What No One Tells You about Disney Cruises

I have yet to hear anyone regret taking a Disney Cruise and you definitely won’t find that comment here. In fact when my husband and I left the Disney Dream with our two kids back in 2012, we said we would have paid MORE for the experience we all received. We have now also sailed on Disney Fantasy with our family of 5 and I can definitely say the second time around was even better!

Regardless though there are always things to know and learn especially when you are paying top dollar. If you are a first time Disney Cruiser I hope you will gain a little insight on some of things no one really talks about when taking a Disney Cruise.

USE A DISNEY TRAVEL AGENT – In a world where everything can be bought or booked online from the comfort of your own living room this may seem like a non-sensical suggestion. BUT Disney travel agents DO NOT up-charge for booking your cruise for you and most will also offer you onboard credits for booking through their agency. That’s free money y’all to use onboard!

BUY DISNEY GIFT CARDS TO SAVE MONEY – Prior to your trip take the time buy a few (or a lot) Disney gift cards to use on board the ship. Stores like Sams, BJ’s, and Costco will have these discounts so you can save 3-5% on the gift cards themselves. Another option would be to purchase Disney gift cards at Kroger and gain the fuel points to receive a great discount on gas! I’ve heard rumor that you can pay for a Disney cruise with nothing but gift cards, however we have never done that.

FANTASTIC DINING EXPERIENCE – The Disney restaurants on board the cruise ships are so much more than just a place to get some really great food. The restaurants come to life and offer a 4D experience that you will remember for a lifetime. One of the very first things we do is find out where we are dining each night! My suggestion is don’t ditch dining for room service (unless of course you are sick), ALWAYS order multiple dishes on the menu, and bring your camera!! You don’t want to miss taking photos in these magical spaces!

TAKE THE STAIRS – As you can imagine with so many people on board and the majority with children in tow, the elevators get backed up quickly. Don’t even try to use the ones on midship to get to the main level. Complete disaster especially during high traffic times like boarding and exiting. What I can tell you is plan to wear comfortable shoes to walk many flights of stairs or head to the aft and take an elevator from there!

INTERACTION WITH CHARACTERS – Just like at Disney World or Disney Land, you will be able to access a Character schedule of when and where they will be. But what I am referring to is REAL character interaction! The type where your kids can dance and play with characters for more than just the time it takes to get a brief snapshot. Characters will be at all of the parties making their way through the crowd shaking hands and high-fiving along the way. Inside the kids areas, character appearance happen often! They lead story time, sing and dance, and even participate in activities right along the children. On our last trip, Goofy came to one of the kids play times and danced for several songs with all the kiddos!

UNBELIEVABLE SHOWS – Oh the shows! If you are a theatre lover like I am, or if you simply enjoy great acting, singing, and dancing YOU WILL DIE for the shows on the Disney cruise. Every night there is a new show put on by professional actors, singers, and dancers and each one is unique to Disney cruise ships! Disney heroes and villains come to life on stage and if you are lucky enough to get a front row seat you may also get to be a part of the action. Disney holds NOTHING back in these productions, so be prepared to be moved each and every night. I mean look at these costumes!!

LEGIT MEDICAL CARE – I hate to say this but on both of our Disney trips we had to visit the infirmary. My daughter cut her toe pretty badly on our first cruise where her toenail on her big toe was cut in half. An extremely kind cast member took us straight to the infirmary so I didn’t have find my way on the massive ship with a bleeding, screaming child. They took us back to where they examined and treated her toe. What was even more awesome was they checked in on her and even sent her a special gift to to the room! On our most recent cruise, my toddler who is fed through a feeding tube was having some skin rashes around his site. The infirmary had the exact, pretty rare medication we needed to treat his skin!

I honestly could go on and on! Our favorite vacations have been on board the Disney Cruise ships! Oh and by the way, this post isn’t sponsored!

Have you considered taking a Disney Cruise or are you currently planning one??

#Disneycruisesecrets #disneycruise