Review: Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Magic

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and what better way to get into the holiday spirit than sailing on Disney Cruise Line? Join me as I take you through how sailing on the high seas with Mickey and his friends will make you jolly with various activities and entertainment!

Very Merrytime Cruises

There is much to do while sailing on Disney Cruise Line, even when it is not during the holidays. However, the Very Merrytime Cruises are not to miss. Not only are the ships decorated throughout, but you cannot ignore the 24-foot-tall Christmas tree and the handmade gingerbread house that adorn the Atrium.

Some of the offerings that occur during sailings include a tree lighting ceremony, the new holiday deck show, Disney characters in their holiday finest, Santa Claus, and Storytime with Mrs. Claus. You will also find that there are themed activities and crafts for kids and adults as well as holiday merchandise. For those guests who are lucky to find themselves sailing to Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, they will find decorations and much more.

Holiday activities and offerings are subject to change and vary by ship and itinerary. Be sure to check the Disney Cruise Line app for up-to-date times and locations.

Beginning on certain sailings in December 2024, Disney’s newest private retreat, Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, will show its festive side.

Tree Lighting Ceremony and Character Holiday Attire

This is the first-holiday entertainment that takes place on the night of the first day of sailing. The 24-foot Christmas tree is the focal point of the Atrium. Guests will find out what time the tree will be lit while checking the Disney Cruise Line app.

The event begins with Mickey and his friends gathered in their best holiday attire. They sing a couple of songs, and then the big countdown begins for the tree to be lit. In past sailings, they would select a family to help light the tree. I (Marisol) noticed that this took only a short time during our specific sailing.

I recommend watching the tree lighting ceremony from the upper decks, looking down to the atrium/Main Hall. This way, you have a bird’s eye view of the entire presentation with no one standing in front of you!

Mickey, Minnie, Daisy, Donald, Pluto, Goofy Chip, and Dale look ready to go caroling dressed to the nines! Mickey and his friends are donning brand-new outfits and accessories this year. My personal favorite was Daisy and her fabulous dress. She was feeling it, too, as everyone complimented her.

Santa Claus and Storytime with Mrs. Claus

You can’t have the holiday season aboard Disney Cruise Line without having Santa and his better half! Throughout our voyage, Santa met for meet and greets and autographs. However, remember that if health protocols go into place, Santa and characters will no longer sign autographs, as was our case, more than halfway through the sailing. Read more about DCL’s health protocols and our experience HERE.

One of my favorite traditions during Very Merrytime sailings is for our family to dress up in coordinating pj’s and take a picture with Santa. This picture will become one of the photos on our yearly Christmas card. Santa against the Christmas tree is the perfect festive backdrop.

One tip to remember when meeting Santa is that his lines are very lengthy, and he takes his time with each guest and family, so the line sometimes moves slowly. Therefore, I recommend arriving at least 20 minutes before the line begins to form.  

In past sailings, Storytime with Mrs. Claus occurred multiple times during our sailing. Unfortunately, during this sailing, both times that the activity occurred were during a port day when many people were on excursions. This can be frustrating, especially if a guest had previously reserved a port activity.

There is only one way to know the times of activities once the guest is onboard during embarkation and that is by checking the DCL Navigation app. Originally, Storytime with Mrs. Claus was only listed for one day of the seven-day sailing, but a second time and date was offered later during the week.

Themed Activities

Unfortunately, when it came to holiday-themed activities, we did not come across too many, especially for adults. However, the kids’ club has many different holiday activities that sound fun to do – such as making paper wreaths! My daughters and I did attend Holiday Music Trivia, which we tied for 1^st place!  It mainly was holiday trivia games rather than actual crafts.

The other holiday activity that was delectable to attend was learning how to make a yule log. A DCL pastry chef gave us a demonstration while servers came out with bite-size dessert portions for guests to taste.

One of our favorite sailings was during Christmas in 2017 when Disney offered gingerbread house-making activities. Even today, our family laughs and reminisces as we were horrible at following the pastry chef’s assembly instructions! Let’s put it this way: we would never be asked to be part of the DCL pastry team! We are hoping that it comes back again in the future!

Holiday Deck Party

New this year to the Very Merrytime sailings is a new deck party titled Mickey and Minnie’s Holiday Party. This high-energy deck party – thrown by Mickey and Minnie – features favorite Disney friends as they celebrate friendship, love, and family with a fresh mix of classic and original holiday songs during this special time of year.

I enjoyed the holiday deck party as it was entertaining from beginning to end. The storyline is that Goofy is so sad as he has received a letter from his son Max that he will not be able to come home for the holidays. Mickey and their friends sing and dance to cheer him up and tell him that the holidays will still be special even though the two will be apart.

By the end of the party, Goofy receives a special holiday surprise!

I advise arriving at the pool deck stage about twenty minutes before the show starts. We secured a great spot to take pictures and film the deck party.

Overall Thoughts

I love sailing Disney Cruise Line, especially during the holiday season, because of the beautiful decorations. Our cruise also took place over the Thanksgiving holiday. If you want to learn about what it is like to sail during Thanksgiving, you can CLICK HERE.

Regarding onboard holiday merchandise, it was limited compared to shopping in the theme parks. For example, there were a couple of t-shirts, spirit jerseys, ears, and other trinkets. Ultimately, I did not purchase any of the DCL-specific holiday merchandise.

The holidays may be ending very soon, but I’d recommend that if you are still looking for that special gift for someone, book a Very Merrytime sailing for 2024. It is a trip to look forward to for the year, and the next holiday season will arrive before we know it! Please share this article with a friend who would love to sail on Disney Cruise Line during the holidays.