Our Disney Cruise Experience: A Review From Someone That Doesn’t Like Buffets Or The Sun
We were honored to have been able to have a Disney Cruise experience on the Disney Dream this September, and let me tell you, it truly is an experience like no other. Our family had never done anything Disney yet. So we knew it would be special for the kids… and a cruise is awesome of course, but we weren’t sure what to expect with the Disney Cruise. Weeks prior to our trip, we noticed when people talked about Disney a little more, and not being fully immersed in Disney culture just yet but just on the cusp, we paid attention. Robert and I weren’t huge Disney people by ourselves. Then we had kids and are in many senses, living the magic through them, but in this way where we have said to ourselves many times ‘ohhhh so thiiiiis is what people are talking about’. But there is something really special once you go through this magic in any kind of Disney experience, and I feel lucky to have done it with the Disney Cruise Line first. Here’s why.
The only cruise I have ever been on was at the end of high school with girl friends, and I only remember the virgin pina coladas and night clubs that we were so excited to get into at age 18. I realized that a cruise with kids can be really cool, because everything is in one location. If you are familiar with kid/toddler life, this is the best scenario for anything ever. I absolutely loved how activities were only a floor away, and everything we wanted to do was so easy to get to. No car rides, stroller rides, or long lines. But let me tell you where the magic happened for me; in the kids’ club. This place is magical! This is a place where you can check your children in to play for the day, night, hours, however long they want! Let me also say, that I don’t freely let anyone watch my kids. I have to feel safe and that’s exactly how this made me feel. The check-in process is a thorough system of safety and the counselors there are experienced (some with more than 5 years) with children. Most are counselors from around the world (they have their countries listed on their nametag it was really so cool) and they are extremely interactive and play with the kids. Everyone who enters gets wristbands which are gps activated and can locate them anywhere on the ship. Every time we picked the kids up, they knew exactly where they were. I got to have a media tour of the kids’ club when it was empty, and then also took a ton of photos during the open house with the kids, because I was so amazed. I kept repeating in my stories, that everything was so clean (big selling point for me), and how there was SO much to see and do. I could’ve been dropped off there and been perfectly content for hours. Activities included cooking classes, group dances, ipad and move rooms, tracing and coloring, games, and so much more. And this was just for our age kids!
Here are the only downfalls for our family personally. Elston being 3.5 was still a little too small for a few things, which wouldn’t be a big deal if we didn’t have Jackson already able to do them. For example, Elston was still under 42 inches for the big slide at the top that looked super awesome! She was too young for snorkeling which is something that Robert and Jackson did separately, and potentially a few of the excersions. People that have asked me about whether the Disney Cruise Line is a good idea for their kids, I’ve been telling them; it’s fine for any age because there is always something to do. But I can see how finally at age 5 and up, the kids are able to get the full experience. And parents with kids 7, 9, etc, and up, it’s a true vacation for everyone! We still had incredible experiences in everything that we were able to do, I definitely see why people come back every year, even to the same exact experience.
One of Robert’s favorite things besides not having to cook for our family, was the app. He was blown away by the exclusive software app that can organize all events going on on the whole ship, personal events you sign up for, meals, locations and maps, and the chat feature within the app. This is where Robert and I could communicate if we were separated and each doing something with a child. It’s like Whatsapp for the ship, because you can prepay for internet (very reasonable) and then not have to use your phone plans or rely on service at all. I would pull up the schedule and character greetings each day, and know exactly what was going on so we could plan to do everything we wanted. This was also an easy way we signed up to meet princesses, which was very high on our list.
Here’s where I’ll touch on the food. If you know me, you know I’m a particular eater. I prefer not to use picky. I like what I like, and don’t like a few things. Buffets being one of them. We did eat at the restaurant (buffet) for breakfast and a dinner and it was delicious, so easy, and something for everyone. Everything was fresh and wasn’t one of those buffets where stuff sits out for awhile. Probably because it’s a cruise and they are always replenishing, but also because a lot of meal times, were certain times that would start and end. My favorite food parts were the fancy restaurant Palo that Robert and I got to have a solo date at… the food was absolutely incredible and the service was even better. I would eat there a million times! They are also very accommodating to food allergies on board, and I never really stressed about our peanut allergy because it was easy to work around and didn’t feel like a big deal, which is huge for us.
I also LOVED the poolside grill that always had hot and fresh pizza slices and hamburgers/hotdogs (and hot fries, I’m a sucker for freshly dropped steaming hot fries)… I mean, I couldn’t ask for more with that because it was always open and fast, so we could always grab a fresh snack or feed the kids quickly. They also had fruit and sandwiches too, so it wasn’t completely all fried stuff. We also go little snacks delivered to the room often that were such a fun treat! When we went to the Disney exclusive island one of the days, and there was a huge cookout for everyone since it was the cruise members only.
Another thing I loved is that each day can be different and just as special with events. We always felt like we had fun stuff to do, but even if we just wanted to chill out, we could hang out at the pool or in the little kid water park at the top of the ship. The other factor that I suppose makes me high maintenance is that I don’t love the sun. I was allergic to it my entire life with really bad eczema so I’ve just never loved baking in it. Something I learned about me and a cruise, is that you don’t have to bake in it all day. I’m used to taking the kids to the beach and just staying there all day, which usually isn’t pleasant for me, lover of cold weather. Being on the cruise made me feel like I didn’t have to be in the sun all day. We enjoyed the pool, slides, water activities, but there was so much to do and see, it seemed we were always moving. This and the fact that it always seems to be windy on the cruise, so I never felt that dreadful hot that Atlanta humidity in the summer tortures me with. So with all of that, I really was a happy camper.
The shows on the boat are just another level. I wanted to mention this really quickly, because we saw Beauty and the Beast on board and it was incredible. It’s actually one of the shows that has one many awards in the industry and had 2 members that were straight from Broadway. Everything in this aspect felt top notch and I could tell that the events and planning people put a lot into this part of the experience.
Overall, I was blown away how catering Disney is in general, their customer service is truly world renowned. But then when you factor in kids, it really is a whole other level. They are there to cater to kids and it shows. Everything was for them, and made their experience so special, which is really all I would ask for in a trip like this. From the food (mickey pancakes/shapes to serving presentation and separated plates), to quick and easy meals at least somewhere on board (because when you have kids, there is no telling when you’ll need a snack), to the bunk beds in the room. There is the ability for someone to take kids to the kids club in the middle of dinner called Dine and Play, if they are bored and parents are not! The ceilings in the kid areas are low on purpose, so they feel safe. There are so many details just for them, it’s gratifying to see it play out.
All of those things, little details, made their entire trip. I feel like there is so much more and we just scratched the surface as far as what we got to do, and just because of the kids’ ages being on the young side. Yes, it felt like an actual vacation at times which is just the season we are in with young kids… it’s not going to always. We still live the life of working around potty breaks, naptime, readily available food… but I will tell you, Disney makes it so much easier than it is at home! I do love how a cruise is enclosed and paid for up front…and everything is in the same place. I’ve had a lot of people ask me if they should do a cruise over Disney World/Land. This experience is just different, it’s 3 vacations in one; Disney experience, Cruise, tropical vacation. I would definitely take this trip again, it was an experience that basically kicked off our children’s childhood and allowed Robert and I to live in a way we never could when growing up. It truly is magical and I am ending this to say, I get it Disney, I’m here now and I get it!
Thank you to Disney and Disney Cruise Line for giving our family the trip of a lifetime and offer our kids an experience they will never forget. We are so grateful.
Have you had a Disney cruise experience before? Share in a comment below!
