The finale of Hallmark Channel’s four-part docuseries “Christmas at Sea” airs on July 28, 2025, with a star-studded wedding, a beautiful celebration of friendship, and 3,000 sun-soaked, loved-up Hallmark fans riding high after five days aboard a Hallmark Christmas Cruise with their favorite actors.
Part of the network’s growing lineup of “reality TV with heart,” each episode of the limited series follows the compelling journeys of multiple passengers aboard one of Hallmark’s first-ever fan cruises held in November 2024, with 11 beloved Hallmark stars on board.
Although each hour-long episode has been packed with goodness, there were hours and hours of fun that didn’t make it on the show. So, what did you not get to see? Here’s what some of the stars have spilled from behind the scenes.
Andrew Walker Says Cameras Didn’t Capture Hallmark Stars’ Special Private Moments With Their Families & Each Other
For some famous actors, it might be daunting to be stuck out at sea for five days with 3,000 of their biggest fans. But Andrew Walker told EntertainmentNow that the camaraderie seen on “Christmas at Sea” between the stars and the fans on board was all genuine.
“These are all fans that I feel like we can be ourselves around and they won’t judge us in any way,” Walker said. “Like, people know now the core actors that have helped build this network to where it is today, they know that we put our heart and soul into these projects, and every movie we do. So I feel like there’s a respect, and there’s an acknowledgement from the fans, knowing that we’re trying to give them our all.”
Walker also said he treasured the chance to bond with colleagues and their families behind the scenes, noting that there was a space on the top floor of the ship where he could catch up with Hallmark friends like Tyler Hynes, Kimberley Sustad, Nikki DeLoach, Benjamin Ayres, and Wes Brown, and the loved ones they brought along — including Hynes and Sustad’s moms.
“We’d just go upstairs, and we’re laughing and telling stories,” Walker smiled. “That’s what you don’t see (on ‘Christmas at Sea’). You don’t see all of the extended family and friends and people that we’ve all brought, and all of us just getting to know each other even more.”
“I didn’t have a say in who Hallmark picked as their stars (for the trip), but it just so happens that everybody that I’m on this cruise ship with are … people that I feel very privileged to be around,” Walker said. “It’s amazing to be around all these people. We just want to support each other and be there for each other. And it’s comfortable. We all prop each other up, we hold space for each other.”
Andrew Walker Says Paul Campbell’s ‘Christmas at Sea’ Wedding Speech Was Typical of His ‘Brilliant Mind’
The “Christmas at Sea” finale includes a highly anticipated wedding between Hallmark fans Donna and Rob. The event was pulled together in a couple of days after Rob revealed he wanted to not only propose to Donna during the trip, but marry her on the boat.
When longtime Hallmark star Paul Campbell heard Rob’s plan, he offered to officiate the impromptu wedding, which was attended by hundreds of fans and multiple stars on the ship. Campbell delivered a beautiful speech for the couple, including tidbits about their history together, that sounded like it could have taken days to write.
“Paul has a brilliant mind,” Walker said of his “Three Wise Men” co-star. “This stuff just oozes out of him. He’s a master with words, you know? He’s very adaptable. He knows how to set the tone. He knows when to bring the humor, when not to. He’s a very talented guy and he wrote that in no time at all!”
Walker was so impressed with Campbell’s delivery, he asked him on the flight home from the cruise to help him write a speech for a vow renewal he was officiating weeks later.
“I sat next to him and we just sat and drank coffee and just pounded out my speech for my friends,” Walker laughed. “He added humor, and then Kimberley took a little pass with it, so it was great!”
Hynes, who walked Donna down the aisle for her wedding, gushed about the cruise in an Instagram post hours before the finale aired and wrote, “@paulcampbellofficial we should all be so lucky to have you officiate a wedding. 👨⚖️”
Wes Brown Says Erin Cahill’s Husband ‘Saved the Day’ When Producers Asked Him to Help Gail Write a Song
HallmarkIn some particularly sweet moments during the finale, best friends Gail and Alicia continue to celebrate their 60th birthdays and 46 years of friendship. That includes Gail trying to make up for the karaoke night, seen in the first episode of “Christmas at Sea,” when she refused to get onstage with Alicia.
For the surprise redemption moment, producers called on “Haul Out the Holly” star Wes Brown, who has released multiple albums, to help Gail rewrite a classic tune in honor of her friendship with Alicia.
During a July 25 Facebook Live session with Erin Cahill, Sarah Drew, Taylor Cole, and Benjamin Ayres to chat about “Christmas at Sea,” Brown revealed that Cahill’s musician hubby, Paul Freeman, “saved the day” by loaning him his guitar — but that moment didn’t make it on the show.
“(The producers) wanted me to, for whatever reason, write a song to her friend of 46 years and I didn’t have a guitar,” Brown said. “Paul was walking down a hallway and I’m like, ‘Where are you going!?'”
Brown said he convinced Freeman to bring his guitar and help him and Gail prepare her special song, which she’ll sing on the finale, premiering on July 28 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The finale will be available to stream on Hallmark+ the following day.
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‘Christmas at Sea’ Finale: Hallmark Stars Reveal What You Didn’t See Behind the Scenes