Why I LOVE the Disney Cruise Line

I've visited Disney World quite a few times throughout my life, but I've never had the pleasure of sailing aboard a Disney Cruise Line vessel...until last week!  After a quick three-day jaunt to the Walt Disney World Resort, we boarded the Disney Dream for a 4-night Bahamian cruise.  Almost immediately, I fell completely in love with the Disney Cruise Line, and I would unequivocally recommend it to anyone who is considering a cruise.  Here's why:

Dedicated Areas for All Ages, Including Imaginative Children's Clubs - These children's clubs are not your average dropoff childcare centers.  Each Disney Cruise Line vessel contains expansive children's clubs with multiple rooms, each hosting different creative activities.  During the course of our cruise, my kids participated in cooking classes, science experiments, craft-making, a talent show hosted by Tinkerbell, a pajama party led by Pluto, storytime with various Disney princesses, dance parties on the "Magic Floor", pirate lessons with Captain Hook, and plenty of free time to explore the club.  Best of all, my chidlren were constantly supervised by some of the most attentive, caring counselors I've ever met.  In addition to the children's clubs, the Disney Cruise Line offers dedicated, supervised areas for teens and tweens, leaving plenty of opportunity for adults to enjoy their own spaces like fine dining restaurants, imaginative lounges (my favorite was Pink, a champagne lounge designed to look like the inside of a bottle of bubbly), an adults-only pool, a coffee bar, and a spa.  When it's time to come together (if you can drag your kids from the clubs), the Disney Cruise Line even offers special areas for families including pools, dance parties, activities (our favorites were the family game shows), and a family lounge.

Fireworks at Sea - On almost every Bahamian and Caribbean itinerary, the Disney Cruise Line includes a memorable Pirate Night celebration.  The party begins with pirate-inspired daytime activities (including character meets), continues with an exquisitely-themed dinner, and culminates with a stunning fireworks display, hosted by Captain Jack Sparrow himself!

Rotational Dining - Each night, guests aboard the Disney Cruise Line vessels dine in a different restaurant, but the waitstaff rotates with them, providing a wonderful opportunity for servers and guests to develop a relationship.  By the second night of our cruise, our servers knew our names and how we like our food prepared.  And our kids knew that, if they finished all of their dinner, our server would reward them with a magic trick!

Excellent Customer Service - This impeccable level of customer service was not limited to mealtime, however.  The Disney Company is well-known for being attentive to its guests, and this devotion transfers seemlessly to the Disney Cruise Line.  From the moment that we boarded the ship (and were greeted with a personal welcome announcement and applause from the crew), we felt as though the staff would bend over backwards to ensure that our vacation was enjoyable.

A Variety of Destinations - It's hard not to have withdrawal after such an amazing vacation, so we've already started planning out next cruise for 2015.  Now comes the hard part--choosing a destination!  In the last few years, the Disney Cruise Line has greatly expanded its itineraries to include Alaska, Europe, the U.S. West Coast, the Caribbean (including Western, Eastern, and Southern itineraries), and the Bahamas.  All aboard!!

Meredith McCutcheon

Disney Specialist, Ginger's Getaways

disneymadeeasy@yahoo.com