What I Loved and Hated About Cruising With Disney

One thing my professor taught us on the first day of our cruise course is that every passenger has the right line for them. This is no question NOT the one for me. Cruising with that many kids and no drink package . . . hell at sea.

The trick for the free soda is to bring your own 32 or 44 oz tumbler aboard the ship so you only have to fill it up once or twice a day rather than using the small provided paper cups.

I went on a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean with my family of 4 in a balcony cabin on Carnival out of Miami in August. With prepaid gratuities it was $2,700. My coworker went on a 3 night cruise on Disney with her family of 5 in December and it was $11,000. There are a lot of factors that play to the price, but that’s a hell of a difference. I’m so happy my boys never really cared for Disney. But, for those who do I’m sure it’s a wonderful experience.

I have to give it to them — animating the characters that people create at dinner looks absolutely amazing.

Can I just say, those people who like the video before you've ever watched it all. I love you guys. :_EmmaHudson::virtualhug:

Second dining/first theater show is DEFINITELY the way to go on Disney Cruises! Perk: If you HAVE kids on this schedule, the kids club will come and pick your kids up from the tail end of dinner, so you can finish your meal in peace with a glass of wine, and then go hang out sans kids for the evening hours. It's better planned out than any other cruise we've ever been on in that regard.

As someone with 50+ cruises with Disney, here is my list of tips and tricks: Wear your swim suit under clothes when you get on board, and go straight to the pool. Most pools will always be crowded so change in a bathroom if you carry a swim suit in a bag, or take off everything and start swimming before all the crowds. When things start picking up, you can go to one of the all you can eat buffets if you haven’t already stuffed your face with top deck food. If you are going to go to castaway key, do the marathon (even if you aren’t a fitness person) and you will be able to get extra island and a better choice of beach chairs time after you finish (you are also not required to run at any point) On the magic/wonder on deck 8 there is a secret entrance to cabanas at the very very end, you’ll have to go up a spiraling staircase! Very secret. Bring a water bottle and/or a water cooler to refill at the drink station instead of using the small cups Use the cups at the drink station for ice cream instead of the small ice cream cones. The calmest area in sail away is the back of the ship, enjoy the party for awhile and then enjoy the peace of watching land fade into the horizon. You can order cocktails from bars to be delivered to your dining table! You can also order menu items from the restaurants to your room (depending) and most room service items are free :) Med bay carries items for sea sickness if you need it Definitely go to the muster station, even if it’s no longer required, not only for safety but also because it helps you get a better lay out of the ship if anything unfortunate does happen. Look for hidden mickeys! There everywhere! You can split the bed, but you will have to ask guest services or a steward to do it for you. Get magnetic or hooked/hangers bags for toiletries so your bathroom isn’t crowded and you have everything roll around inside. The rooms at the back of the boat (aft) rock less, and the closer forward the more the boat will sway. If you have sea sickness, plan to have a room at the back. If you are one of the last people on castaway key, lots of shovels, buckets, sand castle stuff is left by people. If you are planning on going to more beaches after take advantage. You can request to dine alone, (without another family at the table) but you will have to request this on the first couple days as seating is limited. If something isn’t up to the Disney standard (rarely happens) let someone know (politely of course) and they will do everything they can to make it right. We had a room smell like… well, pee. And we got free cups, fruit bowl, and we the problem continues, we got to party on the Mickey slide (this was on the fantasy) at pirate night (this is not a normal thing lol, and I got a ton of pics hahahah) but please be cretinous and don’t complain just to get free stuff!!!! There are lots of Disney outlet stores near Port Canaveral, so save money buying stuff from there instead of paying for expensive items on the cruise. There’s lots more but that’s all I can remember rn.

I just got off our Disney Cruise. The tipping envelopes came with a sheet of paper that told your servers and steward what their tip was. You were just expected to put the sheet of paper into the envelop and give it to the staff with your thanks. You could put additional amounts if you wished, but there was no pressure to do so. Once I saw what was expected, I was completely fine with the process. We went on this cruise with a discount, so it was very much worth the cost.

Plenty of people would find the Disney cruise experience to be heavenly. For me, it would be a trip in quite the opposite direction! But even a curmudgeon like me can appreciate the creative theming and attention to detail that Disney puts into, well, everything.

Is a Disney cruise for me? No. However, I view it as a themed cruise & would expect to pay more for whatever theme it is, be it '80s or Star Trek or Golden Girls, etc. You're absolutely right: Disney cruises are perfect for Disney fans & I'm glad they have the choice of so many ships & itineraries. 👍🏻

Finally an honest unsponsored review, thank you

It’s so unusual, I have zero interest in Disney, zero interest in cruising, and yet I can’t stop watching your videos! Keep up the great work 👍

I used to contract on the magic from 2002-2007. I'm a welder and a mechanic. I changed a lot of pumps and valves and welded and installed a lot of stuff I seen in this video. We had passenger cabins and did anything they did and we could go to crew areas. They have their own bars on deck 1 on the bow and stern. Beer was much cheaper and we usually ate in the crew mess which was free. It was a cool job but a few times I was stuck on it for 2 months. It sailed out of my home town at the time , Port Canaveral Florida. One thing is the kids can drive u crazy and if I ever hear it's a small world ever again it will be too soon.

I’ve been on 30 cruises. Disney is my top choice for cruise line. It’s expensive, but worth it to do it at least once… I’ve done Disney twice. We went around Halloween so we dressed up twice during the week long cruise; once for the pirates theme, once for Halloween. It was a blast. My favorite upper class cruise line is Celebrity. My favorite destination is Alaska. My favorite budget cruise line is Carnival. And, yes, they are the “fun ship”.

I have two trips on Disney with my children that will never be forgotten, perfect cruise for the times. I can still feel the emotions from those trips, makes me teary just to think about it.

We love Disney cruises. Extremely safe for kids - staff move kids all about the ship in their own passageways while never coming in contact with any passengers.

This was a well-balanced review. Having seen your instagram posts I was afraid you were totally bummed out by it. I still think a 3-day cruise is just too intense on any cruise line. I have been on DCL six times -- we do the door decorating and fish extenders -- but I confess that my in-laws paid for it (indulgent grandparents that they are -- they are in their 80s and also cruise Disney without children or grandchildren!). I'd never be able to afford it on our own and wouldn't spend that kind of money if I could do two cruises for the same amount of money.

One thing amongst many things that I enjoy about sailing ⛵️ with Disney is they actually keep the kiddos out of the adult only areas.

It's absolutely crucial that people pick the right cruise for themselves and their family. I am not a fan of budget cruising, and I would be miserable in a Carnival Cruise, or something similar. Cruises like Disney or Viking are more expensive, but there is a certain level of service and care that makes it worth every penny. It's important that people do their research. Thank you so much for giving your perspective!

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