(Before you read this article I would just like to take a moment to say that our thoughts and prayers are with Rebecca Coriam - a crew member who went missing from the Disney Wonder this past week - and her family. And though, the timing of this article and her disappearance are coincidental, it still seems inappropriate to me, to post something about Disney Cruise Lines this week, without mentioning Rebecca.)I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce a new series of articles here on Ramblings. These articles will be cruise line reviews meant to help anyone reading this blog to get to know the cruise lines and the different products that they offer allowing you, the re
aders, to make the right choice when choosing who to sail with on your next cruise vacation.
Due to the success of our previous blog involving Disney Cruise Lines, I have decided to start off this series with Disney Cruise Lines! Let me just say first off, that, as you know, I myself have never been on a cruise (sad I know)...everything I write here is based off of years of learning about and getting to know the industry through reading, watching, internet, friends, and many many reviews.
Started in the early 1990’s as an extension to Disney’s extremely profitable theme parks, Disney Cruise Lines (DCL) is a relatively new player and the cruise industry operates three ships - the Disney Magic (1998), the Disney Wonder (1999) and the new Disney Dream (2011) -on cruises to the Bahamas, Caribbean, Europe, the Mediterranean and the Mexican Rivera. Disney currently is operating Disney Magic and Disney Dream in the Caribbean/Bahamas, while the Disney Wonder is sailing out of Los Angeles (YAY!!) to the Mexican Rivera and later in summer, Alaska for the first time in DCL’s history. Interestingly enough, this isn’t Disney first foray into cruising. Disney once had some presence on the ships run by the now gone Premier Cruise Lines.
Ever since it’s first sailing, DCL has been known for its high level of service, attention to detail and overall quality. The line receives consistently good reviews and is already much loved. But why? First of all…the ships… Disney operates some of the most beautiful ships currently sailing both inside and out. The outside is made to echo the beautiful curves and sweeping lines of the great ocean liners of old…the ships even have two funnels (though the forward one is fake). On the inside the ships are decorated in classic, timeless styles such as Art Deco (Disney Magic and Disney Dream) and Art Nouveau (Disney Wonder) and are really quite beautiful even with the Disney so called, “whimsy” (sorry I had to channel the Disney marketing there).
The ships offer many different amenities for all the different age groups that Disney carries. They have extensive kid facilities (Oceaneers Club & Oceaneers Lab), with spaces for babies, toddlers, young kids, tweens, and teens (Vibe & Aloft). Several areas are, likewise, dedicated to adults only, such as restaurants, clubs, bars, decks, and pools. There are also other spaces dedicated to family fun. The ships each have three pools on the top deck, the Mickey Pool at 2ft deep is for kids (also featuring a water slide), the Goofy Pool (the Donald Pool on the Disney Dream) is the main pool for anyone’s use, and then situated in front of the forward funnel is the Quite Cove Pool exclusively for adults. Disney ships are designed for almost anyone whether you are single, a couple, old, young, or a family.
Dining onboar
d is noteworthy itself. Disney Cruise Lines uses a dining system call “Rotational Dining” where instead of one large main restaurant there are three smaller ones that passenger rotate between (waiters and servers also rotate with you to insure good, personalized, service). The main restaurants on the different ships vary save for one, Animator’s Palate. On the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, this eatery magically (to use a Disney term) transforms from a colorless room with pictures of Disney animation cells on the walls, to a very colorful room that pays homage to Disney’s beautiful animation (to show you how detailed Disney is, for this one room they had a custom score written and recorded to go with the transformation). On the Disney Dream, Animators Palate has many video screens all over the room where Crush, the sea turtle from Disney – Pixar’s “Finding Nemo”, will come and interact with diners….personally, I prefer the older version but no doubt a lot of people will love the feature.
Other restaurants onboard include Disney’s signature, ‘Palo’, an upscale restaurant located at the aft top deck on all Disney ships giving the space incredible panoramic views. The restaurant is adults only and features a great Italian inspired menu. Other than that, the ships, of course, have a b
uffet and other snack options. On the new Disney Dream Disney introduced a new restaurant called, ‘Remy’ after the main character, Remy, in the Disney – Pixar film “Ratatouille”, with a French inspired menu created by two noted chefs - Chef Arnaud Lallement from l'Assiette Champenoise (a Michelin 2-star restaurant) and Chef Scott Hunnel from award-winning Victoria & Albert's at Walt Disney World Resort –it is easily the most upscale and luxurious dining venue aboard any Disney ship. With its classic Art Nouveau style, and adults only atmosphere, Remy is located next to Palo, on the ships top deck aft, and similarly features beautiful wrap around ocean views.
As far as the entertainment on Disney’s ships goes, understandably it is some of the best, if not the best, at sea according to reviews. Disney original shows and musicals, such as Toy Story (made just for DCL) are preformed every night in the ships, Walt Disney Theater and are usually met with much applause. The ships also feature some of the only dedicated cinemas in the cruise industry, the Buena Vista Theater, which features many first run films on a giant screen. On top of these two options, the ships also have several clubs discos, pools (which I already covered…though I did forget to mention that Disney Dream has a 700ft water coaster), lounges, sports areas and several large parties such as the Sail Away Party, or the nighttime, Pirates of the Caribbean Party, both of which are on the top deck. One other thing that Disney does that no other cruise line in the world does, is a spectacular fireworks show at sea!
Disney has designed their ships to be accommodating to everyone, especially families. One area where this is greatly apparent is in the cabins. DCL standard cabin are larger than usual, better appointed, and on average can accommodate 4 people, and up to 5 in some. On top of this, they have split bathrooms where the bathtub (note that most standard cabin in the industry only have a shower) and a sink in one room, and then the toilet and a sink in another…this convenience allows multiple people to use the facilities at the same time…very nice!
Most Disney cruises (at least those in the Bahamas and Caribbean) stop at Disney’s private island of Castaway Cay (previously known as Gorda Cay); a beautiful and lush island used exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests.Castaway Cay (CAC - we will call it that for short instead of Castaway Cay because I am getting tired of writing Castaway Cay every time I want to refer to Castaway Cay and it is much easier just to say CAC instead of writing out Castaway Cay over and over) since it first entered into operation when Disney Cruise Lines started out, has been called the best of any of the private destinations that the Cruise Lines owe.
The island’s main attraction is its extensive beautiful white sand beaches, crystal clear blue water, and various boating and water activities, such as snorkeling, jet skiing, kayaking or paddle boating. On top of that you can go biking, hiking on a nature trail, eat, drink, play with, and feed stingrays, or go parasailing. The island has three beaches, each of which serves a different purpose. First is the Family Friendly “Castaway Family Beach” – the largest and closest beach to the ship - the teen beach (for teens…obviously), and then th
e secluded (it's separated from the rest of the island’s amenities by a long walk- or tram ride- down an abandoned runway) “Serenity Bay”, the adults only beach where you can relax, take yoga classes, swim, intertube, or have an open air message in a private cabana on the beach. There is also a small area just for little kids, were they can play different games and dig for whale bones. Unlike other private cruise lines destinations (save for Royal Caribbean’s Labadee), Disney has built a pier for the ship to dock at, allowing passengers to go back and forth between the ship and island whenever you want. Also convenient is the fact that CAC is connected to the ship’s system which allows passengers to charge any purchases made on the island, to their cabin. Everything is designed to make things easy and relaxing for Disney guests.
Disney is known for its great level of service and attention to detail. Often when reading reviews for DCL you will read a lot about the service and the gracious employees and how they made the cruise special. If you have ever stayed at a Disney Resort, you will know how great the service can be, employees are happy, personable, and attentive.
All of this said, there are some things that keep people off of Disney ships (or Disney Resorts for that matter)… the worry that the Disney-ness of it all will be over powering. On DCL you have the characters, you have the Disney movie references, hidden mickeys, Disney shows, Disney parties, Disney themes in the décor and you have Disney themed restaurants… Really, it sounds as if
you will be drowning in a pool of Disney on these ships (I am drowning in it just from writing ‘Disney’ over and over again). I have good news though, this isn’t the case. What many people have told me, and what many reviews have said, is that the Disney in these ships is not overpowering, or even too much. Actually, it’s apparently tasteful and done in a way that doesn’t offend. Much of the Disney stuff can be avoided if you so choose, and you can have a great cruise without too much, Disney. Of course, I would be lying if I said that it's not there and that the Disney influence is not strong, but’s its not like you're going to get hugged by some man dressed like a dog (just kidding kids – or Disney fans…… that really is Pluto!) every time you turn a corner because you won’t. Of course if you can’t stand anything Disney, don’t cruise with them…your loss IMO, but really if you don’t want any Disney in your vacation, well, why would you choose them anyway? But really rest assured that you can sail with DCL without getting an overdose of Disney. Again, if you have ever stayed at a Disney Resort, then you will know that while there is a lot of Disney-ness, there is also a very tasteful and nice product.
One other thing that people worry about, is the idea that kids will be running rampant, and acting crazy all over the ship. Well according to what people have said in reviews, the kids are very well behaved, mostly, because they are so well entertained in their own areas. I personally can’t remember ever reading about a naughty kid on a Disney cruise (but I won’t be liable if you choose a Disney cruise after reading this and find that this is not the case ;) ).
Not everything DCL is all peachy and good. There is one major complaint I have about Disney Cruise Lines… the prices. I have griped about this on the blog before but… Disney is expensive and they are expensive pretty much across the board (as in, their parks are also expensive). This is odd because Disney Cruise Lines is part of the ‘mass market’ segment of the cr
uise industry (along with Carnival, NCL and Royal Caribbean) and knowing that you might, at first, think that their prices would reflect the mass market... Nope. They don’t…they are higher, sometimes by a lot. For example, on April 23rd (my birthday!!!!!) both the Disney Magic and the Oasis of the Seas will be leaving on a 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise. On the Disney Magic, for 2 people in a standard balcony cabin, you will pay $4,489.02 total for the cruise, whereas on Oasis, with the same arrangements, you would pay $3,346.80 total for the cruise. To make this price contrast worst, the Oasis of the Seas - along with her sister ship the Allure of the Seas - is the largest and most amenity filled cruise ship in the world, it’s practically brand new (((the Disney Magic, by comparison, is around 13 years old))) and is itself, already more expensive than most other ships in the mass market. So basically, Disney is more expensive than a ship that is herself already more expensive than most. Also worth mentioning, is the fact that because of Oasis’ newness and amenities, she can more easily justify her prices as newer and bigger ships tend to be more expensive for the first few years of their operation.
(Photo at right - "disney-dream-lobby hal" by flickr member Skimbaco )
The fact is, that Disney can charge for their name. Practically everyone has some sort of emotional attachment to Disney (including me) and will pay through the nose for them (and Disney knows it). However there is some justification to Disney’s prices...higher operating cost. The service level and attention to detail that Disney offers (arguably better than any of the other mass market lines), and the fact that their ships are always immaculate, is expensive for Disney; therefore, prices will be higher in order to recover expenses. Also worth noting is the fact that Disney includes some extra things in your fare (like soda I believe). All that considered, I still think that they charge a little too much…mostly because I really want to sail with them!! I will say though, that this does not apply to every cruise with them; some are available for a relatively good price.
Well, anyway all that said, if you are planning or thinking about a cruise, Disney Cruise Lines is not a bad choice. In fact, I would say they are a great choice whether you are a family, elderly, couple, or even single (apparently a lot of young singles and couple sail on Disney). I am sure you would have fun! I will also be incredibly jealous of you! Hopefully, I will sail with them soon, or maybe at least visit the Disney Wonder here in Los Angeles!
CHECK OUT OUR DISNEY WONDER IN LOS ANGELES ALBUM HERE : https://picasaweb.google.com/104983304629890664189/DisneyWonderInLosAngeles#P.S. Have you sailed with Disney? If so, then we would love to hear your thoughts on them!
I’M SORRY!!! I KNOW I HAVEN’T POSTED IN SO LONG!! (*sobs). Really I didn’t forget about you, I didn’t, it’s just…just I’ve been busy!! I know, you should never be too busy for ships! Nothing should come in the way of ships…but this time…something did. I will tell you more about that in another post! I think you might actually find it quite interesting, even though, it is completely un-related to ships. 
