What better way to close out the year than floating around the Caribbean? With the clock counting down, there’s plenty to do and see. If you haven’t checked out what we did earlier today, New Year’s Eve, click here to catch up—it’s all about food, food, and more food, including an indulgent brunch at Palo!
But after all that delicious daytime dining, the evening brought even more culinary delights as we prepared to ring in the new year. If you’ve never experienced a Disney Cruise Line New Year’s Eve celebration, here’s a sneak peek at everything you can expect on the biggest night of the year… at sea!
But First… We Dine!
Tonight, we returned to Animator’s Palate for dinner. On most 7-night itineraries, the dining rotation includes one BTB (back-to-back) night, where you return to the same restaurant on consecutive evenings. This usually happens on Pirate Night, but with New Year’s Eve, things were a little different this week.
To mark the holiday, all three MDRs (Main Dining Rooms) served the same special menu, creating a unified festive dining experience for every guest. Stay tuned as we dive into what made this celebratory feast so special and everything else Disney had in store for this magical night!
With brunch still lingering, we opted for fewer courses this evening. For appetizers, we ordered the New Year Seafood Sampler, Green & White Asparagus, and a Baby Gem Salad.
For entrées, we chose Porcini-Crusted Filet Mignon, Roasted Chilean Sea Bass, and Roasted Thyme-Marinated Chicken Breast.
We finished off the meal with Spicy Molten Chocolate Cake and a Praline Tart.
New Year’s Eve Celebration
The festivities began early and ran late.
For the younger cruisers, there was an Early Countdown Celebration in the Atrium that kicked off at 7:30 with a countdown to 8:00. The event featured music and dancing with classic Disney characters dressed in their festive party clothes.
Leading up to the real countdown, there was no shortage of places to watch the clock tick towards midnight. Each of the kids’ clubs hosted special events, and the Europa lounges were buzzing with excitement.
However, the place to be was up on the pool decks, 11 and 12, for another character dance party and the countdown on Funnel Vision. Around 11:40, servers began roaming the decks with trays of hors d’oeuvres and commemorative flutes of champagne and Cloudem, a non-alcoholic sparkling cider.
With drinks in hand and the clock ticking closer, Steven, our Cruise Director, got the crowd in a celebratory mood before handing the mic over to Captain Vukonic, who shared a few words of thanks and appreciation.
Watch the New Year’s Eve Countdown and Fireworks on Disney Fantasy
As we counted down the final seconds of 2024, toasts were made, and cheers echoed across the ship. Finally, as the clock struck midnight, the sky lit up with fireworks, welcoming 2025 with a bang!
Happy New Year!