I’ve been on a lot of cruises in my life, which is sort of crazy considering I’m really not a boat person (read: I hate boats and everything they stand for). However, it’s been about 10 years since my last cruise, and most were from the perspective of a child. Also, most have been Royal Caribbean, I think (mom?), and I’ve never been on a Disney Cruise. Over the past year I’ve been doing a lot of research on cruises and I’ve honestly gotten a little jealous of all that they have to offer both on and off board. However, there are so many other things I want to see and do, so overcoming my fear of boats to cruise has not yet been worth it to me.
Recently, I was given the opportunity to tour the Disney Magic. It was amazing. I was able to see and experience everything the ship had to offer without actually leaving the port. It was incredibly windy too, so I can tell you that if I did have to leave port you would not have wanted to be near me.
I was quickly reminded of my cruise days from childhood, with memories of running up and down the millions of staircases with my siblings and cousins,
Seriously guys, who else is having flashbacks?
and looking out the big circular windows out to sea,
We weren’t actually at sea, so this was the best I could do.
and also a strange memory of teeth whitening. I cannot tell you why my childhood self wanted to get her teeth whitened on a cruise, but when we entered the spa and they listed this as an option I immediately had deja vu. It’s weird, and I’ll be the first to admit it, but it does provide a picture the wide array of activities and experiences you can get while cruising. Cruises have so much to offer, especially for families and kids, and Disney is really the best of the best when it comes to family vacations. Here’s a little peak at what I learned on my ship tour.
We began our tour in the ship’s entrance (which was all decorated for Halloween!), where guests go on and off the boat. We learned (and then later got to see in action) that when boarding the boat a cast member asks your family name and then publicly welcomes your family on board (“Disney Magic welcomes the Resnick Family!”) followed by applause by all of the cast members present. Such a fun and welcoming way to start your vacation.
The welcoming committee.
We then made our way to a couple of the adult only lounges, bars, and clubs, to see some of the spaces for us to enjoy after dropping our kids off at the kids clubs.
Next, we hit up the staterooms. We saw rooms of all different shapes, sizes, price points, and capacity limits. There were interior rooms, ocean view rooms, verandah rooms, one bedroom suites, and finally the Roy Disney and Walt Disney two bedroom suites with living room and dining room. I’ve been on a lot of cruises in my life, and these rooms definitely felt more spacious than some of the ones I’ve been in. (Disclaimer: The pulldown and murphy beds were not all down and there were no people or luggage in these rooms. Cruise rooms are generally small, and there’s really no way around that unless you want to pay for the suite.) Also, check out those awesome in room celebrations that are obviously the best by Disney.
The toilet and shower are separate in MOST rooms which is nice when you’re in a small space with multiple people. 
Before lunch, we saw some of the theaters and restaurants. Fun fact: they play Disney movies that are still in theaters! And on this sailing they were even showing a late night viewing of a movie that wasn’t coming out until the next day. I thought this was super cool, and I don’t really do movies or late nights. With the restaurants, you are assigned a rotation for dinner which allows you to hit each restaurant at least once on your trip, and your waiter and bottles of wine follow you each night.
These cruiseship guests saw Maleficent before it hit theaters! 
This spot right here was my favorite on the entire boat, especially without any people. 
This restaurant had the best theming and decorations. 
Then we sat down for our four course lunch. I have to be honest, I didn’t think the food was AMAZING, but I got a beef empanada, a chicken and seafood gumbo, a grilled salmon salad, and a chocolate mousse, and I really enjoyed the gumbo and the mousse, so 2/4 isn’t so bad. And the empanada actually had really good flavor, I was just wishing it was filled a little more rather than having all the extra pastry and space. (Please note: I am a food snob, so this food was by no means bad.) The salad was okay, but some people at my table had some pasta that looked good (it was as confirmed by them, but as a snob I don’t actually trust anyone’s opinion but my own), and a pretty good looking sirloin. And of course, there’s always Mickey ice cream.
Whoa rare moment with a manicure captured here… 
Too much empty space. 
This was really good, but it was seafood and chicken gumbo and I really only got chicken. Maybe the seafood was in the broth. 
This was actually delicious. 
Not mine, so I didn’t taste it, but check out that Mickey chocolate. 
After lunch we got to really explore all of the entertainment spaces, starting with the It’s a Small World Nursery for kids under three, and the Oceaneer Club for kids 3-12 years old.
When I said that Disney is the best when it comes to family cruises, I was not kidding, and nothing confirmed this more than these two clubs. First of all, Disney has a nursery on every ship that accepts kids under 3, and not potty trained. They are the only cruise line that does this (some have this option on some of their ships, but not all, like Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, but Disney has it on all). The nursery itself was amazing. There are toys and play areas, a coloring area, and my favorite part of all: the rooms of cribs. Leave your baby napping and go enjoy yourself instead of sitting in the small cruise room until they wake up? Okay, yes please. Also check out these hours! They’re open until 11:30pm, so you can also put your kid to bed there for a few hours and enjoy your night, if you have an agreeable baby. This would work for Joey. Landen not so much, as he is not to be disturbed after bedtime.
And then the Oceaneer club. I wish there was a way for me to describe first how enormous and second how absolutely amazing this space is. These pictures will not do it justice. We were touring the ship on a very gloomy, cold, windy day. They had a sailing that afternoon, so many guests were on board while we toured. With weather like that, having a space like this is truly amazing. There were many different rooms and alcoves with a variety of different activities. I just looked it up because I’m a math person and numbers make sense to me, so I thought I could better describe it this way – the club is 9,000 square feet of fun for kids. It just. Keeps. Going. My favorite part was Andy’s room.
This is not a staged photo. I went down the slide and I’m so glad I did, because it’s hard to see the top from the bottom, which is decorated like Andy’s room and bed. 
Moving on, there are also two other clubs – one for tweens (ages 11-14) and one for teens (ages 14-17). These clubs were smaller and “cooler” looking, with game tables and video games.
Finally, we hit the upper decks. This is where the pools and water slides are, as well as the basketball court and some other fun outdoor activities. They also had some good quick lunch and snack options up there, a coffee and pastry shop, and of course the unlimited self serve ice cream machines. So if the kids clubs weren’t enough fun and entertainment for your family, you could definitely find a way to pass some time up there on a nice day. And probably on a not so nice day too – there was definitely some basketball and hot tubbing going on while we were up there.
Guys remember, the boat was docked. It was just that windy. 
The upper decks also house the spa and fitness center, and Bibbidy Boppidy Boutique. This is where kids can get a full princess or knight makeover including the costume. So. Much. Fun. I cannot wait until Joey is old enough to do this (and has a little more hair). But at Disney World, not on a boat.
Honestly never thought I’d be so comfortable on a lounge chair made of tile, but this was heated and amazing and I never wanted to move. 
I also want to talk about the splash pad. It is against the rules on every single cruise line for a child in diapers to go in the pool. NO SWIM DIAPERS are allowed, ever, anywhere, at all, no exceptions. This is a plumbing and sanitation issue with cruises, and it is intended to avoid an outbreak of disease, so there really is no way around it. For me, this is a deal breaker for cruising. I’m not about to go on a vacation where my kids can’t swim, and those small blow up pools that they recommend bringing would not cut it for my very active toddlers.
So this is where Disney really stands out. All of their ships have a big splash pad area where kids with diapers are welcome. Some other cruise lines like Royal Caribbean also have some areas like this, but not on every ship. You have to do some digging and research to find out which ships (or find a travel agent to do some research for you :-)), but with Disney you know your kids can “swim”.
There was more, I just didn’t get a chance to capture it all since this was the end and they needed us off the boat before sailing.
I’m so glad I got to have this experience. I definitely feel much more informed about the ins and outs of Disney cruises and I am so thankful that I didn’t have to leave the dock to feel this way.
In less than a month, I’ll be going to Disney World, and I CANNOT WAIT. I’ve been there before, obviously, and I’ve just spent the last year planning trips for people there so I’ve definitely learned a lot. But I’ve never been there as a travel agent on a “research” trip, so I can’t wait to learn even more! Stay tuned for a blog post on that (or probably a series honestly), and follow me on instagram (@travelingwitharden) or Facebook (Arden Resnick, an affiliate of ET Family Travel) for live updates on that trip!
TRAVELING WITH ARDEN 