Often we are asked about cruises and met with the same reoccurring doubts and fears. “I don’t think I would like being on a boat that long”. “I’d go stir-crazy”. “Don’t you run out of stuff to do?” “No way I could get my husband on that”. “Is there a lot for kids to do?” Or the famous “my friend went on a cruise and they hated it”. All of which are legitimate fears and concerns because after all, you want your vacations to be “worth it”. And to me, cruises are totally worth it. In fact, I believe that cruises can be the best bang for your buck when it comes to travel. For what you get to see and do sometimes its hard to go wrong with at cruise but here is where all those questions come in.
In my circle, most of the people who ask me are asking because they are looking at a cruise for their family vacation. I will 100% of the time recommend the Disney Cruise Line. For a couple or group of adults do a Carnival. Do a Royal Caribbean. Do a Norwegian. Those are all great cruise lines and I’m confident you will have a great time. However, once we start talking families the only way to go is a Disney cruise. No matter the size or age of your family Disney can accommodate. There is literally something for everybody aboard the ship.
Let’s start with the kids since that is usually the focus of a family vacation. No matter the age of your child Disney has you covered here. My kids have been fortunate enough to be no strangers to the Disney Cruise Line and they will hands down tell you that their favorite part of any cruise has been the Oceaneer’s Club. They start asking about the second they get up and are usually pretty bummed when we pick them up. Tons of fun, crafts, dance parties, amazing character interaction, and the best staff of cast members Disney could put together. I mean these guys are seriously great. I went to pick up my oldest one time and had he and the cast member ask if he could stay a little longer because they wanted to finish their Star Wars conversation. These guys really go the extra mile for your kids in every way. Very interactive and top-notch security as far as kids coming and going. Never has there been a time when we called or stopped by to check on the kids and they couldn’t tell EXACTLY where they were at in the club. For young kids, you can not beat this and they will love it. However, as your kids age, Disney still has plenty to offer them in way of the youth clubs Vibe and Edge. Not to leave out the really young ones, they also offer “it’s a small world” nursery for a small fee.
Once you get the kids settled in you are now free to enjoy a little adult time. Don’t worry about the kids. Just bring your stateroom phone and the kids clubs will always be able to get in touch with you. One of the first places I will send you is the Quiet Cove pool. This is an 18 and over oasis that is absolutely amazing. It’s one of our favorite places when we don’t have the kids with us. We can just sit back and relax in the pool or hot tub without being constantly splashed (Mom’s take note), have a drink, read a book in the Cove Cafe Coffee shop, and just simply enjoy being on vacation for once. From here you can take it up a notch and visit the Senses Spa and enjoy the full tranquility, pampering, and relaxation that you would come to expect all with ocean views. See now I have mom’s attention, so that leaves us with Dad.
I find it more times than not it’s that dad/husband that has the most hesitation about the cruise and I get that. Not too many of my friends are spa guys. In fact, they are usually the ones splashing around in the pool that I was talking about earlier. (Guilty). Sure there is the gym but I would be completely lying to you if I told you I ever walked in there. (don’t judge, I’m on vacation) But I have always found plenty to do aboard the ship. From the sports deck, movie theater, soft serve ice cream, sports bar, and various activities I have never felt bored at all. In fact, on our last cruise, I got to one of my favorite things ever on a cruise ship. I am a HUGE baseball fan. I’ve loved the game my whole life and still follow it closely to this day. So when I found out that O’Gills Pub was hosting a fantasy baseball draft I was all in. It was really cool. I have participated in many fantasy drafts over the years but none quite like this one. I had a blast drinking beer and putting together one of the worst fantasy baseball teams to ever take the field. (second to last place isn’t really that bad huh?)
Disney Cruise Line has so much to offer each and every member of the family but let us not forget the fact that we are on a family vacation here and family is really what Disney does best. When I tell you I don’t think we have ever laughed as a family as much as we did on our last cruise. We stayed pretty current on what ship activities were going on each day and made an effort to participate in as many family games as we could. From Disney trivia games, How well do you know your family type games, put-put on the sports deck, races, even a golf chipping contest in the main atrium which I lost because the judge did understand what being bias fully means. (Bailey was the judge/caddy. lol). Each and every event we found ourselves having more and more fun which we always carried into dinner each night. It was so awesome to sit and listen to the kids tell the wait staff about their day knowing that they were having the time of their lives.
Just writing this I am smiling thinking about all the great memories we have made on Disney cruises. Once we got home it was the same listening to them tell family members in friends about what characters they met, or how they got called on stage for one of the big nighttime shows, or the silly games and how Brock said the one thing I’d bring to a deserted island would be hair-gel (yeah. Hair-Gel. Said this out loud in a room full of people. He’s going to pay. Lol.) or how many times they got to ride the Aqua Duck. When it all breaks down I can’t recall a moment where everyone wasn’t either included in one way or another. I get the fears and concerns. I understand that your friend or co-worker had a miserable time when they went on a cruise. But with Disney Cruise line things are just done differently and that is why they are the standard for what a cruise should be. Like all other things Disney, no detail is too small and there is no distance too great that they will not go to provide top-notch service. So put your reservations aside and take a closer look at Disney Cruise Line. Your whole family will be glad you did.
Ready to start planning your Disney Cruise Line vacation? Contact us to get started. We would love to see pictures or hear stories of your favorite cruise memory share them on our facebook page.
Avid Disney fan, husband to Tiffany, father of three, Brock, Bailey, and Brennan. Lover of travel and blogger for the Wish Upon Afar travel blog, The Travelers Journal.
