How I’d Grade My First Disney Cruise

My first Disney cruise is but a fond memory now.

I’ve been back on home soil for ten days now, and I’m already ready to return.

The fact that we’re already shopping for itineraries on Disney Cruise Line tells the whole story about our experience.

Still, I know that many of you have never taken a Disney cruise before and wonder about the specifics.

So, I’ll reveal how I’d grade my Disney cruise experience by dividing the trip into general categories.

Cabin

Our cabin consisted of 246 square feet of space. It was a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with a Verandah.

This cabin provided us with a view of the water, which we found delightful when we sat on our balcony.

There’s nothing more tranquil than the gentle sound of waves crashing against the ship.

So, we were completely at peace whenever we spent time in our cabin.

Overall, we quite enjoyed the space, which surprised us with its ample, smart storage options.

We fully unpacked our luggage in the drawers and closet, and we had plenty of room to spare.

A family of four with two small children shouldn’t have any issues bringing everything they need on the trip.

That’s not to say that the cabin was absolutely perfect. I’m 6’3”, and the shower head barely reached my forehead.

The in-room television was quite small – the newer ships have large HDTVs – and our internet just never worked well.

That last issue irritated us throughout the trip, although Disney Cast Members dutifully tried to help multiple times.

I’m writing that one off as bad luck rather than anything specific against the cabin, but that’s when we noticed it most.

Realistically, when you’re spending a lot of time in your cabin, you’re missing the point of a cruise, though.

The same statement applies to the television as well, although we did enjoy watching the shows on the closed-circuit channel.

Overall, I’d give the cabin a solid 8.5 out of 10, and the view was a 10+.

Dining

I detailed Disney Cruise Line (DCL) dining extensively in this article.

As a reminder, I’m not much of a foodie, as demonstrated by the fact that all I’ve eaten today is a ham sandwich and tomato soup.

Do you know what I ate each of the last three days for lunch? Yup, same thing.

So, when I say that the Disney Dream delivered the best dining experiences I’ve had in a calendar year, I mean it.

This was the aspect that worried me the most to the point that I almost didn’t go on the trip.

Once I was onboard, the food was so good that I never wanted to leave. 

I don’t even need the (marvelous) rotational dining offerings. Cabanas and an endless supply of ice cream cones is plenty!

Dining on a Disney cruise is always going to be a ten out of ten.

Shows

Here’s an area where the Disney difference is on full display.

No other cruise ship company could ever compete with Disney, as people dream of working for them since childhood.

So, I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s a dream come true for many when Disney Cruise Line hires them for shows.

Former or future Broadway performers anchor every Disney show, thereby guaranteeing their quality.

On our cruise, the shows were Beauty and the Beast, Disney’s Believe, and The Golden Mickeys.

All three delighted us, although we perceived a clear pecking order for the three shows.

In our estimation, The Golden Mickeys was the best, followed by Beauty and the Beast, which had a stunning stage presentation.

To the chagrin of the dude standing next to me in line at the Stitch character greeting, I didn’t care much for Disney’s Believe.

However, he glowingly referred to it as the greatest show he’d ever seen. So, ours may not be the popular opinion.

Overall, the shows on our cruise were a solid nine out of ten, though.

We’ve found ourselves rewatching The Golden Mickeys some on YouTube because it’s so charming.

Pools and Waterslides

You’ll find pools on several floors of Disney ships. They vary in size and population.

Some are family-friendly and, in fact, primarily composed of children gleefully splashing in the water.

Some are adult-exclusive areas where folks contentedly swim and sip their way through vacation.

There’s even a private pool for teenagers and tweens that includes lounge chairs for sunbathing, too.

Of course, my favorite option is the ship-long water coaster, the Aquaduck/AquaMouse.

This structure circles the ship’s exterior in an oval, providing guests with a thrilling 75-second ride.

The Aquaduck proved so popular that a wait of 30 minutes wasn’t unusual during our visit.

Still, we kept going back because I loved it so. And that wasn’t the only thing.

I took a dip in a hot tub near one of the common areas and happily watched us leave the dock from a private island.

Witnessing a giant ship sail from that particular point of view was quite magical and a memory I’ll treasure indefinitely.

Overall, we found the pools on the ship quite lovely, and I’d grade them an 8.5 out of ten.

Private Islands

I’ve written a companion piece to this article that may or may not have already been published.

The gist is that we marveled at Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point.

Since Castaway Cay is older, at least as a Disney entity, everything here feels more established…in a good way.

Conversely, Lookout Cay’s beaches and water took our breath away.

You honestly cannot go wrong with either option, which is good since many DCL itineraries are either/or.

One thing’s for sure. We’re MUCH more likely to choose a Disney cruise if it does go to one of these places.

Both satisfy that itch of luxuriating on a beach as the sun bathes us in warmth.

Disney’s private islands are paradises everyone should want to visit.

I happily give them a ten out of ten as I daydream about my next visit.

Cast Members

This isn’t a category most would include, but I’d feel remiss if we failed to mention the Cast Members on board.

As much as we loved all the other amenities I’ve discussed thus far, everything was better because of the DCL employees.

That’s a statement of fact, not an exaggeration. During our meals, Cast Members would offer to take our plates.

Like, I’d finish my last bite, and they’d be right there at the ready to clean my table and suggest other food options.

During character greetings, we were in awe of the efficiency of the people organizing these gatherings.

They’d keep everything moving in an orderly fashion, communicate to the photographers about picture requests, and make sure everyone got the requisite character time.

During our meals, our servers demonstrated a level of professionalism that took my breath away.

When we needed help at Guest Services, the line moved quickly, and our helper vastly exceeded our expectations.

In short, Disney Cruise Line hires the best of the best, and it shows with their dutiful on-job performance.

This is another clear-cut ten out of ten grade…and the easiest one at that.

The people who worked on the Disney Dream during my cruise should feel extraordinarily proud of who they are as people.

Onboard Activities

Finally, we have the onboard activities, arguably the most important part of a cruise.

While you’re at sea, you want constant entertainment, something Disney cruises deliver to a comical degree.

As I mentioned in a previous article, I’d idly wondered how much was happening on a given day.

So, I pulled out my phone and counted. In total, Disney hosted 141 onboard activities that day.

Guests had their options of several forms of Disney/movie/music trivia, karaoke, dance parties, crafting, character greetings, and live band music.

As a movie lover, I was fascinated by the fact that I could watch Snow White and Captain America: Brave New World on the ship.

Both those titles were currently in theaters, with one having come out the previous weekend before our trip.

These were brand-new Disney movies available for viewing during our cruise.

And I’m barely even scratching the surface with this list. For instance, we didn’t try Midship Detective Agency.

However, we kept bumping into people who were playing it, and they were having the time of their lives.

People were winning thousands of dollars playing Bingo onboard as well.

So, there’s always something to do on the ship, and you can take it from me, a Disney Cruise Line trivia champion. This is another ten out of ten.

Totaling up the score, out of a possible 70 points, our cruise scored an incomprehensibly great 66!

Truly, ours was a near-perfect cruise experience, and I fully expect that if you book a Disney cruise, you’ll feel the same way!

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