Halloween on the Excessive Seas is obtainable by Disney Cruise Line in September and October. We just lately did a 4-night DCL itinerary with HotHS and needed to share photographs & information, plus our assessment of whether or not the expertise is price it or if we’d suggest a special crusing as a substitute.
Let’s begin with the fundamentals. The Halloween on the Excessive Seas sailings promise every little thing of a traditional itinerary, together with Pirate Night time, and extra. Aboard every Disney Cruise Line ship, there are common leisure highlights, themed actions for youths, youth events & crafts, and interactive choices. Halloween on the Excessive Seas voyages are provided on choose DCL sailings aboard the Magic, Dream, Fantasy, Want, Treasure, and Future ships.
Halloween on the Excessive Seas is principally a themed day aboard a mostly-regular crusing. You’re not lacking something that’s provided throughout a traditional Disney Cruise Line crusing. In the event you in contrast an itinerary the week earlier than HotHS began versus a Halloween on the Excessive Seas cruise, they’d be materially related, minus the dearth of Halloween stuff on the previous. Proper off the bat, this could sign the spookiness power for Halloween on the Excessive Seas.
Halloween on the Excessive Seas is already introduced as being provided aboard the Disney Future yr, so we will solely assume 2026 will set one other new file for essentially the most HotHS sailings (because of the ever-increasing fleet measurement). In accordance with Disney Cruise Line, Halloween on the Excessive Seas is obtainable on choose home departure dates that happen in September and October.
This seemingly excludes the Disney Journey, however we assume that’s nonetheless TBD. Halloween is in style within the Asia parks, and the Journey doesn’t appear to have significantly sturdy bookings. Perhaps it received’t supply Halloween on the Excessive Seas in 2026, however our guess is that it’s provided in 2027 or additional down the highway.
Halloween on the Excessive Seas cruises out of Florida additionally embody stops at Disney’s new non-public island vacation spot, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Level, or Castaway Cay. There are even some crusing that double-dip at Castaway Cay or make stops at each non-public islands.
If you would like assist choosing the proper itinerary for your loved ones, we extremely suggest working with an Approved Disney Trip Planner. Be Our Visitor Holidays is our most popular journey company, and so they have many brokers with in depth cruise expertise and experience. Utilizing a journey company is extremely advantageous in relation to cruising.
Right here’s the particular themed choices you possibly can get pleasure from throughout Halloween on the Excessive Seas sailings:
The Halloween Tree
The gourd-geous centerpiece within the atrium of every ship within the Disney Cruise Line fleet throughout Halloween on the Excessive Seas is a Halloween Tree. As the total moon gleams and witches hearth up their brooms, these pumpkin-filled timber take root each September and October.
The Halloween timber every of the Disney ships are:
- Reap on the Disney Magic
- Bathroom on the Disney Marvel
- Grim on the Disney Dream
- Muckelbones on the Disney Fantasy
- Boo on the Disney Want
- Ginger on the Disney Treasure
The timber aboard the Magic, Marvel, Dream, and Fantasy ships replicate a historically spooky tree one would possibly anticipate alongside the filth roads of Sleepy Hole on a chilly October evening. Reap, Bathroom, Grim, and Muckelbones had been impressed by the spirit of Ray Bradbury’s beloved story The Halloween Tree.
The Disney Want has a tree blessed by the Wishing Star to develop very particular carved pumpkins. Boo’s enchanting visage watches over the Grand Corridor and legend has it that considered one of her pumpkins even grew to develop into the pumpkin carriage that carried Cinderella to the ball.
Ginger on the Disney Treasure is a singular species of tree, hailing from the town of Agrabah in Aladdin. Ginger has extra elongated pumpkins, just like the gourds present in that area of the world, with Ginger herself resembling a little bit of a banyan tree.
Halloween Tree Lighting Ceremony
On the primary evening of the cruise, the tree lighting units the tone. The tree’s branches maintain the spirits of Halloween previous, and the spirit of the Pumpkin King brings it to life.
This tree is watched over by a mysterious caretaker, who shares chilling tales of Halloween traditions and legends as friends collect beneath their cover. Because the ship units sail, these as soon as quiet, twisted timber burst into life—glowing Jack-O’-Lanterns flicker to life among the many branches, eerie lights dance, and a deep, haunting voice fills the air.
“The Story of the Enchanted Pumpkin Tree” is lots of enjoyable, providing a not-so-scary tackle Halloween.
The caretaker offers an important and highly-animated efficiency, just like what I’d think about of the Haunted Mansion caretaker (too dangerous he doesn’t have a canine pal!). Though it’s a bit spooky, the temper is lightened with enjoyable and recognizable music from Halloween on the parks, together with the caretaker’s exaggerated mannerisms.
On the Disney Treasure, this mysterious caretaker is changed by the storytellers, Coriander and Sage, who’re fairly shocked {that a} tree has abruptly sprouted within the Grand Corridor. They inform the story of Ginger and learn the way the carvings on her gourds had been impressed by the transformations of the Genie. I’m actually curious within the variations with Halloween on the Excessive Seas aboard the Treasure; that’s my favourite ship and it has DCL’s greatest leisure programming.
Halloween Decorations within the Atrium
Decorations are largely confined to the atrium or Grand Corridor, however you’ll find another decor round the remainder of the ship for those who actually look onerous. This would possibly embody Halloween colours in floral preparations, window-clings on the portholes, spooky towel animals organized on deck, and extra.
Though it doesn’t qualify as a ornament, per se, the background music loops within the hallways and stateroom televisions get a spook season overlay for Halloween on the Excessive Seas. However generally, for those who’re not within the atrium, you received’t spot many (if any) seen indicators that it’s Halloween on the Excessive Seas all through your crusing.
Mickey’s Mouse-querade
Company are invited to affix Mickey and buddies at this spellbinding, musical soirée on deck. Mickey’s Mouse-querade might be the spotlight of Halloween on the Excessive Seas for many households. It both occurs up on the highest deck (climate permitting) or within the atrium, and options each a stage present and dance occasion part.
Numerous friends will stake out spots near the stage far upfront, presumably underneath the misguided assumption that Mickey’s Mouse-querade is one thing to see versus one thing to do. There isn’t a lot level in displaying up early to this. At the very least, not considerably so.
Whereas the choreographed dancing on stage is well-done, it’s probably not a stage present manufacturing. There’s solely a short opening and shutting with all the characters on stage.
For the remainder of Mickey’s Mouse-querade, the characters–Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Donald, Chip and Dale–are all dancing across the deck, mingling with youngsters. There are alternatives for fast selfies and movies, however understand that it’s darkish and the lighting goes to be harsh.
Mickey’s Mouse-querade is cute and enjoyable. Though it positively skews older than toddler age (however a lot youthful than adults), so we aren’t fairly the audience for it but. We’d positively suggest costumes for this, and lighter-weight ones are in all probability excellent. There was a cool breeze on this night of our cruise, nevertheless it was nonetheless heat.
Halloween Character Meet & Greets
Disney Cruise Line friends can take a spooky selfie with Disney characters wearing Halloween duds. Characters embody Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in batty ensembles, Donald and Daisy Duck in spooktacular spidery garb, Goofy as a traditional skeleton, Pluto displaying his love for sweet corn, and Chip and Dale in sweet cauldron costumes.
The character spotlight of Halloween on the Excessive Seas is the Sanderson Sisters meet & greet, that includes Minnie is dressed as Winifred Sanderson, Daisy as Sarah Sanderson, and Clarabelle as Mary Sanderson. Every Disney fur character embodies their respective counterpart from Hocus Pocus, melding their very own personalities with the Sanderson Sisters. This meet & greet is implausible.
This would possibly differ throughout longer sailings, however the Halloween on the Excessive Seas cruises we’ve performed have featured someday of those character costumes. They do mid-afternoon units, after which night units. Throughout our most up-to-date cruise, this occurred through the Castaway Cay day.
Having performed Castaway Cay many instances, and having seen the demand disparity between the daytime meets and nighttime ones prior to now, we opted to chop quick our time at Castaway Cay to do these meet & greets. If seeing a number of characters issues to you, doing the sooner meet & greets is a should.
Our common wait time for characters was underneath 10 minutes, and that features the Sanderson Sisters. We truly did that meet & greet twice, because it’s a bit too environment friendly at biking friends by way of (no complaints as the road strikes quick and nobody can monopolize the characters for a prolonged TikTok video or non-public photoshoot or no matter) and had been out and in of the road shortly each instances.
We had been in a position to knock out nearly each character through the afternoon meet & greet units, and all with out attempting our toddler’s endurance an excessive amount of. She loves the assembly & greeting characters portion of the equation, however is much less eager on the entire “ready in line” half. That’s not almost as enjoyable, and she or he doesn’t fairly comprehend why that unpleasantness is a part of the expertise when she might merely spend all of that point hugging the characters.
We returned within the night, and assembly the characters then would’ve been an entire non-starter. Traces had been double the size or longer, and the entire atrium was simply very crowded and chaotic.
Had we not performed the meet & greets earlier within the afternoon, we’d’ve performed a pair, however for our daughter, characters are like a Pokemon scenario: gotta hug ’em all.
Different Halloween on the Excessive Seas Choices
Halloween motion pictures: Not-so-frightening flicks like Haunted Mansion, Hocus Pocus, Nightmare Earlier than Christmas, Hocus Pocus 2, and Halloweentown are screened on the onboard cinema or on deck.
Trick-or-treating: For completely happy haunting within the early night earlier than Mickey’s Mouse-querade, friends can don costumes and trick-or-treat onboard. This occurs on the highest deck proper across the stage.
Crafts: Company can calm down and indulge their artistic facet with Halloween arts and crafts that make completely bewitching souvenirs.
Grownup enjoyable: Adults have their very own haunts on Disney Cruise Line, with adult-exclusive areas that supply particular occasions like a fancy dress contest or dance occasion and serve themed refreshments created particularly for Halloween on the Excessive Seas.
Pirate Night time: Sailors of each stripe are inspired to decorate in swashbuckling costumes for pirate eating, a dastardly deck occasion patterned after Pirates of the Caribbean and different pirate-themed actions.
The truth that Disney advertises Pirate Night time as being a part of Halloween on the Excessive Seas ought to sign one thing about these cruises. I imply, I suppose pirate is a standard costume, however so is building employee. Are the partitions round Rivers of America thought of Halloween decorations now? They’re considerably scary!
Halloween on the Excessive Seas Evaluate
Our most up-to-date Halloween on the Excessive Seas cruise was a 4-night journey from Port Everglades, Florida on the Disney Dream, however these vacation cruises are provided fleet-wide in September and October. Previous to this, Sarah had performed a number of Halloween on the Excessive Seas cruises. She did one out of San Diego, California and one other out of Port Canaveral, Florida.
Sarah was a fan of Halloween on the Excessive Seas, even previous to this. She thought that the character costumes had been lovely and distinctive, with the Sanderson Sisters being considered one of many highlights. The general environment of the ship was spooky because of quirky decorations, loads of pumpkins, and the Halloween tree.
She’s beforehand reported that little touches, like distinctive meals and low improve the environment, and imbue a Halloween environment to the cruise. That is additional than I’d go, and based mostly on her description and reward for the overlay, I used to be anticipating a bit extra.
One factor I observed from the reactions to our earlier Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise Evaluate is that opinions on these seasonal sailings are all around the map. It looks as if the most important determinant is body of reference or expectations. Are you evaluating these voyages to particular occasions within the parks or are you viewing them as an enhancement on high of a daily cruise?
Admittedly, my expectation going into our first Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise was one thing on par with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering at Walt Disney World or each day vacation season operations at Disneyland. In hindsight, this was in all probability unrealistic. A cruise is basically completely different than a theme park.
The distinctive logistical challenges of being, ya know, on the ocean, current impediments to going ‘all out’ just like the parks. There’s much less turnaround time between sailings, house is extra finite aboard the ship, and the seasonal stuff wants to fit in alongside the common programming.
In the event you’re a critic of Halloween on the Excessive Seas or the Very Merrytime cruises, you would possibly view all of this as an excuse. That that is Disney we’re speaking about, and if anybody might pull this off, it’s DCL.
If there have been an urge for food to make extra occur, they might make extra occur. And to your (hypothetical) level, it’s in all probability honest to say that each of those seasonal sailings used to supply extra and be higher.
However, once I look again at my reminiscences of our first Very Merrytime cruise, they’re a lot hotter and fonder than what’s mirrored in our assessment. Trying by way of our photographs reinforces the identical. Revisiting all of that’s good; if I might return in time and expertise it once more, I’d admire it extra within the second. And that’s not simply the rose-colored glasses of nostalgia speaking.
I do know this as a result of we basically did do that, setting sail on a Very Merrytime cruise aboard the Disney Want final yr. Regardless of paying considerably extra for that than our earlier Christmas cruise (we’re speaking roughly double the value), and the expertise providing much less vacation programming, we loved it extra.
A part of the distinction is undoubtedly that our circumstances modified. We now have a daughter now, which alone has made us an ‘simpler’ viewers for sentimental experiences that generate these treasured ‘core reminiscences.’ No sense in pretending in any other case. However I nonetheless discover myself critiquing every little thing (unattainable to close off the ole Blogger Mind), so I actually assume the larger change is considered one of perspective.
My view on the Very Merrytime cruise and (now Halloween on the Excessive Seas) modified. As a substitute of constructing an undeniably unfavorable comparability to the theme parks, I began viewing these seasonal sailings as particular themed enhancements to common cruises. Because the icing on the cake, versus the cake itself.
I’m taking a very long time explaining this as a result of body of reference actually does matter right here–it’s in all probability outcome-determinative on each Very Merrytime and Halloween on the Excessive Seas cruises. This can be a great way of setting pre-cruise expectations so that you’re not dissatisfied with the seasonal sailings and actuality that they’re icing.
Or alternatively, this might present perception into what these cruises truly supply so you possibly can choose towards reserving them if this isn’t sufficient “cake” so that you can justify the price. As a result of for those who’re envisioning a complete cruise immersed in continuous Halloween or Christmas, you’re going to be massively dissatisfied.
There are total days devoid of Halloween programming and decorations are confined to a small space of the ship. One early bedtime and also you’d miss three-quarters of the Halloween on the Excessive Seas programming.
In the end, we weren’t dissatisfied by this as a result of Halloween on the Excessive Seas provided a number of experiences in a single for us. There’s actually no excellent Walt Disney World comparability, nevertheless it was like a really gentle model of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Social gathering someday, adopted by a Pirate Social gathering one other evening, the usual at sea expertise one other, and so forth.
The someday of Halloween on the Excessive Seas actually doesn’t maintain a candle to MNSSHP or Oogie Boogie Bash (simply to be clear), however as an included ingredient to the cruise, it’s enjoyable. Halloween on the Excessive Seas offers you a style of the spook season expertise, like going trick or treating and having a number of snacks versus devouring the entire bag.
You get to get pleasure from leisure and a few decorations, meet characters and see different friends in costumes, and are available residence with photographs of all of it. All of it makes for constructive lasting reminiscences which are clearly Halloween-flavored, and the environment–because of the costumes, decorations, music and extra–is best in particular person than it would sound on paper.
Despite the fact that Halloween on the Excessive Seas is a ‘lite’ model of its theme park counterparts, there’s one thing to be mentioned for the comparative ease and luxury of the expertise. Which actually is a bigger-picture touch upon Disney Cruise Line vs. Walt Disney World, nevertheless it applies right here, too.
Besides, you completely are not immersed in Halloween as a part of Halloween on the Excessive Seas. In the event you guide the cruise anticipating that, you’re going to be extremely underwhelmed. Go to Disneyland as a substitute.
Maybe the perfect endorsement of Halloween on the Excessive Seas is that this expertise made me need to guide a crusing aboard the Disney Marvel or Magic subsequent fall. (It additionally made me much more interested in Halloween on the Excessive Seas aboard the Disney Treasure, however these 7-night sailings are a non-starter for us.)
I’m nonetheless not fairly positive about Halloween vs. Christmas, however we’ll positively be doing one or the opposite. Despite the fact that Halloween on the Excessive Seas and Very Merrytime Christmas cruises are not so good as they might be and don’t fairly meet expectations, they’re higher than normal sailings; we’d suggest them on that foundation. We’ll all the time take extra icing on our cake!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider these Disney Cruise Line’s Halloween on the Excessive Seas? Any of the particular choices enchantment to you? Impressed by the Sanderson Sisters costumes for Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and Clarabelle Cow? Another suggestions so as to add or suggestions for Halloween on the Excessive Seas? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we may help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!