Review of Disney Cruise

Since childhood, I have been a huge Disney fan. There is nothing I love more about Disney than visiting its nearby Disneyland, or flying to its bigger brother Disney World. Its cruises are something I’ve been lusting after for many years.

I was able to experience a Disney cruise recently, which exceeded my expectations. Let’s get into it in this review.

Book a Disney Cruise

It is expensive, as with most things Disney. Although you may find a cruise that costs less on another line, Disney is more expensive. My family and I booked a four-night cruise from San Diego, Mexico to Cabo San Lucas for $1,400.

We booked a deluxe oceanview room with verandah instead of choosing an interior category room. This room type is available at a minimum cost of $2,500, although prices can vary.

Although a Disney cruise can be expensive, there are many ways to lower the cost. You may be eligible to receive a free third and fourth guest in your stateroom if you subscribe to Disney+.

People who reside in Southern California, Florida, or Canada may be eligible for discounts on certain routes and dates.

Online check-in

After booking the cruise, we received an email confirmation. The confirmation email contained information about the itinerary and details regarding how to check in online.

Before we could depart, we needed to give a range of information including passport information, COVID vaccination status, and other personal details. After completing the form, Disney assigned my family an arrival time at port, which allowed us to know when we should arrive for embarkation.

We also received luggage tags that we could attach to our suitcases. This allowed us to leave our bags at the airport and have them delivered to our rooms a few hours later.

Embarkation

We were supposed to board the ship at 1:45 pm on the day of departure. However, once we arrived at the terminal, we had to wait in long lines before we could actually get onboard. The process included additional checks-in and security screening.

The terminal for cruise ships is not magical. It is a concrete structure with ropes and a sad vending machine. From our arrival to our rooms, the entire process took over an hour.

Although I wish I could claim that this was unanticipated, Disney is just as well-known for its lines as for its quality. Overall, I didn’t enjoy the embarkation process but I can understand its necessity.

Onboard the ship

The Disney Wonder is one of five Disney ships. We had booked a room with verandah, as I already mentioned. The room was quite large considering it could accommodate both a king-sized bed and a fold out couch.

The room’s total area was 268 square feet. This means that three to four people can fit in the space. My family had booked two rooms (and connected) which meant that my brother and me were sharing one room.

The room had all the amenities you would expect such as a hair dryer and large closet.

It is clear that Disney welcomes all types of guests. Since my brother and me had our own private spaces, I was thankful for the curtain divider that separated “living room” and “bedroom.”

Our private verandah was my favorite place. There, we spent lots of time reading, drinking wine, and just being together.

The bathroom design was also very appealing to me. Disney created two separate bathing areas instead of trying to squeeze everything in one space. The one features a shower and a sink.

Another has a sink and a toilet.

This design makes it possible for two people to use the shower simultaneously. A tub is also included in the shower, which is unusual on cruises. It is my understanding that the intention was to make it more convenient for families and children.

Each night, housekeeping was done for turndown. These included making fun towel animals, turning the couch into a bed, and giving out chocolates.

I have been on cruises where the food was plentiful but almost impossible to eat. My Disney cruise was different. There is amazing food all around, and it’s all delicious. The majority of the food is included in your meal, but there is one special dinner restaurant that is extra.

Many non-alcoholic beverages, including soda and coffee, are included. As with any alcoholic beverage, specialty coffees and smoothies are more expensive.

There are two options for breakfast: a buffet or a sit down restaurant. Both options were tried and both came out mixed. The sit-down option was my favorite, as it offered more options and a slower pace.

Food-wise, I enjoyed the eggs Benedict, but you can order as many meals or as few as you like.

My father, however, enjoyed the variety of options offered by the buffet. It was also much busier than the sit-down restaurant.

Even though you could also enjoy a plated lunch at lunchtime, we were too full to eat a large portion. We opted for quick bites on the pool deck. These included paninis and ice cream, chicken tenders (hot dogs), fries, and salads.

The highlight of the evening was dinner. Every night we got up at the same time and went to bed. Disney divides diners into two seating groups. The first seating starts at 5:45, and the second at 8:15. The second seating was too late for my liking.

You can order as many meals as you want, but it quickly becomes a slippery slope. My first night, I only ordered one entree. By the end of dinner, there was a whole lot more to choose from.

I have no regrets.

One final note: Water is not available onboard. It can be hard to find, especially if your bottle isn’t refilled. Although room service may charge for water, they will provide you with as many glasses of water as you want for no additional cost.

It was almost impossible to find enough things on this cruise ship.

Every night, Disney presented a new show in the main theater. This was the thing I looked forward to the most — even though almost all cruises offer live entertainment, Disney’s is regarded as the best. They did not disappoint. These weren’t Broadway-quality, but they were well-designed, high-end and fun to watch.

The Disney Cruise app is the best way to do almost everything on your cruise. You can view the daily schedule and book any paid activities. These are optional but a lot of fun.

We tried both whiskey tasting and beer tasting during our trip. Both were well worth the extra cost. This activity is worth the extra cost of $40 to $70 per person.

There are so many things to do aboard, as I mentioned above. There are tons of activities for those who don’t want to be in the pool, gym or spa.

Bingo was a favorite activity that took place on three of the four days of our cruise. It featured a rolling jackpot, and was one of our most popular activities.

You can also find things such as Disney movies in theaters, towel folding classes or trivia contests. There is also drawing classes.

You’ll find plenty of activities for kids if you travel with your family. Although I didn’t have the chance to visit these places, I did get a glimpse into Vibe, a teen-only hangout area located at the top of ship. The Chill Spa is available to teens, and it’s designed for them.

Tweens don’t get left out. The Edge club bridges the gap between teenagers and children. It features both video games and a dance floor.

We were four adults travelling together so we weren’t required to use any children’s activities. But suffice it to state that there are many options for kids. The Oceaneer Lab, which is open to children ages 3-12, was a hit.

Deck Nine and higher featured several pools, a splashpad, a waterslide, and a sports area.

Disney Cruises are definitely targeted at children, but they also have separate areas for adults. We enjoyed the peace and quiet of our private pool as a family with four adults.

The Senses Spa & Salon offers a variety of treatments including manicures, haircuts, and couples massages. My parents indulged, although I did not. You can also purchase access to The Rainforest Room which has heated stone chairs and a sauna.

The ship’s fitness centre is perfect for anyone who enjoys working out while on vacation. Even though I only visited once, the facilities were well-stocked and I enjoyed looking out at the water while I worked out.

There were many treadmills, recumbent and spinning bikes, free weights, and really cool curved treadmills. I was afraid to even try them.

All Disney customers get 50 MB free data from the start. You’ll have to pay for additional data, which starts at $19.99 per 50 MB. My mom said it’s not fast enough.

I refused to buy any, and instead relied upon my international data when we arrived at port. It was hard, but I made it through.

The cruise lasted four days and included one stop in Cabo Santa Lucas, Mexico. I don’t like cruise stopovers. They’re too inauthentic and short. This was true even though Disney wasn’t to blame.

Although the disembarkation was easy, we had to board a smaller boat in order to reach land. We could have stayed up until 3 p.m. but we decided to return to the ship early for lunch.

It is possible to book excursions via the Disney Cruise Line app, but we did not choose to.

Disembarkation

It was time to get off the plane after breakfast on the last morning. Although it was possible for the luggage to be brought down to the terminal, we chose to keep it with us.

The embarkation process was just as magical as the disembarkation. It was slow, chaotic and tedious. As we waited for immigration officials to process the thousands of passengers, we stood in line for over an hour on both the ship and shore.

Disney Cruise Review –

It’s been a long time since I was able to take a Disney Cruise. It was expensive. Yes. It was worth it. Also, yes. Even though I haven’t yet booked another Disney cruise, I’m eager to do so.

(Top Photo courtesy Carissa Rawson)