How “Not Sure I’m A Cruise Person” Became “When Do We Go On Disney Cruise Line Again?!”
We just returned from our first voyage aboard Disney Cruise Line, on the Disney Magic. It had been a long time coming. Sarah has been asking when we can go on a Disney cruise for a few years, but I’ve always managed to persuade her that we have more pressing priorities. We “needed” to go to the parks in Paris, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and revisit Walt Disney World and Disneyland a number of times first, among other things.
My powers of persuasion finally failed me a few weeks ago when she spotted a sub-$400 per person rate on a 3-night Disney Magic cruise (my suggestion that we should first visit every US National Park wasn’t exactly well-received). Relative to other trips, it was inexpensive and it was short (my biggest requirement for our first cruise).
I don’t know if I’ll do a trip report for the cruise (I don’t have photos for some of the best aspects of the cruise, and I have a lot of redundant photos from parts that don’t bear discussing), but I wanted to do an overall ‘reaction’ post while the experience is still fresh in my mind as this was positively one of the best domestic Disney experiences we’ve had in years.
Before going, it’s not that I was necessarily opposed to the idea of a cruise, I just didn’t think it would be for me. I don’t take vacations–I travel. The distinction is in that I think the former connotes a certain level of relaxation, and I just don’t like doing that. I return from every trip we take exhausted, by choice. I like getting up early, being active all day, and staying up late. Because of this, I figured a cruise was a recipe for going stir crazy as I’d be confined to a small ship and basically ‘forced’ to lie around a pool.
For the days leading up to it, I was actually nervous about the cruise, and I’ve never been nervous or apprehensive about going anywhere. I was concerned about this loss of control, and that it would essentially amount to three days of lost time, anxiously sitting around a pool or beach. I know a lot of people enjoy lounging around a pool or beach for hours on end, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m not one of those people.
Besides reading a couple of blog posts, I had done almost nothing in the way of researching Disney cruises, so I really didn’t know what they entailed. My fears started to ease as we watched the on-bus video as we transferred from All Star Sports (we stayed at Walt Disney World the night before our cruise as travel out of the Midwest this winter has been challenging due to weather) and I saw some of the options available. I also saw glimpses of the ships, their details, and entertainment. My mind also started racing with photo ideas.
My initial concerns about cruising seemed downright silly within an hour of being aboard the ship. I was immediately impressed by the Art Deco-meets-Disney design of the ship and knew I’d have a blast simply exploring the new environment…even if it wasn’t as expansive as a theme park. Beyond that, the cruise ship was much larger than I envisioned, and had a number of places and things to do. I expected it to be a series of rooms with some common areas, restaurants, and a place for shows. It was much more than that–and this was on the smallest ship!
This variety of places to be and things to see was a big thing for me, as it eliminated that feeling of confinement. It might seem strange, but I don’t mind not doing a lot so long as I have the freedom to do it. Often times, I’ll slow down and enjoy things; I’m not (always) bouncing all around like a hyper-active child.
It’s completely a mental thing, but that freedom (even if I don’t take advantage of it) is the big thing. Just by virtue of having so many spaces and unique things to see, I felt like I had that freedom, even if it only existed within the bounds of the ship. This may make absolutely no sense or not be at all rational, but no one ever accused this blog of comprehensible thought, so oh well.
That succinct point of that rambling is probably best summarized by saying that Disney Cruise Line didn’t feel like a cruise so much as it did a floating breed of Disney entertainment and environment. Like a hybrid of a Disney hotel and a Disney theme park. Hopefully that makes a little more sense. I don’t think I’ll ever completely be able to put my finger on how or why it works for me, but it does.
In terms of the individual components that I loved about the cruise, the best aspect of the cruise ended up being the dining. This wasn’t much of a surprise–even at Walt Disney World this has become a bigger draw for us than attractions. Our dining rotation consisted of Palo, Animator’s Palate, and Lumiere’s.
We initially booked dinner at Palo despite hearing recommendations to do brunch (brunch wasn’t available for online booking at the last minute). Our waiter at Palo told us they might have brunch availability and we loved dinner so much that as soon as we found out brunch was available, we jumped at that, too. Our meals at Palo were nothing short of amazing, and the other two restaurants weren’t slouches, either.
I’ll cover each of these restaurants in their own reviews, but one thing worth mentioning now is the service. It was Disney guest service at its finest at every meal, at a consistent level we haven’t otherwise experienced outside of Tokyo. (There’s something to be said for great service that’s also primarily in English, too!)
The shows and entertainment were also very good. I wasn’t a fan of Villains Tonight, but the other two Disney stage shows were very good (again, more on these in separate posts) as were the other entertainment options during the course of the trip. The crew members hosting each of these activities was engaging and made them work. Even in the case of the sparsely-attended late night adult offerings, we had a lot of fun because the crew members hosting the entertainment did such a good job.
Likewise, service was one of the big things across the board that made our experience on the Disney Cruise Line so great. Every Cast Member was friendly and helpful at a minimum, and most went above and beyond. It wasn’t just a feigned, “have a magical day!” type of friendless, but more a seemingly genuine interest in what we had been doing, how we were enjoying the cruise, and whether there was anything they could do to make it better. The crew members truly seemed passionate about Disney Cruise Line, and that was evident.
We found Disney Cruise Line fires on all cylinders in a way we haven’t witnessed at Walt Disney World in years. To be sure, Walt Disney World will always hold a special place in my heart and even now we love visiting the Florida parks. With the amount of across the board cost-cutting and slipping standards that have plagued Walt Disney World in recent years, it was refreshing to discover a new-to-us Disney offering in (or out of) Florida that reminded me of the Walt Disney World of old.
Everything on the ship was immaculate and looked brand new, and I didn’t notice a single spot where things looked worn. (To the contrary, on my early morning walks of the ship, I saw many maintenance workers and a lot of “Careful – Freshly Applied Varnish” signs on places that didn’t seem like problems the night before–the type of preventative maintenance for which Disney parks were once known!) Between the tip-top look of the ships and the exemplary guest service, plus great entertainment and dining, it was clear that the “Disney Difference” is alive and well on the Disney Cruise Line.
The Disney Difference is why I’ve been a lifelong Disney fan, and it helped reaffirm some of my passion for Disney. Even if I had felt uncomfortable or confined on the cruise ship for whatever reason, I would have had a great time thanks to that Disney Difference. In actuality, it turned out that I was not left wanting for things to do nor did I feel confined.
The entertainment lineup on the ship was full fleshed out with multiple options every hour, and while we did a good number of these, I found myself enjoying the new style of cruise vacationing. It was like a compromise between my normal always on the go style and a more relaxed vacation, and it was still very satisfying. While I could have ramped it up and done even more, I also could have done much less, too. I came back from the trip feeling both a sense of accomplishment and also less tired than when we left!
I could go on about the various things we enjoyed about the cruise in painstaking detail (I haven’t even touched upon Castaway Cay, the fireworks, the merchandise, etc.) but that’s not really the point of the post. The point is that the Cruise Line is Disney at its best, and is worth checking out even for those who don’t view themselves as cruise people. “Magic” is a fluffy word recklessly thrown around when describing Disney’s various offerings, and I’m normally not particularly fond of its overuse, but I think in the case of Disney Cruise Line, it’s appropriate.
While I discovered that I am (or at least can be on the Disney ships) a cruise person, I still maintain that cruises aren’t for everyone. Setting aside the people who get severely seasick (as I know nothing about the varying degrees of seasick-ness, the medicines for it, etc.), I think there a decent number of people who going on cruises won’t suit. The biggest category is the large contingent of Disney fans who are objective-driven, making tight plans and strategies to accomplish as much as possible.
I suppose there are things to accomplish on the Disney Cruise Line, but there aren’t nearly as many and the same degree of strategizing just isn’t necessary. These people might seem to be in the same category as me–the always ‘on the go’ type–but I think the difference is that my sense of accomplishment can be fulfilled by doing virtually anything, so long as it’s not aimless. Maybe that’s a distinction without a difference, I’m not really sure. It’s at least something for the plan-driven Disney fans to consider.
Now, it’s just a matter of figuring out which cruise to do next. Since originally publishing this post several years ago, we’ve become bona-fide Disney Cruise Line addicts. Last year, we did a few cruises, including the Norwegian Fjords cruise (read our full Norway Disney Cruise Guide for more), which has been our favorite cruise to date. For 2018, we want to do another big one. I’d love to go to Alaska, but Disney cruises don’t afford good opportunities to see its National Parks (at least not Denali or Gates of the Arctic). Sarah is game for whatever–she’s just ready to get back on those beautiful boats again. We’ll keep you posted as to where we head next, so stay tuned!
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Your Thoughts
If you’ve been on the Disney Cruise Line, what did you think of it? Anyone else have a similar experience of not thinking it would be for them? If you haven’t cruised, is there anything you’d like us to cover regarding the Disney Cruise Line in our upcoming posts? Please share your thoughts and questions in the comments!
What resources did you use to find such a good last-minute deal? My husband and I keeping checking the DCL website for a similar deal… our schedules are flexible enough (and our RapidReward points are plentiful enough) that we can make almost any last-minute travel plans work.
Tom, I have always been leery of cruises, too, so your glowing review carries a lot of weight with me! I would love to hear more about your experiences, Castaway Cay, and the merchandise!
We did our first Disney Cruise for our honeymoon in 2001 and our fourth last September for the first time with our son, now 5 years old. It was wonderful as a childless couple, but amazing as a parent. My son was engaged in every activity, mesmerized in the restaurant Animator’s Palate and I couldn’t keep him out of the kids play area. And this is a kid who is shy and normally clinging to my side whenever he’s somewhere new. He had so much fun, we’re headed back at the end of February!
Glad you liked the cruise – we’re becoming real cruise junkies now too and it’s all DCL’s fault 😉
You could consider a Panama Canal cruise. We did one of these hmm, must be 7-8 years ago and the memories still stick with me.
You get the picturesque Caribbean (and Castaway Cay) and Mexico (fun seeing real cliff divers in Acapulco!) but the jewel is the Panama Canal – you spend pretty much the whole day from about 6-7am onwards traversing the locks and the lake and are surrounded by Rainforest for a lot of it too.
It’s a crazy mix of literally being in the middle of nowhere, yet surrounded by 100’s of ships in close proximity – from small little yachts to giant shipping containers. The juxtaposition alone is such a great experience and great for photographers 🙂
I highly recommend it and ofc, you can tag both DL and WDW on either end 😉
I’ve cruised twice on Disney (and on several other times on other cruise lines). Love Disney ships–and you become spoiled with the Disney attention. Just setting your luggage at the door—and picking it up at your home airport at the end of your cruise is the BEST. Other cruise lines do not do that (and we live in the San Francisco area).
We have cruised the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean via Disney. I would do the Mediterranean in a minute with them (we did Royal Caribbean in the Med).
When we cruised, we took our daughter with Down syndrome along—and Disney could not have treated her better. She is an adult, so she is obviously too old for the children’s activities, but also didn’t want to hang around with her mom and dad all day. She wanted to do things by herself as an ‘adult’. She got confused several time while finding her way back to our room-and our cabin steward always kept an eye out for her to help her find our room (and having the ship phones were a plus). I always felt she was so safe on the ship—and I appreciated that.
I hope you can experience a longer trip next time…We really enjoyed the Eastern Carib. Loved St Thomas! 🙂
It’s great how Disney goes the extra mile to accommodate guests–thanks for sharing that story!
One thing we can’t really speak to, but that really seemed like a big deal for parents aboard the ship, was how great the activities for kids were, and how they allowed parents to do their own thing. I’d hazard a guess that this is something BIG that separates Disney from the competition.
Eh, yes and no. Other cruise lines have excellent kid programs too (I know — when I was a kid I did them!). Disney definitely does everything (in my opinion) a bit better than the rest, but I wouldn’t necessarily say the kids options were so much better or different than other cruise lines.
The quality of Villains Tonight really depends on the portrayals of the characters, more so than any other DCL show I’ve seen. If the people playing the characters don’t get it right, the show is a drag. I personally could do without the pop culture crap, but the video of it on the Dream is great.
Yeah, that’s the impression we got. Even if the portrayals were great, the story and pacing are really off. It’s like the show doesn’t know whether it wants to be satirical and lampoon pop culture, or just be a kid-friendly montage show of villains. Either direction would be fine, but as-is, the show is just all over the place.
It’s wonderful that you enjoyed your Disney cruise so much. I cruised around the Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy last year and loved every minute of it.
However, I do agree with the other poster who said not to dismiss every other cruise line until you’ve tried them.
When you said “Disney Cruise Line didn’t feel like a cruise so much as it did a floating breed of Disney entertainment and environment”, I assume you meant it didn’t feel like your ‘impression of a cruise’. Having cruised now with 4 different companies, I’ve discovered pretty much all cruise lines feel like a small floating village full of entertainment; they just don’t all have the Disney touches.
Like you, I enjoyed the Disney decor and the design of the Fantasy was a notch above anything else I’ve experienced. But, what some ships may lack in theming, they make up for with their range of adult enrichment activities and events. I too hate lounging around a pool doing nothing, and have never done so on any cruise I’ve been on.
For your next cruise I recommend the Eastern Mediterranean. Cruising into stunning ports such as Santorini, Mykonos, and Dubrovnik will take your breathe away. Plus Mediterranean cruises are very port intensive never giving you a second to get bored.
Thanks for the recommendation. As for the entertainment, Disney is definitely lacking on nightlife (at least the Magic was), which is not too surprising given that it’s Disney, but was still a letdown. Still, I’m not sure I’d be willing to trade the Disney touches for better nightlife. It’s not that big of a deal to me.
We probably ought to do a non-Disney cruise to have a baseline, for comparison’s sake, though.
I am happy to hear you and Sarah enjoyed your first Disney Cruise! I felt the same way before my husband and I’s three night stint on the Dream as part of our honeymoon last May. At first walking on the ship it was very overwhelming for us, but after about an hour of walking around and exploring getting used to everything, we were having the time of our lives!
Not sure how your experience was with your dining table, but we were worried we would be put with people we wouldn’t get along with and it would be awkward, but like Disney magic we were paired with couples and two best friends all around our age ~25ish. And it turns out even after only 3 days together at sea we are all friends on facebook. (and talk to each other more often than some local friends to be honest)
Since May I went on a 4 night on the Dream which was much better than the 3 because I felt like we didn’t have enough time! But it is definitely the best Disney hospitality and service I’ve ever seen. Like you WDW will always hold a special place in my heart and be my number 1 despite everything, but DCL is a pretty darn close 2nd!!!
Can’t wait to hear all your reviews!
Booking Palo for dinner meant receiving a dining assignment without Animator’s Palate, and we didn’t want that, so we requested and received a rotation change. Because of that, we were at a table by ourselves for dining. I can’t say the idea of dining with others appeals to me, but it wouldn’t have been a huge deal, either.
You can also call DCL and request a private table if you don’t want to be paired with strangers. We’ve always done this and they’ve always accommodated.
The idea of dining with other didn’t appeal to us either, but we gave it a shot figuring what the heck we could always just ignore them if we had to I guess, but luckily it turned out well.
Must have been nice still to have a table to yourself!
Thanks for posting this. We just booked our first cruise on the fantasy but not until march 2015. I would love to read reviews of the food and the entertainment as well as any “extras” you did. Your blog was invaluable when I planned our WDW trip this past Nov and I was very excited when I learned you were going to try DCL. I look forward to reading more about your experience,
Dining reviews and tips for Castaway Cay are coming soon. Not sure what else. Probably won’t do a full cruise planning guide until we have more experience. We still have much to learn ourselves!
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How were the kid levels? It seems as though I’ve always heard Disney cruises are wall to wall screaming kids.
I think the adult:kid ratio was definitely better than the parks. I didn’t really notice the number of kids, which meant it couldn’t have been too high. Didn’t bother either of us.
I’ve done 3 Disney Cruises (2 of those before our daughter was born) and have never felt like it was overrun with kids. On the Fantasy in particular, you can have an amazing time without seeing way too many children. I always say that a Disney Cruise is more for adults than just families/kids.
Glad you enjoyed your cruise. We were getting off the Royal Caribbean Cruise the same day you were getting on the Disney Magic. We did the Disney Magic in Sept 2012 to Canada and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.
If you enjoy cruising, don’t write off other cruise lines. I’ve been on Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Carnival and Disney. If you are looking for the Disney “magic”, clearly DCL is the only choice. And, Disney clearly has no competition when it comes to family friendly. However, it does come at a premium. Most DCL cruises cost 50-200% more than the same cruise on comparable cruise lines. We had a choice of going on the Disney Magic or RCL and it was a 50% premium for the Magic with the same itinerary on the same dates.
As far as food & service, I think the others rate equally or even better than Disney. The same is true with service. The cruise we just took with RCL we had the best service in the dining room of any of our 9 cruises. The dinner service we had on the Magic was actually fair at best. The private islands for NCL and RCL are amazing. I’ve give Disney a plus with the split bathrooms in the cabin.
So if you enjoy cruising there are lots of excellent options and lower prices with more choices for destinations than Disney. We really did enjoy our Disney cruise and will do it again in the future, but we will not be exclusive to Disney.
Larry – For a mother / daughter duo with no kids – would you recommend Royal Caribbean or Disney? I want to try a cruise some time. We are big Disney fans and love photography.
As for Alaska – I had the opportunity for two different trips – one is a cruise/train via Princess or a photography trip with a local photographer – I went the Photography and will be there two weeks in September!
http://www.lightchasephotography.com/
Very exciting about the Alaska photography trip. I’m sure that will be a blast!
Crystal, It really depends. If you like gambling, the other lines all have casinos. The other ships are aimed at more “mature” entertainment with the comedians and shows. Disney really caters to families and all of the entertainment is appropriately themed. For example, on a recent NCL cruise we saw Rock of Ages (Broadway show) vs the Disney Characters show on the DCL Magic.
If budget is an issue, RCL is a great choice. If you are Disney Fanatic, you can not go wrong with DCL. I don’t think there is a bad choice between the two lines, it’s just a matter of priorities. I’m extremely sure you would have a great time on RCL.
Hope this helps.
Interesting perspective on other cruise lines. We have heard so much conflicting information on this from others. Some people seem to share your sentiment–that other cruise lines are as good or better than Disney for significantly less money. Other people say that nothing compares to DCL, and it’s completely worth the premium.
Ultimately, I think we’ll try another cruise line at some point just to see what we think. It’ll probably be a matter of finding a unique itinerary that another cruise line offers that Disney doesn’t.
Tom, I think it’s a lot like the Nikon vs Canon (vs others now a days). It become a bit of a religious argument. I’m a huge Disney fan, but if I take off those glasses and do a honest assessment on food, service, etc, it’s tough to say that Disney is worth the premium. However, if I want the Disney theming, shows, music and family friendly, you pay the premium.
Really no different than walking into the WDW vs other national parks. We pay a premium to visit WDW, but do it because we are wiling. There is no doubt, the DCL is a very different, better for some and not for others, experience. On this last cruise I sat next to a gentleman in his late 60’s and he has cruised of ships and various lines. I asked him is favorites and he answer was he had no favorite, but he specifically said he did not prefer Disney.
The beauty of all of this is that we have some good options. We are tentatively planning on a 4-day Disney Cruise this fall. It is perfect with a 3 year old and since we’re taking a sabbatical from the parks for a year or more, it will be a nice way to get a dose of Disney.
I think this is a great way of looking at it. Even though we haven’t been on another cruise line (yet), this line of thinking certainly makes a lot of sense to me!
We were just on a Royal Caribbean and the food/service was really terrible. I was extremely disappointed. I’ve done many cruise lines (RC, Princess, Disney, Norwegian) and this last one was the worst. I don’t know if we just got unlucky, but it was kind of disappointing.
I wouldn’t write off other cruise lines necessarily, but I do think Disney is ahead of the pack. Disney and Princess are the best lines I’ve been on, but again, every cruise can be different.
Sadly,the Alaskan cruises don’t go to mainland Alaska. They only go out to the arm which is basically just Canada. That is why to see Alaska I decided to you omit the cruise and rent an RV. I got to see three national parks in a week. Is the perfect way to see Alaska! I can’t recommend it enough.
That does sound pretty awesome. I’ve thought about taking a week-long summer trip and just driving. I have enough miles for the airfare, it’s just a matter of finding a week in my schedule to fit it in. That might be tricky this year.
I’m glad to hear you guys tried DCL- I agree that it really fires on all cylinders and brings back a lot of the magic that’s been lacking at WDW of late.
We just “discovered” DCL two years ago and are taking our fourth cruise with them in April! I highly recommend the Fantasy cruises (we’ve done the Western, but Eastern is also supposed to be nice). There’s nothing quite like being out on the open sea and feeling like you’re actually going somewhere. Some Nassau itineraries offer sea days, but the ship essentially pulls away from land and idles the engine so you feel like a sitting duck- still fun, but not quite as nice as feeling the wind in your hair at 22 knots!
We’ve done Fantasy, a 5-day Dream (“double dip” with Castaway, Nassau, sea, and another day at Castaway), a 3-day Dream, and our upcoming is a 3 day Magic to Nassau. I can’t wait to try the Magic, but the Dream-class ships are really amazing and have a lot to explore!
If you didn’t get a verandah room, you should next time. If you’re willing to wait until about 2 months before the sail date, look for “restricted” fares (cat VGT for verandah, though they also have them for inside and porthole rooms). They are a phenomenal deal, but you can’t choose your room. You’re guaranteed a verandah, and you’ll usually get a very good room- we’ve had great luck that way and the discounts can be significant.
Cruising also changes how you vacation at WDW. It taught us to slow down and enjoy pool time and resort wandering. We used to be crazy park hopper people, and we might do one park day per trip now. It’s relaxing and fun to just hang at the various resorts. DCL is definitely my favorite Disney vacation these days (though we’ve only done WDW, DL, and HKDL- Tokyo may make me rethink that!)
Looking forward to more photos and reports- love reading about your travels!
We actually had a (slow-moving) day at sea on this cruise and booked VGT class. I’m not sure whether I’d do a verandah again, but for the cost difference, getting it was a no brainer this time.
Some of the Fantasy itineraries look nice. I think that’s what Sarah would like to do next. Thanks for the feedback!
Glad to hear you two enjoyed your cruise! The two itineraries that I’d suggest would be a 7-night Eastern with St Thomas (with St John) & San Juan on the Disney Fantasy. Both are great ports; especially if you head over to St John when you are in St Thomas. St John is beautiful and 2/3 National Park – pure untouched beauty. San Juan is rich with history with lots to see and do and the people are so very friendly. Bonus; both ports allow you to use your cell phones so Sarah can post to Instagram in real time! The down side possibly for you would be 3 sea days on an Eastern, but you could fill those with Remy Brunch, Palo Brunch and even a myriad of tastings.
The second itinerary I would recommend would be the port intensive 7-night Southern Caribbean cruise this fall on the Disney Magic from San Juan.
I suggest the Fantasy over the Dream for a few reasons; one, why repeat something similar to where you just went? Second, the Fantasy has a more relaxed/less rushed feel. Third, the adult areas are much improved on the Fantasy, especially with the addition of Satellite Falls.
The heart and soul of DCL is the crew; that alone will keep you coming back for more. The crew defines Disney Difference.
So glad you enjoyed your cruise. It becomes addicting…..(in a good way)…… Thanks for the mention.
Haha, Sarah seems to like that real-time Instagram idea! Actually, that itinerary sounds really good. Doing a couple of nice brunches would be fine by us, too.
I’ll have to read more about the differences between the ships. Besides reading a few of your blog posts, I did very no research for this trip (a rarity for me when it comes to Disney). Since I was mostly taking this trip to appease Sarah, I didn’t really care about making sure we did it the “right” way. Now that I know I actually like it, I’ll put in effort next time.
Thanks for the help!
I’ve been trying to convince my husband that this should be our next “Disney” trip!!! He’s not buying it..(literally). After our last trip to “the world” in October…he says No More Disney…no more crowds, long waits in lines, hustle and bustle,etc. Tell me that I can honestly tell him that this isn’t the way of the Disney cruises…that it’s more of a go at your own pace type thing!!!
We also have never been on a cruise (and the recent stories of cruises illnesses are not helping my case either). Hahahaha
Help me with a good argument, Tom. 😜
Yeah, that’s definitely not the case with a Disney cruise–unless you count lines for water slides or character meet & greets, both of which are obviously optional and far from essential to the cruise experience.
Totally different than the parks. You can do nothing and have a great time or fill your day with different presentations/shows/etc. and have a great time. Totally depends upon your goals.
I just wanted to comment- I see a lot of posts about My husband /wife doesn’t want to go on a cruise, so I can’t go. My first cruise on Disney my fiancé said no thanks! So I went with a friend. In Sept, Mom and I are going on a Disney cruise. I would have loved it if my fiancé would have been my travel partner. But since he isn’t into travel the way I am, I kiss him and kitty goodbye and wave as I am pulling out of the driveway towards my next adventure. 🙂
I was on the Magic first. It was so lovely- Art Nouveau and it felt so old world and luxurious. No smoke filled rooms, no crass entertainment and no pushy buy this buy that I had heard of from my friends on other ships. I loved starting my morning at the buffet, followed by an hour of reading in a comfy deck chair on deck 4. Then off to see stuff! I wasn’t bored and can say with complete honesty that I didn’t have an unhappy second. The trick was being comfortable alone or with my roommate. Being apart gave us something to talk about later. Loved our table mates- all 40 something’s without kids just like us. I am a picky eater and stuffed myself royally onboard with the wonderful choices.
My mom and I will be sailing Sept 14 on the Dream and I am like a kid waiting for Christmas. This is mom’s first cruise and she is very go with the flow- so we’ll have a good time. Plus, I promised myself a ride on the Aqua Duck. I chickened out on the drop you into a tube thing on the Magic.
I did see a few crabby apples at breakfast the last morning before we left the ship. It was either choosing the wrong cruise mate, too much time together and not going it alone sometimes, or maybe it was crabby apples are crabby apples regardless of where they’re planted. But as for me- I was enchanted, relaxed, happy and found something to fill every minute. But then I live my life daily as a life is short- enjoy the ride kind of person! :;
I took us several tries before we ended up on a Disney cruise, and after we did, I only wished we had traded a few WDW trips for cruises. DCL takes what’s great about the WDW and theme park experience (minus attractions) and makes it even better. It will be two years between our first and second cruise, but I wish we could sail twice a year. Sometimes I look at the list of itineraries and daydream-plan lots of awesome cruise vacations. I can think of 4 non-standard itineraries I wish I could book right now!
I knew you would love it … I had the same fears on our first 3 nighter on the Dream, now were going for Platinum status. Next year you and Sarah need to join us on the 4 nighter that sails February 2 on the Dream.
Do you already have it booked?
Cruising definitely seems like something that would be fun with other couples.
Yes, were booked. Sails February 2nd on the Dream out of Canaveral, 4 night Bahamian Itinerary. Which is perfect because I always hate knowing were sailing home after Castaway Cay on the third night … so day 4, the day at sea is quite nice.
That’s way too far in advance for us to make concrete plans, but I’ll keep you posted via email.
Yay! Glad you guys finally made it on a Disney Cruise. I was the same way at first, not sure I could take the “relaxation” part of the cruise. Disney proved me wrong there by not “forcing” me to relax. We’ve been on 2 cruise now, and on our first cruise sitting by the pool and napping had no appeal to me and I kept busy all the time. Second time around, I found myself relaxing more. I think Disney Cruising has actually made me more relaxed in “normal” parts of life. Regardless, we love it and have our 3rd booked this summer, this time with some of our best friends. Really looking forward to that one!
Itinerary wise, we’ve done 1 Caribbean and 1 Alaska. We loved both, but preferred Caribbean. I think that is because both my wife & I have roots in the NW USA, so Alaska was less “different” for us. You are right though, Disney’s round trip Alaska cruises don’t give National Park opportunities. The time is too limited. That isn’t to say the scenery isn’t still spectacular, and we did visit a couple of National monument areas (Here is a shot I took from a floatplane in Misty Fjords National Monument – http://www.flickr.com/photos/spgoad/11038046024/). Alaska had great photo opportunities and we enjoyed it, but we see ourselves sticking to the more tropical locations in the future.
Wow, that photo is excellent, thanks for sharing.
I can see what you mean about Alaska. I get the feeling that’s a place I’d want to experience at my own pace. I’d also want to photograph the parks at sunrise and sunset, and I think that would be a challenge with any cruise line.