Disney Cruise Line: Fun for all Ages

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” -St. Augustine

In February we were a part of the Disney Social Media Mom Celebration where we took a 3-Night Disney Cruise to the Bahahamas. I wrote about our experience here, but in conclusion there was just too much fun on board that 3 days was clearly not enough. Then just weeks after that trip we were blessed with the opportunity to take a 7-Night Disney cruise to the Caribbean and beyond. I am here to tell you why you will want nothing less than 7 nights on board a Disney Cruise, but I couldn’t do it all in one post, so here is Part 1 of a 3-part series!

We were gifted this trip on board the Disney Fantasy, but as always, all opinions are mine!;)

Reason Number One: Disney Cruise Line: Fun for all ages!!

Kids – For kids of all ages there is always something to do.

• For babies to age 3 there is the Small World Nursery, for a minimal hourly fee you can know your youngest family member is in great hands while you go explore the ship.
• For ages 3 (and potty trained) to age 12 there is the Oceaneer’s Club as well as the Oceaneer’s Lab. Theses two spaces are bustling with themed rooms and activities, character appearances, science experiments, arts and crafts, hero training, the list goes on and on and on…Our kids LOVE going to the clubs, in fact, they beg us to go each day! You can rest assure that your little ones are going to have a fantastic time.

• For ages 11-14 there is a space called EDGE. Here your preteen/teenager can feel a bit more grown up with their ability to go in and out as they please with plenty of options for activities, games and friends to make.

• Lastly, for ages 14-17 your teen can relax in VIBE where they have their own pool and deck area, or they could play guitar hero, or just lunge in a port hole with their own private tv. A teenager heaven I would imagine!;)

Here is a fun video of all the kids clubs…

Families– Disney is known for creating magical moments for your entire family and the cruise ship is no exception.

• Pool Time – is our go-to experience since our kids love water. There are multiple splash pads; Nemo’s Reef and the Aqua Lab, multiple slides; Mickey’s slide and the Aqua Duct, which soars over the entire edge of the ship, which solidifies that there is a water activity for every age. There is one shallow Mickey pool, another deeper pool and even a small fountain pool with port holes on the bottom to see straight through to the next level.

(Todd Anderson, photographer)

(Jimmy DeFlippo, photographer)

• Become a Detective – On the Disney Cruise you can take the whole family around the ship looking for clues to solve different mysteries. There are pictures that literally come to life and give you a clue when you show your detective badge. Then once you have found all the clues you can solve the case. Our kids loved doing this and made sure we did all three mysteries on board the Fantasy.

• Sports Deck – If you want to get active then head up to Goofy’s Sports Deck. You can play basketball, try your luck at a round of mini-golf or challenge your family to some foosball. For an added cost you can also try the sports simulator which has multiple sports and you can choose from a half hour or an hour of playtime.

• Family Games/Classes – There are so many fun game show type activities and even classes on the schedule each day. Some are Disney movie or music trivia, karaoke, talent shows, “Anyone Can Cook” classes, and much more. If you are looking to test your families skills look no further!;)

• Entertainment – Leave it to the Disney Cruise Line to bring you the best in entertainment! There are lots of different shows going on throughout the cruise; some on the pool deck, or in the lobby, all with your favorite characters. There are also lots of musicians around the ship playing your favorite music or singing your favorite songs. In a post to come I will talk more about the main stage shows!;)

(Preston Mack, photographer)

Adult Only – You might be surprised, but Disney cruises are actually meant for adults too!;)

• Adult Only Dining – There are 2 adult only restaurants on board the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream; Palo and Remy.

               *Palo is an exclusive Italian restaurant that you will need a reservation at to dine. The price is $30 per person and I am here to tell you it is totally WORTH the extra price. We have tried both dinner and brunch at Palo, you can’t go wrong with either of them. BUT if I had to choose just one I would have to say I think brunch at Palo is ever slightly more spectacular than dinner

               *Remy is based off of the movie Ratatouille set in Paris, France and you will need reservations for this restaurant as well. I wondered what made it even more expensive than Palo ($90 per person), but after a food and wine tasting, I understand. The food is out of this world, well, at least out of this country!;) It is not just about the food either, it is a whole experience. We ended our tasting in the private dining room where it looks exactly like the kitchen from the movie Ratatouille with a chef that embodied Chef Gusteu, which was absolute perfection. If you are looking for a fine dining experience look no further.

• The Night Life – on board the Disney Fantasy there is an entire area called Europa, designed specially for adult night life. There are multiple bars all representing a different area of Europe. There is the Skyline Lounge, which has a skyline that changes every few minutes of major cities in Europe, O’Gills, an Irish pub, La Piazza, an Italian carousel themed bar and Oh La La, a French inspired space. So whatever you are in the mood for, just make your way to a different country to find various drinks, entertainment and fun.

• The Adult only classes – Treat yourself to a martini, cocktail, wine or beer tasting. Maybe that isn’t your thing? Try one of the “Anyone Can Cook” classes or a trivia game geared just for adults. You definitely won’t be bored and you won’t have to compete against a 12 year old (who may just know a few more things than you)!;)

• Adult only entertainment – There are evenings where there might be a comedy or magic act set in one of the adult only bars or maybe a round of karaoke. Always some kind of entertainment happening at different times of the day.

(Matt Stroshane, photographer)

• The Pool/Deck areas – Don’t feel like swimming with the little ones? No problem. There is plenty of deck space set aside for just the adults. There is a pool and swim up bar area as well as another lounge pool/fountain that are perfect for relaxing in the sun.

• Senses Spa and Salon – Want to get away from it all? Then you need to head to the Senses Spa & Salon. I was treated to a message, which was absolutely heavenly, in fact it was the first time ever I actually fell asleep getting a message. Then the hubby and I also got to try out the Rainforest experience. There are multiple showers with different temperatures, misters, as well as multiple sauna’s/steam rooms. Then the best part were the heated tile chairs which led out to the hot tubs with an ocean view. I’m pretty sure this was my favorite couple’s spot on the cruise. It was so romantic and quiet, we loved it!

• Adult Only Gym – There is also an adult only gym located inside the Senses Spa, it has a great view of the ocean and plenty of cardio machines and weights. They also offer lots of work out classes from yoga to cycle. If you are looking to get a work out while on board, this is the perfect space. (Due to privacy purposes I did not take any pictures inside the gym)

So there you have it, Disney Cruise Line: Fun for all Ages. There really is something for every age on board any Disney cruise ship, making it the perfect multi-generational vacation. Stay tuned because I will be talking next about how more nights equals more cities/ports to explore and it also means more magic to experience. You won’t want to miss it, in fact, if you aren’t signed up for my weekly blog post make sure to do that now!;) I promise no spam.

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