I honestly did not expect to enjoy myself as much as I did on our vacation. As you know, I begrudgingly went on this trip for my kids. I was expecting this to be like every other family trip, where the kids have an amazing time but I am just tired and beat up by the end of it from so much work managing everything. I am happy to report that this was so far one of the few family vacations where I truly got to relax and enjoy myself, too.
The service gets high praise from us.
From the minute we checked in and walk in to board we were treated like royalty. As we entered the ship into the main deck there was music playing and the staff announce our arrival. “Welcome The Fleischman Family” blared out into the main reception area for all other guests to hear, hello wedding reception memories. After this, our girls were no longer just our girls, they were now Princesses and always greeted as such.
The Disney Cruise Line does live up to the high expectations one who have of a cruise at this price point. Everything is incredibly clean and well kept. The staff is always on and very professional. We were amazed at how hard they worked, yet everyone we encountered was cheerful and very happy to help answer our questions or solve a problem. On our cruise there were just over 3,100 guests and about 1,600 crew members. That means there were two guests per staff member which I think is part of the reason it was such an incredible experience. Nothing goes unchecked, and no question unanswered.
Food.
There is no chance of not feeling satiated on this cruise. There are so many food options, even for those with diet restrictions or allergies, like me. The way that the family dining experiences are set up is that for breakfast and lunch you have options to go to the main food hall, called Cabanas, where there is a buffet. We chose this option for breakfast every morning. On your last morning you dine at an assigned location. For lunch there is a buffet at Cabanas and there are other smaller restaurants where you can get things like, sandwiches, burgers, chicken, fries, etc. a la carte throughout the afternoon. all day long.
Pro tip: Food Allergies
I have a dairy allergy so we let them know when we made our reservations. The first day was difficult for me to navigate at the buffet, but what you need to do is identify a host and let know you have your food prepared separately. That means your food is prepared fresh and on the spot, so it does take some time, especially if there are other allergy orders ahead of yours. At the evening service you do not have to wait as long since they are aware of allergies ahead of time. What our waiter would do was he would have the following evening’s menu ready for me so that I could choose the dishes that I wanted and the chef would be notified in advance.
This Ship was CLEAN.
We were particularly impressed with the cleanliness throughout . The first time we went up to eat at the lunch buffet we noticed that you are greeted by a staff member and prompted to wash or disinfect hands before you enter the restaurant. We were very happy to comply and so was everybody else. We soon realized that outside all of the family restaurants on the cruise ship there were hand washing or disinfecting stations and staff waiting to prompt you before you went in. That was great news because no one wants to be out at sea with a case of food poisoning that could’ve been easily avoided.
One of my concerns was the pool. I had been warned that they can be pretty gross on a cruise ship. I was expecting that the kids would swim the first day and that would be it, for fear that the place would become a germ stew. That was not the case, the pools closed multiple times a day to allow for testing and cleaning. Another place I was concerned would be toxic was the gym, but it was beautifully kept and the views were so beautiful. The gym is housed in the spa area and was clean and peaceful. It did get crowded and the free classes on board booked fast so I only worked out on the treadmills and weight machines.
I am allergic to dust, mold, and everything in between and did not have to take any allergy medication on the entire trip. Usually when I am away I have to take allergy medicine to sleep because of the hidden dust in rooms or dirty AC vents but I have zero complaints here.
Activities
There are so many things to do aboard the ship that there is no way you can do it all on one trip. This explains why there are so many people who actually go on these cruises multiple times, you will never be bored.
There was one morning where I made it my mission to see as many of the characters as possible. We started with waiting on line to take photos with Princess Tiana for Rosie. There are photo opportunities on a regular schedule and you just line up at the designated location to get your opportunity. I found that the morning photo-op lines (around 10am) were the shortest as most people were busy at the breakfast buffet or enjoying some other activity. You can take your own photos but there is also a Disney photographer there to add the photos to your package. The best part of the experience was literally bumping into Princesses everywhere. Once they had seen us for photos many of them remembered our girls and stopped to talk to them, and take additional candid photos.
Pro tip: Character Encounters
If you do not need the staged photos and prefer not to wait in line then you can catch the characters as they are escorted back and forth to the photo station. It’s easier after they are done with the scheduled photo session so they are not in a rush. This is how my kids got a chance to chat with the characters in a more relaxed and casual environment. There will also be opportunities for organized photos at Disney Cay.
We saw Cinderella as she made her way back from a photo session. 
Running into Captain Hook. 
Of course Princess Tiana remembered them a few days later. 
Drop Your Kids Off!
We used the drop off almost once a day, unless we were docked and our girls loved it. Our girls are 4 and 6 so we only used the Oceaneer Lab area. They are used to being in school or camp so they were okay with being in this kind of environment. There is very little structure, no organized daily schedule. Unless there is a planned character show, or activity your child has to decide where to go. The center is broken up into different activity rooms where the kids can go depending what they are in the mood for. There are areas for interactive dance, play, coloring, crafts, computer games, etc. We used the drop off while we went to dinner a few nights at the adult restaurants. Once the girls made friends they started to coordinate times when they wanted to meet with them at the Kids’ Club. We did do some of the activities like, bake cookies, Pluto’s Pajama Party, and Doc McStuffins.
Kids’ Club Safety & Cleanliness Are On Point
The kids get a GPS bracelet at check in when you board the ship. Inside the Children’s Center there is an actual location tracker enabled. The kids scan their bracelets to go in and the feature is activated. When you arrive to pick up your child you must have your Key to the World card (AKA room key), which will show them your photo and you must ALSO give them your special password that was set up at registration. Then, they locate your child and you go inside to find them at the specified location. Before entering and leaving everyone must wash their hands.
Watch The Live Shows With Your Kids
We watched Aladdin with our girls and they LOVED it. I had been fearful because it was later in the evening and because we cannot get our four year old to sit still at a movie so I had planned for one of us to take her out if she got restless. Not to worry. She was so captivated and engaged she stayed put the whole time. I wonder if it helped that she was a bit familiar with the story. She loved the show and watching her reactions to Jaffar and all the action on the stage was so cool. A true life moment where I got to see the world through my child’s eyes and relive the magic of watching live theater for the first time. The show was magnificent. The acting, singing, sets, special effects, and wardrobe were all fantastic.
Great Overall Experience
Overall, we all really loved our time together on our Disney Cruise. There were things for all of us to do together as a family and tons of activities that we could each enjoy independently. I would highly recommend Disney Cruise lines to anyone leery of a cruise or disinterested in a Disney World. There were so many special moments for us as a family and our time together will always be special to us. My favorite moment when we got home was when our six year old daughter walked up to her room and said, “Can this be vacation and the cruise be our house?” That made it all worth it. I know she too, cherished the time away and had an unforgettable experience.
Until our next voyage!
