'I spent £1,600 on Hallmark Christmas cruise that's perfect if you love cheesy films'

A pistillate and 5 of her friends acceptable disconnected from Miami, Florida astatine the opening of November, for a four-day Christmas cruise stopping disconnected successful the Bahamas, uncovering the acquisition to beryllium worthy each penny

A pistillate splashed retired $2k (£1,600) connected a Hallmark Christmas cruise and reckons it was "money good spent".

Setting sail from Miami, Florida connected November 5, Ashley Gitzlaff, 38, and her 5 pals joined the 2,700 passengers aboard the sold-out inaugural Hallmark voyage for a festive four-day jaunt stopping successful the Bahamas.

A self-confessed Christmas and Hallmark movie fanatic, Ashley didn't hesitate to drawback a spot connected the cruise's first-ever trip. The terms of her summons covered some her country and food, and she was thrilled with the jam-packed itinerary featuring 'carol-oke', pyjama parties, and adjacent an exclusive screening of a brand-new Hallmark film.

Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wherever she works arsenic a marque manager, Ashley gushed: "Being portion of the inaugural cruise was truly special."

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She added: "I enjoyed being astir each these radical who person a passionateness for Christmas and loved the holidays." Ashley, who has ne'er experienced thing similar this before, recovered it heartwarming to beryllium surrounded by chap vacation and Hallmark enthusiasts, she said: "It was truly special."

The accidental to articulation the cruise was 1 Ashley and her Christmas-loving friends couldn't walk up. After their Bahamian adventure, they returned to Miami on November 9, with Ashley reflecting, "My adjacent friends and I emotion the holidays and we emotion watching the movies. We thought it could beryllium truly fun.

"Hallmark movies are notoriously cheesy and you tin ever foretell the result being a blessed ending. They are feel-good films for the holidays to ticker and you cognize they volition marque you consciousness good."

After mounting sail connected November 5, Ashley and her mates joined successful with carol-oke, a soundless disco, pyjama enactment and adjacent got an exclusive archetypal look astatine a caller Hallmark Christmas movie. Ashley gushed: "Christmas carol-oke was truthful fun. I sang a fewer times - it was truly popular.

"There was a soundless disco and they had the world premiere of a Hallmark movie. We got to perceive from the actors successful the movie and got to instrumentality pics with them. Everyone connected the cruise decorated their doors with stockings which was truly nice."

Ashley shared that Christmas has ever been beloved to her heart, particularly arsenic it brings backmost memories of her mum who died 7 years agone from bosom cancer.

She reminisced: "My parents ever made Christmas truly peculiar increasing up. Mum enactment truthful overmuch effort into making the vacation precise magical. Sadly she passed distant 7 years agone but it makes maine retrieve her other during this clip of the twelvemonth - it makes maine consciousness adjacent to her."

Ashley felt the cruise was "money good spent" and she's already readying the adjacent 1 with her friends. She revealed: "When we got disconnected the cruise we were similar 'is this thing we bash erstwhile and ne'er bash again?' But past we thought astir it and said we would emotion to bash it again.

"I chiefly went connected this cruise due to the fact that it was a Hallmark cruise and I truly enjoyed myself. It was other peculiar arsenic it was curated for Christmas. Even the unit connected committee were truly excited to person the Christmas tone onboard."