Back-to-Back Merrytime Cruise December 24-December 31, 2015

Would you ever think about spending the holidays on the high seas? This is one question I had to ponder over and over. I just didn't know if my daughter would be OK not being home the day the big man in the red suit showed up in the middle of the night. I had to tell her we had booked a cruise over Christmas. We would be leaving on December 24 and returning on the 31st. What she didn't know was that we had a back-to-back planned. (You can hear in the video, I almost spoiled that surprise when I broke the news to her, so I covered it up by restating we had another cruise booked for Spring Break). We decided to only tell her about the first leg of the cruise and would tell her we were going to be staying at the beach in Melbourne, FL for New Year's Eve. 

I walked into her room and told her I needed to talk to her. She immediately asked me if we were cancelling our trip to FL and asked if we would be staying home for Christmas. Well, I broke the news to her and as you can see in the video, I was very hesitant. I initially told her we were going to be moving to FL. She was not very happy about that, but knew I was playing. so here I was thinking I was going to get this great response full of excitement...you know, the kind you see on YouTube where the reactions are priceless. I told her we were going to see the Mouse. To my surprise, she said, "Yea, so." (So not what I expected). This was the not-so-priceless part of the reveal. Then she asked if we would be staying in the castle. I told her no and we would be floating with Mickey. A small smile broke, but then she was worried Santa would not visit and if she could bring her American Girl dolls with her. I wanted this to be exciting for her. I didn't want to ruin her Christmas. 

Well, as you can see here, we had an amazing trip! We revealed to her we would be staying on for another cruise after that one ended. She didn't believe us because she thought she had to start school again. She was so excited we were staying on the Dream because, you see, she makes friends with anyone she meets. She had become close with some photographers and officers on the ship. The bracelet she shows is a friendship bracelet Rhaul made for her (he is a photographer). [If you have questions about the disembarkation and embarkation process on a back-to-back, let me know. I'll be happy to share our experience!]
What is special about a Very Merrytime Cruise on Disney? Well, everything, really! The characters are decked out in their holiday best and worst (ugly sweaters). The Charles Dickens Carolers were amazing. There was snow in the atrium. Santa came on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day Mrs. Claus read stories to the children in front of the Christmas tree. In the atrium there was hot (and cool) cocoa, cookies, cakes, and all kinds of treats. We were given a special Christmas gift from Disney Cruise Line in our staterooms on Christmas Eve (a DCL miniature santa hat, goodies, and a collectors poster) and on Christmas Day we got another special gift in the atrium (a DCL calendar). We made gingerbread houses. Christmas Day was even more special when Disney Dream sailed past Disney Fantasy near Castaway Cay at sunset. There was also special character appearances and a Christmas Day deck party, Deck the Deck Tropical Holiday Party, for the kids and families. 

Will we sail over Christmas again? Yes, but not until Emily becomes her own Santa. Until then, we will sail on other holidays. We haven't experienced Halloween on the High Seas yet. Maybe next year! This year, we will be on our first New Year's Eve cruise on Disney Dream! I can't wait to share my experiences with you!

I hope you enjoy the videos. They make me laugh. Emily (my daughter) is a character of her own! Feel free to ask me specific questions you have about Merrytime Cruises. I will do my best to answer them based on my experiences. Feel free to browse this Merrytime Cruise Album with over 1,000 photos for your viewing pleasure. 

Read more: http://mickeychats.com/thread/61/merrytime-cruise#ixzz4wgBcBRH0


Here are some highlights from our Very Merrytime Cruise: 

Surprise Character Appearances

Charles Dickens Christmas Carolers

The video below is the, "Surprise! We are staying on for another Disney Cruise!" 

Welcome to my Disney Cruise Line Blog!

***THIS BLOG IS A WORK IN PROGRESS BECAUSE THERE IS SO MUCH I WANT TO SHARE AND I WANT TO DO IT THOUGHTFULLY AND COMPLETELY. BEAR WITH ME!

Check out this amazing video to get your Disney heart pumping!

Hello! My name is Stephanie Inch and I am a Disney fanatic. Even more, I am a Disney Cruise Line fanatic! I was hooked after my first cruise in 2009. I have taken 8 cruises on Disney Cruise Line and one NCL cruise. I have sailed on a 3-night Bahamian on Wonder, 5-night double-dipper at Castaway Cay and Nassau on the Dream, 7-night Western Caribbean Easter cruise on Fantasy, 7-night Eastern Caribbean Easter cruise on Fantasy, 2 back-to-back 3-night then 4-night Bahamian cruises on the Dream, one of which was a Merrytime Cruise over Christmas Day. We are Castaway Cay Gold members, own points with the Grand Floridian Resort with Disney Vacation Club, and have been to Walt Disney World at least 10 times.

In this blog, I will share some of my favorite moments, secrets, and tips with you. I will write about each holiday cruise we have taken, information about the ports of call we have visited, photo tips, ship information, and our favorite places to eat around the ship. You will learn about formal night and semi-formal night, and my favorite...Pirate Night! Get information on character greetings and so much more! I hope you enjoy what you read.

How We Became Obsessed With DCL:

In 2009 I was invited to go on a Disney Cruise to celebrate my in-laws 40th wedding anniversary. When my husband threw the idea at me, I immediately was concerned about seasickness and feeling cramped on a "boat". One of the best and life-changing decisions I ever made was to agree to go. It was a short 3-night cruise to the Bahamas. It was the trip of my life (so far). We were Disney Cruise Line rookies. We didn't know about pirate night, formal night, what we should take with us, etc. It's amazing how quick you can learn in the experience, and all the vocabulary associated with sailing (port arrival time, starboard, portside, aft, forward, muster drill)! My daughter was chosen as a VIP (now called "Magical Family") and got a special photo session and meet and greet with the characters on the last night in Studio Sea on the Wonder.

We decided to book another one for two years later, saved up, and made it happen. Our second cruise was a 5-night to the Bahamas on the Disney Dream. After our 2nd cruise, we realized we couldn’t wait two years to cruise again, so we booked a 7-night the following Spring Break on Disney Fantasy. We cruised Fantasy two spring break's in a row. Following those cruises we decided to do a back-to-back over Christmas on Disney Dream. The first part, my daughter knew about, the second leg was a surprise. The following August, we embarked on another back-to-back on Disney Dream. We planned to just do a quick 3-night getaway, but the cruise was so magical, we inquired about staying on for the 4-night that followed. At first, there were no staterooms available, but Kevin Irish in guest services made it happen. Out of 8 cruises, we were chosen as a magical family on 6 of them. We have a 7-night scheduled for December 16, 2017 and are counting down the days!