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We’d never cruised before, but having heard wonderful stories from friends and family members who regularly holiday this way, we often considered trying it for ourselves. Reluctant to dedicate our entire holiday to sailing the seas, for fear of not enjoying the experience, the 3 night Disney Bahamian Cruise seemed the perfect opportunity to dip our toes in and test the waters, so we decided to tag this excursion on to the end of our Walt Disney World visit.
Cutting our Walt Disney World holiday short to add on the cruise didn’t quite balance out the pennies - Disney cruises are notoriously expensive, but we took the plunge and booked ourselves a 3 night stay on the Disney Dream:
Booking Your Cruise
As a cruise novice, I hadn’t done all of the research required before booking our cruise - thank goodness for the fantastic Cast Member who picked up the line when I phoned. She was so helpful, knowledgeable and extremely patient, spending the next hour going through all the details and advising on various aspects of the cruise.
Hint: Apart from the dates and itinerary you wish to travel on, before booking your cruise you’ll also need to choose the following:
1. Cabin/Stateroom Type.
There are 4 main categories of cabins on the Disney Dream - Inside, Oceanview, Verandah and Concierge. Within these categories there are 2 or 3 subcategories, which determine the type/size of cabin, and of course, the price difference.
We decided to book a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with verandah, but the price quoted for this cabin type on the Disney Cruise Line website is for a Navigators Verandah - a more enclosed balcony rather than the open aspect we wanted. The price increased by £150 when we opted for the standard verandah category. To us, it was worth the extra cost and we enjoyed some lovely evenings sitting out, enjoying the sea breeze, before we headed out for dinner, but the hike caught me by surprise.
2. Cabin/Stateroom Number
I hadn’t realised we would choose our actual cabin at the time of booking (another cruise newbie oversight), so the Cast Member allocated us number 6074 - a middle-middle cabin (midship and on deck 6 of 13), which turned out to be perfect.
The cabin itself was fabulous. It was just about big enough to feel we weren’t all getting in each other’s way, another plus point to booking a verandah stateroom.
By day, the main part of the cabin consists of a decent sized double bed, plus a seating area which houses a sofa, storage unit-cum-table, plus a wall mounted TV over a desk and chair.
At night, the sofa magically (courtesy of your Stateroom Host/Hostess) converts to bunk beds, which the children deemed extremely comfortable. There’s also a large curtain which can be pulled across to separate the bunk beds from the double beds for privacy.
A unique aspect of the Disney Cruise Liners is the double bathroom - one with toilet and sink, the other with sink and shower over the bath. Extremely handy when there are 4 of you all trying to get ready at the same time. You'll also find a selection of bath products in each bathroom.
There was plenty of storage space in the large wardrobe, plus extra storage under the bed for the 2 large cases and 4 carry on bags we took with us.
3. Dining Time
Disney Cruise Line offers 2 dining times - the first (main) at 5.45pm and the second at 8.15pm. Again, you can state your preferred sitting when you book your cruise. As the children are old enough to stay up later, and worried we’d be rushed to get ready for dinner in time for the first sitting (something the Cast Member agreed on), we chose the second. It worked well for us, especially on the Castaway Cay day, when we were determined to make the most of our time on this fabulous island.
Disney Cruise Dining
Disney have a Rotational Dining system on their cruise ships, which gives guests the opportunity to eat at each of the three main restaurants. On the Disney Dream, these are Royal Palace, Enchanted Garden and Animator’s Palate. On your first night, you'll meet your servers and dining companions, who rotate to the different restaurants with you throughout the cruise. Your table number and order of rotation is printed on your Key to the World card.
Typical menus include a choice of 4 or 5 starters, salads/soups, main courses, vegetarian dishes, lighter bites and desserts. You are welcome to choose as many options as you wish to try and can even request a favourite dish if it’s on the menu at one of the other restaurants.
For more casual dining, Cabana’s restaurant serves all meals buffet style. There’s a huge selection of a variety of cuisines at different serving stations. At lunch and dinner, these include pizza, pasta, cold meats, salads, carvery, fish, sandwiches, vegetables, soups and a large dessert counter.
Hint: The restaurant is mirrored, so if the serving stations are busy on one side, make your way to the opposite side, which may be a little quieter and serves exactly the same food. Also, you don’t need to queue at each separate station, just make your way to the ones you want.
Adult only restaurants are also available on each ship for an additional charge. They have a stricter dress code, so you'll need to pack accordingly if you plan to eat at either of these restaurants.
If you wish to avoid the buffet, but don’t want to pay an additional charge (or don’t qualify for adult only), one or two of the table service restaurants will be open at breakfast and lunchtime - check opening times before you decide to dine here. They offer a more limited menu than Cabanas, but we found them more than adequate.
For snacking, you can head to Cabana’s, or there are kiosks on the pool deck, where you can grab a quick bite to eat. On the Disney Dream, we had Flo’s Cafe which served pizzas, burgers, salads and sandwiches. The kids personal favourite was Eye Scream Treats - a self serve ice-cream kiosk, where Eloise realised she had a gift for creating the perfect ice-cream swirl.
Room service is available free of charge (although don’t forget to tip the server), on all cruise ships. You’ll find the menu in your stateroom and typical offerings include pizzas, burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, soups and sweet snacks.
What to take with you on your Disney Cruise
1. Clothes - cruising guests notoriously dress smartly, especially for dinner but, as with most things Disney, clothing tends to be more casual on a Disney cruise.
During the day, the norm was t-shirts and shorts or sundresses. Most guests smartened up a little for dinner, so there was anything from jeans and a simple t-shirt, to collared shirts and smart shorts/ trousers for the men. Women tended to wear sundresses or trousers/skirts and a dressy top.
On our three night cruise, there was one optional formal night. We didn't notice anyone in proper formal attire, so we wouldn't recommend wasting space in your suitcase by packing a cocktail dress or tuxedo for the 3 night cruise, clothes as outlined above will suffice.
If you are planning to dine at one of the Adult Only restaurants (Palo or Remy), they do have their own dress code: Jacket and smart trousers for men, cocktail dresses, pant suits or skirt/blouse for women during the evening. Collared shirt for men and dress or pantsuits for women when dining here for lunch.
There are also restrictions enforced - swimwear and tank tops are forbidden in all dining locations. Whereas Palo and Remy request that no jeans, shorts, capri pants, sandals, flip-flops or trainers are worn when dining in the restaurant.
2. Party Night Clothes - many Disney Cruise itineraries include a party night, the usual being a ‘Pirates in the Caribbean’ show and deck party.
The majority of guests will dress up in anything from pirate style tops and tied sashes, to striped t-shirt and bandanas, right up to the full Mr Smee costume. All guests are provided with a bandana, but these are a snug fit, so you may wish to bring your own.
3. Swim wear - you’ll need your swimming costume to wear in and around the pool area, plus on Castaway Cay.
There’s no need to bring towels, as these are provided on the pool deck and when you disembark at Castaway Cay.
A pool bag is ideal to carry said towels from the ship to your sun lounger on the beach - plus all the other paraphernalia one tends to need on a sunny day at the beach. If you forget your sun tan lotion, it’s available to buy from a small shop just inside the doors which lead to the pool deck - although you may need to check opening times as we noticed it was closed on a number of occasions as we walked past.
Hint: on embarkation day, you won’t be able to gain access to your stateroom until after 3pm, but you can use the pool and sun loungers as soon as you board. So, if you’re planning to use the pool area, we recommend wearing your costume under your clothes for ease of changing.
4. Toiletries - Disney Cruise Line H2O+ products which include: shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and a soap bar are provided in all stateroom bathrooms.
Other toiletries, including sun tan lotion, are available to buy on the ship, but it goes without saying it's much cheaper to bring your own.
5. Lanyard - looking around, you’ll spot many Disney Cruise Line guests wearing lanyards with their Key Cards dangling at the end. Anyone who has sailed on a Disney Cruise automatically becomes a Castaway Club Member, so on your second cruise, you’ll be given an official Castaway Club lanyard at check-in. 1 cruise gets you silver status, sail 5 times for gold membership and 10 for platinum.
As we were first time cruisers, there was no Castaway Club lanyard for us. Zachary used one he already had and we bought Eloise’s from the selection available in the ships stores. Although we adults managed fine without a lanyard, they were an ideal way for the kids to keep their Key Cards safe whilst roaming the ship, therefore, we recommend bringing one with you or purchasing one on the ship.
6. Trading Pins - if trading pins in the Disney parks is something you enjoy, it’s worth taking your pins with you on your Disney cruise. Similarly to the parks, there are Cast Members wearing lanyards for pin trading, some of the main shops have trading boards/books and there are cruise themed pins to purchase. An event not to be missed, is the Officers Pin Trading event which occurs on the final evening of every cruise. Here you may be lucky enough to uncover some rarer pins as you interact with the ship's Officers.
7. Door decorations - we’d read about the tradition of guests decorating their magnetic stateroom doors before we embarked on our cruise, what we weren’t expecting was the sheer scale of this activity. Spot the understated British door compared to the magnificence of some others:
8. Alcohol - compared to some other Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Line alcohol policy is pretty generous - every guest over the age of 21 is permitted to bring on board 2 unopened bottles of wine or champagne (max 750ml each) or 6 bottles of beer. This can be replenished at every port.
All alcohol must be taken on board in carry on luggage, If it’s found in your suitcase during embarkation, it will be removed and stored until the end of the cruise, as will any spirits or alcohol other than wine or beer.
Drinking your own alcohol in the restaurants will incur a corkage fee of $25. While drinking your own alcohol in any areas except your stateroom or the dining rooms is forbidden.
Hint: don’t forget your corkscrew, because the attempting to remove a cork using a shoe trick doesn’t always work!
9. Bottled water - soft drinks are available, free of charge, from a number of locations around the ship, but we also recommend bringing bottled water for your stateroom and Castaway Cay day.
10. Cash - as with most cruise ships, there’s no need to bring cash for on board purchases as all charges will be added to your on board account. This also applies when visiting Castaway Cay. Charges for the hire of equipment, purchasing souvenirs and bar services are all added to your Key to the World card.
You will need cash to buy food, drinks, souvenirs and any extras when visiting other ports. You may also wish to bring a little extra cash to top up the tips for some of the Cast Members you come into contact with during your cruise.
Tipping on a Disney Cruise
As with most cruises, Disney automatically charge tips to your on board account, or you can pre-pay them up to 3 days before you board the ship.
Standard tips amount to $12 per guest, per night of cruise.
They are allocated to:
- Dining Room Server - $4 per guest, per night
- Assistant Dining Room Server - $3 per guest, per night
- Dining Room Head Server - $1 per guest, per night
- Stateroom Host/ Hostess - $4 per guest, per night
So, for our 3 night cruise, we paid $48 per night for the 4 of us, which equated to $144 dollars for the whole cruise. Of this, the Dining Room Server and our Stateroom Hostess each received $48, the Assistant Dining Room Server $36 and the Dining Room Head Server $12.
The afternoon before you disembark, you’ll find 4 slips of paper in your stateroom detailing how your tips have been allocated, along with envelopes addressed to the relevant Cast Members. You simply put a slip into the corresponding envelope before handing it to the recipient, thanking them for looking after you during the cruise. If you’ve had exceptional service, you may wish to add a little extra cash to the envelope before you hand it over.
These tips are completely at your discretion and those added to your account are the amount suggested by Disney. If you wish to make any adjustments just visit the Guest Services Desk during your cruise.
A 15% gratuity is automatically added to all bar tabs, alcoholic drinks (or any drinks other than standard soda) with your meal, plus deck service tabs.
If you treat yourself to any Spa Services, an 18% tip will be applied.
Although Room Service is complimentary, it’s customary to tip your server $1-$2. Any drinks ordered from Room Service will have the 15% automatic gratuity added.
If you choose to dine in one of the Adult only restaurants, which charge an extra fee (Palo’s and Remy’s), the issue of tipping becomes less clear. There’s some confusion as to whether tips are included as part of the extra charge, and Disney (rather unhelpfully) claim it’s at the guests discretion. Many guests assume it’s not included as part of the price, so will pay a tip based on what they would normally add to the bill of a similar priced meal, but it’s entirely up to you what you choose to pay.
You’ll also need to take a few spare notes to tip the porters and bus drivers you encounter before and after your cruise. The people who handle your bags at the port are not part of the Disney Cruise Line crew, and will expect a tip as part of the service they offer in handling your bags.
What to do before you sail
1. Download the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App
To keep up to date with daily information, view restaurant menus and maintain contact with other members of your party during your cruise, we recommend you download the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App before you leave home.
Once on board the ship, you simply switch your device to 'Airplane Mode', turn on Wi-Fi, then connect to 'DCL-GUEST' to make use of the App without incurring any charges.
We found the most useful feature of this was the Onboard Chat facility. It enabled us to keep in contact with the kids while they were off having fun around the ship. The Disney emoji's make it all the more exciting to use.
If you prefer not to use your own devices, or the kids don't have access to a phone, you can keep connected via the Wave Phones, which you'll find two of in each stateroom.
Wave Phones enable you to make calls and send texts to other Wave Phones, both on board and at Castaway Cay.
2. Register the children into the Kid's Clubs
There are 3 Kids Clubs on Disney Cruise Line:
Oceaneer Club/Oceaneer Lab is for 3 to 12 year olds. Located in the same area, the main difference between the 2 being the Club has Disney film themed areas, whereas the Lab is based more around interactive learning.
Edge, located in the ship’s front funnel of the Disney Dream, is a technology loving tweens dream. The club is designed for 11-14 year olds, so with both kids falling within this age bracket, they visited together. Eloise’s verdict ‘it’s just full of boys playing video games’. Zachary was in his element!
Vibe is for 14-17 year olds. Located at the front of the ship, with an indoor and outdoor area, it offers a great place for teenagers to hang out where they can listen to music, relax on sun loungers, take a dip in the hot tub, play table tennis or video games.
When registering for the kids clubs, you'll need to decide whether you wish to permit the kids signing in and out privileges (i.e the ability to come and go as they please, rather than have an adult present to sign them in and out). You'll also be asked about any allergies and whether Cast Members have your permission to administer first aid, should the need arise.
Registering online for the kids club means there's no need to fill out all the necessary forms on embarkation day, but you will still be required to pick up a wristband. We did this at the terminal as the queue wasn't too long.
3. Check in online
Checking in online enables you to input the necessary details of your travelling party before you reach the terminal. You'll also be able to select a Port Arrival Time, which is designed to filter guests through in a timely manner, rather than hoards of guests turning up at once.
Note: if you turn up before your designated Port Arrival Time, it's likely you'll be asked to wait in a designated area before being allowed in the main terminal at your chosen time.
4. Book extra activities
If you're planning to eat at one of the Adult only restaurants, wish to book an excursion or want to enhance your cruising experience with such extras as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, Pirates League or certain character meet and greets, these can all be done before you leave home, once you've paid for your cruise in full.
All that done, it's time to relax and enjoy your cruise. Here's how we got on:
Trip Report
Day 1 - Embarkation day
Check-in and embarkation for our Disney Cruise was relatively quick and easy. Keen to be one of the first guests on the ship, so we could make the most of our day, we booked an early Port Arrival Time and arrived at the port just after 10.30am. Our cases were whisked away from us then we then joined the queue for security and passport checks before making our way in to the terminal to check-in.
At check-in we were handed our Key to the World cards and a boarding number. We checked in around 11am and our check in number was 4. We were instructed that embarkation would begin around 11.30am, so listen out for our number to be called after which we should line up and make our way onto the ship.
Hint: The Key to the World card is your stateroom access key and charging card as well as a quick way to remind yourself of your dining time, restaurant rotation, table number and emergency drill location.
With a few minutes to spare, we took the opportunity to pick up Zachary's Kid's Club MagicBand style wrist band, which would enable him to gain access to the Oceaneers Club.
There’s an automatic charge of $13 per band, which is refunded back onto your on board account when you return the wristband at the end of the cruise - or you can keep it as a souvenir.
We then had just enough time to snap some photos of the ship before embarkation began.
Embarkation begins with The Family of the Day being welcomed aboard, then guests are invited to join the queue as soon as their number appears on the screen. It took only 10 minutes from the Family of the Day boarding to our number being announced, so it was all relatively speedy.
From the main terminal, you enter another room where all Key to the World cards are checked and you’re encouraged to join another queue - this time to have your photo taken. Keen to bypass what had already become a rather long line, we declined the photo option and instead, walked directly onto the ship.
Welcomed aboard by clapping Cast Members as our name was announced, we were then free to explore the ship.
Onboard by 11.35am, we headed straight to the pool deck, grabbed a couple of sunbeds and the kids disappeared to line up for the Aquaduck. Our Walt Disney World Rope Drop training paid off - the Aquaduck opened at noon - the kids were second to ride, by which time a 30-45 minute wait was expected.
A bit peckish by 1pm, Eloise and I decided to grab some lunch at Cabanas Restaurant, aka the buffet restaurant. The place was a zoo! It was packed, there were long lines for food and we struggled to find somewhere to sit once we’d selected our food. This wasn’t helped by the number of guests using tables but not eating or drinking. As staterooms weren’t yet accessible, many people were obviously using the restaurant tables as a base to wait in the meantime. Cast Members were working tirelessly to clear tables that had been vacated and we eventually found a couple of seats set against one of the eating bars in the restaurant.
Hint: Although it’s not advertised - because Disney would rather most guests eat at the Cabanas Restaurant, one of the table service restaurants will be open for lunch on embarkation day. You’ll need to figure out for yourself which one it is on that particular day, but if you want to avoid the buffet, it’s an alternative to consider.
A couple more hours in the sunshine, we finally made it to our stateroom around 3pm. Our cases were already waiting for us outside the door and we had just enough time to unpack before the mandatory safety Assembly Drill which takes place at 4pm.
Assembly Drill Rules:
- Instructions, life jackets and your assembly point will be in your Stateroom
- All guests are required to attend - Cast Members check your details against a register at the designated assembly point, so non- attendees will be sought out
- Every Guest needs to bring their own Key to the World card
- Although it’s advisable to practice putting on your life jacket, you are not required to take it to your assembly point during the drill
Assembly Drill complete within 20 minutes, it was time for the Sail Away Party. This usually takes place on the pool deck but, due to some inclement weather, it was moved inside to the atrium on our embarkation day. A huge bottleneck ensued, which meant by the time we arrived the kids couldn’t see over the wall of adults gathered around the stage, instead, we sat in the portholes waving back at the friendly US Coast Guard as he escorted us out of the harbour.
As it wasn’t yet raining, we decided to brave the windy elements and headed up to the pool deck where we had great fun bidding farewell to people still on land.
We then took the opportunity to explore the Kids Clubs while the Open House was still operating - after which, it was strictly kids only.
On the Disney Dream, we discovered Andy’s Room, Pixie Hollow, a Disney Infinity Games room and our favourite, a Star Wars themed area - complete with Millenium Falcon, which Zachary had fun ‘flying’ while Eloise and Simon took time to rest at the table. R2D2 was extremely talkative and fun to watch.
As he was old enough to be signed up for self check in and out of the kid clubs (i.e he didn’t need an adult there to sign him in and out), Zachary returned to the Oceaneer area later in the day but found the activities a little immature for his tastes. Fortunately, he managed to seek out Edge - the Tweens Club, which quickly became one of his favourite areas of the ship.
As we’d selected the second dining sitting, we had plenty of time to change and relax in our stateroom before making our way to deck 3 to the first restaurant of our rotational dining, Royal Palace. We met our servers, who would be attending to us at dinner time for the duration of the cruise, plus our dining companions - a family of 4 from Boston.
The food was delicious, the conversation flowed and a great evening was had by all. We dined on soups, lobster, steak, lamb, one of the vegetarian dishes and creme brulee. By the time we’d finished dinner, we were all ready for bed, so headed back to our stateroom where our cabin stewardess, Nicky, had made up the bunk beds, left chocolates on the bed and even transformed the bed runner into a turtle.
It was a lovely end to the evening, as we all climbed in to bed and let the gentle sway of the boat rock us to sleep.
Day 2 - Nassau
Awake by 8am, we stood on the balcony, in the sunshine, to watch as the ship was steered in to the Port of Nassau - a fabulous way to start the day.
Having read very mixed reviews of Nassau, plus the desire to spend more time enjoying the ship’s amenities, we decided not to disembark. Instead, we made the most of a less crowded ship and spent the day having fun onboard.
First stop was the Enchanted Garden restaurant for breakfast. We were served our drinks by one of the friendliest people we came across on the cruise - it made me wish he had been our rotational server. Breakfast in the main restaurants is served buffet style, with a selection of fruit, yoghurts, pastries, cereal and a variety of hot offerings including pancakes and Mickey Waffles.
After breakfast, we spent a couple of hours on the pool deck before taking a break from the sun to watch Cars 3, which was showing on the indoor cinema. This took us to 1pm, when we headed back up to Deck 11 for a Cabanas buffet lunch. It was much quieter this time, making for a more enjoyable experience than yesterday.
We also took advantage of a less crowded ship to play a round of mini-golf on the games deck, plus a few games of shuffleboard on deck 5, as well as explore the ship further, where we found some fun interactive pictures.
This took us to 3.30pm when Zachary decided to revisit Edge, while the rest of us returned to the pool area. Around the main pool was becoming particularly busy as many guests had returned to the ship, plus we wanted a more relaxing atmosphere than having Frozen blaring out from the large screen on the ship’s funnel. Although many of the kids were disinterested, the number of word perfect dads singing along was comical.
As we wandered further towards the bow, we located a quieter spot, where Zachary could see us from his vantage point in Edge. Eloise disappeared to explore more of the ship, so Simon and I wasted no time in settling ourselves on a day bed and ordering a couple of drinks from the Cove Bar.
The ship departed later than scheduled, due to a medical emergency, by which time we were back in our stateroom getting ready for Pirate Night. If, as you’re about to leave the room, you need reassurance that you won’t be the only adults walking around dressed as pirates, pop your head out of your stateroom door. If you’re lucky, the first person you see will be a fully grown man sporting the full Mr Smee costume - yep, that did the trick.
Donned in pirate gear, we climbed back up to Deck 11 to watch the 7.45pm dance show featuring Daisy, Donald, Goofy, Mickey, Captain Hook and Smee. The show finished just as our dining time began, so it was back downstairs to Animator’s Palate, our designated restaurant for this evening.
We’d been looking forward to the fun interactive evening we'd read about when doing some Disney Cruise research, Unfortunately, our table was situated in the middle of the restaurant, nowhere near the screens, so we had no interaction with any of the characters, which was a bit of a disappointment. However, we still enjoyed the meal and the evening wasn’t over yet as we still had the fireworks to look forward to.
Having played him in the school production of Peter Pan, Zachary was keen to meet Mr Smee, who was about to begin a meet & greet with Captain Hook. We lined up at 10pm, but the line was quite slow moving, so we were worried we’d miss the fireworks. Luckily, the character handler obviously realised this, so she moved people along a bit quicker and we were soon at the front. The interaction between Zachary and Mr Smee was fabulous - Smee was delighted to meet someone dressed like him, even noticing that Zachary wasn’t wearing glasses (which we’d left at home).
We managed to run back up to the pool deck in time to watch the fireworks shoot off.
The dance party continued on the deck, before it was time to retire to our stateroom, where we were met with another lovely pirate surprise, courtesy of our cabin hostess.
Day 3 - Castaway Cay
Keen to secure a good spot on Disney’s exclusive beach, we rose just before 8am, ate breakfast in Enchanted Garden and were off the ship by 9am. For ease, we’d dressed in our swim gear, with dresses/shorts and t-shirts over the top, plus we took our beach accessories with us, to save having to return to the stateroom after breakfast.
Hint: Beach towels are provided, so there’s no need to bring your own off the ship. As you leave the ship, Cast Members are there handing out towels, so it’s helpful to bring a beach bag to carry them to the beach.
There’s a complimentary shuttle which continually travels from the ship to the beach and back, but we decided to stroll past the hut style shops and bars to the Family Beach. The shops sell a variety of produce, from beach toys and floatation devices to t-shirts, hats and towels.
Although it’s a slightly further walk from the main beach, the family beach was a great location. It’s near the water slide, toilets, barbecue lunch restaurant, drinks and ice-cream station.
Hint: If possible, take your own water with you from the ship. It is available to buy when you get off the ship, but if you’re relying on quenching your thirst at the drinks station, it didn’t open until 11.15am.
As it was still relatively early, the beach was nice and quiet - we were able to grab a couple of sun beds under one of the few parasols. By 10am most of the parasols had been claimed and by 10.30am people were struggling to find a number of sun beds situated together.
The slide opened at 9.15am, so the children had a few goes on there before the line grew too long.
We also hired one of the large water rings for $11 per day, which can be swapped with the lilos.
Zachary was keen to go snorkelling, so he and Simon went off in search of the kits, which are available to hire. Each kit comprises goggles, flippers and a snorkel. We felt this was a bit pricey at $32 for adults and $16 for children. Of course, Disney classes children over the age of 10 as an adult, so it cost us $64 to hire two kits. But, when they appeared an hour later full of smiles at having seen a sea turtle, an abundance of very tame fish and the sunken Mickey, we deemed the memories made worth the high cost.
Lunch is served from 11.30am, and we grabbed a bite to eat from Cookies Too Barbecue, which is the nearest restaurant to the Family Beach. Food is self serve and there’s plenty to choose from a selection of salads, meats including chicken, ribs, hot dogs and burgers, as well as a number of dessert offerings.
There’s lots of seating at picnic bench style tables which are set in the shade. It obviously gets extremely busy, but we managed to find a table relatively easy.
After lunch, we all returned to the snorkelling area, where we spent a fun hour taking it in turns to use the goggles - spotting the relics and wildlife below us.
Hint: As long as you are wearing one of the yellow vests provided, you are welcome to swim in the snorkelling area.
Back on the family beach a little later, we swapped the ring for a lilo to enjoy a little more time in the sea before the clouds starting rolling in, so we packed up and headed back to the ship around 3.15pm, to get showered and ready for the evening.
During this time, we organised our tips envelopes, which had been delivered to our stateroom during the day, along with luggage tags for our cases. Goofy Orange for us. The system is simple - attached one label per case, pop your packed cases outside your stateroom before 10.30pm on the last night, then once you disembark, look for the corresponding zone, find your cases and leave the terminal.
We were ready for the evening just as the ship was about to leave Castaway Cay, so took the opportunity to head up to the pool deck and enjoy the whole landscape of Castaway Cay as we sailed away, accompanied by the hilarious sound of the ship's horn blasting out various Disney tunes.
As we hadn't yet seen one, we headed to the theatre to watch tonight's show - Disney’s Believe. It was truly amazing. The performances, costumes, sets and, of course, songs were superb. We arrived for the 6.15pm show around 5.45pm, and managed to find some good seats. The theatre did fill up rather quickly after we'd taken this photo, so this seemed the opportune time to arrive.
Once the hour long show had finished, we decided to partake in the Officers Pin Trading event, which was happening on Deck 4. We especially recommend this anyone fond of Pin Trading. It's a great opportunity to meet some of the ships officers, who were all extremely friendly and approachable. This is also an ideal time for some shopping and to meet the ship's Captain. Our Captain was the very pleasant Captain Daniele Aschero, who had a lovely conversation with Zachary about football, signed the children’s lanyards and cruise cards then posed for photographs. A wonderful experience - thank you Captain Aschero.
It was finally time for dinner, this evening in the Enchanted Garden - another fun and tasty affair. The last night of the cruise is optional formal night. Although, like us, there were quite a few guests dressed a little smarter than on previous evenings, we didn’t notice anyone go so far as wearing a Dinner Jacket or cocktail dress.
By the time dinner had finished, tiredness from our fabulous day of fun was really taking hold. We returned to our stateroom to finish packing and place our cases outside the door by the deadline of 10.30pm, with the intention to then go back out and enjoy the final deck party. Another fun origami animal awaited us, but by the time we’d finished packing, the kids were both in bed and there was no way we were going to get them out again.
Day 4 - Disembarkation
As we were on the 2nd dinner seating, we had the advantage of being allocated the later breakfast time of 8.00am (first is 6.30am). Overnight bags packed, we lugged them down to Enchanted Garden, where our final morning breakfast was served. For ease, everyone is seated at the same table they were for dinner the previous night and, unlike other breakfast sittings, you are waited on by your usual dinner wait staff. It was a great opportunity to say goodbye to our dining companions and our servers.
After breakfast, we disembarked the ship, passing quickly and easily through customs before locating our suitcases in the Goofy Orange Zone. Then, heading towards the same spot where we’d been dropped off on Friday, we immediately spotted our driver, were warmly greeted, our cases loaded on to the bus, before we were shuttled back to our car - arriving by 9am. What great service.
Summary
We had a fabulous time on our Disney cruise, making some wonderful memories together.
To help you make an informed decision as to whether a Disney Cruise is for you, we've noted our own personal highlights and drawbacks.
Zachary (aged 11)
Highlights: The amazing food, open aspect stateroom balcony to see the views, interactive pictures we discovered around the ship, snorkelling at Castaway Cay.
Drawbacks: Pool area (apart from the AquaDuck). The pools were too shallow and small.
Eloise (aged 14)
Highlights: Castaway Cay - everything about it, the stateroom - the bunkbeds were comfortable and the cabin was a really high standard, self-serve drinks and ice-creams - with plenty of choice
Drawbacks: Ship sometimes felt overcrowded, Kid's Clubs - Edge wasn't suitable for 14 year old girls, Vibe was daunting to a 14 year old on her own. Pool area - only slide available was the AquaDuck, as Mickey's Slide has a maximum height limit.
Simon:
Highlights: The fantastic food - including the free ice-cream!, Castaway Cay, the amazing standard of shows, the stateroom quality.
Drawbacks: Overall no major 'wow factor' that was expected, service from staff sometimes felt a bit forced.
Hannah:
Highlights: Everything about Castaway Cay, the fantastic shows, the consistently high standard and cleanliness of the stateroom and the ship as a whole.
Drawbacks: The ship often felt extremely busy, crowded and noisy - so wasn't as relaxing as we would have liked.
Would we book another Cruise?
Yes. The experience overall was fabulous and we loved the cruising concept, especially the ease with which everything is so accessible. We enjoyed the food, waking up in a different port, the stateroom layout was ideal and the shows were amazing.
Would we book another Disney Cruise?
Probably not. It was great to cross a visit to Castaway Cay off our bucket list, and we would highly recommend a Disney Cruise for anyone with small children, as there is an abundance of activities for the younger age group. Or, if you've got tweens/teens who can go on the water slides together, or to the same Kid's Clubs, rather than them being split up due to their ages. Personally, with our older children, we'll be looking for a ship which has more amenities aimed at their ages, especially as we'd like to enjoy a longer trip next time.
Are you a cruising family? Have you enjoyed a Disney cruise? Tell us about your experiences. We'd also love to hear your cruise recommendations for families with older children.
