Wrapping a Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise for the Ages

Today marks the final full day of the 2016 Disney Vacation Club Member Cruise, and I'm pleased to report it's been a voyage for the ages.

Part of our Disney Vacation Club celebration of 25 years and beyond, this entertainment-filled sailing has offered something for everyone, from futurists to history buffs and from film fans to football fans. While I promised our guest presenters that I wouldn't post any spoilers, here's what I can tell you based on what our special presentations have revealed aboard the Disney Magic since we left New York last week:

• Dwayne Johnson "Rocks" (see what I did there?) as the voice of Maui in Walt Disney Animation Studios' "Moana," and newcomer Auli'i Cravalho, who voices the film's title character, is a delightful discovery.
• The breathtaking Disneynature film "Born in China" – opening in U.S. theaters next spring – only deepened my desire to hug a panda. (Not sure if that's safe.)
• Filmmaker Don Hahn and Walt Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde could read the phone book aloud, and I'd be oddly interested. (Perhaps a show idea for a future cruise!)
• Disney Legend Bill Farmer isn't just the voice of Goofy and Pluto. He's also the sound eggs make when swallowed by Gaston. True story.
• Lucasfilm's Pablo Hidalgo knows more about Star Wars than most historians know about World Wars.
• Watching Disney artist Stacia Martin draw heroes while Disney Legend Andreas Deja draws villains is like watching a ballet of good and evil.
• "Sailgating" on a college football Saturday is even better than tailgating!
• Seeing footage of me choking up on camera as I toured Walt Disney's office was so embarrassing that I've asked my trustworthy friends at the Disney Parks Blog to NOT share that clip here. You'll tell me if they do, right?

The fun doesn't stop when we return to New York tomorrow morning, as we'll be off to Broadway for a special performance of Disney Theatrical Productions' smash-hit "Aladdin" just for Disney Vacation Club Members and their guests. While my colleagues and I may be a little bleary-eyed at this point in our voyage, there's little time for rest in the city that never sleeps!