Halloween on the High Seas

I love to travel in the early fall. Beautiful weather and warm waters combine with lower demand to create some of the best cruising values of the year. An added bonus from late September through the end of October on many of the Disney Cruise ships is Halloween on the High Seas.

I will be the first to confess Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but we found this was a fun experience I would recommend to anyone. Disney knows how to do a theme with just the right touches to keep it being from overwhelming or tacky and executing all the details in an impressive and tasteful way.

None of the Halloween on the High Seas events take the place of any regular cruise entertainment or shows so everything is an extra bonus on a trip this time of year. There are fun activities for everyone in the family.

When you arrive on the ship, there is a two-story Pumpkin Tree in the atrium. Check out your Personal Navigator on board for times when The Caretaker of the tree will tell you fun stories of customs and traditions of Halloween such as why we celebrate Halloween and why we carve jack-o-lanterns. By the end of the sailing, the Pumpkin Tree has bloomed and there is a final ceremony held by the tree on the last night of the cruise to bring your experience full circle. In addition to the Pumpkin Tree, there are many other unique and spook-tacular events during the sailing:

Throughout the sailing, the kid’s club will offer Halloween themed activities such as mask-making and pumpkin-carving.

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing & Scream show is an interactive 3-D movie experience where you’re part of the action, followed by a rare meet-and-greet with Jack and Sally.

Mickey’s Mouse-querade Party is held in the atrium usually around 4:30pm on a specified day. The night prior to the party your stateroom host will leave trick-or-treat bags on your bed. It is optional to dress up in costumes for this event. There is music, Halloween themed games for the kids, trick-or-treating, and your favorite characters come out in their Halloween attire and dance to everyone’s favorite songs of the season.

Teens (14-17 year olds) have their own Halloween Bash where they can dress up and celebrate with their friends.

Not Just For Kids

Halloween Isn’t Just for Kids is an adult theme night party in the trendy dance club, with spooky lighting, great dance music, a costume contest, snacks and drinks.

Haunted Stories of the Seas is a campfire-style storytelling experience on the deck where a Sea Captain tells ghostly tales that will give you the chills.

The Creepy Cabaret is a party in the atrium featuring favorite Halloween-themed music performed live by a band of ghostly musicians.

Halloween Bingo is fun for all ages and is held at various times on each cruise. At this event, there are Halloween and Disney Cruise Line raffle prizes to be won.

Spooky Halloween-themed movies are shown throughout the cruise in the big movie theater, in the guest rooms, and even on the Funnel Vision by the pool.

The afternoon of the Mickey’s Mouse-querade Party our family dressed up in our costumes. My sons were minions from Despicable Me and my husband and I were Don and Betty Draper from Mad Men. It was fun to see other cruise guests dressed in their costumes. There were a lot of creative designs, and even some families that all followed a theme. Everyone in our party wore their costumes to dinner where the chefs included special treats such as chocolate cake with pumpkin filling and spider cakes for the kids. They even had a “spooky juice” adult alcoholic drink of the day. After dinner and stopping by the atrium to hear some lively entertainment, we dropped the kids off at the kid’s club so they could have their fun and the adults could enjoy the adult Halloween party.

Even though the additional Halloween on the High Seas activities were not why I booked this sailing, they added so much to our vacation and I would put this event on everyone’s must-do list.

Contact Us:

Jamie Jackson: (336) 263-1977 or [email protected]

Travel Concierge at Wanderlust Travel Boutique

At Wanderlust Travel Boutique, we will create a truly personalized, hassle-free vacation with a comprehensive itinerary so you can enjoy an unforgettable experience.

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