Verry Merrytime Cruises

[jmccoy18]

We are excited to be booking our 1st Disney cruise once they announce the cruises for December 2018 (hopefully in a few weeks!) We have cruised before on RC multiple times so in general we know what to expect when crusing.

For those of you that have gone on a Very Merrytime cruise before, what was your favorite part? Any tips or must do activities? I am looking for more DCL specific answers, as opposed to just cruising in general.

We will be a large party of 11- 9 adults and 2 kids ages 6 and 3. Thanks!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I really enjoyed decorating the gingerbread house. Since you cannot take it off the ship, we enjoyed nibbling on it as well!

 

[AMusicLifeForMe]

I have been on 2 Merrytime Cruises. The Christmas tree lighting on the first night is something I would not miss. I know that they have Santa Claus M&G for the kids. I also think Mrs. Claus read stories to the kids one day. All of the characters are dressed in their Holiday attire. I also know they make it snow in the lobby, but I forget which show they do that for.

 

[drmcg]

Is it the same for the late Nov Merrytime cruises? We'll a tube on the Dream on Thanksgiving. I'm hoping there's some Christmas stuff too!

 

[tlprice]

Like others said, making the Gingerbread house. Our room smelled so good! Stories with Mrs. Claus was great (very few people at this which made it even better). Take your camera though. I didn't know there would be special character meets after. We also loved the decorations on the ship and at Castaway Cay.

 

[bcwife76]

We're looking at booking a Merry time cruise as well for 2018 but due to my husband's work schedule he cannot take vacation after the 3rd week in November so we're looking at cruising the second week of November - would all the Christmas activities still be happening this early in the season?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Is it the same for the late Nov Merrytime cruises? We'll a tube on the Dream on Thanksgiving. I'm hoping there's some Christmas stuff too!

A Very MerryTime cruise is a Very MerryTime cruise, regardless of what month you take it it.

Much like the Halloween on the High Seas cruises are the same, regardless if you take it in September or October.

 

[timrousbeastie]

We are excited to be booking our 1st Disney cruise once they announce the cruises for December 2018 (hopefully in a few weeks!) We have cruised before on RC multiple times so in general we know what to expect when crusing.

For those of you that have gone on a Very Merrytime cruise before, what was your favorite part? Any tips or must do activities? I am looking for more DCL specific answers, as opposed to just cruising in general.

We will be a large party of 11- 9 adults and 2 kids ages 6 and 3. Thanks!

I've been on two and love all the little details that add up to a very special experience: the decorations, the carolers in the evening, the gingerbread house making, the specialty coffees, ... At least for me, it is very hard to switch back to cruising another time of the year as I would feel disappointed.

 

[aggiedog]

My favorite part? Not cooking or cleaning over the holidays. LOL Everything else was gravy after that. I'd heard the gingerbread house making was a bit hectic, and we do it at home almost every year, so we elected not to try it.

I did like the ginormous ginger bread house in the atrium.

 

[GoofyLovingFamily]

Gingerbread making is a ticket event and offers limited number. On our sailing the tickets were gone in the first hour after embarkation started.

 

[For the love of Pooh]

I enjoyed going through the atrium during various seasonal activities and getting hot chocolate and cookies

 

[jmccoy18]

Gingerbread making is a ticket event and offers limited number. On our sailing the tickets were gone in the first hour after embarkation started.

Good to know!

 

[Spotthecat]

Having the kids take their pictures with Santa with NO LINEUP!!! Also, the cookies and cocoa afterwards were great. Though their "hot" cocoa for the kids was scalding!!! Beware, have an adult taste it first. The CMs were handing them out directly to kids from the supposedly lukewarm cocoa, and they were scalding. My 3 year old burned himself, and spit it all out on himself in a freakout. So our pic with Santa (of course he had the cocoa _first_) was rather, mmm, untidy I had the CM replace the carafe, only to have the second carafe for the kids be just as hot later, so I warned a few parents to taste it first.

But otherwise...what wasn't awesome about the Merrytime Cruise? The decorations were fantastic, so many great photo ops. The characters in their Christmas outfits was fabulous - Stitch on deck in his pointsettia shirt was great - we even did the congo all around the upper deck 12 balcony with all the characters. The giant gingerbread house is fabulous. The gingerbread decorating is stressful is you have more than one kid - the speed is not conducive to "sharing" of icing and candy decorations. It is quite surreal to be sipping a drink on the beach with Christmas music. LOVED that it was Christmas music playing everywhere!

All the CM's wearing elf hats, even while dancing, I'm not sure how they did that!!!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Put us down too for the Gingerbread house. We went right into line for it as soon as we got on the cruise since it is limited number. WORTH IT. the only negative is that the cruise is too short to eat it all and you cant bring it with you.

I also loved the tree lighting and caroling.

 

[dprincessmom]

Help me out here, you can sign up for onboard activities as soon as you board or at 1 (using this time, as it is a time I have seen for the teen spa and that is priority number 1)

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

One evening there was a show in the atrium. If I remember correctly it was when they were going to introduce Santa, with Anna and Elsa. I believe this is when they made it snow in the lobby. I would not miss this!!!

 

[RoseSanti]

I love everything about it. The whole ship just feels like Christmas. From the Big gingerbread house and Christmas tree in the atrium, the extra holiday shows, carolers, gingerbread making and of course Santa. There is a tree lighting ceremony, Anna and Elsa will make it snow in the Atrium and Stitch will have a holiday dance party by the pool. The kids will get to write their names on Santa's Naughty or Nice List(of course all names are on the nice list). Carolers will pop up from time to time in different areas. Mrs. Clause will do a story time. Building a gingerbread house was lots of fun(yes get your ticket for that fast because there are limited spots and it does fill up fast). Also believe it or not I enjoyed seeing the families who would get all dressed up in matching PJ's to take their picture with Santa. Although the weather was amazing and sunny like summer ... inside the ship still had the ring of the holiday spirit!

 

[BAIC03]

I will agree with the decorations and the characters in their holiday clothes. But there was one thing I always remember... part of the stateroom gifts and amenities you can pre-order are plants and flowers. We got a little 8 inch "Christmas tree" that was a holly bush in the shape of a tree that smelled wonderful and we hung our stockings around. It was a nice little touch.

 

[Chandra C]

Thanks to op and everyone who posted on this thread, I changed a reservation I had from a Halloween on the high seas to a very merrytime cruise. This sounds like so much fun