Looking for a bit of the tropics to add to your Christmas? If yes, you’ll want to make these delicious Frozen-inspired drinks from Summertime Freeze on Castaway Cay at home!
We love to find fun ways of bringing the magic of Disney into your home, so for this installment of #DisneyMagicMoments, we’re excited to share another series of popular recipes – this time, from Summertime Freeze at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in The Bahamas.
Like Olaf, some of us wish it was summer all year long. And while things may be a bit chilly outside, we decided to take a tropical twist on the holidays and present four blended beverage recipes that you and your family will love. Download the print-at-home recipe to get started.
Make your favorite beverage – or all of them! – and bring a small taste of island paradise into your home, or wherever you may be celebrating this holiday season.
(Careful, the “Sven’s Carrot Delight” might attract some of Santa’s reindeer.)
And speaking of #DisneyMagicMoments, if you haven’t already had a chance to enjoy our latest virtual viewing of “Frozen, A Musical Spectacular,” now is the perfect time to gather your family and enjoy the full-length Broadway-style production, direct from the Walt Disney Theatre on Disney Cruise Line. Olaf would definitely approve.
Whether you prefer the frosty air or a frosty beverage, we hope you have a very merry holiday season!
E’Syntheis Chambers may be young, but he’s got big ideas and an entrepreneurial spirit. Oh, and a love for Disney.
The seven-year-old Dallas, Texas, native told his mother, Roshanda White, that he wanted to go on a Disney cruisewith all of his cousins.
“I told him for him and his cousins to all go, it would be pretty expensive,” she said, ”And he replied that he would start his own business to pay for the trip.”
And that’s exactly what little E’Syntheis did; he started his very own juicing business, called EE Healthy Juicy Juice, featuring some drink combinations his mother had put together for him in the form of smoothies since he was four years old.
“He actually just turned what we used every day for smoothies into juices and he slowly came up with his own, so I am very proud of him,” his mother explained.
The young entrepreneur says he wanted to open his juicing business to help others be healthy, especially his mother, who fell ill and underwent a heart transplant procedure shortly after giving birth to E’Syntheis.
“Juicing is good for you because of the different fruits and vegetables that have vitamins in them for you,” the young man shared during an interview.
His mother, Roshanda White, says that drinking juices E’Syntheis makes as part of his business have helped her in regaining her health.
“Drinking his beet juice, his green juice, and his green and ginger juice lowered my A1C (level) from 13 to 6,” White said. “I lost a lot of weight with his juice, and it also helped with diabetes and [my] heart transplant.”
(Physicians use a patient’s A1C level to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes; it is a measure of the percent of hemoglobin with sugar, or glucose, attached to it in your blood. People with diabetes are challenged with bringing their A1C levels down, as a normal, non-diabetic A1C level is around 5.7% or less.)
E’Syntheis’s mom says her son has not only grown his business, but while doing so, he has also maintained straight A’s in school, and he has kept up with his karate, track, and basketball obligations.
His mother didn’t share how close E’Syntheis is to reaching his goal of going on a Disney Cruise with his cousins, but patrons interested in trying his juices can grab them at a pop-up location in the Dallas area, or they can visit his website.
EE’s juices cost $10. Flavors include beet, watermelon mango ginger, carrot and green juice, and others. Orders can be placed online for local delivery, and E’Syntheis has also shipped his juices to other states as well.
In addition to saving up for a Disney Cruise, E’Syntheis loves animals and has a heart for children in foster care, and says he might just share some of his profits for their benefit too.
“I’m thinking about donating to the animal shelter and foster care for kids because I like animals and I like to help people,” he said.
Here’s hoping E’Syntheis gets his Disney Cruise soon and has an amazing time with his cousins!
Ana Maria Reis Martins was working as a Cast Member food server on the Disney Dream cruise ship in 2013 when she was injured as she crossed the street in Nassau, Bahamas, and was hit by a vehicle. She was then treated aboard the Disney cruise ship before heading home to Portugal.
Under United States maritime law, Ms. Martins was entitled to “maintenance and cure,” or medical treatment until her condition stabilized at a point where it couldn’t be improved. According to the legal dictionary at nolo.com, “maintenance” is described as “the room and board of the injured [cruise ship worker] while recovering from the injury at home, and “cure” is “the injured [cruise ship worker’s] reasonable and necessary medical expenses, along with the cost of transportation for getting to his or her reasonable and necessary medical treatment.”
Martins’ doctor in Portugal said she reached the point where her condition could not be improved upon in 2014. This point is known as “maximum medical improvement,” or MMI. Martins went back to work with Disney Cruise Line for a brief time after that, but began to complain of intense pains in her chest. The physician aboard the cruise ship on which Martins worked called the condition “post-traumatic intercostal neuralgia,” which can develop and persist after chest trauma like the trauma she endured when she was hit by the vehicle in Nassau.
It was at that time that Martins again returned to her home in Portugal. Disney resumed paying Martins maintenance and cure, but two months after a neurosurgeon in Portugal diagnosed her with broken ribs and a fractured sternum and said she had reached the point of MMI and was unable to continue her duties as a food server with Disney Cruise Line, Disney ceased maintenance and cure payments to Martins.
One year later, Martins employed an attorney who in turn demanded Disney resume maintenance and cure payments immediately. Disney representatives requested information so that the claim could be investigated, but instead of submitting that information, Martins and her attorney filed suit against Disney in December 2015.
As part of discovery in the case, Martins submitted medical information that detailed conditions from which she was suffering, including depression, insomnia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cervical radiculopathy, which is clinical-speak for “pinched nerves,” and a vertebral collapse.
Disney’s investigation yielded no findings that would change Martins’ MMI to a later date, which would have meant the House of Mouse needed to resume payments to Martins. In 2017, Disney hired its own medical expert, a neurosurgeon, whose expert opinion it was that Martins’ condition could not be improved upon. But the court dismissed Disney’s objections to Ms. Martins’ claims and sided with her, awarding her a $4 million judgment, citing Disney being “willful and callous” by not continuing to pay the employee’s maintenance and cure.
According to an online post from WESH Channel 2 News in December 2019, a jury in the Brevard County courts system awarded Martins $2 million for lost earnings, $1 million for pain and suffering, and $1 million in punitive damages as a sort of punishment for Disney. Ms. Martins’ attorney said it was the first time Disney had lost a personal injury suit involving a Disney Cruise Line employee in a jury trial.
But now a Florida Court of Appeals has reversed the decision of that jury, striking down the judgment in Ms. Martins’ favor, stating that punitive damages were wrongly awarded to her because they were based on incorrect estimates of future medical care needed by Ms. Martins by her economic expert. Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeals ruled on November 12, 2021, that Martins did not provide enough evidence needed to substantiate a punitive damages claim. The court also ruled that estimates for Ms. Martins’ economic/financial damages should not have been shown to the jury.
“There must be evidence that the shipowner acted with a level of callousness and bad faith, which Martins did not present,” the court said. “Thus, the question of punitive damages should not have gone to the jury.”
The $2 million award for economic damages was also reversed and will be retried in court.
It was Mr. Gary Anderson, Martins’ economic damages expert, who testified in court that Martins would need $1.7 million to cover future medical expenses and that she faced a loss in future wages of $1.4 million, but the court ruled that Anderson had no expertise in the area about which he was testifying. The Appeals Court further threw out Martins’ claim for attorneys’ fees to be covered, citing the Jones Act, which is a federal maritime personal injury law. The Jones Act does not allow for attorneys’ fees to be recovered by the plaintiff.
Griff wants everyone to know what it’s like being married to a “Disney girl,” as if his Mickey Mouse t-shirt doesn’t already scream, “I’ve been indoctrinated in the ways of Disney fandom!”
In the video, Griff shows followers five or six pairs of Mickey and Minnie ears, each of which his wife Alyssa has made by hand, which Griff says are, “actually pretty impressive if you ask me.”
Griff and Alyssa share a TikTok account and go by the handle @griffandalyssa. They have nearly 80,000 followers, and so far, their videos have amassed almost 4 million likes.
They share videos about different things, but one thing is clear: Alyssa is a true Disney fan, and there’s a lot more to being married to a “Disney girl,” than meets the eye, as Griff found out when Alyssa began to bring up the idea of a Disney cruise, and she wasn’t going to give up. In fact, Alyssa wasn’t going to stop asking until she got what she wanted, and it doesn’t seem like there was too much Alyssa wouldn’t do in order to score her coveted Disney cruise. She’s got her eyes on the prize, Griff. Eyes on the prize!
But Griff seemingly had his eyes on the prize as well because unbeknownst to Alyssa, Griff purchased Disney Cruise Line tickets months before he began teasing and pranking his wife about the sheer impossibility of a cruise with Mickey aboard the Disney Dream, the Disney Magic, the Disney Wonder or the Disney Fantasy.
Yep, Griff had something amazing up his sleeve the whole time–or maybe it was something sinister. That maniacal laugh had us wondering until we read the caption above that maniacal laughter. But did Griff blow his cover with the post to the couple’s shared TikTok account? Griff says no–not to worry, and he tells followers to relax because he was able to post the video revealing his previous ticket purchase to TikTok without Alyssa knowing since her phone was broken at the time.
So, Griff surprised Alyssa by telling her he bought the tickets and that she no longer has to beg to go on a cruise. The end. Right?
Wrong.
Griff’s not the kind of guy to give up so easily. He seems more like the kind of guy who feels an insatiable desire to see a prank through. All the way through. We get the feeling that he must have been raised to always finish what he starts because he wasn’t nearly finished with his plan to surprise his wife with her dream vacation. But that dream vacation would come at a cost for the unsuspecting Alyssa.
What was next up Griff’s sleeve? Well, for starters, even though he already had the Disney Cruise Line tickets in his pocket, there’s no way he was going to tell Alyssa yet. In fact, he had every intention of making her work for her cruise–her vacation of a lifetime. And he wasn’t going to make it easy for her.
Or so he thought.
“My husband said if this video gets 1 million views, he’ll take me on a Disney Cruise,” Alyssa captioned a video that she posted online.
In the video, poor Alyssa dons a mixing bowl on her head and wears a cheese grater attached to a belt in the front and a saucepan over her backside, also attached to the belt. She uses a wooden spatula and a wire whisk to play all the instruments attached or affixed to her body in some way, including the small mixing bowls Alyssa has “strategically placed” on her torso.
It is hysterical to watch, but in between the laughter, we find ourselves thinking, “just give the poor girl her cruise tickets, man!”
Alyssa titles the video, “The things I do for the magic,” and clearly, she’s willing to do the unconventional to hit the high seas with Mickey and the gang.
And when all was said and done, it might just be Alyssa that had the last laugh. Griff said one million views would net her a Disney cruise, and as of posting time of this article, Alyssa and her kitchen instruments have gained 13.6 million views. Alyssa believes she’s earned a Disney cruise for every one million views. When Alyssa hit 8 million views, she was already planning her 8 Disney cruises. Griff isn’t so sure.
We love the humor, comedy and comradery that are clearly part of the relationship between Griff and Alyssa, and we hope they have a blast on their Disney cruise! It might just make a “Disney guy” out of Griff!
The SeaMail below will be sent to affected Guests today to inform them of updates to Disney Cruise Line health and safety protocols, including a new COVID-19 vaccination policy for Guests ages 5-11 for sailings beginning on and after January 13, 2022, as well as updated information on accepted vaccine types.
The Disney Dream docks at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the tropical waters of the Bahamas, reserved exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests. In a setting of crystal-clear turquoise waters, powdery white-sand beaches and lush landscapes, the 1,000-acre island offers one-of-a-kind areas and activities for every member of the family. (David Roark, photographer)
Dear [Guest who booked through a Travel Agent],
All of us at Disney Cruise Line hope you and your family are staying well. We are reaching out with important updated information about the COVID-19 vaccination and testing requirements for your sailing.
As we welcome Guests aboard our ships, the health and safety of our Guests, Cast Members and Crew Members is a top priority. We have resumed sailing in a gradual, phased approach that emphasizes multiple layers of health and safety measures, developed considering guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other medical experts.
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements
Currently, Disney Cruise Line continues to require all vaccine-eligible Guests (based on U.S. eligibility requirements) to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of sailing, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This will be a requirement for all Guests (U.S. and international) ages 5 and older for sailings beginning on and after January 13, 2022.
In consideration of guidance from the CDC and the World Health Organization, Disney Cruise Lines accepts the following vaccine types: Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Novavax, Sinopharm, and Sinovac.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines fully vaccinated as 14 days after receiving:
a single-dose of an accepted 1-dose vaccine
the second dose of an accepted 2-dose vaccine
the full series of an active (not placebo) COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S.-based AstraZeneca or Novavax COVID-19 vaccine trials
the second dose of any “mix-and-match” combination of accepted COVID-19 vaccines (administered at least 17 days apart)
Pre-Trip COVID-19 Testing:
Guests who are not vaccine-eligible, because of age, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (paid for by the Guest) taken between 3 days and 24 hours before their sail date. Guests ages 5-11 may complete these testing requirement in lieu of being fully vaccinated for sailings that depart before January 13, 2022. Guests 4 years of age and under must complete these testing requirements.
The test should be a NAAT test, rapid PCR test or lab-based PCR test. Rapid antigen tests are not accepted. Disney Cruise Line has secured a special rate of $98.33 per PCR test (which includes a 3.5% processing fee) through our third-party vendor, Inspire Diagnostics. Guests may also obtain their test from any independent testing supplier.
Safe Passage website, by Inspire Diagnostics:
In order to sail, all Guests (adults and children, regardless of age) must upload their proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test results on the Safe Passage website by Inspire Diagnostics. A parent or legal guardian will need to use their own account to provide this information on behalf of minors. To learn more about how to provide proof of your negative COVID-19 test result, please visit Before Leaving Home: Know Before You Go.
After appropriate documents have been uploaded and reviewed by Inspire, Guests should see the words “Clear to Arrive” in the Pre-Sail Screening section when they log into their account before arriving at the port.
It is also recommended that Guests bring a copy of their proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 PCR test result with them to the port. If you have any questions about your Safe Passage registration or status, please contact 877-250-5132.
Embarkation COVID-19 Testing:
In consideration of guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all Guests (regardless of age and vaccination status) are required to take a COVID-19 test (paid for by Disney Cruise Line and administered by Inspire Diagnostics) at the terminal before boarding. This will be the second of two COVID-19 PCR tests required for unvaccinated Guests. Guests with positive COVID-19 test results—as well as those sharing the same stateroom and their close contacts—will be denied boarding.
Debarkation Day COVID-19 Antigen Testing
All unvaccinated Guests on 5-night and longer sailings are required to take a COVID-19 antigen test (paid for by Disney Cruise Line) on the ship the day before debarking.
Online Check-in:
You must complete Online Check-in beginning 30 days prior to your sailing. You will need to submit the required documents as well as select a Port Arrival Time. All Guests, including our Platinum Castaway Club Guests, will need to select a Port Arrival Time. It’s important you arrive at the terminal on time. Guests arriving prior to their selected arrival time will be asked to return at the appropriate time; and Guests arriving after their scheduled time may be delayed and asked to wait behind those arriving at their scheduled time. Online Check-in can be completed or modified up to one day prior to sailing. After completing Online Check-in, you will receive a Port Arrival Form by email. Bring this with you to the port to expedite your arrival.
Going Ashore:
Considering guidance from the CDC, fully vaccinated Guests who wish to disembark the ship while in a port of call can do so on their own. Guests who are vaccinated and wish to disembark the ship with unvaccinated children, in any port of call other than Disney Castaway Cay, will need to purchase a Disney Cruise Line Port Adventure for their party. Additional details about going ashore can be found in the Ports of Call: Know Before You Go section of our website.
My Plans:
Download the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app or go online to make advance reservations that are necessary for participating in youth activities or reserve premium experiences like beverage tastings and dinner at Palo. You’ll be able to reserve these experiences once your reservation is paid in full and you are within your Castaway Club booking window. At this time, we are still finalizing some of the onboard activity offerings and Port Adventures for your sailing and encourage you to continue checking back as new inventory becomes available.
Guests sailing on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy through May 30, Disney Magic through May 8 and Disney Wonder through April 17, 2022, may modify their sail date or cancel their sailing without any Disney-imposed cancellation fees by contacting their travel agent by December 1, 2021. Please note that cancellation fees imposed by third-party suppliers, including airlines, as well as travel insurance, are not refundable. Refunds will be processed back to the original form of payment. Standard cancellation policies and terms and conditions apply for any cancellation or modification requests received on or after December 2, 2021.
We look forward to welcoming you aboard soon.
Sincerely,
The Cast and Crew Disney Cruise Line
Updated information will be reflected on the Disney Cruise Line Know Before You Go page.
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