoy a bountiful Thanksgiving Day feast, with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and friends dressed in traditional Thanksgiving attire.

Activities throughout the day include holiday crafts for youngsters and the big NFL football games broadcast live on the ships’ outdoor, jumbo LED screens – Ariel Vision located near the Goofy’s family pool on deck 9 of the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, and Funnel Vision near Donald’s family pool on deck 11 of the Disney Dream.

The Disney Magic sails a six-night Caribbean Christmas cruise departing Dec. 24, with visits to Cozumel, Key West and Castaway Cay. The Disney Wonder offers an eight-night Holiday cruise departing Dec. 18, with a Mexican Riviera itinerary calling at Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. The Disney Dream sails a four-night Holiday cruise on Dec. 22 to Castaway Cay and Nassau, Bahamas.

On Christmas morning at the atrium lobby tree, Santa Claus and his elves will have surprises for all the kids, along with cookies and milk. Christmas services will be held on Christmas Day with a midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Hanukkah services will be held each day, Dec. 20-28.

To celebrate the new year, the Disney Magic departs on Dec. 30 for an eight-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary with stops at St. Maarten, Tortola, St. Thomas and Castaway Cay; the Disney Wonder departs Dec. 26 for a seven-night Mexican Riviera cruise calling on Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas.  The Disney Dream sails a five-night Bahamian cruise that departs on Dec. 29 and features two stops at Castaway Cay and one day at Nassau. These voyages include a special New Year’s Eve party to ring in 2012, complete with music, sparkling wine in commemorative flutes and a midnight countdown.

Christmas by the Numbers on the Disney Dream

Garland, wreaths, twinkling lights and glitter transform Disney Cruise Line ships into a winter wonderland during the holidays.  On the Disney Dream alone more than 300 custom designed décor pieces adorn the ship for its very first holiday season, including:

• 1,016 feet of garland, which is more than three football fields and nearly enough to stretch the entire length of the ship
• 66 holiday sprays ranging from 15 inches to six feet
• 29 wreaths ranging from 24 inches to five feet in diameter
• 41 Christmas trees ranging from two feet to 20 feet
• One 20-foot-tall tree takes center stage in the atrium lobby weighing more than one ton and  featuring 300 branches and more than 20,000 white LED lights
• Unique holiday décor is created for specific locations around the ship. Themes include bright colors in the kids’ clubs, holographic foliage for the teen and tween spaces, and elegant accents for the adult areas. Customized ornaments include a paint brush and palette in Animator’s Palate, Mr. Potato Head in Oceaneer Club and colorful tropical fish in Cabanas.

To learn more about Disney Cruise Line or to book a vacation, guests can visit disneycruise.com, call Disney Cruise Line at 888/DCL-2500 or contact Pixie Vacations.

Related articles

• Decorating the Disney Dream for the Holidays (chipandco.com)
• Disney Cruise Line Earns Several Accolades (chipandco.com)

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