I Love My Life

We are starting the year with the cream of the crop…the top dog…the highest of the high! A cruise with the Disney Cruise Line. I’ve had incredible opportunities laid before me, and I’ve tried to take advantage of everything life—and Sweet Husband—offer me. I’ve got a great life, and I’m having an amazing time.

Plus I’ve cruised on Disney. Four times. So far.

Take D Cruise—ANY Cruise

Before I go any farther, let’s be clear: Every cruise is fantastic.

Take any and every cruise you possibly can in your lifetime, regardless of destinations and cruise line. It is definitely my favorite type of vacation, and I encourage you to give it a try. 

Don’t Start With The Disney Cruise Line

Along those lines…Don’t start your cruising life with the Disney Cruise Line. It is among the greatest of all cruise lines even without the Disney touches, so taking a Disney cruise first might make it very difficult for you to fully enjoy other cruise lines.

But if you get the chance…well…don’t say no!

A Few Details About The Disney Cruise Line

Disney entered the world of cruising in 1998 with one ship, and, as of right now, they are operating five ships in most of the world’s oceans at least part of the year. While their first cruise port home was Port Canaveral in Florida, Disney ports all over the world, repositioning their ships to be available to as many cruisers as possible at any given time.

Operating everything from the occasional 2-night cruise to more than 15-day Panama Canal repositioning cruises, you will be able to find a cruise that will work for your family.  Branching out from their early years, Disney operates in Europe during the summer, if that fits into your travel schedule. If you are considering Alaska as a cruise destination, Disney positions a ship in Canada during that short cruise season, as well. 

A fantastic thing for you to consider is a holiday cruise—either Halloween or Christmas. Disney does a spectacular job on their cruise ships with not only decorating the ships, but scheduling a wide variety of activities for adults, children and families to enjoy. If you get the chance, I can’t recommend cruising during a holiday strongly enough. 

Do you have to be a Disney fan?

I always tell you the truth, and I won’t sugarcoat things. You really need to have some knowledge, understanding and appreciation of all things Disney to get the most out of the cruise. It is possible to enjoy yourself if you aren’t interested in the Disney-specific things, but why would you? Disney cruises often have over 1000 kids on board. That’s one thousand…or more. Lines abound for Disney character meets and Disney-style shows. Why would anyone put up with all of that if they weren’t a fan? 

It’s your money. Spend it how you like. Just consider your cruisemates when you are making this decision.

The Disney Difference

There is absolutely no doubt about it—Disney is different. From the moment you step onto the ship—and are announced to clapping and cheering from the crew assembled in the atrium—to the moment you leave the ship, everything is different. Dare I say it? 

Better.

Let’s look at some of the most salient differences that can help you make the most informed decision possible.

Food

You won’t go hungry on any cruise ship. But on Disney…

~Buffet

Open only for breakfast and lunch, the buffet is an excellent alternative for you. The extensive breakfast offerings include an omelet station made-to-order, and plenty of healthy options. The lunch offerings are just on another level. With unlimited peel-and-eat shrimp and crab legs, you can easily make your meal right there. There are multiple options on the buffet for lunch, including those for people looking for healthy options or other dietary needs. This is the best, freshest buffet I’ve had at sea, but it’s still my absolute last choice while onboard.

~Other lunch options

Most ships floating now have counter service restaurants located near the Lido deck for alternatives during lunch, and these options are what I prefer on every cruise ship I travel on. For Disney, you will have some counters common to other cruise lines, including a spot for burgers and chicken fingers,  a sandwich and salad shop, and soft-serve ice cream. I like these options, because they are generally made to order, and are fresher than buffet line items. Further, in my experience, you will have little to no wait if you go for any of these pool-side options. 

~Room service

Offerings on the room service menu are dwindling on other cruise lines, but are still plentiful on Disney. While the morning options are more limited than any other ship I’ve been on, their 24 hour options are excellent. The most important item available isn’t even on the menu—make sure you request the famous, iconic Mickey Bars when you call for your afternoon snack!

~Rotational Dining

This is one of the most important—and amazing—of the Disney innovations when they entered the cruise market. On every other cruise line, you are seated at the same table each night in the same restaurant, and you have the same service team. A great system. Disney just kicked it up a notch…or ten. Each Disney ship has three signature restaurants, and you are assigned a table number. You, and your service team, go to a different restaurant each night. Your table number stays the same, but you are in a different restaurant with a different theme, probably a show, and a menu developed to match the restaurant you are in. Your serving team comes with you as you visit each restaurant, building an incredible professional relationship with you as the week progresses. Unlike most mainstream cruise lines, Disney has NO unscheduled or “your time” dining, and the buffet is also closed during dinner, making the rotational style your option.

~Upcharge Restaurants

Unless you want to visit a restaurant for an additional charge. Disney has a fantastic upcharge restaurant on each of its ships, that you can make reservations in for an incredible dining experience. Common advice is to schedule the upcharge restaurant for brunch—not only is the experience fantastic, but doing it for brunch will not impact your rotational dinner assignment. 

~Have a Coke and a smile

Unlike every other cruise line, Disney includes Coke products for free on the Lido deck and in all of the restaurants! You will still be charged if you order a soda from room service or at a bar, but you can easily fill your reusable cup on the Lido deck with your favorite Coke beverage. 

Activities

There is a long list of things you can do onboard the ship—included in your cruise fare. Let’s break them down a little.

Trivia

I start with something I have absolutely no interest in, but is always crowded when I look in. If you enjoy trivia, most cruise lines do a great job of having a number of sessions with a wide variety of topics. Have at it!

Bingo

Happening the same as on other ships, Bingo is expensive, but loads of fun. Definitely worth looking into!

Educational talks/Cruise tours

These types of things tend to be specific to your itinerary. For example, Alaska cruises always have a naturalist on board who gives very interesting topics. Disney provides different tour of the ship, has educational talks, and—my favorite—the chef demonstrating how to make a few key dishes, so you will have plenty to do.

Karaoke

Yeah…something else that is wildly popular but not at all my speed. Disney has it, and most importantly it is broken up between “all ages” and “adults only”, so everyone can participate in their own way.

Crafts

This is quite specific to Disney in my experience, and a great way for you to spend an hour onboard. My favorite Disney-specific craft class is Animation, where you learn how to draw a Disney character. There are other craft classes that are “make and take” type activities. My favorite thing about the crafts, similar to other things on the ship, are broken down between everyone and adults only, so I can choose what to participate in, and with what type of vibe. 

Shows

This is one of those areas in which nobody holds a candle to Disney. IF—and I mean it—IF you like Disney shows. They are absolutely Broadway style and almost at that caliber. They are, however, very much Disney centered.

Whereas on other cruise lines, they have great shows with fantastic performers, they are usually stage shows centered on a genre of music or a decade. They don’t necessarily tell a story—which is exactly what Disney does with their stage shows. Whatever you’ve seen at Disney theme parks, the shows onboard are even better. Go early to get a good seat.  

Characters

Here we go, people. This is not a drill. Remember when they announced your name as you stepped onto the ship? Look up in the atrium…Mickey will be waving to you. No kidding—it starts right away. Different characters have scheduled meet and greets morning, afternoon and evening. Not only will you meet the “regular” characters, but princesses will show up!

Pirates will show up—including Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hook, and you will find some characters from the Marvel Universe, too! They will wear different outfits on different days, including specific outfits for theme nights, and appropriate attire near the pool. You can line up to meet whomever you would like, or just lounge around and watch them saunter by giving you a smile and a wave. It is pure Disney magic. Magic, I tell you. 

Deck Parties

If you’ve caught the theme, Disney takes everything other lines do, and kicks it up a level or two. Same with deck parties. Whereas on other cruises I’ve done some line dancing and the YMCA, Disney deck parties include not only the humans who are in charge of entertainment, but different characters, dancing and singing and interacting with guests. Have you ever seen Tinkerbell fly from the castle during the fireworks at a Disney park? Well, get ready to see somebody else fly across the sky while you are at sea. Oh, yeah, and there are the fireworks, too. Did I mention that? Fireworks. At sea. Magic, I tell you.

But wait! There’s more!

Now that we’ve talked about some of the things Disney does do, it’s time to talk about the cruise traditions that Disney doesn’t follow. Catch me next time for part two of Disney Cruises!

In the meantime, find my detailed trip review from December 2022  that was posted on Cruisecritic.com (the BEST source for all things cruising): CLICK HERE

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS FAR!!!

Thank you for reading all about my time with the Disney Cruise Line!!

Hey, since you’re here! You may as well check out some other tips, like how to make an airplane comfortable, here, or traveling for Halloween, here! Or, check out our other topics here! Either way, I appreciate you!

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