Ten Reasons our Family Loves Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line….has totally raised the bar for our family vacations.  Ever since our sailing last January on the Disney Dream, we haven’t stopped talking about our cruise, and we are SO looking forward to our next one.  In a way…..a VERY good way…..Disney Cruise Line has totally changed our view on vacationing, cruising, and our Disney vacations.  I could go on and on as to why we loved our cruise, how much it was TOTALLY worth the cruise fare, and that we are only 102 days from our next one.   But for this week, during the 31-days of Disney series, we are going to dive into Disney Cruise Line, and I am starting with the Ten Reasons our Family Loves Disney Cruise Line.

Reason #1:  The stellar quality and guest service of Disney Cruise Line is amazing.  I mean, it’s Disney, right? Do don’t you expect to have high quality and amazing service?  I did, and they did not disappoint.  The attention to detail is awesome.  Boarding the Disney Dream, and hearing them say, “Welcome aboard, Hurst Family” started our trip off on a great note!   The details in the decor, your stateroom, and even the attention your servers and stateroom host give you are phenomenal.  They literally leave no stone unturned.

Reason #2:  Spacious staterooms.  We are a family of 5, so finding a room that will hold us….plus one that is spacious…..is a serious undertaking.  Our cabin on the Disney Dream was awesome.  Granted, we didn’t spend a ton of time in it, since we were out enjoying the ship’s amenities and activities.  But they think of everything!  Our room had a split bathroom, with one side housing the toilet and a sink while the other housed the shower/bath and another sink. They were separated by a wall, and each had their own door.  Each of our kids had their own bed, and we had a nice privacy curtain we could pull between our sleeping space and the kids. The stateroom host pulled down the trundle and magically transformed the sofa into a set of bunk beds each night while we were at dinner.  Plus the verandah added more space, which was awesome.  I will never cruise without a verandah.

Reason #3:  Food, food, and more food.  Any time of day, we could eat.  Whether it is at the Cabanas buffet for breakfast or lunch, the walk up quick service locations for a late night meal or snack, or sitting down to relax in our Main Dining Room for the evening, we never went hungry.  Plus, our kids loved the idea of room service.  We are definitely indulging more with room service on our upcoming cruise.  Another thing we loved as far as food went, is it is a great time to try something new.  If you see something on the menu, and you want to give it a try, just ask your server.  He/she will bring you some!  If your kids are less than excited about the kids menu for the evening, and they would rather have a cheese pizza, don’t be afraid to ask!  They will do what they can to accommodate.

Reason #5:  Entertainment.  There is more to keep you entertained on your sailing than you can even fit into the time you are at sea.  Origami towel classes, mixology classes, movies, cooking classes, drawing classes, character dance parties, character meet and greets, swimming, spa…..tons to do!   Everyday, you get a Daily Navigator.  This spells out the schedule, where to locate the activities, and helps you plan your day.  They leave this for you every night, so you can look it over and sort of plan your next day.  Most of the activities are included in your cruise fare.  If they are not, it is noted on your Navigator.

Reason #6:  Special Events.  These are included in your cruise fare, and make your cruise extra fun.  For example, the Castaway Cay 5K is open to every guest on the cruise, age 10 and older.  It is free, and you just have to sign up when you board.  The Pirate Deck Party on Pirate Night is a MUST do, and there are even fireworks while you are at sea!  The Sail Away Party is another fun event.  This takes place as you are literally sailing away from your port.  We loved it because we didn’t even realize we were moving……we were so enthralled with the party!  Plus, when you sail during Star Wars Day at Sea, Halloween on the High Seas, and Very MerryTime Cruises, you have so many special, seasonal events onboard as well!

Reason #7:  Character interaction.  It is fantastic on Disney Cruise Line.  It was so awesome to see characters constantly out to see guests.  When we would walk through the atrium between dinner and our show, etc, there were always several characters meeting guests.  Plus, if it is a special night {like Pirate Night}, Mickey and Minnie are dressed in their pirate gear, Hook, Smee, and Peter Pan are out and about….it is so well themed!  We even saw Belle wandering the hall, without a handler.   She was perfectly happy to stop and sign an autograph and take a photo with our daughter.

 

Reason #8:  Castaway Cay.  Oh, Castaway Cay….it’s so beautiful, serene, and amazing.  Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island in the Bahamas.  Every itinerary stops at Castaway Cay, and you can get off at CC and not spend a single penny.  We used our Castaway Cay day as a beach day.  We lounged on the beach, enjoyed the sun, and the kids came and went from the kids clubs.  They open the kids’ clubs on Castaway Cay.  They also open the Cookies’ BBQ, and bring out fresh fruit carts, the soft serve ice cream, station, and water stations.  It’s super awesome!  We played basketball, shuffleboard, swam, played mini golf, and just enjoyed the weather.

Reason #9:  Everything is at your fingertips.  We literally wanted for nothing when we were on our cruise.  That is something I loved about it.  Once we got the lay of the land, we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves.  We could choose to relax on the verandah, or take Natalie around to see characters.  The boys were in and out of the kids clubs.  If we needed ANYTHING, all we had to do was go to Guest Services, or call our stateroom host, and they were happy to help.  I loved the cruise because there wasn’t so much planning involved before we went.  With a Disney parks trip, there are months and months of planning involved.  With our cruise, you just get on the ship, and go.  I felt like there was plenty to do, but if we didn’t get to something, we didn’t miss out.

Reason #10:  Unlimited goodies all day.  My kids LOVED the unlimited refills at the drink station on the Pool Deck.  I loved that if we needed to eat more soft serve ice cream cones, all we had to do was go to the Eye Scream and get one.  I think my daughter ate her height in ice cream cones!   If we needed a little afternoon snack, we’d just call room service and ask, or visit the quick service window on the pool deck and pick up some fruit, chips, etc.  We weren’t over indulgent, or wasteful. But it was so nice to not have to pull out cash every time we wanted something because it was all included.  We could have boarded the Disney Dream, and not spent a single penny….and we would have felt just as satisfied.

Only 101 more days, and we will be sailing away to the Western Caribbean!  Can’t wait!