When Hallmark announced its documentary and started casting among the passengers on the second cruise, I was very curious and couldn’t wait to see the result. The network promises to follow Hallmark superfans aboard the very first Christmas Cruise to the Bahamas.
What I think of the superfans
The Vermeer Girls
At first, I was sold on this family trio of women. The great chemistry between them and the trip they take to spend time together. But as the episode went on, I lost interest. Paige’s over-the-top joke about thinking she has a shot with Tyler, Alexandra’s quietness, completely overshadowed by the personalities of the other two, and Kerry’s hysterical teenage meltdown when she sees Wes Brown. Add to that the fact that they talk about Tyler nonstop but don’t even have a proper bootshot… I was awkward.
Rob And Donna
The first few seconds of Rob and Donna’s portrait led me to believe in the stereotype of two fitness enthusiasts who seem a bit naive. Ultimately, they are the ones who appear most genuine and touching. They are endearing and are enjoying every moment of the cruise carefree. His plan to propose and have the ceremony on the boat keeps me watching. I’m hooked, especially if Paul and Andrew get involved.
Laura And Victoria
Well, I’m not going to beat around the bush: Laura drives me crazy. She’s too excited, she’s loud, she yells, everything I hate. I’m not surprised she was selected; I think Americans really like that kind of personality. There was potential, though, with the story of the two sisters who live far apart.When Victoriatold her sister she was pregnant with her second child, it was touching (for about three seconds). And the so-called superfans who couldn’t answer any of the trivia questions correctly were disappointing.
Alicia And Gail
The story of the two best friends for over 45 years is the one I find most interesting, not to mention the truly bubbly and delightful personalities of both women. They are without a doubt my favorite duo. And proof that you can be outgoing like Alicia without being annoying like Laura. My only downside is that the storyline around Gail’s shyness and caution is a bit thin. It’s pretty obvious that she’ll be out of her comfort zone by the end of the four days.
Nate and his grandmas
What can I say about this trio? I can see how the producers wanted to emphasize the heartwarming relationship between the grandson and his two grannies. But no matter how hard I try, I just find it weird. First,a 16-year-old kid wanting to celebrate his birthday on a Hallmark christmas cruise is wild to me. Second, him being so glued to his grandmas who are trying to run away from him because they find him suffocating. Cringe.
What went down smooth 😚
- The festive atmosphere on board and the many decorations are well captured. I really liked the scenes showing them decorating the doors and the gift exchange between passengers.
- The scenes involving other people on board were enjoyable, but not frequent enough.
- The explanation of what Christmas movies and Hallmark films mean to each of them.
- I appreciated that the groups stayed in actual budget cabins, rather than being upgraded for production purposes. Even though I appreciated it, I’m a bit surprised.
- Similarly, they did not have reserved seats for any of the activities. On the contrary, Alicia and Gail were at the very back of the deck during the sail-ebration, as were the Vemeer girls.
- The reality of the many activities taking place at the same time is shown.
What left a bitter aftertaste 😖
- I thought we would see more of the cruise experience, such as the atmosphere on board and the activities, rather than the personal lives of the protagonists.
- I don’t really connect with the participants’ personalities, and I’m rather disappointed with their narrative arc. Still, the dynamics were promising. Thankfully, the wedding saves the day.
- Adding a dramatic element to the protagonists’ stories, such as Kerry and Donna’s health issues. I don’t think it was necessarily needed to add depth.
- Just like the scenes of the superfans in their daily lives before boarding. I didn’t find it relevant and we could have done without it in favor of more footage on board.
- Some parts are too staged and far from the reality of what happened at sea (Jonathan didn’t welcome passengers in the atrium, Erin wouldn’t have been alone on deck talking to people, there were crazy lines in front of the merch shop). It seems like they cleared out the common areas to shoot the sequences.
- Please tell me no one fell for the last scene and believed that passengers had the opportunity to bump into the actors in the gym. Let me remind you that the talents had an entire private floor dedicated to them, with no contact with the passengers.
Worth a refill? 📣
Yes, I still want to watch the rest of the series, probably because I took part in the first cruise and it made me nostalgic for the good times I had. However, if I wasn’t involved, I probably wouldn’t watch the next episodes. The first one, which was a bit different from what I had imagined (and overly promoted) didn’t really satisfy me.
Brew Facts ☕️
Where to watch: Monday evenings on Hallmark Channel and streaming the following day on Hallmark+.
Format: Reality docu-series consisting of four 42-minute episodes part of Christmas in July.
Air date: July 7–28, 2025.
Cast : Jonathan Bennett, Erin Cahill, Wes Brown, Nikki DeLoach, Tyler Hynes, Paul Campbell, Andrew Walker.
