As a travel agent, we obviously have a passion for travel and while we have cruise with Holland America Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Costa Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line, Disney was not really on our radar … until we adopted a child.
Why We Chose Disney Cruise Lines
When choosing a cruise line for our first family cruise, the biggest consideration was our daughter, Clare, who would be 18 months during the trip. We wanted to be able to enjoy the cruise with our friends but also spend time with our daughter. That lead us to Disney despite Clare being under the minimum age of 3 for the Oceaneers Club. They offered babysitting services, for a nominal fee, at a nursery and we would be notified of needed diaper changes via our mobile Wave Phone. This would fit our needs because we could drop her to play at the nursery as we went to the Adults-Only Palo Restaurant with our friends for a quiet dinner.
Another consideration was that the cruise would be gay-friendly, having taken many R Family Vacation Cruises before we decided to adopt. Sadly they didn’t have any departures so we decided to take our chances with Disney, knowing that the parks tend to be gay-friendly.
We made some of our decision based on our previous trip to Disney World in Orlando where the service was impeccable, everything was clean and while it was a bit more expensive, we did feel the price was worth what we got.
Our Disney Eastern Caribbean Cruise
When we received our Disney Cruise Line Documents we found some interesting features that set Disney apart from any other cruise line out there. As with their resorts, they have partnered with many large airlines with regard to luggage handling which means we checked our luggage at Philadelphia International Airport — and it will be taken right to our cabin on the ship! After having traveled to see friends and needing a connecting flight with a child seat, this was greatly appreciated and worth any price difference from other cruise lines!
We did quite a bit of our check-in paperwork online, including registering our credit card, flights, etc. therefore we spent more time standing in line to check in at the Orlando Airport than we did actually checking in. They took one photo and then cropped each person for our shipboard photo Ids – quite nice rather than standing there for three individual photos and trying to get an 18-month-old to pose alone. We were given a Disney character which indicated the bus we would get on for our 45-minute drive to Port Canaveral.
The ride was shorter than anticipated due to the video about our cruise as well as Disney cartoons for the remainder of the trip to entertain the kids. A Disney Representative gave us instructions on entering the terminal and we were off… through metal detectors and in line for our family photo before getting onboard.
Just before we entered the ship we were asked for our family name and as we entered, they introduced us over the speaker system as if we were royalty. It was a bit over-the-top but when Clare gets older I can certainly see her enjoying the introduction as her Daddy and I shy away from the limelight.
We immediately went to our cabin to see if our luggage was there and drop off our carry-on luggage. We were thrilled with the cabin, a deluxe oceanview stateroom one floor below the main lobby. It had Disney’s unique split bathroom, one room containing the shower and sink and the other a toilet and sink, enabling families to get ready at the same time. Another neat feature was a curtain splitting the queen-sized bed from the fold-out bed – and a TV that would swivel to either side of the curtain for when the kids go to bed. We mistakenly ordered a Pack-n-Play which was setup and had to be quickly taken down as Clare recently decided that she wouldn’t sleep in a crib anymore. The Diaper Genie was in the room and ready to go!
We quickly got an overview of Disney Cruise Lines “rotational dining” which is quite ingenious –
you move among three dining rooms and your wait staff moves with you. One night we are in Parrot Cay and the next we are in Animator’s Palate but Juan follows us, having memorized our names before we even arrived to our table. One thing to mention was that we booked our trip about nine months in advance and the only dining time availabe was late dining, about 8:15pm. That’s very late for an 18-month-old and we figured that out our first night as Clare was very fussy, to the point we decided that one of us would take her back to the cabin instead of ruining the
meal for everyone else. That is where Disney’s exceptional service comes in — our wait staff had me order my entire meal and they delivered it to the Stateroom for me! I didn’t have to ask, they insisted! Each night we would go to the dining room, order our meal and then take Clare to the cabin and wait for dinner to arrive… three courses piping hot!
Disney Cruise Line does not skimp on entertainment either. Aside from the characters popping up throughout the ship, their shows were high-end with all of the Disney special effects. While Clare was too young to enjoy them (she would sleep!), the rest of us were amazed at the effects incorporated on a cruise ship. Well done Disney!
With a kid we didn’t sign up for any optional shore excursions, instead we got off the ship and walked around. Down to the Reception Desk we were able to sign out a stroller to use while off the ship – at no charge! That really helped us enjoy our time when Clare decided to nap and carrying her was too much. And the destinations, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and their private island … well, it’s not about the destination this time around as we’ve been to these places before.
Ahh, the gay-friendly thing — almost forgot that part and frankly I’m glad that it wasn’t an issue and therefore not much to write about. The fact is, no one cares and we have felt this over the years as we traveled the world together as a couple and now with a mixed-race child. Sure, people stopped and talked to us but it was 100% positive, telling us how wonderful it was to see such a happy child and her fathers. Mind you we think our kid is the most beautiful one in the World but that was confirmed by the number of people commenting on how cute she is 
I predict gay travel, as a specialty, is coming to an end as same-sex couples become a non-issue.
Will We Cruise With Disney Again?
The answer was an astounding “YES” by everyone in our group, including Clare who was fascinated and scared by the characters! “YES” so much so that we booked our next cruise right on the ship because they will offer a 10% discount if you book onboard… so we chose a 7-night Mediterranean, a cruise that every 3-year-old needs, right?
The best part is that your travel agent will receive credit even if you book onboard – just make sure you let them know you booked it with an agent. Your agent will receive all documents and be able to help plan your trip with
you from that point onward.
