Your FIRST Cruise on Disney -- What did you like Best???

[SweetAngel]

I am booked on my first ever Disney cruise, and I am beaming with excitement! Everything I've read makes this cruise sound amazing.

 

To those of you who have done Disney before, I love reading about all your experiences. Try to remember back to your first Disney cruise, and, if you have a few minutes, share any of the most special moments.

 

There are lots of us newbies who would love to hear about your experiences.

 

******

 

Here's why I am so excited: I am amazed at all the details ... the horn that toots "When you wish upon a star," the Disney characters at embarkment and all through the cruise, the sail away parties, the themes, the fireworks, the rotating dining (That's just genius). And the effort that went into the kids' areas --- it's the only ship I've seen that makes a huge room for each age group. The 8-12's have their OWN room ... a large one. And then there's Ocean Quest and Studio Sea and the Sports Deck where kids activities are held too, so they won't be stuck in their 8-12 room all day long. And the kids activities run all day with no breaks till midnight!!! No other ship offers that! And there are always 2 or 3 activities for the family at any given time too, so you get lots to choose from. And then there's always the waterslide, hot tub or pool. OH ... and then ... there are all the adult-only areas. No other ship offers so much adult space. Leave it to Disney to think of everything!

 

 

But I haven't even been on the ship yet.

So what do you experienced cruisers remember most about your 1st Disney cruise?

[mom x4,grandma x4]

The first cruise has one very special memory.

 

Hearing your name called as you board the ship for the first time!!

That feeling as you step on board in the beautiful atrium as they call your name to welcome you aboard is just AWESOME!! And it still is!!

 

mom x4,grandma x4

[UMTerp]

On my first DCL cruise I remember being so happy that the entire family was having a great vacation! The kids were happy in the clubs, we could enjoy things together, and DH and I had adult time!

 

Have fun!

 

UMTerp

[lagbunch8]

There was just so much to do as a family. This was the only cruise I have been on that I actually enjoyed the shows. My kids loved them too.(ages at cruise 12,11,9,7,5,5)

 

I also was very impressed by the service on DCL. We felt like VIPs. The only negative that I can think of was the pools. Very small and packed with people. But, we have a pool at home so for us this didn't matter. The kids had fun at the Mickey pool and there was so much to do other than the pools. The adult area was adult only and nice and quiet. DH and I spent a total of 1 hour there the whole week. We really just enjoyed doing things as a family. (we have adult time on our couples trips lol) But, the areas are there to enjoy as you wish.I hope you enjoy your cruise as much as we did.:)

[wifey4life]

I had never been to Disney before last year. I went on a 4 day land and 3 day sea with the cruise. Both were great, but I adored the ship!!!!!! :D

 

It was beautiful, elegant, and the nicest people you'd ever want to meet! My hubby and I (it was our honeymoon) loved the adult section, the theatre, Animator's, the Rainforest spa, and of course, the shopping! ;)

 

We stopped at Nassau and what I would equate as heaven on earth, Castaway Cay. It is soooo beautiful! Looks just like a postcard.

 

Which explains why we're going back next year for an 8 day land and sea, 4 on land/4 on sea.:cool:

 

Anna

[NCmom]

We cruised for the first time 3 weeks after 9/11/01, and five months after my DH's father passed away unexpectedly. Our first cruise was a healing one!

 

I loved the care that was given to us; the fact that DD loved the kids clubs; the staff was so good to use, loved Palo, and the rainforest room. The horn made me (and still makes me) cry!

[jeast]

The services for children even outside of the kids club:

 

1. On our day when we had lunch at (Topsiders or BBB? I can't remember what it is on the Wonder) the kids had their trays and we were wondering how we were going to manage to get them to a table. But, never fear! They had CMs at the end of the line to take the trays to the table for your kids. Anyone who has tried to manage a cafeteria line or buffet with small children understands how wonderful that is!

 

2. The servers cut the meat for the children. No kidding. Again, only the parents of children can truly understand the luxury of tending to your own food while it is still HOT!

 

3. Studio Sea-dancing with your kids. How often does that happen in real life?

[jeast]

4. Sail Away party. What an amazing way to start a vacation. When we counted down the horn and it blew that tune, we all had tears in our eyes.

[shaycamp21]

We have been on two Disney cruises and I agree it just is so amazing to have your family name called when you walk aboard.

What we loved:

The ship itself--so beautiful full of Disney Whismy-- of course the Wish Upon A Star horn.

The sail-away party is the perfect way to begin the cruise.

Pirate night is so much fun (esp. if you get in the spirit and dress up) and the fireworks aboard the ship are an amazing touch.

The kids clubs are top notch and allow you to have a guilt free vacation (having alone time knowing they are having a blast too).

The shows (esp. if you are a Disney Fan) are great even the second time around.

Castaway Cay is truly breathtaking!! And Mickey's there!!!

 

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Host Mick]

I had followed the building of the DCL ships from the time that Fincantieri announced their deal with Disney and I booked our first DCL cruise when the Disney Magic was still in two pieces. I then had a huge anticipation of going on the cruise. When I stepped from the gangway into the lobby, I had goosebumps and I remember thinking "I can't believe that we're finally here". I stood there looking around, slack-jawed until my wife pushed me into the lobby.

[cruiserbryce]

it was our first cruise so everything was great, but even now looking back...the layout of the ship was great and the horn was really neat

[CaliforniaMama]

We have been on two Disney cruises and I agree it just is so amazing to have your family name called when you walk aboard.

What we loved:

The ship itself--so beautiful full of Disney Whismy-- of course the Wish Upon A Star horn.

The sail-away party is the perfect way to begin the cruise.

Pirate night is so much fun (esp. if you get in the spirit and dress up) and the fireworks aboard the ship are an amazing touch.

The kids clubs are top notch and allow you to have a guilt free vacation (having alone time knowing they are having a blast too).

The shows (esp. if you are a Disney Fan) are great even the second time around.

Castaway Cay is truly breathtaking!! And Mickey's there!!!

 

 

 

Enjoy your cruise.

I'm so excited!!!! I can't stand it. It's a year away still! We're big Disney fans as it is, and really wanted to do a Disney cruise for our first family cruise. It's more expensive, but my friends that cruise DCL frequently tell me it's worth every penny you save to have that kind of quality vacation, with the kids. I too was wondering about Castaway Cay and why it's so special, now I know!

[SweetAngel]

I was already excited about my upcoming Disney cruise, but after reading all of your wonderful experiences, well, I just don't know how I am going to be able to wait that long. :)

 

I have told my children some of the things that will happen onboard, but I think I will have to keep silent so that they will have some surprises too.

 

It sounds like there are plenty of options for both family time and adult time on Disney, and that will be nice.

 

Any more of you with stories to share?

[IndyTwinsMom]

Wow!! Now I'm really excited about our cruise- thanks!! For me there is always this pause between the planning & actually going on a trip where I second guess my decisions...you all have helped me past that. Now I can't wait!

 

I didn't know about the horn that plays "When you wish upon a star' - that was the song for our first dance when we were married. How sweet that will be for us (our 10th anniversay).

 

 

 

 

[brainfreeze987]

First of all LUCKY!!! I'm jealous!!!

 

The beauty of everything!! Hearing you name called as you walk in... seeing all of the little kids faces as Mickey and Minnie are the first ones to greet them! Being able to relish on the fact that you are on a DISNEY CRUISE!!!! and everyone else is just on a regular run of the mill cruise! The whistle! Simply AMAZING! only Disney would think of that!!

my favorite... to sit and watch all of the little kids as they get on!

HAVE FUN!!!!!

[andismom]

Hey Indy Twins Mom - Avon mom of one here - glad you will get some Florida sunshine in December! We are going in January! First time on Disney - our daughter loves to cruise - can't beat it for a great family vacation!

 

Go Colts!

[OceanLiner]

They had me with the horn. I never knew about that horn until I was standing on the ship and it was sounded. It just sort of put the whole package together. (And here is something that I will never forget about the quality of DCL kids counselors: two years after our 7 night Eastern we were on a 10 night HAL. On the first night a Club HAL counselor approached our family BEFORE we had registered and asked if we were previous guests on DCL, because she thought that she recognized our children and even called the youngest by his first name. A small bit of Disney magic even on another line!) (And another thing: I will not spoil this for anyone who has not been there, but the part of the Disney stage show where Tinkerbell puts fairy dust on the ship is pure Disney as only Disney can create. It caught me by complete surprise and there were many tears of joy in the audience.)

[momofprincess]

I agree with others that the countdown at the deck party and the sounding of the ship's horn was one of the most magical moments of the cruise for me. The first night of our first cruise, we went to see a movie that my husband really wanted to see. My daughter was 5 at the time and decided that she wanted to go back to the cabin after a little while. We settled down in bed and the rocking of the ship (normal for the first night) was such a soothing feeling! Not to mention the relief that I felt that nobody was seasick so far! The next morning, having breakfast outside while we pulled into Nassau was a real treat! I have to admit I was awfully proud to be on the biggest, prettiest ship in the port! And we definitely had the best horn, too.

 

Castaway Cay was definitely a highlight - find a hammock if you can. I wish we could have stayed longer!

 

The Pirate deck party is lots of fun, too. That night there was a thunderstorm over Nassau, so in addition to the beautiful fireworks on the ship, we had a nice lightning show off in the distance for most of the evening. The party wrapped up with a showing of "Pirates of the Carribean" on the big screen by the pool. What a fun night!

 

Now for the sad part..... Waking up the last morning in port.... I opened my eyes and could see the parking lot lights and the lights from the Carnival ship down the way. Everything felt different without the sensation of movement that we'd gotten used to. I was used to waking up to an endless ocean vista and hearing the whoosh as we slipped through the water. Back to reality. And luggage. And the security line at the airport. And planning for the next Disney Cruise!!!!!!

[IBmom]

We just stepped off the Disney Wonder yesterday after our 3rd Disney Cruise. We were also on the Magic last October for the Western Carribbean and on the Wonder for our 1st Disney cruise back in October 2002.

 

Here's what we LOVE about the Disney Cruise Line experience:

 

Crossing the causeway and the first sight of the ship in port.

Entering the atrium and having your family name announced.

The Sail-away party including the countdown and Disney horn.

Palo's at sunset.

The service is amazing on every part of the ship.

The gentle rock of the ship at night.

Sitting on your balcony at night.

Quiet time in the Cove Cafe.

Castaway Cay is beautiful.

Disney Dreams!

 

 

There is much more!!! Go and have a great time!

[SweetAngel]

Welcome to Cruise Critic IBmom. I see that is your first post. :)

 

Everyone, I really enjoy reading all of your first experiences!!!

 

Now I just hope I don't get my expectations so high that the cruise won't be able to live up to them. Ha, ha.

[MrPete]

I always like the excitement of first boarding a different line. You get to experience all the differences.

 

Loved entering the terminal and heading for the ears.

 

Boarding the ships, and having our name announced to Mickey.

 

FInding our cabin and seeing the bathrooms.

 

Going up to the Lido and seeing those smokestacks.

 

Finding the Mickey pool and SEEING ALL THOSE KIDS!!!!

 

Attending the sailaway party to the character dancing and all those streamers.

 

Animators Palatte

 

Castaway Cay!

 

Disney Dreams!

[steff01]

Wow, you are in for a treat! We took our 7th Disney cruise last July and I wish we could go again! The crew is the best! and your gonna be spoiled afte a Disney cruise:) !! Here is a list of my favs:

 

1. The fireworks and Pirate party & the huge Pirate buffet!!

 

2. The Kids areas are fantastic.

 

3. Do not miss any of the shows! I cry everytime I see Disney Dreams...pure goosebumps!

 

4. Palo - adult only dining..Yum!!

 

5. Walking down the hall and bumping into Captain Hook and Smee:p

 

6. Animaters plate "show" too cool!

 

6. Castaway Cay and the person who cuts up all the fresh fruit that you want! & the bbq there is so good! Pineapple upside down cake & cookie dough ice cream tastes so good on the beach.

 

Please let us know how you like your Disney cruise!

[Famof3]

WOW! I love ready everyone's posts!! We cruise in Feb 08 for our first time and all this information is just getting me more excited - if that's possible!!!!:)

[NEcruisers????]

Hearing your name called as you board the ship, entering your 'oversized' cabin for the first time, the buffet, the resturants, the wait staff, the room stewards, the captain and the sail away party, the horn blowing "when you whish upon a star", the dolphins swimming beside you as you leave port, CASTAWAY CAY........, swimming with the dolphins in Nausau, the staff welcoming you back onboard after your day in port... what is not to love about the Disney Ships??? We loved it all and can't wait to go back in January! Have a GREAT! first, second, third.... cruise! It is unbelievable!

[Joy2theWorld]

We loved everything!! I especially enjoyed the Pirate night party with the fireworks. I kind of felt like I was in a movie in all honesty. We also loved brunch and dinner at Palos. The one thing that we didn't enjoy wholeheartedly was the couples massage we had. The girl just didn't make me feel comfortable. However, everything else was top notch.