Disney Cruising: Pros and Cons

Many people get sticker shock when they initially look into Disney Cruise Line and wonder, what on earth am I paying this much money for?!? Having been on 11 Disney Cruises and now being a proud Platinum member and also having sailed Royal Caribbean I think I might be able to answer that question a little better than before.

PROS

The Disney Fantasy.

Ship Size. Disney Cruise Line has smaller ships and therefore less people on board, making the experience a bit more personal than some of the mega-liners other lines have.

Rotational Dining. DCL has a great dining experience and has definitely stepped up their game in the food department, the last few cruises we’ve been on we’ve had great meals and we aren’t afraid to send back the meals we don’t think are perfect anymore, always ask for a new meal if you don’t like what you get. Also the fact that you and your wait staff go to three different dining locations throughout the cruise is a great way to experience different cuisine and see all three wonderful dining rooms. Palo is also a great option and I’ve heard Remy is as well.

Family Activities and Kids Clubs. Disney is known for entertaining and they have some of the best entertainment around. The kids clubs are awesome, the only downside is adults aren’t allowed! (I’m so jealous I was never cruising when I was younger so I could play in those awesome kids spaces!). Shore excursions include lots of options for families and for younger children.

Minimal Smoking. There are only a few areas aboard that smoking is allowed, so that makes the ship a lot more enjoyable from my perspective.

Castaway Cay. The private island alone is a reason to go sail with DCL. You must experience it for yourself, it is an amazing place and the adult only beach area is fabulous.

Broadway style theater shows. The entertainment is fantastic, each ship has a slightly different set of Broadway quality theater shows as well as great entertainers that come aboard that vary. (However we have seen the same magician and ventriloquist a few times).

Friendliness. The cast members aboard are always especially friendly and willing to help you in whatever way they can. Many crew members are familiar and sometimes recognize you from cruise to cruise, makes you feel at home!

Satellite Falls on the Fantasy.

Europa- the adults only area at night.

One of the bars in Europa on the Fantasy.

Serenity bay, the adults only beach on Castaway Cay.

Adult areas. The adult areas, especially on the new ships are fantastic. Lots of fun new bars and adult pool areas make the Disney ship a retreat for adults where they don’t have to deal with screaming kids.

Disney Characters. On no other cruise line do you get to meet and greet with Mickey and friends!

Cleanliness. Disney is determined to keep their ships clean and their customers healthy and happy, we’ve been happy with the way the ship is maintained and the crew members are always passing out sanitizing wipes before meals.

Cons

Price. Disney Cruise Line is way more expensive than most lines, and isn’t all inclusive. However there is unlimited soda from the fountains on the top decks and all regular dining is included, but not wine or beer or specialty meals at Palo and Remy.

Kids. If you don’t like a lot of children, you might be turned off Disney. The adults only areas are great places to get away from kids and honestly we’ve never had problems with them (they are usually contained pretty well by the kids spaces.)

Limited Itineraries. With only 4 ships there are only so many destinations Disney can go to, which is a factor to consider.

Discounts. It is rare for Disney to discount cruises, and if they do they are usually for very last minute sailings. The best way to get a “discount” is to rebook on board for 10% off your next voyage.

Everything is Disney. If you don’t like hearing Disney music playing in the halls at all hours or are capable of eventually tuning it out you may get sick of all that excess Disney cheer that floats around. However if you don’t mind, it really is a great way to travel with class.

Limited “extras”. The new Royal Caribbean ships have a robotic bar and a giant pod that lifts you high into the sky, a surfing simulator and rock climbing walls. Disney has none of that, but they do have great cooking classes and mixology and other tasting classes.

Whichever cruise line you choose be sure to do your research on what all is included and what the ship has for amenities.

New Year’s Eve at Sea: Disney Dream

Have you ever wanted to ring in the New Year in shorts and a t-shirt? Or perhaps with free champagne and snacks while you wait for the ball to drop in NYC? All while aboard one of the most amazing cruise ships on the water? Look no further than a New Years Eve Disney Cruise!

Our cruise featured a short itinerary with Castaway Cay and Nassau on the list. We spent most of the day on the ship while docked at Nassau and spent the day on Castaway Cay on the adult beach but mostly we spent a lot of time enjoying what the Disney Dream has to offer. Mostly the Rainforest Room in the spa!

We also tacked on a short trip to WDW before we left for our cruise to make a longer vacation our of the trip!

After a nice dinner at one of the boat’s excellent restaurants, we headed over to the bar district on board for a glass of the pink champagne made specially for the ship, relaxed in one of the lounges, watched the show for the night, and checked out some of the other activities (comedians ect.) before going to the top decks to wait for the clock to hit midnight!

Special Mickey clocks had been placed around the open deck area so we could count down to midnight better and keep track of time (I mean if you really wanted to). The whole crew was decked out in their very finest garb and most of the boat chose to dress up as well, which was pretty fun!

While having a dance party in the Caribbean on the 31st of December, we were served champagne (adults only of course) and fruity beverages for the kids as well as countless appetizers (many which I turned away having just eaten a huge dinner of course), however I did not turn away the delicious little bite sized desserts they were serving!

The champagne flutes we got to keep too!

The big screen showed the activities in NYC and we watched the end of the ball dropping after we did our own countdown and had the best fireworks at sea! The aqua-duck was lit up and of course there was a dance party after the fireworks! In usual DCL style it was a wonderful way to celebrate a new year!

The boat of course was still decorated for Christmas and there was still plenty of Christmas merchandise available. Our fellow cruisers were very friendly and we very much so enjoyed sitting in the sun while our friends at home were stuck inside while it snowed.

Another plus to this particular cruise? A special New Years Eve poster, limited edition, only those on board a Disney ship for a NYE cruise can get them! We had ours framed with some photos from our trip.

My thoughts: if you want to spend New Years with friends and family in a safe and fun environment (also warm) go on a Disney Cruise! Also, you don’t have to worry about who will drive home after a night of celebrating, just crawl back to your stateroom! For those adults worried that they will have to pay an extraordinary amount of money for drinks, don’t worry, you can carry on alcohol with you (however they ask you to consume your own alcohol in your room). There are lots of adult events and of course a lot of kids events, a win-win for everyone, and plus you can do it all in flip flops! This cruise is a bit pricey (we went on vacation club points) but it is a holiday cruise so a large price tag is to be expected, for sure is worth the money!

Tips: bring formal wear and get great photos from the night, bring NYE hats (some are provided but it is fun to bring your own and the kids might take all of the DCL ones)

As always all photos are my property, please leave a comment to purchase a photo, and I’d love to hear comments on what else you would like to see me blog about!

Happy sailing and I hope a cruise director welcomes you “home” soon!

My Bucket List.

Everyone should have a bucket list- some sort of list of things that you would LOVE to do someday. This is my ‘someday’ list.

1. Travel without a destination in mind.

I’ve always wanted to just drive up to the airport (ideally an international airport) and just take the next available flight to somewhere. Once I got to that somewhere I would find a place to stay, discover the local flavor and scene, and talk to the locals. Many travel blogs recommend that you ask a bar tender or a taxi driver about what to do/see in where ever you happen to be at. I’d love to have this experience. There is nothing better than the feeling of conquering a new city that you’ve never been to before and because discovering something new is the best way to grow as a person that is why this is at the top of my bucket list.

2. Live in London Permanently (or as a second home)

London is by far my all time favorite place I’ve ever been. I felt more at home in this city than I do in Omaha. The fact that I could stumble across a quaint little cafe or a movie set around every corner was pretty sweet. There was never a lack of things to do and when I felt the need to discover something different, I was always only a train ride away from a new country or a new town with something unique to offer. I know this is one of the priciest places in the world to live but if I ever make my millions on something the first thing I would do would be to buy a home in my favorite city. I even have my favorite part of the city (and even ideal location for my flat) picked out.

right about here would be nice 🙂

3. An around the world cruise.

Cruising is my favorite way to travel. It is an awesome way to sample a lot of different places all while returning to the same home base and never having to unpack bags more than once (ideally). I wanted to do a Semester at Sea for my study abroad experience – but I ended up in London instead. I still feel the need to go see as much of the world as I can before it all becomes one big tourist trap. China, India, Africa and South America are all places I want to explore hopefully on this dream cruise I want to take. I guess I could just take a bunch of shorter ones as well instead of just one big around the world voyage (when I find my imaginary money tree). Traveling really helps me put things into perspective and grow as a person, so the more cultures I can experience the better!

4. See the Northern Lights.

As a photographer this is another dream vacation. I’ve always wanted to go and hunt for the Northern Lights and try to capture beautiful photos to remember them by. I’ve known a few people that went to go see them in places like Iceland and I would absolutely love to experience this miracle of nature. I’m not usually one that wants to camp, but I think I could deal with staying a few nights in a cabin in the woods so I could snap a few awesome pictures of the lights!

5. Go to the Olympics

I’m not sure why I’ve always wanted to go to the Olympics, but every two years when it appears on our TV screens on NBC I always have this desire to be there right in the thick of the action. I think it is something about the fact that the whole world gets together to compete against each other and to celebrate the best of the best in the athletic world. I think that being right there and experiencing people from every different kind of culture would be such an amazing experience as well as getting to see athletes who are at the peak of their career. I’d love to go see the equestrian events as well as some of the other sports. Overall, I just think going to the Olympics would be a great experience.

This is the end of my list that I will share here, there are many more things I’d like to do and places I’d like to see, but I won’t bore you with everything else (at least not in this post). Happy traveling and remember to live your dreams!

Ode to the Beach

There is nothing better than sitting on the beach and thinking about life. I find that while I am on vacation I’m often stressed and always trying to decide what to do next to take advantage of every second I’m there. When I’m at the beach it is a different situation. There is nothing more peaceful than sitting back in a beach chair, closing your eyes and taking a deep breath of salty air and listening to the waves crash against the sand.

The beach is a place for serenity. It is a place to make memories. A place to eat sand. A place to run away from siblings and friends chasing you with gross dead sea creatures. A place to learn about nature. A place to watch sea turtles lay their eggs or to watch baby turtles make their first march to the ocean. I’ve encountered many interesting people while at the beach, but the nice thing about the beach is that no matter how much money you have a beat up piggly wiggly shirt is acceptable to wear. I’ve dreamed about my goals while sitting in a beach chair. As a child I pretended to ride my bike alongside wild horses as motivation to keep biking to our final destination. I’ve gotten to swim up close with dolphins in the wild. I’ve seen the dolphins fish.

The beach gives me a sense of a connection to nature. The moment you step off the boardwalk and onto the sand you are no longer on the earth, it is as if you have traveled to a different planet. The air tastes different, the ocean sounds are overwhelming and the atmosphere is peaceful. The beach holds a special place in my heart and I always long to go sit on the sand whenever I’m stressed or need to get away. Here’s to the beach, always the best spot for serenity. Always the best spot to collect your thoughts. Always a good place to take a nap.