Cruising with the Mouse - Disney Cruise Line
By Colin Hartness
There’s magic in everything that team Disney touches and their cruise line is no exception. Michael Eisner himself commissioned a talented group of ship designers, cruise experts and Disney creators to produce cruise ships that would appeal to adults and children of all ages. The result was two nearly-identical ships, Disney Wonder and Disney Magic.
The ships are distinctively Disney, with the famous mouse silhouette prominently placed on the smokestacks and appearing frequently throughout the ships. That’s not all; a fifteen-foot statue of Goofy is the figurehead on Disney Magic while Donald Duck adorns the front of Disney Wonder. Of course, cast members masquerade through the ship in costumes of the famous Disney characters. Disney art is featured on the walls and images of Disney characters appear everywhere. Disney excels at promoting everything Disney so expect onboard shops to be full of Disney memorabilia.
Disney Cruise Line offers three, four, seven and ten day cruises that sail from Disney’s own Port Canaveral near Orlando to popular spots in the Caribbean, including St. Maarten, Nassau, Antigua, Cozumel, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman Island, St. Lucia, and Key West. All cruises stop at for a day at Castaway Cay, a private island developed by Disney solely for the enjoyment of Disney Cruise Line passengers.
The cruise can easily be combined with a stay at Walt Disney World; passengers can stay at Disney World for several days before or after a cruise for one price that includes transportation on, what else, a Disney bus to or from Port Canaveral. And with the latest technology, tourists check in only once and the key card issued to them unlocks both their hotel and stateroom doors.
As expected, Disney Cruise Line caters to children with activities for all age groups all day long. In fact, more than 15,000 square feet of ship’s real estate is devoted to children. Teens have a private area of the ship dedicated to their interests that offers video games, movies, and a place to listen to CD’s. Supervised teen sports are also available.
Disney Cruise Lines provides quality nighttime entertainment in a 977-seat theatre each evening with, of course, a family orientation. While other cruise lines mimic Las Vegas entertainment, Disney entertainment is similar to shows at Disney World. As might be expected, there is no casino on board the Disney ships. However, adults can find evening entertainment in a number of lounges and nightclubs.
A special feature of the Disney cruises is the dining arrangement. Dinners are served at 6:30 and 8:30 pm in one of three family dining areas. Over a three day period, a passenger will have dinner in a different restaurant each night, thus getting to experience the unique ambiance of each one. For a cover charge, those wishing to avoid family dining can opt to eat at the upscale adult-only restaurant, but only after gaining sought-after advance reservations.
If you or your children adore everything Disney, you will certainly enjoy a Disney cruise.