A favorite pre-cruise ritual of mine, months ahead of time, is scanning the On-Board Gifts area of the Disney Cruise Line website to see what fun and exciting stateroom gifts will be available for my cruise. There’s the usual beer, wine, and champagne. Mickey cupcakes, Minnie cupcakes, even celebration cakes for only $55!
My personal favorite is browsing the Room Decor packages. Last year I bought a gift set that included two pillowcases that I still use now. This year it was a fuzzy blanket that will get plenty of use in cold weather.
Then I had the brilliant idea to delve deeper into the food and drinks options. I decided on two gifts that I thought would be great during the cruise and future Liz would thank me for the forethought. At least, that’s what I wanted to believe. In reality, one gift was a hit and the other was, well, you’ll see.
First, the hit!
This little box contains the Ahoy Matey Chocolate Treats ($29). The official description sells it very well: This edible dark chocolate treasure chest is filled with a mouthwatering white chocolate Mickey pirate head, a tasty chocolate bark treasure map outfitted with crispy rice-cereal and candy pieces, and 4 savory chocolate coins emblazoned with the Disney Cruise Line logo.
I missed the part about the treasure chest being edible. I did not know this, and it blew my mind that included was a two piece functional treasure chest that you could eat! Take the lid off and inside were the chocolate gold coins.
Sadly, I wasn’t in the mood for chocolate while on the cruise, but now that I’m home I’ve been nibbling on pieces of this every few days. There are a few white chocolate items here, so hopefully you’re a fan. The dark chocolate treasure chest is and will be my personal favorite.
At $29, it is a little pricey. However, it is a special assortment, it’s pirate themed, and it’s only available on Disney. If the price was lower, I’d be more inclined to purchase this for every cruise to bring home.
Now the mistake.
This monstrosity is the Fruit and Cheese Platter ($38). The official description is a little…vague. Whet your appetite with this platter of premium treats. Choose from a selection of superb cheeses, crackers and an artful arrangement of fruits.
Here’s what it looks like unwrapped, and I will have you know there was no “choose from a selection.” Oh no, they chose for me.
Where to start, where to start. Okay, so there’s dried apricots. Grapes, and I’m trying to remember if those were raisins or dried cranberries. In a metal spoon above the cheddar cheese is a square of honey, which I found made the cheddar cheese less sharp. Then there’s a large handful of some kind of nut.
Then a variety of 5 cheeses. Bleu cheese, for sure. I think Gouda was the soft cheese. Sharp cheddar next to it. Then the other two I don’t know. I’m going to go out on a limb and say Swiss and Havarti. A package of crackers is also included. Plates and silverware were provided as well.
In theory this seemed like a good idea six months ago. I might get the munchies late at night and not have anything available. Little did I know that late at night: I didn’t get the munchies! Also little did I know that late at night: you could order room service! I know that now because who else would be delivering me several cans of Diet Coke at 2 in the morning? Did you know that you could buy 4 but you get a special price for 6? I do now!
Sooo…
I never did get the late night munchies on this cruise. I did, however, get the late night anxieties on this cruise in the form of “oh my gosh I paid $38 for this and it’s going to get stale and moldy before I’m in the mood to eat it!”
So there I was, at 2 in the morning, munching on dried fruit, cheese, grapes, and crackers while waiting for room service to bring 6 Diet Cokes to my room to help wash it down. I never did finish the entire platter. Some went in the garbage (whatever those nuts were) and some were wrapped in the plastic it came in and put back in the beverage cooler for me to guilt eat a few days later.
Don’t be like me. Don’t do this. If you want a special treat waiting for you on your cruise, pre-order the pirate themed chocolate treats. At least those you can take home to enjoy later! Or how about a fun room decor package you can use years later? You could even bring those pillowcases with you on your next cruise!
Disney Rover 