Don’t be jealous, but I did in fact go on a Disney Cruise in order to write this article. Though I knew it would be a blast—I was on the Mediterranean itinerary sailing from Barcelona—what I didn’t know was how much a Disney Cruise can be delightful enough to make you giggle as you dance with Mickey, or eat ice cream and pizza (or amazing hand-made pats out of a giant wheel of parmesan cheese) for dinner, and remind you that R&R is not only essential, but magical too.
Disney Cruises have amazing food and service, but the thing that was most exciting for me were all those little magical moments that made me feel like a little kid again. Here are some of my favorites.
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The Sail Away Party
Within hours of boarding the ship, there’s an epic pool party on deck featuring Mickey and friends. If you hadn’t already realized you were about to go on one of the most amazing vacations in your life, this party will get you there. I went from mild excitement to kid-about-to-go-to-Disneyland-but-on-a-boat excitement in a matter of minutes. This thing isn’t just refreshments and announcements from the captain. There’s confetti and streamers, coordinated dance numbers, music, everyone starts dancing, Barcelona floats away in the background … oh my gosh it’s so amazing.
Riding the AquaDunk
One of the first things you notice when you walk on board is an intimidating and majestic water slide. On this ship, it was the AquaDunk, a very fast and very fun slide that literally dunks you, then slides you down two stories. As soon as I saw it, I had to go for a ride (much like a kid), but when my turn came, I realized I was actually really scared (also quite like myself as a kid). Luckily I went for it, in part because some rather small kids were impatiently waiting for their turn to slide behind me.
Character Meet and Greets
… and they all have cute nautical themed outfits. Sometimes they even dress up according to your port of call i.e. Mickey and Minnie but with a Spanish or French twist! Cut to even the grownups pointing and squealing when Mickey walks by in a captain’s uniform. There are set times every day when you can go and take your picture with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and the gang. Since we were on the ship for several relaxing days, there’s plenty of time to get your photo taken with your pals.
Dessert
Dessert on a Disney Cruise might just be as important as the meal itself. There are tons of dessert options, all of which are plated in a way that can reduce even the most adulty adult into a giddy five-year-old. Every night you have a choice from several new items, and they all come out of the kitchen more beautiful than you could have even imagined. Cut to me eating dessert several times a day for six days, because when in Rome.
More Dessert
Disney is all about dreams coming true—on a Disney Cruise, your childhood dream of on-demand ice cream more than comes true. In addition to the dessert masterpieces I ordered at dinner every night, there are tons of quick service dessert options one can partake in all day long. There’s nothing quite like seeing someone with soft serve, thinking to yourself “hmmm, I want some soft serve,” and then walking to the soft serve bar and EATING SOME SOFT SERVE no matter what time of day. By the way, they change out the soft serve flavors throughout your trip, so it’s almost like you have to get ice cream every day to get the full experience.
The Pirate Party—Costumes Encouraged
Many Disney Cruise itineraries include a themed Pirate night—dinner is pirate themed, decor and costumes are all pirates all the time, culminating in a live show on deck with a finale of fireworks. Children and whole families go to dinner in pirate attire, and everyone receives a pirate Mickey bandana in their room to help them join in the fun.
Mickey Waffles Every Day
Every day of the cruise, I went ashore for one of the amazing excursions, but never before a buffet breakfast! Every day I’d tell myself I was going to have oatmeal or some egg whites or something else sensible to help maintain my energy through a busy day, maybe even try something new that I’d never had before. But then I’d see them. The Mickey waffles, smiling at me from the pancake and waffle station. And more times than not, I’d go ahead and just have a bunch of Mickey waffles because they’re just so cute and yummy.
Dining at Animator’s Palette
Walking into Animator’s Palette is like walking into an animated film. There are doodles everywhere, giant paintbrushes, and amazing screens that change and shift throughout dinner. I don’t want to ruin the surprises that happen at the end of the meal for those of you who have never been on a Disney Cruise–some very cool things happen that have to do with guest appearances and animation that turns all guests at dinner, adults included, into mesmerized little kids.
Towel Animals
Disney Cruise Line is very well known for having some of the best animal towel sculptures ever. Every day when you return to your stateroom after an adventure ashore, your Navigator with information for the next day will be there, accompanied by a new towel animal and a Sleepy chocolate for before bedtime. Every time I’d return to my room at the end of the night, even turning my doorknob would be a fun event because I knew there was going to be some cool sculpture there waiting for me.
Special Deliveries
Every once in a while, in addition to the Navigator, I’d receive a special delivery, like a letter from Anna announcing a special scavenger hunt that week. Sometimes there might even be a tasty treat or a fun accessory to wear to the pirates or Frozen party. No matter how old you are, getting a letter from a Disney character will make your day.
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