Halloween on The High Seas Disney Cruise: Pros and Cons

Disney Cruise Line offers Halloween on its high seas cruises in September and October. Some ships offer Halloween celebrations on the high seas, including themed decorations, events, and activities.

My husband, I, and four of our sons booked four nights for Halloween on the high seas cruise aboard the Disney Wish. I knew it was a Halloween themed cruise, but I didn’t know what activities there would be.

Halloween is celebrated once per voyage, but not continuously throughout the trip. During this cruise, we celebrated Halloween and were still able to participate in Pirate Night and other standard activities.

halloween theme

The Halloween theme was very understated throughout the ship. The most noticeable decoration is the pumpkin tree in the Grand Hall. The Pumpkin Tree is part of a special Halloween Story event that takes place during Halloween on the High Seas.

There are also other delicate decorations on board, including jack-o-lanterns and villain decals on some of the porthole windows, Halloween-themed signage at the buffet, autumn leaves, and Halloween music playing throughout the ship. has been applied.

I enjoyed the decoration of the great hall. They created a festive environment for Halloween activities and photo shoots. Decor was otherwise minimal and we were able to enjoy the other themed areas on the ship.

halloween show

The two main Halloween-themed shows are only available on Halloween on High Seas Cruises disney cruise.

mickey mouse parade

Mickey Mouse Curry is a dance party featuring your favorite characters in Halloween costumes. Kids of all ages will love dancing and singing with Mickey and his friends.

Costumes are not required, but many people wear festival clothes and costumes for the Mouse Parade. We decided to wear lighter themed costumes since packing all of our costumes would take up precious luggage space. The Mouse Curry was held on the pool deck and there was plenty of space for people to dance and watch the show.

pumpkin tree

Each ship has a unique pumpkin tree, so it’s more than just a decoration. One of her special Halloween shows includes meeting the caretaker who tells the story of the tree. This event occurs near the start of the cruise when the caretaker lights the tree for the remainder of the cruise. The pumpkin tree will only be lit up once, so don’t miss it!

Unfortunately, I missed the story of the pumpkin tree. Our kids are older so they weren’t interested in participating in the Pumpkin Tree story. This show is perfect for families with young children, as it takes place during dinner time, making it ideal for children who have an early bedtime.

Oogie Boogie Villainous Nightmare Bash (18+)

This adults-only Halloween party was held in the Hero Zone aboard the Disney Wish at 10 p.m.

This event is not inappropriate for children, and the story may be scary. Vex, the organizer of the event, wants to summon the Boogeyman. Oogie Boogie shows up and starts a dance party celebrating the villain. Throughout the event, various villains appear on screen and present their dance remixes of their songs.

My husband and I attended the Super Villain Bash, and to be honest, it was a little awkward. It was great to meet Oogie Boogie, but most people just wanted to take pictures with him, not dance. I danced a little with Oogie Boogie, which was fun, but I wasn’t there for the entire event.

Trick or Treat

There is also an opportunity to trick-or-treat on board. This is usually done before the Mickey Mouse parade. There are several treat stations located throughout the ship, including the Grand Hall, Pool Deck, and Hero Zone.

Our cruise featured trick-or-treating on the pool deck. The crew handed out goodie bags and filled our bags with candy. Trick or treating was a bit chaotic. Everyone created their own line, sometimes in different directions, with little direction given.

Despite the chaos, we made it to all four treat stations and received lots of candy. Thanks to the partnership between Disney and Mars Wrigley, you can receive candy like M&Ms, Snickers, Skittles, and more.

halloween characters

Halloween character meet and greets will be held throughout the day. If you want to meet characters in Halloween costumes, plan to meet them on Halloween day. On other days during the trip, characters may not appear in costume. Use the Navigator app to see who can attend meetings and what to wear.

One of the most popular meet and greet occasions is Minnie, Daisy and Clarabelle dressed as the iconic Hocus Pocus Sanderson. Due to its popularity, I noticed that this meetup is available on days other than “Halloween.”

Only a few people got to meet the characters in Halloween costumes. Due to popularity and rarity, the queue for characters can be quite long. I wish they would host more character meet and greets for Halloween and give guests more photo opportunities.

halloween activities

In addition to events and entertainment onboard the cruise ship, there are also plenty of Halloween activities! Activities include Halloween-themed crafts, dance parties, Halloween movies, and more.

The Kids Club also offers Halloween activities for kids to enjoy. Children, tweens, and tweens can participate in Halloween crafts, drawings, and games. Our kids are participating in some Halloween activities in the kids club. They enjoyed all the unique Halloween activities.

Special fun on a Halloween cruise

In addition to meeting characters, shows, and trick-or-treaters, you can also purchase Halloween merchandise exclusive to the High Seas. Items include lounge fly bags, Mickey ears, spirit jerseys, pins, and more. You can order onboard gifts and Halloween room decorations before you set sail and display them in your room upon arrival.

I bought some Hi-Sea’s Halloween items at Mickey’s Main Sail. I also bought a Mayor’s Popcorn Bucket from The Nightmare Before Christmas at the Prelude outside the movie theater. This Popcorn His Bucket is only available during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween His Party and in the Halloween issue of High His See.

Would you recommend Halloween on a high seas cruise?

Overall, we enjoyed Halloween on the High Seas Cruise. The Halloween theme wasn’t overbearing. You can participate in as many or as few Halloween activities as possible. Add in Halloween and we were able to experience all that a Disney cruise has to offer. My kids enjoyed dressing up in costumes and trick-or-treating on the boat.

If you especially love Halloween, we recommend the Halloween on the High Seas cruise. I love that Halloween activities are limited to her one day. There were lots of activities for guests who didn’t want to participate in Halloween.