First of all, I cannot take credit for planning any of this trip. I pretty much knew nothing about Disney or planning for Disney.
We used Jeremy from Planning Magical Memories for all of our planning and my sweet sister did most everything from there.
To start out our trip, we spent one day at Magic Kingdom. It was short, but definitely sweet. Since we were only there for 1 day, we basically spent all day at the park, arriving around 9:30, left for a quick dinner around 5, just to get away for a bit, and then returned for fireworks over the castle at 9pm. Yes, it was a LONG day, but the fireworks were so worth it!
Honestly, after a full day at Disney, I was ready to board the cruise ship for our Disney Cruise. We went on the Disney Dream cruise line, out of Port Canaveral, a little over an hour away from Orlando.
We booked a 4 night cruise that stopped at Nassau, Bahamas and Castaway Cay, Disney’s own private island. We didn’t get off at Nassau since we have been there a couple of times, however, we LOVED Castaway Cay. I honestly think 4 nights was the perfect amount of time on the ship, 3 may have felt too little and 7 would have definitely been too much for me!
Our first night on the boat, we took all the kiddos to the Bippity Boppity Boutique for their makeovers. They loved this! It was a great idea to schedule it early on vacation, so they could enjoy their costumes the entire time.
My coverup is linked here.
Disney’s Castaway Cay was beautiful! We didn’t plan any excursions for the day, but just planned to enjoy the day on the beach. There are lots of fun family beaches as well as an adult only beach. And, bonus…kids club is also on the island!
Overall, the Disney cruise was not inexpensive, but well worth it! Honestly, I am not really one who typically loves cruises, but the Disney Cruise, while still a cruise, is SO much nicer than any other cruise line. It is cleaner, well organized, and more spacious!
Just to give you an idea of what is included in the cruise: your stateroom, entertainment, tons of activities, Disney’s private island, variety of dining options, pools/recreation, and kids club (yes, “free” babysitters).
TIPS for Disney
- If you have a child 5 and under, take an umbrella stroller. Even when the child doesn’t want to ride in it, you can throw your bags in it. Easy and lightweight to push around and really helpful when the kiddos get tired from walking miles around Disney.
- Take in a Reusable water bottle to fill up at the water filling stations. Also, restaurants will give you free cups of ice water. And you can take in snacks if you want!
- Download the Disney App to make plans easier!
- Use your Fast Passes wisely and rebook once you use your first 3!
- Pack a poncho! We did not…and of course we got rained on. Not a huge deal but a poncho would have been nice.
TIPS for Disney Cruise
- First of all, make reservations for activities on the ship 90 days in advance. You are still able to make reservations once on board, but it’s easier to get it done and not wait in line. We made reservations for Bippity Boppity Boutique and character greetings!
- Tons of dining options are included in your cruise, but you can also choose to upgrade your dining choice any night at the more upscale restaurants. It is $40/person for the meal. We did this one night while the kids were at kids club and it was so worth it!
- Download the app to schedule out your day! Everything you need to know is on the app and you can chat with your family through the app without using data or wifi.
- Schedule the early dinner (first seating). We did the second seating each night and while it wasn’t too bad, I think we would have preferred to dine earlier with the whole family and then let the kids go to kids club afterwards to burn some energy and we could go have a drink or play trivia!
- Head here for more information!!
I am definitely no Disney expert (nor do I aspire to be), but please feel free to reach out if you have any questions about a Disney Cruise!
XO-
Shana
