While we are generally not cruise enthusiasts, the Disney Cruise has been on the family bucket list for a few years now. I have gathered information from various reviews and travel agents online and have distilled down some of the basics to consider.

Basics

Where do you want to sail?

What ship do you want to experience?

What port do you choose to sail from?

In our family planning – by watching videos found on YouTube, we decided really quickly we wanted to sail on the Disney Dream (because of the AquaDuck, mostly!). And, because we live in a cold place, we knew we wanted an escape to somewhere warm.  A four-night Bahamas trip fit the bill and the Dream makes this trip regularly.  We also wanted to experience Castaway Cay – (pronounced “key”) Disney’s private island. Pt. Canaveral was a better choice for a port as it is a short ride from Orlando Airport.  It is also “in the neighborhood” so to speak of the Magic Kingdom so if we could tack on some park visits to the front or back end of the cruise, this can be arranged with Disney (transfers, etc).

Making the Experience Yours

Next we needed to figure out the type of room we wanted and how we wanted to create this trip of a lifetime for ourselves.  So many choices!  It can be overwhelming. There are some great travel agents and you can call Disney Cruise Line directly to ask questions about transfers, logistics, food, room, times, special-needs, and more.

In terms of rooms, it is said in terms of cruises, Disney Cruise line has larger than average rooms compared to other ships.  But the berths are still small. Inside rooms on the Dream have magical portholes, the next step up have circular windows, then there are the verandah rooms, and then there are the suites.  Despite it being a $500 difference more for the four nights, knowing ourselves, we decided we would book a family Deluxe Verandah room.  For our own quiet oasis away from the crowds.  We would spend enough time in our little room to make this investment worth it.  Stay tuned for our critiques of the experience!

When you plan your cruise, think about this:

• Where on the ship do you want to be located?  Midship? Front? Aft?
• What access points (spa, pools, theaters) are most important to you?
• Is motion sickness a potential issue?

We came to the conclusion we wanted to be close to the pool deck and the buffet food area.  We wanted quiet, not busy traffic in front of our room, not crowded elevators. We found that if we were on Deck 9 we would be two floors below the pool and we could zip right up the stairs to make that happen.

I was told that midship upper decks are better for less motion, however, midship is the most congested with activity.

I also wanted to be at one end of the ship to avoid getting mixed up in the halls and easier navigating back to the room.

We will report back on these choices to help you in making yours!