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Disney Cruise Halloween on the High Seas

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Disney Cruise Halloween

Want to know more about a Disney Cruise Halloween on the High Seas sailing? If Halloween is one of your favorite Holidays then you can celebrate in style on a Disney Cruise!

Maybe you have already booked a Halloween Disney Cruise and want to know what to expect. Or you are just wondering if it is for you. Disney Cruise lines certainly go all out to make is a spooktacular Halloween celebration for all ages!

Here is our complete guide to a Disney Halloween on the High Seas cruise with pictures, tips, and videos to help you decide if it is for you.

disney halloween cruise

 

Halloween on the High Seas 2019

You don’t actually have to be onboard a Disney ship on October 31 to experience the Halloween on the High Seas celebrations. Depending on which ship you are sailing on you can party any time from September to the end of October.

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Halloween on the High Seas is held on all of the Disney cruise ships. The dates for 2019 are:

Disney Deam September 9 to October 28, 2019

Disney Fantasy September 7 to October 27, 2019

Disney Magic September 25 to October 27, 2019.

The dates for the Disney Wonder are October 4 to October 27, 2019. The reason for the late start for the Halloween on the High Seas cruises for the Disney Wonder is that she is undergoing some refurbishment on a dry dock.

The first Halloween cruise on the Disney Wonder for 2019 will be the Vancouver to San Diego cruise sailing.

 

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Halloween on the High Seas 2020

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The Disney Cruise Halloween sailings for 2020 are now available to book. The schedule is as follows:

Disney Wonder September 23 to October 28, 2020

Disney Magic October 12 to October 27, 2020

Disney Dream October 2 to October 5, 2020

Disney Fantasy September 7 to October 30, 2020

The 2021 dates are not yet out but we will keep you posted.

Disney Cruise Halloween on the High Seas Decor

Disney cruise Halloween on the high seas tips

This is Disney, so as you would expect, the decorations are spooktacular! As soon as you board your Disney ship you will notice the atrium is will be beautifully decorated.

Pumpkins in the shape of Mickey ears will be decorating the atrium. Look up and you will see swags of purple cloth and orange pumpkins decorating the atrium Decks 3, 4 and 5. The huge portholes along Deck 3 have huge pumpkin decals on them.

Look to your left as you are announced onto your Disney ship and you will see a strangely bare tree. Of course, it doesn’t remain that way for very long. Look out every day. The Pumpkin Tree will be different.

 

Disney Cruise Halloween on the High Seas Activities

 

This is a great video which shows what you can expect from a Disney Cruise Halloween on the High Seas Sailing.

There are so many activities on your Disney Cruise Halloween on the High Seas cruise you need to make sure that you know about all of them so that you can choose which to participate in. How do you know what Halloween activities there are scheduled?

Your Disney Cruise Navigator is your essential guide. This is what you need so that you can see what events are going on around the Disney ship.

When you embark on your Disney cruise you will be given a paper Navigator at the port.

A Navigator used to be delivered to your stateroom every night. However, this does not happen automatically anymore. Disney cruise lines are trying to reduce the amount of paper waste on the ships. Now if you want a paper Navigators in your Disney cruise stateroom every night you have to request one from your Stateroom Host. Or you can pick one up from Guest Services.

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The easiest way to see the schedule now is to download the Disney Cruise Navigators app on your phone. Make sure you download this before you board as it does use data to download. However, you can use the Navigator app once onboard your Disney cruise, even when your phone is in airplane mode.

One of the events that you might miss unless you look carefully is the Pumpkin Tree Storytelling. This usually happens at 7.30 on the evening before the main Mickey’s Mouse-querade Party. However, this may vary on your cruise, so make sure you check!

The spooky storytelling is appropriate for all ages and reveals how the pumpkin tree magically grows full of pumpkins overnight.

Of course, this is all due to the Disney cruise magic, but probably if you happen to be awake in the early hours of the next morning you would see how it really happens – not quite so magical.

I am always surprised at just how popular the Pumpkin Storytelling is. I think my first couple of Halloween cruises I managed to miss it completely, just because I didn’t know it was happening. However, I am not sure how I missed the huge crowds of people who wanted to listen.

As the Pumpkin Storytelling is usually held at 7.30 this is that in-between dinner seatings time. So everyone on the ship is in theory available to go to the event. Last time I went, it pretty much felt as though everyone on the ship was there!

If you want the best spot you do need to stake it out at least 30 minutes early. Deck 3 close to the tree is the best location. However, if you do not want to plan ahead that much, and it will be difficult if you have early seating, you can still see and hear the event from Decks 4 and 5. Really the higher deck 5 is not ideal, but at least you get some sense of participating.

As this event is so busy I would kind of hope that it could be held twice on that evening, and we will report back on our next Halloween sailing to let you know.

Settle out on the deck in the evening for the Haunted Stories of the Seas. The Sea Captain tells some spooky stories for the kids and the grown-ups.

One of the best Halloween on the High Seas Disney Cruise events is the screening of “The Nightmare Before Christmas”. You need to check exactly when this will take place as it varies on each cruise. However, you can expect at least one afternoon showing and a late evening one as well.

If you can stay up, the late showing of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a lot of fun. This showing is in the Walt Disney Theater and is termed a “sing and scream along”. It’s certainly more than just watching the movie!.

Another great feature is that following the screening Jack Skelllington and Sally will be available outside the Walt Disney Theater for a meet and greet. Due to their seasonal nature, these characters are had to come by, so if you get the chance the meet and greet is a great opportunity for a photo op.

You will also find lots of other Disney Halloween movies on your stateroom television as well as special screenings in the Buena Vista Theatre.

These special sailings also allow you to see the  Disney characters dressed up in different Halloween costumes. There are so many variations of costumes that you will see on the Disney cruises, but I always think that the Halloween ones are particularly special.

We all know that Disney cruises are not just for kids. Adults have an amazing time on Disney Cruises too! Part of the celebration is the aptly named Halloween Isn’t Just For Kids. This is the adult-only dance party which will be held sometime after 9 pm at the entertainment district on each of the Disney ships.

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There are some magical themed food and drinks for a Disney Halloween Cruise. Look out for Spooky Juice and Spider Cakes. Or sample a Halloween themed Caramel Pecan Chocolate Mocha.

 

 

Disney Cruise Halloween Mickey’s Mouse-querade Party

There are many different events on a Halloween cruise, but the main event is Mickey’s Mouse-querade Party.

If you are actually sailing on 31st October this will be held on this night. Other times it will vary according to which Disney Cruise Halloween sailing you are on.

If you are bringing a Halloween costume this is definitely the time to wear it!

The Disney Cruise Mickey’s Mouse-querade party is usually held twice in one day. Whether you are sailing on Disney Fantasy, Dream, Magic or Wonder the party is held in the atrium.

As you can imagine, the Disney Cruise Halloween Mickey’s Mouse-querade Party is popular. Really popular. On a Disney cruise most of the time you do not feel like there are lots of guests on the ship. At this event, you most certainly will!

I don’t say that in a bad way. The atmosphere at the Cruise Halloween Party is a whole lot of fun. However, if Halloween is not your thing, just avoid the atrium when the Party is in full swing. It’s fun, it’s crowded and it’s noisy.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse will appear along with other select characters for a song and dance party. It’s high energy with lots of lighting effects.

The characters are performing, so at this point, they are not available to sign autographs. There are always lots of separate opportunities for you to meet and greet the characters on a Halloween cruise.

If you want to avoid those things then walk out on the deck or go to one of the many other areas on the ship. But if you are ready for a great Disney cruise Halloween party head to the atrium. We prefer to hang out on Deck 4 for a lot of the time, so we can look down at the celebrations. Deck 5 is just that bit too far away I feel, but if you get there too late it may be a good option!

However, if Halloween is even slightly on your fun radar you will enjoy the Mouse-querade Party. If only to see how dressed up in such a variety of Halloween costumes people are. You will be fine if you are just dressed in your usual garb, but it is such a lot of fun to go with it and get a costume! There is even a prize for the best one!

There will also be other Halloween based activities on your cruise. Look out for Halloween crafts and activities. Pumpkin carving is a popular one.

 

Disney Cruise Halloween Trick or Treating

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Halloween just wouldn’t be Halloween without Trick or Treating. Of course, Disney doesn’t disappoint! Trick or Treating is part of the Mickey Mouse-querade Party.

The night before the Halloween Party, you will find Trick or Treating bags left in your stateroom. The design has varied from year to year, but you can always bring your own if you want to. Lots of people do!

What is the candy on the Disney Cruise Halloween? As you would expect, it is a decent quality. We have seen brands such as Milky Way, Snickers, and Mars. Our experience is that Cast Members are very generous in the amount of candy that they hand out.

If you have a child or adult with allergies on a Disney cruise, the candy is marked accordingly. On our last cruise, we noticed that there were special stations for those with nut allergies. These were labeled as Purple Pumpkin Stations.

If you are in any doubt at all, visit Guest Services who will help you and tell you what you need to know.

 

Disney Cruise Halloween Costume Rules

A Disney Cruise is always a great reason to dress up in costume. Even if you don’t usually dress up, a Disney Halloween cruise is a wonderful opportunity to join in the fun and get costumes for the whole family.

As with everything on a Disney Cruise, this is a time to have fun. You won’t feel left out if you don’t have a costume, but it really does add to the fun if you do.

There are some rules about costumes on a Disney Cruise. The rules say that guests “should choose costumes that are not obstructive or offensive”. In other words, don’t bring anything that is going to get in anyone’s way or is likely to be seen in bad taste.

You are not allowed to wear a full face mask when walking around the ship.

So all you Spiderman and Darth Vader fans out there are going to have to carry your mask as you walk around the ship. You are allowed to wear a full face mask only when posing and standing still for a photograph.

The rules also say that “guests should refrain from bringing toys or props that resemble guns, knives or other related implements, as these items will not be allowed on board.

For a general list of items that you cannot bring onboard a Disney Cruise, you can see What Not To Bring on a Disney Cruise.

Aside from those rules, you are free to pick any costume that you want.

There will be prizes awarded to the best costume in these categories:

  • Most Disney
  • Most Spooky
  • Most Original
  • Best Group

It is always really entertaining seeing how other people have dressed in costume for Disney’s Halloween on the High Seas. There are some amazing, original costumes.

As you would expect, most are Disney themed, but it isn’t a requirement. Just have fun with it!

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Katy

Sunday 22nd of September 2019

Just a quick note, when we sailed over Halloween on the Fantasy last year they did pirate night on the 31st and the Mousqurade on another day. It had something to do with when they were allowed to do the pirate night fireworks.

Alison

Wednesday 25th of September 2019

Thank you Katy for adding that. There are lots of regulations about where they are allowed to use fireworks. Thankfully there are lots of safety regulations!

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[…] By Alison […]