Disney Vacation Cruises – Our Favorite Family Vacation!

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Disney Vacation Cruises are the optimal vacation choice for families.   Four stunning ships, beautiful destinations around the world, spacious staterooms…. all create memories your family will always treasure.

Disney Vacation Cruises offer countless activities for both adults and children including: 3 pools, countless lounges, deck parties, character appearances, new release movies, food galore, and so much more!    You simply get on board and embark on a magical family vacation – no fast pass required!

Why We Love Disney Vacation Cruises:

Disney Vacation Cruises are unlike any other cruise line we’ve sailed. The magic of Disney is present from the moment you step into the Disney terminal.  Even the employees working outside of the terminal seemed to enjoy their jobs!  Parking the car, checking luggage, and passing through security into the terminal in Port Canaveral is a breeze and a surprisingly stress free experience.

One of my favorite safety features Disney Vacation Cruises offer are the kids wristbands.  It’s like a lo-jack system to protect your child!  Not sure where you’re child is?  The staff can track them!

Wave Phones are also an absolutely brilliant idea.  Why don’t other ships have this feature?  We asked ourselves this same question many, many times while sailing on the Disney Fantasy. You can keep in touch with family members (as well as other guests) by making a call or sending text.  You will also get texts from the youth counselors supervising your child.

The Food. Well……

The food quality and service beat out Carnival by a long shot and is comparable to Royal Caribbean.  While I can’t go as far as saying the food is great, it is good.  The menus have a wide range of choices and if you don’t like something, you just ask for something else!  We all ordered an appetizer, entree, and dessert during dinner so we could try a bit of everything.  Occasionally hubs ordered 2 entrees when the choice was just too tough to make 🙂

We usually hit up the Cabanas buffet for breakfast since there is a HUGE selection; However, the dining room also has a nice breakfast if you’re looking for a more of a leisurely meal.  Lunch time usually meant the buffet or one of the cafes on the pool deck. We find a quick lunch more convenient than the dining room – with more of a selection!

My entire family loved the ambiance in all 3 of the main restaurants.  The rotating restaurants option is fantastic since your servers rotate with you.  LuLu’s chocolate milk was ready and waiting for her by the 2nd night of the cruise!

Our favorite restaurant on the Disney Fantasy was Animator’s Palate.  It’s just so COOL!  Where else will Sorcerer Mickey present your hand drawn characters or have Crush from Finding Nemo chat with you!?

Want a little time away from the kids?  The adults can dine in one of the specialty restaurants or relax in one of the many nightclubs or lounges.  The kids will have a blast playing in the “It’s a Small World Nursery”, Oceaneer Club/Lab, or in Edge for Teens.  My kiddos begged to go back into the Oceaneer Club.  They made new friends, played games, and even baked!

*Tip* Make sure to explore the youth areas during Embarkation Day hours.  It’s a great time for kids to get used to the play areas with Mom & Dad present–AND for parents to scope out the staff and play areas.

Entertainment on Disney vacation cruises is another plus in my book!  While they do center around Disney themes, my entire family enjoyed all the Broadway Style shows including Aladdin, Wishes, and Believe on the Disney Fantasy.

It is also fun to relax and catch a movie on the pool deck in the evening or participate in one of the many outdoor events such as the Sailing Away party and Pirates IN the Caribbean night – with fireworks!!  Disney cruise line was the first ship to offer fireworks at sea.

If you have kids you MUST take advantage of some of the Character Greetings.  You’ll get a schedule of where & when characters will be in your Daily Navigator.  Character Greetings make for great photo ops!  Even my 8-year old son enjoyed seeing some of the characters and specifically requested pictures with Stitch and Chip & Dale.  LuLu obviously adored seeing all the princesses – hubby did too 😉

Now let’s talk pools –  There are 3 freshwater pools aboard the Disney Fantasy.    Families can hangout at Mickey or Donald’s Pool with the totally awesome AquaDuck Slide or get splashed in the AquaLab.  Little ones can play in Nemo’s Reef.  All these areas have easy access to Eye Scream Treats ice cream station which is based on Mike Wazowski from the film Monsters, Inc.

Later the kids can hangout in one of the youth areas while the adults enjoy a relaxing dip in Quiet Cove Pool or at Satellite Falls (where we found it to be almost deserted.)

There are too many fantastic destination choices to discuss…you’ll really have to just determine which works best for your family.

*Tip* You might  want to consider using Travel Size Food in your day pack to avoid purchasing snacks off the ship.  Kids seem to always get hungry after swimming in the ocean or touring an old fort.  You can NOT bring fruit or vegetables off the ship.  Packages foods like the little boxes of cereal from breakfast are fine – hint, hint.

If you’re traveling Disney Vacation Cruises Bahamian and Caribbean itinerary, you’ll get a chance to explore Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.   Castaway Cay is one of the best islands we’ve experienced.

The island is pristine (and we traveled a few weeks after a hurricane), the food/soda is FREE, the kids can swim out to Pelican Plunge and enjoy water slides and dumping buckets of water.  Parents can relax on beach chairs under umbrellas with their children at the family beach or couples can indulge in kid-free time at the adults only Serenity Bay.  There is also kayaking, water sports, outdoor massages, stingray interactions, parasailing, and too many other activities to mention.

Staterooms are always a hot topic when talking about cruising.  While you will spend most of your time exploring the ship or visiting exotic destinations, you will still be spending at least some time in your room. The standard staterooms are larger than other cruise lines PLUS have a separate water closet and shower which is fantastic for families.  The bunk beds are another super cool feature.  My kids slept 100X better not having to sleep in the same bed as one other.  No fighting over the blankets, she’s on my side, he kicked me….you know what I’m talking about.

Did you know Disney Vacation Cruises aren’t just for families?  We met numerous couples on the ship that didn’t even have kids – or their kids were grown and not on the ship.  We sat next to a table with 2 couples in their 50’s (I’m going to guess) that were traveling on their own.  They were even staying on the ship for a second week!

Disney cruise ships are magical vessels with a touch of hidden Disney elegance throughout the ship. When you embark on a Disney Cruise, you’ll indulge in a relaxing vacation the entire family can enjoy.   This will not be one of those vacations that you leave feeling like you need a vacation!

We will definitely share another trip on the high seas with Disney Vacation Cruises.  Hopefully sooner rather than later!

What is your experience with Disney Vacation Cruises?