Be honest- did you actually like a Disney cruise?

[Anonymous]

Caveat that 1/2 of the adults in my family are Disney people (though not me). We love Disney Cruises. Our kids are teens now so we tried another line and they hated it and wanted to get right back to Disney. We're a family of four and have not been seated with another family at dinner. Yes, you can request not to be if you prefer that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

How many people were on that cruise? Sounds liek it must have been a smaller ship no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

How many people were on that cruise? Sounds liek it must have been a smaller ship no?

It was the Dream, so not one of the smaller ships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Not OP, but curious which cruise lines you've switched to with older kids.

We transitioned to Regent Seven Seas, which generally attracts few children due to cost, itineraries, and the absence of kid-specific activities. My child was self-generating, didn't need focused entertainment, and was comfortable being around mostly adults. That being so, we were able to begin cruising on a line which appealed more to us as adults - smaller and less crowded ships, a focus on gastronomy and service, and an all-inclusive pricing model which we prefer. It would not be a good choice if your child/ren need child-centric entertainment aboard.

[Anonymous]

I hate Disney. HATE IT! But I loved both Disney cruises we went on. They are even great for older tweens/teens, too. The shows are great, the food is excellent, the tween/teen clubs and activities are engaging and interesting.

My ILs are big Disney fans. They are also huge cruise fans and cruise most of every year. Every other year they plan a big family cruise for NYE. Both Disney cruises we went on were over NYE and I had a blast on each one. I would book a Disney cruise again in a heartbeat.

I love how easy it is to sign up for excursions and that once you do, you're done. Everything you need for that particular excursion will be provided and there are no little extras to add on. Also, the Disney private beaches are top-notch.

[Anonymous]

Not really, no.

But I liked it a lot better than my Royal Caribbean cruise. By a lot.

[Anonymous]

A caution to anyone who hasn’t cruised before: every cruise is different. The ship matters. When someone says they hate a certain line but have only cruised on one ship (perhaps an overly crowded mega-ship or a crummy old ship out of Baltimore on tough Atlantic seas), they really aren’t equipped to share an indictment against an entire line—or an entire industry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A caution to anyone who hasn’t cruised before: every cruise is different. The ship matters. When someone says they hate a certain line but have only cruised on one ship (perhaps an overly crowded mega-ship or a crummy old ship out of Baltimore on tough Atlantic seas), they really aren’t equipped to share an indictment against an entire line—or an entire industry.

+1

And Disney cruises are outstanding.

[Anonymous]

We have done two Disney cruises and I highly recommend them. We did one out of England and one out of Vancouver. Both were the smaller ships. There was nothing not to like. We have also done Royal Caribbean, although an older smaller ship, and it was no where near as nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have done two Disney cruises and I highly recommend them. We did one out of England and one out of Vancouver. Both were the smaller ships. There was nothing not to like. We have also done Royal Caribbean, although an older smaller ship, and it was no where near as nice.

We did Royal Caribbean on a new, headliner ship and upgraded to a suite (which was still less than a Disney cruise). It got us access to the suites-only restaurant, which was really, really nice. The restaurant was super quiet, had excellent service, a spectacular view, and food that far surpassed the main dining room. We also got priority and concierge access to activities, etc. It was great. But we didn't just choose a cheap room on an old ship.

[Anonymous]

I had never been on a cruise before (have traveled all over the world) and went with family last spring break and loved it. Very fun for a variety of ages (we ranged from 4 to 78) the activities were great, and the food was good (especially the nighttime restaurants). The shows were also very good. Our boat didn’t dock because of winds at the port city. In the end, it didn’t matter. We had a great time.

[Anonymous]

I am an introvert with a medically fragile child and anxiety about crowds (fun, right?) and I loved our Disney cruises. The planning and attention to detail and conscientiousness of the staff is unmatched.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really dislike how they seat you with another family at dinner (although apparently you can request out of this, maybe?).

Are you antisocial?

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.

You sound fun.

Yeah you can definitely opt out of sitting with another family. We have always done that and it worked out well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have done two Disney cruises and I highly recommend them. We did one out of England and one out of Vancouver. Both were the smaller ships. There was nothing not to like. We have also done Royal Caribbean, although an older smaller ship, and it was no where near as nice.

We did Royal Caribbean on a new, headliner ship and upgraded to a suite (which was still less than a Disney cruise). It got us access to the suites-only restaurant, which was really, really nice. The restaurant was super quiet, had excellent service, a spectacular view, and food that far surpassed the main dining room. We also got priority and concierge access to activities, etc. It was great. But we didn't just choose a cheap room on an old ship.

We did similar on Norwegian — the Haven class it’s called. And I think still cheaper than disney. The private dining room food was way better than disney. The shows were good but not as good as disney I’d say.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I really dislike how they seat you with another family at dinner (although apparently you can request out of this, maybe?).

Are you antisocial?

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.

You sound fun.

Yeah you can definitely opt out of sitting with another family. We have always done that and it worked out well.

I’m the original PP that said I dislike it. The problem in part is that it’s the same family. Our kids don’t really hit it off—theirs was very shy. And after the first night, you’ve covered all the “where are you from? Is this your first cruise?” Etc questions. And then it’s really awkward because you don’t have that much to discuss but then you feel weird having private family conversations in front of them. I can see it working if you just really hit it off with the other family, but we didn’t have that much in common and we exhausted the basic chit chat pretty quickly. I’m actually a really social person and I think if they had rotated us around to different families every night, I would have found it much less awkward. It was like being on a never ending first date when you know ithetes no second date potential. I’ve been told that it’s at their discretion whether to grant a request for an individual table and if the ship is crowded they might not grant that. We’re a family of 5 so maybe they want to stick us with a three to make an 8 top?