I have to admit that when agreeing to go on this cruise, I knew that I would disembark the ship either 1.) vowing never to have children or 2.) deciding to have children. It was definitely risky to spend three days holed up on a ship with a thousand children!
We took a connecting redeye to Orlando, drove to Port Canaveral, and boarded our very first cruise ship. I had never been on a cruise ship before, and had absolutely no idea what to expect. My first impression of Disney (as an adult) came as we were boarding the ship. The registration process was a breeze, as we had received ample clearly-written documentation before we even arrived. There were also more than enough Disney employees scattered throughout the registration area, guiding people to the proper lines and ensuring that everyone had the proper forms filled out.
As we boarded the ship, we were startled when we heard our names announced over the loudspeaker, and were welcomed by two rows of Disney employees who applauding us. What a warm welcome! I felt so.. so.. so special!
We immediately went to our rooms. AT had some work to attend to, and I had a serious need for a catnap (after not sleeping on the redeye). The rooms were much nicer than expected. We had a queen size bed, a sofa and desk, TV, refrigerator, and two bathrooms (one with a toilet/sink and one with a shower/sink). Of course, the bathrooms were pretty small, but very nicely equipped and with fantastic toiletries! We had a room with a very large porthole that let a lot of light into the room.
Instead of napping, we took a quick tour of the boat, then welcomed AT’s boss and her family to the boat. When I tried to get in a nuch-needed nap before dinner, I was very (unpleasantly)
The ship was amazing. There was a huge theater for live performances, a movie theater, many bars/clubs, many play areas, a full-service salon/spa, a health club, basketball courts, two kids pools (one with a huge slide, and the other with a full size movie screen that played kiddie movies all day), one adults pool, an adults only coffee shop, two souvenir shops, a photo studio, and many more things that I can’t remember right now. And just to be sure that you knew what your options were, every day you received a personalized schedule that told you where you would be eating, and listed the day’s activities (organized by age group, activity level, location, and time)
Each day we were assigned to a different location for breakfast and dinner. Each restaurant had a different theme, and was fun in its own unique way. One night, we had dinner at the adults-only Italian restaurant, which, I have to say, rivaled some of the best San Francisco restaurants. It was phenomenal. And it was so nice to eat a fantastic meal without thinking about price (food was all-inclusive). The food was actually quite tasty in all of the restaurants (but we had to ask them to cook the meat medium rare, otherwise it came out pretty cooked). The menu selections were large and diverse. Our servers (who we would have throughout the entire cruise) were extremely attentive and friendly (read: working those tips). The ship also had places where you could get food throughout the day. There was definitely no shortage of food! When I left the cruise ship, I felt like I had swallowed a beach ball.
Every time we entered a restaurant, there were crew members at the door handing out antibacterial wipes. Hah! Makes a lot of sense.. must keep the ship healthy. But seeing the antibacterial wipe station at the entrance to every restaurant still made me laugh.
In the evenings, we met up with the group to try out different bars / clubs on the boat to review their liquor offerings. I’m a lightweight when it comes to drinking, especially when surrounded by (literal)
At night we cruised from port to port. The first morning we woke up to see the ship pulling into the Bahamas. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. While they had offered us a large selection of excursions for the day, I decided that I wanted to gamble! So we went to the casino on Paradise Island where the casino chewed up my wallet and spit it out. We went back to Nassau, watched a bit of the Anna Nicole Smith paternity case drama at the Courthouse, and then went to the old casino on Nassau in search of better luck. After an hour of neutral luck, it was time to head back to the boat. I had been in Nassau before, so I didn’t feel the need to do a tour of the island or visit any of the many fine jewelry shops. In hindsight, I probably should have stayed on the boat and had an all-day spa experience. Oh well! You live and you learn.
The second day, we woke up at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas. Again, they offered many daytime excursions for people to go on, but we decided to do a more low-key, non-planned day. We started out at Serenity Bay, the adults-only part of the island. We went into the cool water, but quickly grew bored when there were no waves to lift us up. I tried to lay on the beach and relax for a while with a book and a cocktail. I succeeded with the cocktail, but not the relaxing part. (I’m not very good at being still on vacation.) I had a 15 minute laughing fit when the sunscreen that I gave AT turned his face blue and he looked like a Smurf. We went for a really nice bike ride around the island, had lunch, went snorkeling, and checked out the rest of the island. It was a very relaxing day after all!
I have to give Disney two thumbs up for the fantastic experience we had on the cruise. They have better customer service than I have ever experienced. They have thought of everything that a family might need, put it into place, and clearly communicated how you can get it. They have thought of things that people didn’t even realize they needed. The staff was ALWAYS courteous, attentive, and gave personalized service. I didn’t want to leave the ship!
If you have children, a Disney Cruise is a must. I didn’t cover everything children-related in this post, because it was not my primary focus on the cruise. But they have created a unique experience for both the children and the parents. I didn’t see any children throwing tantrums or being upset (because their every want/desire was being fulfilled). Every minute of every day, there is something to keep your children’s attention. And if you like, you can check them into the kids play area (on the boat or on the island) in the morning and go pamper yourself in the spa or relax by the pool. They give your child a wrist band and give you a pager in case they need to contact you. The only problem is.. it’s always hard to get the kids OUT of the play area. They never want to leave!
Thanks Diageo and Disney!
p.s. I left the ship thinking “Hey, maybe I should have a few of these..”
p.p.s. Did I mention we got stuck in the Charlotte airport on the way home (and AT had a 7am flight the next morning, and Sherri had an afternoon flight to London the next morning). Gack!
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