Pixar Cruise: To the Horizon and Beyond!

Pixar Cruise: To the Horizon and Beyond

What do you get when you add a Disney Cruise Line California Coast itinerary to a Pixar theme? Brilliance!

I was able to sail on the first of four specially themed Pixar California Coast cruises and the experience was amazing. Aside from having John Lasseter onboard (which i’ll discuss later) I loved the itinerary and special experiences onboard. So what happened on the Pixar cruise? Here is the reader’s digest “I-just-got-home-and-am-still-adjusting-but-don’t-want-to-leave-you-hanging” version.

The first day had the usual line-up. Dining rotation changes, The Muster” (mandatory safety drill), All Aboard: Let the Magic Begin show in the Walt Disney Theatre and the adult variety act. The only thing that was different was the 7:15pm Limited Edition Pin Station that was set up outside of Mickey’s Mates.

Day #2 offered a special presentation with Pixar’s very own John Lasseter. I was amazed at the mere fact that we were on the same ship but his presentation totally blew my mind. Pixar: A Personal Tour with John Lasseter was one of the highlights of the cruise. This two hour presentation was a once in a lifetime look into the life of the man behind Pixar and his journey to get there. The Walt Disney Theatre was packed for both presentations; which were divided according to dining time and we were given a glimpse into never before seen photos and stories of John’s career and personal life. More details to come about this! Also sticking with the Pixar theme was Pixar movies on funnel vision and in the Buena Vista theatre as well as Pixar trivia in the lounge.

Day #3 was a Port Day in San Francisco (the first of 2) but still offered Pixar movies onboard as well as morning character meet and greets with Remy and Emile, Russel and Dug, Carl Fredrickson, The Incredibles and Frozone.

Day #4 was the second port day in San Francisco (the ship docks overnight so you are welcome to come and go as you please throughout the previous evening). Another round of Pixar trivia was on the agenda as well as Finding Nemo in 3-D which was held in the Walt Disney Theatre at both showtimes.

Day #5 was our day at sea, with the main entertainment being Toy Story the Musical for the main show times. There were also Pixar movies playing all day and a special presentation by Jay Ward about Cars Land

Day #6 was a port day in San Diego so the navigator was a little light on events (which is normal for port days). There were Pixar movies showing and it was pirate night. Nothing special for Pixar activities on this day.

Day #7 was our last day onboard with our obligatory stop at an international port, which for this trip was Ensenada. My excitement of Ensenada ends when I look out the window and see all the seals by the dock. I snap a few photos through the port hole and go back about my day. No need getting off the ship in my opinion. We enjoyed our final Pixar trivia (which required a qualifying score from the previous trivia) and I’m happy to report that my team won!!! Disney Dreams was shown on the main stage and Pixar’s Brave was playing at 2 different show times in the Buena Vista Theatre.

Overall the cruise was fantastic. I really enjoyed the itinerary, even though I would have liked to have a few extra sea days at the end to recover from all our adventures! The Pixar theming was nice but I felt it could have gone a bit farther. The “exclusive artwork” was very few and far between, I was expecting a bit more extensive collection but I suppose that’s from coming off the Fantasy and I was considering the size of their gallery as opposed to the hallway on deck 5 that serves at the “gallery” on the Disney Wonder.

There was a special edition pin available, wrist bands were being distributed. It was a bit boring and just had the “To the Horizon and Beyond” in a circular pin.

The presentations alone were worth the cost of the cruise, but meeting John and Nancy Lasseter made it especially magical for me. One night the menu was Pixar themed and was in 3-D which was fun because it was a new menu and 3-D is always exciting. We did receive a special gift but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone going on an upcoming cruise so if you’d like to know what it is i’ll tell you when the other Pixar cruises have finished or if you ask me :)

Much more details about my adventures to come, Personal Navigators should be posted soon and I’ll be doing a more complete trip report as soon as I get a minute. All in all, the Pixar Cruise truly was “To the Horizon and Beyond”.