Review: Halloween on the High Seas

My family just returned from a magical four nights at sea…and there were a lot of us!

For the first time as adults, I traveled with two of my siblings and their families.

So, seven of us ventured to the oceans while enjoying the comfy confines of the Disney Destiny.

Conveniently enough, the Halloween season had just started on Disney Cruise Line.

Thus, ours was a more festive sailing than most.

Here’s my review of Halloween on the High Seas, a seasonal cruise experience.

What’s Halloween on the High Seas?

Last month, I wrote a description of Halloween on the High Seas.

The gist is that Disney Cruise Line (DCL) adds seasonal touches to its itineraries.

During the Halloween season, these festivities include Trick-or-Treating and more.

On our cruise, the Destiny had just added a Pumpkin Tree that week.

Also, Disney encouraged guests to wear Halloween costumes one day, too.

Even though the calendar said mid-September, the ship pretended like it was Halloween Night.

Disney even threw a festive concert on the main deck at a time approaching the witching hour.

In a couple of weeks, I’ll similarly discuss Very Merrytime Christmas Cruises.

It’s the equivalent of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

Meanwhile, Halloween on the High Seas echoes Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

However, I’ll note in advance that I carefully chose the word “echoes.”

You shouldn’t expect a similarly all-in experience during your cruise. It’s not that.

Tourists travel on a standard Disney cruise, which is to say an incredibly magical one.

Then, on one date, the Halloween festivities take over…if that’s your wish.

Those of you who aren’t into Halloween will still discover a full itinerary of other activities.

So, everything we’re talking about today is entirely optional but a ton of fun.

The only difference from regular cruises involves the movies available at the theaters.

In the case of the Disney Destiny, we had several unique offerings during this cruise.

The theaters played Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, 2023’s Haunted Mansion, and Muppets Haunted Mansion.

Of course, fans could also watch The Mandalorian & Grogu and Toy Story 5.

So, Disney showed plenty more than just Halloween movies on this cruise.

That’s the good and the bad about these sorts of cruises…but I’m getting ahead of myself.

What I Loved about Halloween on the High Seas

During our cruise, we excitedly counted down the days until the Halloween event.

Honestly, we didn’t need to do that, though, as the experience started immediately.

As soon as a Cast Member welcomed my family onboard, we saw the Pumpkin Tree.

My family arrived in three waves, and each of us did the same thing.

We’d walk on the ship, smile as we heard our name, and then go, “Ooh!”

The Pumpkin Tree draws that much attention, as it’s absolutely gorgeous.

Still, the Halloween aspect of the cruise really didn’t happen until the following day.

Disney schedules its four-day itineraries this way, with one night reserved for pirates and another for Halloween.

On our cruise, the Destiny celebrated Halloween on the second day and Pirate Night on the third.

So, the festivities switched each day rather than being an all-cruise Halloween party.

This cadence worked perfectly for my family, as we always discovered something new to do.

To a larger point, the Trick-or-Treating experience itself delighted us.

Everyone on the cruise is welcome to participate, not just the kids.

Even on that evening, guests expressed confusion about this, certain it sounded too good to be true.

Then, Disney Cast Members handed everyone giant bags and asked us to stand in line.

Sure enough, we roamed the entire 11^th deck of the ship, discovering new candy stations.

At each one, we’d receive a cornucopia of new candy just like at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

After about 45 minutes, my wife and I had two full bags of Halloween candy.

In fact, we had so much that we gave away one bag to my sister, who didn’t participate.

Even then, I still wound up with a bigger candy haul than I’d ever managed as a kid.

What Else I Loved about Halloween on the High Seas

You don’t have to dress up for Halloween on the High Seas. Many guests didn’t.

I’d say it was about half and half by the end of the evening.

Even then, people got dressed at different points. Some got in the costumes immediately.

Personally, we waited until after dinner to throw on our costumes.

My wife wore a Russell (from Up) Wilderness Explorer outfit, while I dressed as Summer Santa.

We noticed other costumes ranging from the bare minimum to Comic-Con-worthy.

One person wore a Victorian outfit so over-the-top I wondered how it fit in their suitcase.

Overall, everyone participated as much as they wanted, which added to the charm.

Nobody felt compelled to behave competitively. We were all simply Disney fans having fun.

My wife and I relished the positivity about our outfits, too.

A child dressed as Dug chased my wife down across the Grand Hall to make sure she saw him.

Meanwhile, kids were excitedly waving at me, hoping they’d avoid the Naughty List that way.

Everyone felt like an integral part of the Disney community during this communal experience.

Then, Pirate Night added its own twist to the same concept, with equal creativity on display.

One person wore a pirate outfit go puffy that I joked they could safely jump from an airplane.

Everyone had left their worldly problems behind to enjoy a Disney cruise for a while.

Review: Halloween on the High Seas

The closest things I have to complaints about Halloween on the High Seas involve the itinerary.

I heard more than one guest complaining that Trick-or-Treating occurred on one day only.

Similarly, while people could have worn costumes daily, that wasn’t really the vibe.

People saved their outfits for the Halloween festivities, and some even doubled up their look.

They wore the same thing for Halloween and Pirate Night, which is part of the problem.

Disney really should pick one or the other for these cruises rather than marrying them.

That’s not my opinion as much as the one I heard the most from other guests, including my family.

People expressed confusion about the consolidation of Halloween to a single date.

Disney left them wanting more. Along those lines, the itinerary felt a bit confusing.

The digital guides didn’t specify Halloween vs. regular activities.

For these reasons, I loved Halloween on the High Seas, but I also realized Disney could do even better.

The current offering will delight fans of all ages. However, I’d prefer even more Halloween.

At a minimum, Disney should swap out Pirate Night with another day of Halloween activities.

My family expressed disappointment that Oogie Boogie didn’t appear.

On other cruises, characters from Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas have been available.

I feel like their presence should be permanent on Halloween on the High Seas.

The funny part about these critiques is that I had a truly amazing time.

It’s just that I’m greedy and want even more. MOAR!!!

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