Alice sits down with YC to hear about their family's Disney cruise — one that promised fairy tales but delivered an engine failure, a cancelled voyage, and a very eventful 36 hours.

Alice: So you booked a Disney cruise. I feel like most people come back from those with nothing but magical memories. You came back with... a story.

YC: (laughs) Yeah, it was definitely memorable, just not for the usual reasons.

Alice: Walk me through it. Day one — you board the ship, excitement is high...

YC: We checked in around 12.45pm on Thursday. Figured we'd grab lunch right away, but by the time we actually got through everything and sat down, it was already 1.30pm.

Alice: That's late for lunch with kids.

YC: Tell me about it. We went to this Frozen-themed restaurant called Enchanted Summer. Buffet style. Mix of western and some Asian — I grabbed mac and cheese and cottage pie for the kids. There was rice, salad, grapes, a bit of fruit. Not a huge variety.

Alice: Was it immersive? Disney-themed?

YC: Honestly, it felt less immersive than I expected. There were some paintings on the wall — similar to the one at Disneyland Hong Kong — but no Disney songs playing in the background. Not a lot of Disney-themed stuff, strangely. It was a bit underwhelming.

Alice: What'd you do after lunch?

YC: We went to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique — that's the princess makeover place — to try to reschedule H's makeover session. She was booked for 12.45pm the next day, but we wanted to move it to the morning so she could go for the Royals photo-taking session after. Didn't manage to change it in the end.

Alice: So day one was mostly just settling in?

YC: Pretty much. The kids had a nap and woke up around 6pm, so dinner was late — around 6.30pm, past our 5.45pm reservation slot. We managed to get our orders in, but when the in-laws came a bit later, the kitchen had already closed and they couldn't order more.

Alice: Oh no. How was the food at least?

YC: The Mickey bar — vanilla ice cream — was underwhelming. I actually preferred the lime tart. The mains were decent though — salmon, noodles, chicken. And you could order as much as you wanted within the window. We ended day one watching a 30-minute musical medley of Disney songs. Managed to walk in without a reservation, which was nice.

Alice: So far, so okay. But I feel like this is where it turns.

YC: (nods) Around 5pm on day one, the captain made an announcement. Said the ship wasn't sailing yet due to some engine or technical issue, but they were working on it.

Alice: Did you think much of it at that point?

YC: Not really. These things happen, right?

Alice: Day two. You wake up...

YC: Still docked. Same port. That should have been the first real sign.

Alice: What did you do?

YC: Went to breakfast at the Navigator Cafe. Sit-down style where you order. I was a bit disappointed — could have been heartier in terms of protein. There were pancakes, eggs, sausages, fruit, pastries. It was fine, just not great.

Alice: Then?

YC: We walked around, went back to the makeover place to check timings again — still couldn't slot in. Met the in-laws and E for a second breakfast round — kids ate Coco Pops. We found this nice open area on the 10th floor, kind of like a town hall (can't remember the name), took some photos.

Alice: The makeover — did that happen eventually?

YC: At 10.45am we went for the Royals gathering — photo-taking with three princesses. It was a bit late starting, and as usual it was rushed with a long queue.

Alice: And H's makeover?

YC: Around 12 noon I brought H back to the room to try and nap her before her 12.45pm slot while M took Z for lunch at the Navigator. I took over Z duty so H could go for her makeover. But Z didn't want to eat, had a mini meltdown, so we went back to the room. I tried to nap him — we both fell asleep.

Alice: And then?

YC: We woke up to an announcement. The cruise was cancelled. The engineering issue couldn't be fixed.

Alice: Wow. So you're on a ship that's not going anywhere.

YC: Exactly. And because the ship wasn't sailing, some of the shops couldn't open either. We wandered around looking for food, got the compensation notice. Had Indian food with Z. H was with the in-laws and E.

Alice: Dinner?

YC: Went to Pixar for dinner but it was so crowded we couldn't find seats. Ended up bringing our food back to the room. Rice dish with soup.

Alice: And the compensation?

YC: Full refund. Plus they put us up in a hotel for the night. Waited until evening for the official letter, then disembarked around 7.25pm. Got on a shuttle bus.

Alice: That's something, at least. But the night wasn't over, was it?

YC: (sighs) No. At the hotel, H fell from a chair and injured her upper lip. Bleeding, but thankfully it stopped and her teeth seem fine. Just the lip.

Alice: That's terrifying as a parent.

YC: Yeah. And here we are now at the Hilton — formerly Mandarin Gallery.

Alice: So looking back — you didn't get to do the kids club, you barely ate properly, the ship didn't sail, and your daughter hurt herself. What's the takeaway?

YC: Honestly? It was a mess. But we made the best of it. The full refund helps. And honestly, stories like this are more memorable than a smooth sailing. We'll definitely be telling this one for a while.

Alice: Would you try again? Another Disney cruise?

YC: Maybe. But next time I'll pack lower expectations and a first-aid kit.

Update — Saturday morning: Z woke up with a swollen eye and fever. The cursed cruise just keeps giving.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.