Be honest- did you actually like a Disney cruise?
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Anonymous
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I want opinions on here and not just Disney obsessed people on the disney boards. If you took your kids on a Disney cruise did you actually like it and think it was worth the $? I think my children would enjoy it but I’ve cruised in the past and didn’t like the feeling of low quality food and the crowds of cheesy people. Call me snobby but I’m sure others agree.
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Anonymous
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Just got back from a Disney cruise. Hadn’t planned to go but went with friends who invited us to join them so we booked a room. Honestly, thought it was great and would do it again. They hit the balance between fun for kids and still enjoyable for adults too.
If you have access to Disney+, there’s a documentary about The Magic (and there’s a new documentary coming out about The Treasure). It highlights some of the neat and special things about the ship. |
Anonymous
Which one did you like? Treasure is the one that seems like the best fit. which islands did you visit and did you book excursions? |
Anonymous
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Yep, loved it. Not Disney-obsessed (have never taken my kids to Disney World or Disneyland (went to the latter in my 20s)). I didn't think I'd like cruising (had never been!) and thought I'd feel trapped and claustrophobic, but didn't. Took my kids solo on a bit of a whim after seeing good reviews here and finding a GTY verandah room at a big discount last spring break.
What I liked about it: * I didn't have to plan anything once it was booked. You can do excursions and get all crazy with boutique bookings, etc., but there are plenty of things to do on the ship with little planning involved. The year before we'd done a roadtrip which required a lot of planning. It was so nice to just walk on board and, for the most part, be done. * My kids are old enough to check themselves in and out of the clubs. The rules changed right before we cruised and my then-11yo had to go to the tween club, which she was meh about but she'd go, and if it was dull, she'd get ice cream, go see a movie, do a craft, etc. She loved the independence. My then-8yo was also old enough to check herself in and out so she'd dash off after dinner to go to a dance party or pajama party or whatever. Our room was close enough to the kids club that I felt comfortable with her doing that, but far enough away that we didn't have noise or crowds from it. * I sat on the verandah and read a lot of the time. For all those people who say you're never in the room. I was. It was really nice to come back to a clean room We kept it picked up anyway, but it was always spotless. I never saw our steward, so it was like magic. * Not having to plan meals or cook the entire time. My picky eaters liked the food (but weren't very adventurous, sticking to chicken fingers and Mickey bars most nights). * We rented bikes, snorkeling gear, and rafts on Castaway Cay, which was lovely. Found chairs without issue. We were the only ship there and didn't feel packed in. * The ship was big enough that it didn't feel overly crowded. * It's easy to get into the Disney spirit. We're not huge Disney fans and my kids are passed the princess stage, but we all got into it onboard (dressed up for pirate night, took photos with characters, etc.) * Everything was clean. I'm a bit of a germaphobe but had no issues. * We never used the pool, which was crowded at all times, and did not do the fine dining or adult areas so I can't speak to those. |
Anonymous
| Yes and I like OBX too!! And other things DCUM thinks are trashy. |
Anonymous
| We went on 3 when my DD was small. We loved them. Lots for kids to do, families to do together and adults to do on their own. I thought the food was pretty good and we’re food snobs. The Disney price point is much higher than some weekend Carnival booze cruise so they’re not really comparable. We’ve never been interested in the Disney parks so this was a good way to have some Disney magic without that hassle. |
Anonymous
| I have not done a Disney cruise but had friends who booked one. The wife booked it, the husband was not at all into it and dragging his feet/rolling his eyes at having to go. They are not "Disney people". When he came back he could not speak highly enough about how incredible it was. I say this as someone who is not at all into Disney and also has no desire to do anything Disney related. |
Anonymous
| Yes, we thought it was well executed for the target market. it met our expectations for a kid-centric experience in a well-maintained environment. It is neither a 6-star cruise line like Regent nor a low-cost mass market line like Carnival, and doesn't claim to be either. It's a very good option when the kids are the focus, while still providing a good quality experience for adults. |
Anonymous
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It’s fine.
I find the food disappointing and I really dislike how they seat you with another family at dinner (although apparently you can request out of this, maybe?). I also think the dinner shows can get old or are cheesy (the marvel one is painfully bad, and I even like Marvel okay.). We’ve never done the extra cost dining there — it books up super early and the menus don’t really work well for my family. We did do the very expensive club level once and that was nice — they serve breakfast at the club and they have really good appetizers and snacks out during the day. Also the water slides and pool s-ck. The daytime activities are just okay. I like the cartoon sketching classes and things like trivia are fun. My teens like the kids club stuff with things like scavenger hunts and ping pong tournaments. They seem to always make friends. It is nice to have a vacation with little planning involved. The Broadway style shows are awesome. (We saw the Little Mermaid one and the Aladdin one and both were amazing with the talent, costumes, special effects, staging, etc.). The rooms are nicer than the average cruise ship. The pirate party on deck is also really legitimately fun — great music, everyone is dancing, fireworks. The private beach is great in that it’s like a beach day without all the slog of getting your stuff there and what are you going to eat, etc etc. For me one of the big advantages to cruising is also being able to take great snorkel trips at the various ports. We have only done the shorter disney cruises so haven’t done that. So in sum. Not the vacation I would choose as my first pick, but if we averaged ratings across my family, it would probably be one of the highest ranked. |
Anonymous
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Disney was our first cruise and we loved it.
We thought we wouldn’t be “cruise people” but we quickly discovered how easy and relaxing cruises are. The kids loved it. We aren’t Disney people. Our kids didn’t even know the characters. Didn’t matter. It’s a kid-centric/family-centric atmosphere. Fun! The price has gone up dramatically since our first Disney cruise and we’ve switched to other cruise lines now that our kids are older, but our kids still have fond memories of the Disney cruises. If you tell me the itinerary/islands, I’ll tell you how to avoid the pricey excursions. Fwiw, we prefer the older, smaller ships. Less crowded. |
Anonymous
Are you antisocial? |
Anonymous
Not OP, but curious which cruise lines you've switched to with older kids. |
Anonymous
8:04 PP, apparently I am. We opted out. There were only 3 of us, and we would have been with a group of 6 or 8. |
Anonymous
We’ve done multiple cruises with Disney, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity. We know a lot of families who transitioned from Disney to Norwegian. I think it really depends on what your family enjoys. There’s a different vibe on each ship—not just the cruise lines. Big vs small ship. Activities. Etc. |
Anonymous
You sound fun. 
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