Ask me anything about Walt Disney World, right to left or left to right, and I have a good feeling that I’ll answer the most basic-to-somewhat-advanced questions. That’s why I got into planning through our wonderful company, Believe Vacations. But I have to admit, I do not know as much about the Disney Cruise Line as some of my colleagues. It comes down to the fact that I’ve never had the pleasure of going on a Disney Cruise. Until this weekend. And I have questions! So let’s make a list, shall we?
Welcome to Believe Vacations Top 10 where today, I am going to have 10 questions about my first Disney Cruise. For this list, I am going to ask 10 basic questions about a typical Disney Cruise, answer them, but then, make a prediction for my upcoming cruise. In next week’s Top 10, I’ll have the results of my predictions via a recap. So time for me to play the overwhelmed guest role and ask away:
10) How is the food? – Cruise food tends to be pretty decent and I’m a huge fan of the all-you-can-eat concept! While I am looking forward to buffets and the sit down restaurants, I have a feeling I’ll revert back to the classic Mickey Waffles and Mickey Ice Cream Bars at some point.
Prediction: I’m going to say that the dish I will like the most is the Barbecue I can get at Cookie’s on Castaway Cay. Being from Alabama, I love some BBQ and if it’s anything like Flame Tree BBQ in Animal Kingdom, I’ll be going back to Castaway Cay sooner rather than later.
9) What character will be our favorite? – A fun carry-over from the Disney Parks are character meet-and-greets. While I am anticipating the usual interactions with Mickey, Minnie and the over classic characters, we have signed up to meet Disney Princesses and the characters from Frozen. Hopefully the waiting times will not be as long as the parks.
Prediction: Since we will be at sea, I’m going to say Captain Hook and Smee will be the ones we go crazy over. Not too popular in the parks, getting a chance to see the evil pirate and his ship mate on the water is almost like the cruise was made for those guys!
8) Will lines for the Aquaduck be ridiculous? – There has to be at least 1 ride on the ship! I mean, it is Disney, right? The Aquaduck, the wonderful water coaster that claims to “go over the side of the boat,” has been featured on every promotional video I have received and you can’t have a Disney Cruise commercial on Disney Jr. without my kids smiling at the thought of riding it.
Prediction: I’m going to say that we will ride it first thing when we board the ship and maybe once again at night….and that’ll be it. But my prediction is that there will be upwards of a 60 minute wait at its peak.
7) What will be our favorite off-shore activity? Our itinerary is allowing us to stop through Nassau and Castaway Cay. While we are not huge excursion people, we will get off at both locations to take it the sights and sounds.
Prediction: I do not think Nassau is going to be a huge hit with 5 youngsters. And it looks as though Atlantis charges a pretty penny just to tour the facility. So I’m going to say that simply playing on the Pelican Plunge in Castaway Cay will be the highlight. With water slides and water cannons attached to the floating platform, I can see us spending the majority of our off-shore time splishing and splashing!
6) Will Fish Extender be worth the effort? One of the extracurricular things you can do on the ship is the Fish Extender program. You and 9 other staterooms will exchange room numbers, names of the people in that stateroom and information like “Favorite Character.” Then, you are tasked with creating a fun door catcher that hangs from the fish plaque (thus, fish extender). The others on your list will drop off small trinkets and prizes they brought for you and your family.
Prediction: Of course. In fact, I’ll go the extra mile and say that we’ll gain 2 new families of Facebook friends and people to keep in touch with later in life. We’ll have to let you know the gifts we received after we return.
5) What will be our favorite on-board activity? Man, where to start here. Dining, movies, pools, movies at the pool, entertainment, Broadway-style shows, games on the decks, games in the halls, dancing, nighttime entertainment and more. The options here are limitless but if I’m thinking of my family of 6 adults and 5 kids…
Prediction: The Oceaneer’s Club. I just have a feeling I’m not giving this place enough credit. It’s our first Disney Cruise so of course we’ll want to do most things as a family. But with 5 kids, I’m sure they’ll want to spend most of their time in the OC, complete with rooms dedicated to Star Wars, Toy Story, Tinker Bell and Disney Infinity.
4) Favorite entertainment for Kids? In case you haven’t realized, there is a ton of things on a Disney Cruise that caters towards the younger sailors. While adult beverages and traditional nightlife may not be as fun for the young’uns, there will be plenty for our tykes to laugh and smile about all the Zippidy-Doo-Dah-days of the cruise!
Prediction: I was tempted to say “Watching 3D movies in the Walt Disney Theater” but I have to go with the Midship Detective Agency. Following clues on a quest around the boat, these interactive pictures come to life and help you find out “Whodunit?” I just know our kids will be all over the ship with this one.
Photo Courtesy of Disney Parks
3) Favorite entertainment for Adults? Even though there are plenty of adult opportunities for tastings, spas, and wonderfully themed bars and pubs, there is too much entertainment on board for all of our family to enjoy as a group. While an adult soda pop (or two) may not be bad and while yours truly always enjoys a good adult comic, I’m thinking more traditional Disney for this prediction.
Prediction: Pirate Night! Just the sight of all of us dressed as pirates will be amazing. Combine that with the fun, food and fireworks that accompany the festivities, it’s going to be tough to beat THE signature event of the 3-night cruise through the Bahamas.
2) Best part about the staterooms? Our rooms are categorized as “Deluxe Family Oceanview Staterooms.” They sleep 5 and have a large porthole window to look out and view the ocean. I do love the dual bath design and the raised bed to store your luggage under. And if I’m reading the deck plans, our rooms are across from the elevators so that’s nice.
Prediction: The fact that there is a space to sit in the window and watch the world go by. While a verandah patio would be nice, there’s something about just chilling in a window watching the sunset that makes me believe these rooms are magical. Can’t wait to take those pictures!
1) Will the service compare to Disney World? This is going to be a hard one for me. The service I receive at Walt Disney World is part of why I suggest a Disney trip before anywhere else. It’s part of why I got into vacation planning. I actually have a couple of books and attended a Disney Institute class on how they provide customer service at the parks. It always sets the bar for any customer experience I’ve ever had. With all that being said…
Prediction: There will be a new standard bearer when it comes to service! I believe that given you have the same waiters, you’ll see the same people during your favorite activities, have the same counselors at the Oceaneer’s Club, etc, it creates a more intimate environment. I’m looking forward to an incredible trip and I’ll see you next week to tell you all about it and see how well I did on my predictions!
Did I miss anything? Is there anything on a Disney Cruise that I will enjoy? Leave your comments in the section below and remember, there’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow!
