Meeting Mickey and Minnie on Disney Cruise Line

– Depart New York – Two sea days – Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island in the Bahamas!) – A day in Florida at Walt Disney World – Two sea days – Return to New York

After weeks of planning, discovering some unique Disney Cruise essentials such as what "Fish Extenders" were (and how to make them), ordering waterproof camera cases and costumes for the “Pirate Night Party” it was time to go!

Facilities

Obviously being a Disney Cruise, there are a huge number of amenities and services for children, with an entire deck for the two main kids clubs (3 – 12 years) but there is also a nursery, and both tweens and teens clubs. One of the best things was the free Disney app which meant that my children could keep in touch with me wherever they were, without having to log in to the paid Wi-Fi. This app also tells you about what is happening on board that day, from shows to character greetings, and menus in the different restaurants.

Entertainment

There was also a surprising amount of adult only areas, and a lot of people do travel on Disney Cruise Line without children – the service, attention to detail and the standard of the food was very very good. There were also fantastic Broadway style shows – we had “Tangled, the Musical” and “Disney Dreams” starring a whole medley of Disney characters.

Dining

One of the most memorable things was the themed restaurants we ate in every night. There are a couple of unique things that Disney Cruise Line do – rotational dining means that your waiting staff meet you on the first evening and then they also move round the restaurants with you, so you have the same servers each night of your cruise. Dining times are early or late, to suit your family group, but be warned that early dining allocations are usually booked up far in advance. Room service is always available and is included in the price. Soft drinks, coffee, tea and self-serve ice cream are also included, as are the pizzas on the Pool Deck – which are very good!

Castaway Cay

This is another unique feature, a private Caribbean island exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests, where you can play in the waterparks, snorkel and cycle or take advantage of the Kids Club – supervised by staff from the ship. There’s an adult only beach and open-air BBQ restaurants. This is many people’s favourite day of the Itinerary. We loved the hammocks!

In Summary

My expectations of a Disney Cruise were high – I had read so much about it previously and people said that we would be hooked. They were not wrong. I really can’t wait to go on another one! I was blown away by the experiences we had on board the ship, and the kids had the best holiday ever; meeting new friends, playing on the waterslides, eating as much pizza as they liked and watching great films from the pool deck – not forgetting plenty of character meets with Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto etc. I loved watching our cartoons come to life on the big screen (Animator’s Palate restaurant) and chilling out in our spacious cabin.

It felt like much longer than seven nights – we did so many things, and I haven’t even mentioned the day at Walt Disney World! That’s going to be another blog post I think!