Disney Dream Cruise

This year, we decided to step outside our comfort zone and book our very first cruise! We spent some time debating which cruise line would be the best fit for our family. While there were so many tempting options, we ultimately chose a Disney cruise. With our kids still being young and loving all the character themes and interactions, it felt like the perfect choice! Plus, we heard such great things about Disney cruises from others.

 

I don’t have any personal comparisons to other cruise lines or even other Disney ships just yet, but I can definitely share our overall experience, along with the highlights and a few things we didn’t love as much. Let’s kick things off with the parts we enjoyed the most!

 

1. Theming

 

 If you’ve been following the blog, you know how much I adore a good theme! Disney really knows how to create magical experiences around themes. We booked our cruise super early, and guess what? We lucked out with a “Marvel Day at Sea”! That meant on our day at sea—when we didn’t stop at any ports—we were surrounded by all things Marvel. There were cool character meet-and-greets (which we could pre-book), loads of fun Marvel shows throughout the day, and even a dinner that was all about Marvel! Our family has loved Marvel for years, so we were absolutely thrilled to experience this.

 

Another highlight of our cruise was Pirate Night, which I believe they do on every Disney cruise. Just like the Marvel day, Pirate Night is a blast! There are tons of great photo ops, with Mickey and friends dressed as pirates, and surprise appearances from Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Hook, and Smee! Plus, they provide each guest with Mickey bandanas during the evening turn-down service. How fun is that? It truly adds to the magical atmosphere!

2. Amazing Shows

 

I have to say, my favorite part of the cruise was definitely the shows! Disney really knows how to put on a fantastic performance. Almost every night, there’s something happening in the theater, and there are even some special shows on the top deck now and then. Plus, Disney is the only cruise line that gets to use fireworks, which made those deck shows extra special!

 

We got to enjoy some incredible shows on the deck, including “Sailing Away,” a fun Pirate Night Show, and a Marvel Show that kicked off Marvel Day at Sea the night before! In the theater, there were performances every night, with two showings of the same performance to fit around our dining times. We managed to catch all the shows, which included “The Golden Mickeys,” “Chris Cox: The Mind Reader,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Strange Academy,” and “Disney Dreams.” My personal favorite was “The Golden Mickeys,” but everyone in our group had their own favorites, which was fun to hear!

 

To give you an idea of how great the shows were, I once saw “Beauty and the Beast” on Broadway in New York City, and I can honestly say this cruise version was just as amazing! Now, I will admit that “Strange Academy” wasn’t my favorite, but the other shows definitely made up for it.

 

The theater is set up really well, not a bad seat in the house. However, some shows feature bubbles or confetti that fall from the ceiling, and you really need to be in the front floor section to enjoy that to the fullest! Oh, and a little tip for my fellow popcorn lovers: it’s not free on the ship, but we bought refillable popcorn buckets on our first night, and we could refill them for a lower price on the nights that followed! Overall, the shows were a total highlight of our cruise!

 

3. Beautiful Destinations

 

This was a Bahamian cruise. We set sail from Fort Lauderdale and had stops in Nassau, Castaway Cay, and Lookout Cay. Instead of lounging on the beaches in Nassau, we decided to dive into some fun at Baha Bay waterpark and let me tell you, it was a blast! But Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay? Wow, they had some of the prettiest beaches I’ve ever seen—and that’s saying a lot because I’ve been to a lot of beaches!

 

Castaway Cay is mostly man-made, with cozy beaches that have a barrier, creating calm waters that are perfect for swimming. Since the whole island is owned by Disney, there’s Disney magic everywhere, from cute statues you can spot while snorkeling to fun themes along the 5K running trek. Plus, there are some awesome waterslides in the ocean for the kids to enjoy!

Then there’s Lookout Cay, located at Lighthouse Point. This spot feels more natural. While Disney owns the Lookout Cay peninsula, they do not own the entire island and they present you more of an experience into the Bahamian culture. The ocean is calm here too, with just a few gentle waves and the water is incredibly clear. There’s even a small splash pad with slides right by the beach, perfect for the little ones!

 

And the best part? Since both Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay are owned by Disney, lunch and drinks are included at no extra cost—just like when you’re on the boat! 

4. Rotational Dining

 

Get ready for a fantastic dining experience on the cruise! You’ll have two main evening dining times to choose from, and they’re perfectly timed to fit around the theater shows. If you go for the early dining at 5:45 PM, you can enjoy the shows around 8:30 PM. Prefer to have a later dinner? No problem! The late dining time starts at 8:15 PM, letting you catch the shows beforehand at about 6:15 PM. This helps spread out the crowds and make everything more enjoyable!

 

Every evening, you’ll get to explore one of the three main dining halls, but don’t worry—if there’s a themed night, you might stay at the same place with an exciting menu twist! The best part? Even though you’ll visit different restaurants, your friendly servers will stay with you throughout your cruise. They’ll get to know you and your preferences, making each meal feel special and tailored just for you! 

5. Ambiance Overall

 

Not only was it super fun and themed, but it was also incredibly clean and well-kept throughout the entire ship and around all the Disney-owned ports. The housekeeping team did an amazing job keeping our room immaculate, and we were pleasantly surprised by how spacious it felt! I was a bit worried about fitting five of us in one room, but the setup was really functional. I loved how the beds were arranged—there was plenty of room to tuck our suitcases under the main double bed. Plus, having the toilet separate from the shower area made it so much easier to get our busy crew ready in the mornings and evenings. 

 

 

While there were many amazing things about our Disney cruise, I’m sad to say there were also a couple of rough points as well that I want to address:

 

1. Crowds

 

The biggest challenge we faced on our cruise was definitely the crowd levels. As this was my first cruise experience, so I don’t have any to compare it too, but it was CROWDED. The elevators were often so busy, that using them wasn’t an option. Thank goodness we had the ability to use the stairs although it got old real quick after multiple flights each day. 

 

The crowd levels heavily affected dining too (other than dinner). Dinner was our only scheduled eating time, while breakfast and lunch were either buffer or quick-service options. The crowds to get food were just overwhelming and having kids with sensory issues to this stuff added another layer of difficulty to it. To navigate the chaos, we strategically chose to sit farther away from the buffet dining area on the ship’s deck. This way, one parent could stay with the kids while the other was a runner for the food.

 

Castaway Cay did a pretty good job getting people through the lines but the lunch at Lookout Cay was the worst, given the 20-minute wait in the heat and the heavy trays that were challenging for even an adult to manage. Then once you had your food, finding a place to sit was impossible. 

 

When it came to entertainment, be ready to show up very early!  15 minutes early was usually enough for the theater shows . However, for deck shows, getting there 30 minutes or more to have a decent view. 

 

Character meet-and-greets also posed a challenge, with waits often exceeding 20 minutes, even for the pre-scheduled events. Ultimately, we decided to skip those experiences, as our boys couldn’t handle the waiting.

 

While I can’t say for certain if the Marvel Day at Sea increased the number of passengers on our cruise, based on people I talked to it seemed like this may have been an additional aspect of why the cruise was near full capacity. So a bit of a give and take with getting to enjoy the Marvel Day but with larger crowds because of it. 

 

2. The Kids Club / No Accommodations

 

After booking our cruise, I joined a Facebook group for families cruising with kids who have special needs. A common complaint was about the situation of the kids’ club. It’s divided into age groups: Nursery (6 months to 3 years), Oceaneer Club and Lab (3 to 10 years), Edge (11 to 14 years), and Vibe (14 to 17 years). Disney enforces strict age limits with no exceptions, which can be challenging for families with children like ours. Our 11-year-old, with a developmental age fit for the Oceaneer area, didn’t have the option to join his younger siblings there.

 

Additionally, the Edge and Vibe clubs have a self-checkout system, allowing kids to leave on their own—raising concerns for many families with special needs. I reached out to specialservices@disneycruise.com for clarification and they confirmed that no accommodations would be provided. Therefore, we could visit the kids’ club during open house times and stay with the kids, but couldn’t really utilize their services which are generally a perk for adults to enjoy some of the other activities offered on the ship.

 

Overall, our Disney cruise was a fun experience! There were so many wonderful things about it, and I definitely don’t regret giving it a shot. That said, the crowd levels and the limited accommodations at the kids’ club made us feel like this might be a one-and-done adventure for us. We’ve been a bit spoiled by the smaller crowds at our favorite resorts, so it’s hard to compare. But I’m still really glad we went! It was a great experience to check off our list, and I think it’s definitely something worth doing while the kids are still young!