25 Drinks of Christmas Countdown – Day 4: Sunken Treasure on the Disney Cruise Line

The Christmas season is my absolute favorite time of the year. Growing up, one of the little things I loved most was getting an Advent calendar and counting down the days until Santa would be coming down the chimney. As I grew older, I had to leave Advent calendars in the rear view mirror,* but I still miss that daily countdown building anticipation to the big day. So, we’re going to start a virtual Advent calendar here at TouringPlans. For 2014, we are going to countdown our favorite drinks at Walt Disney World and the Universal Orlando Resort.

Criteria: Drinks can be alcoholic or nonalcoholic. Drinks can come from any venue on property as well as the Disney Cruise Line. Bonus points awarded for atmosphere where drink is served. Any drink with glow cubes is immediately disqualified. Ready? Let’s go!

DAY FOUR: Sunken Treasure on the Disney Cruise Line

 

One of the fun surprises on our first Disney Cruise sailing was experiencing Pirate Night. We were not prepared for how many guests onboard the ship got into the occasion, many with costumes rivaling the quality of Disney itself, and I was completely blown away by the fireworks show on the sea. The “drink of the day” for Pirate Night is the Sunken Treasure, and it was one that stood out, both visually and in taste. The green/yellow appearance makes the drink pop with color, and the tropical look completely fits with the Caribbean theme for the entire day at sea.

For me personally, drinking is an important element to a Disney Cruise. Soda is free, which means you can literally drink your weight in Coke Zero like I did (although 4 out of 5 doctors would stress that you do not do that, and the 5th already has adult-onset diabetes.) The wonderful DCL Navigator App lets you know what every single drink of the day is going to be, and you’re never far away from one of the numerous bars and lounges both inside the ship and on the pool deck.

 

Each day of the sailing had a different “drink of the day” including Paradise, Stingray, and Key Lime Margarita.  We tried them all.

 

Beer enthusiasts will also enjoy the refillable mug program on the DCL. As a fan of souvenir and refillable mug offers, I loved that I didn’t have to actually carry the glass mug with me throughout the cruise. After I was finished with a beer, I could exchange the glass mug at any bar or lounge and get a card to carry around instead.  The card would then be exchanged for another mug later.

 

PREVIOUS DRINKS OF CHRISTMAS:

DAY ONE: Shark Attack at Chez Alcatraz

DAY TWO: Grand Marnier Slush at Epcot

DAY THREE: Flaming Moe at Moe’s Tavern

See you tomorrow for the next entry into the 25 Drinks of Christmas Countdown, where we are going to head over to Universal and into the Royal Pacific Resort. If you had fun, be sure to check out The Magic, The Memories, and Merch!  and Saturday Six articles, or, for your listening pleasure, check out the Pardon the Pixie Dust podcast. Your humble author can also be seen producing typos at an inhuman rate on Twitter: @derekburgan

Interested in theme park drinks? Then do we have a eBook for you! The Walt Disney World Bars and Lounges eGuide by Brian McNichols. Over 250 pages and containing well over 400 photos, this eGuide takes you through EVERY bar and lounge on WDW property (trust me, Brian has the kidneys problems to prove it!) Also included? Recipes for some of your favorite WDW drinks. Ratings, descriptions, and photos for each of the 70+ bars and lounges. Talk about the perfect Christmas present!

Special thanks to crack staff photographer Brandon Glover, Billy Hirsch, and Megan Stump for their invaluable assistance with this article. Be sure to also check out Brandon on The Park Blogger podcast with co-hosts Aengus Mackenzie and Brian Carey.

*That is an absolutely lie. I still buy an Advent calendar every year with chocolates in it, and I also buy an annual box of Christmas Crunch, but we’ll keep that between us.