Disney Cruise Line Cruises – Are They Worth The Money?

Disney Cruise Line has four ships in its fleet and offers sailings to Alaska, Europe, Bermuda, Bahamas, California Coast, Caribbean, Mexico, Panama Canal, and Transatlantic trips.

The itineraries can vary some each year, but Alaska, the Caribbean, and the Bahamas are always on the schedule. Many other cruise lines offer the same or similar destinations and some have larger ships. So why pick a Disney Cruise?

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Food Services

Disney has a reputation for world-class service in everything they do and that extends to the Disney Cruise Line. The food literally is unparalleled. The quality of every plate is at the same level as the very best restaurants in Walt Disney World.

Buffet

Your cruise starts with an exquisite buffet as soon as you board. I’m not talking salads and a few other options. The buffet will have steak, fish, crab legs, lamb chops and a lot more. This is just the buffet – wait till you see the table service menu!

Rotational Dining

Disney offers rotational dining which means each night you dine in one of three main dining rooms. You and your wait staff rotate between specialty themed restaurants. When booking your cruise, you select either early or late dining. At boarding, you are assigned a restaurant rotation and table number. Depending on the size of your party, you may be dining with other passengers and they rotate each night with you.

Each dining room has a special theme and the wait staff, menu and decor match that theme. Even the table napkins are folded to represent the theme. Animator’s Palate has an interactive experience that has to be seen to totally understand.

The food is superb and each serving is meticulously plated. Nothing leaves the kitchen without several inspections. While on the cruise, see if a galley tour is available (adults only). Seeing how they prepare meals (and the volume!) is a sight to behold.

Specialty Dining

On all Disney ships, adults are offered the choice of upscale specialty dining at Palo, with fine Italian cuisine. There is an extra charge and reservations before sailing is recommended. There is a dress code and can be checked at the Disney Cruise Line’s website. Dining at Palo is complimentary for return cruisers that have taken 10 or more Disney cruises. If you have the opportunity to dine at Palo – do it!

The Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream also offer dining at Remy, a French-inspired adults-only restaurant serving the finest French fare for dinner. There is an additional fee for dining at Remy and reservations are required. They adhere to a strict dress code which you can find here.

Note – if you have reservations at Palo or Remy, be courteous and let your regular wait staff know you will not be with them on that night.

Room Service Dining

Disney provides 24-hour room service. Most items are totally free. There are a few special items such as a large fruit and cheese plate and beverages such as canned soda and wine that have a charge. But most items are included in your cruise fare including steak sandwiches, salads, and mac and cheese. Remember that there is a free drink station on the upper deck with sodas, coffee, milk, hot chocolate, and other free drinks. It is appropriate to tip the delivery staff $1 or $2 per person. It can be cash or added to your room.

On Deck Dining

Several lunch and dinner options are available on the pool deck such as pizza, sandwiches, chicken fingers, fresh fruit, ice cream, salads. etc.

Buffets

Each ship has Cabanas, a boardwalk-style buffet for breakfast and lunch. Food includes Mickey waffles, scrambled eggs, sausages, hash browns, muffins, fruit, cereal and more. The lunch menu includes salads, soups, burgers, sandwiches, steak, chicken, seafood, pizza and bunches of desserts.

Cabanas has both indoor and outdoor seating. For dinner, they offer selections from the main dining rooms and you can dine with an ocean view!

Disney does an excellent job of making dining fun while providing world-class service and food.

Staterooms

All cruise lines have staterooms that are small compared to traditional hotel rooms, of course except for suites and concierge. The majority of cruisers stay in non-suite staterooms. Disney’s staterooms are 25% larger than other cruise lines and that is worth a lot!

Bath and Bed

Disney pioneered the family-friendly bath and a half concept. One bathroom has a sink and toilet and the other has a sink and shower/tub combination. Even if your sailing party is only 2 people, having 2 sinks to get ready is fantastic! With more than 2 in the cabin, it is a necessity.  Having a tub option is also great for getting small children ready. The bath and a half concept do not apply to the standard inside rooms.

Disney engineers also started the addition of a privacy curtain dividing the queen bed and the living room area. The living room area has an additional sleeping configuration. The couch makes a double bed and there is also a drop-down twin bed above the couch.

If traveling with small children, a complimentary crib or Pack ‘n Play is available.

Magic Porthole

The Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, the 2 larger of the 4 ships, feature a ‘Magic Porthole” in their inside staterooms. The “Magic Porthole” is a flat-screen TV made to look like a porthole window. The display shows what is outside if your room was on the exterior of the ship.  The “magic” is created by cameras mounted on the exterior of the ship. A special feature is that occasionally Disney characters pop up on the screen.

Disney has made efficient use of all available space, including having the beds elevated to accommodate luggage. A safe is also available for storing valuables. Stateroom TV’s offer Disney Channel and Disney movies on demand.

Because all accommodations are beautifully furnished with nautical fittings and natural woods, you enjoy a feeling that is rare on many ships – you actually enjoy being in your stateroom. 

You will have a dedicated stateroom host that will keep everything in tip-top shape. They clean at least twice a day, providing a turn-down service usually when you are at dinner. There are always clean towels and plenty of toiletries. If you need anything, just let your stateroom host know. Their goal is to make your cruise the best you can experience! When they do the turn-down service, they also make you a towel animal. Everyone enjoys seeing what animal will be waiting for them.

 

Activities

On Board

Disney Cruise Line offers many “things to do” on board. 

• Broadway caliber live shows for the entire family. There are 2 performances each night during dining times so that you can see the shows before or after your selected dining time
• Special age-appropriate children’s programs
• Teen and 18-21 clubs
• Evening bars and lounges for adults only (let your children go to the kids club 🙂 )
• Shuffleboard
• A movie theater showing first-run movies, including 3-D
• Running track
• Deck parties
• Character Experiences
• Pin trading
• Ship officer meet and greet
• Family areas for games and fun
• Pools and water activities including the water coaster on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, and AquaDunk on the Disney Magic
• Dedicated pool, quiet area, and a coffee shop for adults only
• Spa and Salon
• Fitness Center
• Special holiday activities and special character day-at-sea cruises
• And even more!

 

Castaway Cay

Bahama and Caribbean itineraries make a stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. Disney crew members live on Castaway Cay and prepare for your visit. They also participate in nature preservation programs.

Castaway Cay has several beach areas; a family beach, a teen beach, sports beach, an area for the kid’s program, and my favorite – the adults-only Serenity Bay. The waters around Castaway Cay are crystal clear edged by white beaches and palm trees.  Everything is ready for you; chairs, umbrellas, towels, and hammocks.

Food is served at Cookie’s BBQ in the main area and Serenity Bay BBQ at Serenity Bay. This is all included in your cruise fare.

Other activities include music, dancing, snorkeling, cycling, walking trails, shopping and so much more! When you shop at Castaway Cay, purchases are charged to your stateroom and can be delivered to your stateroom!

Disney Cruise Line is Definitely Worth The Difference In Price!

We have sailed Disney Cruise line 15 times and are booked for another Alaskan cruise next year. I can safely say that the service and quality are unparalleled.  Disney is a huge corporation that specializes in entertainment, hospitality, and customer service; they just also happen to own 4 cruise ships! #DisneyCruise #Disney #Cruise #JanetBPearson Share on X  Everyone that works for the Disney Cruise Line is trained to excel in customer service.

The ships are very well maintained and clean. You cannot walk around the ship, day or night, that you don’t see a crew member cleaning or painting.

While there are some differences among the four Disney cruise ships, you will get most of the same entertainment opportunities, dining, and cabin types fleet-wide.

Finally, the Disney Cruise Line is the only cruise line allowed to have fireworks shot from a moving ship. It is a spectacular party!

Disney Cruise Line is considered the gold standard among family cruise lines, but it is also perfect for adults only trips!

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If you are a Disney Cruise lover like I am or have any questions, please let me know. I would love to hear from you!

P.S.  Fear of getting seasick? The Disney Cruise Line ships have stabilizers and other high-tech controls that minimize the ship’s movement. Also, weather tracking devices help to keep the ship in calm waters as much as possible. Of the 15 cruises we have taken to multiple destinations, we have never had any problem with motion.

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