The other day, Daffy shared his vacation plans for 2015. He’s decided to take a break from Disney World and travel back to the original Disney park, Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Like Daffy, I was thinking it was time to mix things up a little. Disney World is in a state of heavy construction and likely will be throughout the coming year. I figure it is best to give the parks a rest until the construction is done. In a few years, there will be new attractions to experience and the old favorites will feel fresher. Plus the kids will be older and more adventurous. So in the meanwhile, we were looking for something else to do. Preferably something new.

Obviously we ultimately decided on a Disney cruise. Believe it or not (and many will not) non-Disney alternatives were considered. I also considered a trip to Anaheim but decided against hauling the kids cross country for more theme parks even if the experience would be decidedly different. Disneyland remains on my bucket list. But it will not be crossed off in 2015.

I had some very serious reservations about taking any kind of cruise. Mindy is extremely claustrophobic. For her, the darkness in Spaceship Earth or even the Peoplemover make those attractions into thrill rides. So the idea of being “trapped at sea” is a bit intimidating. The kids are also prone to being a bit dodgy about transportation. Josie doesn’t like being confined on a plane for the two hour flight to Orlando. Even now that the decision is made, I’m not sure if we will turn out to be “cruise people”. Only time will tell.

Those considerations are partially what lead me to the Disney Cruise Line. The boats are just gigantic. The Disney Dream and its sister-ship, the Disney Fantasy, are the two newest ships in the fleet. They are 40% larger than the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. The Dream is over 1,000 feet long, has 1,250 staterooms and carries up to 4,000 passengers. I figure on a boat that big, we’re less likely to feel restricted.

Room size was another consideration. When we stay at Disney World, we tend to avoid the Value hotels in part because of the relatively small room size. They can feel a bit cramped for a family of four. Especially when we tend to spend a fair amount of time in our room. So when choosing a stateroom, I decided it was worth spending the extra coin to get a little more space.

With that in mind, we decided to stay in one of the concierge-level family staterooms. That puts us on the 11th deck of the ship. I’m a cruise novice, but my understanding is that higher decks are more desirable than lower decks. The 11th deck is actually on the same floor as the pool and many of the ship’s amenities. It will be convenient not to have to take the stairs or an elevator to get a cup of coffee or take a dip.

The room itself is 306 square feet including the veranda. That’s pretty close to the size of the room we stayed in at Port Orleans this summer. The veranda should also help the room feel more open and less constricting. Our room also includes both a full bath and a half bath so two people can get ready at the same time. Which should prove handy considering I am traveling with three girls.

Obviously, part of the reason to travel with Disney as opposed to other cruise lines is the Disney touches. My youngest has decided she doesn’t much care for rides right now. She’s far more interested in meeting princesses. On a Disney cruise, we can still meet with Disney characters (including the princesses) without having to deal with navigating a theme park. Once I told Kara there were princesses, she was on board.

Characters aside, I expect this will be a very different experience from our usual Disney World vacations. As much as I love Disney theme parks, even I have to admit that touring the parks with two young kids can be exhausting. In order to avoid crowds and long lines, one needs to get an early start. And much of the day will be spent on your feet often in the hot Florida sun. There’s a “hurry up and wait” factor that can wear even the most fervent theme park tourist down.

By contrast, our stay on the Disney Dream should be very relaxing. There’s no “rope drop” to get to. No crowds to beat. Sleeping in is an option (although probably not one I will personally exercise). Our time will be spent exploring the ship at our leisure.

Another concern I had was that I would be bored. Look, I go to theme parks because when I’m vacation I want to see and do things I can’t see and do at home. I don’t want to sit in a hotel room. Fortunately, the Disney Dream has plenty to keep me busy.

In addition to three pools and a kid-sized Mickey Mouse water slide (visible above on the left), the ship has a built-in water coaster called the AquaDuck. The AquaDuck is a 765-foot long winding waterslide with a four-deck drop and a course that winds 13 feet over the edge of the ship and through the ship’s forward funnel. Yeah, I gotta check that out.

Since the Disney Cruise Line bills itself as a family cruise line, it includes kids’ clubs. Parents can drop off the kids at the Oceanographer’s Club or Oceanographer’s Lab so they can get a little adult time. Disney castmembers facilitate fun activities for kids in different age groups. The kids are provided with a phone in case they need to call mom and dad to pick them up.

Honestly, I doubt we will make extensive use of the kids’ clubs. Our kids tend to like to be by our sides. And their mother tends to like it that way as well. But even if we don’t make use of the clubs, it’s nice to know they are available as an option. Especially if we should decide to enjoy dinner at the adults-only restaurant, Palo.

Which brings me to dining. Disney utilizes what it calls rotational dining. In addition to Palo, the ship offers three sit-down restaurants. The Animator’s Palette (pictured below) is inspired by Disney animation and features technology similar to the Turtle Talk With Crush attraction at Epcot. Through the use of video screens, Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo can swim right up to your table and interact with your family while you eat. The Royal Palace (pictured above) is inspired by all of the popular Disney princess movies. And the Enchanted Garden is themed to the Disney fairies.

Each night of the cruise, you eat at a different restaurant. Since the cruise is 4 nights long and there are only three main dining rooms (not counting Palo which costs extra), you visit one restaurant twice. But the duplication is on Pirate Night which features a pirate-themed menu. So it’s not the same experience twice.

Each night, as you go from one restaurant to the next, the waitstaff follows you. The idea is that the waitstaff gets to know your preferences and can anticipate what you will want without you having to ask. We’ll see how that works out in practice. I have yet to read of anything but exemplary service.

Food is a big part of any cruise experience. In the main dining rooms, everything is all you care to eat. You can order as many entrees, appetizers or desserts as you like. The ship also offers complimentary room service between 7am and 10pm in case you feel like hanging out in your stateroom for some reason.

When you’re not in the mood for a table service meal, the ship still offers plenty of food options. Cabana’s is a buffet offering breakfast (pictured), lunch and dinner. I will be sampling those Eggs Benedict with asparagus and drowning the whole plate in that hollandaise sauce. In fact, just put all that on a plate for me and I’ll be happy.

The Walt Disney Theater shows first-run movies in 3-D. I have to admit that if I spend any of my cruise time in a movie theater – even a really nice one – I will consider it a failure. It’s nice to know it’s there in case we hit bad weather. But I really hope I don’t end up watching The Avengers here next summer.

Along with rotational dining, Disney offers what it calls a “Broadway-level” stage show every night. The shows run twice a night. One group has dinner followed by a show. The other group has dinner after the show. We’ll be requesting dinner first followed by the show. Certain family members are not show-ready until they have had their dinner.

The Disney Dream features three stage productions; Disney’s Believe (pictured), The Golden Mickeys and Villains Tonight! Given Kara’s aversion to all things villain, we may be skipping that last one. Although the shows are also available to watch from your room on TV. So if I can’t attend in person, that may be an option.

There’s lots of other forms of entertainment on the ship. It has several nightclubs, a spa and an exercise room. But the main attractions will be the ports of call. The cruise we chose has two stops at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. This was a big part of the appeal of this vacation package. Mindy has been wanting to spend some time on a beach for a while. And for beach time, it’s hard to beat the private beaches of Castaway Cay.

I have to admit, I’m not much of a beach person. The idea of lounging around all day does nothing for me. All things being equal, I’d rather be racing to ride Splash Mountain again. But I think there is enough to see and do on Disney’s beach for me to occupy myself for two days. The kids have never been to the beach before so the whole experience will be new to them. And if we do get bored, there’s Disney characters doing meet and greets just a short walk away.

Disney has several activities available on the island. Most of them involve at least some upcharge. Some – like the private cabanas – are quite expensive. If we find ourselves wanting for something to do, we may rent some equipment. But I have a feeling that we’ll be able to make due with the free amenities like the hammocks and the water slide.

There’s no need to return to the boat for lunch. Cookie’s BBQ serves up chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers right there on the beach along with an assortment of sides and desserts.

Sandwiched between our two stops at Castaway Cay is a stop in Nassau. I have read that a lot of cruise veterans actually spend their Nassau day exploring the ship. But we are cruise novices so we will be exploring the Bahamas during this port of call. Specifically, we’re looking at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.

The Atlantis resort is quite swanky and well known for its extensive water park. But we’re looking elsewhere for our entertainment. Mindy and Kara are both big dolphin fans. Mindy has actually done the Dolphins in the Depths tour at Epcot. But since we’re in Nassau, we’re planning to experience one of Atlantis’ dolphin encounters as a family.

Atlantis offers a dolphin swim and a shallow water experience. Since Kara is a tiny little thing, we’ll be opting for the shallow water experience. Even though she loves dolphins, I worry that the size may be intimidating to her when she sees them in person. To prepare her, I have shown her a few videos of the encounter.

The dolphin encounter itself is only about a half hour or so leaving a lot of time to explore the rest of the Atlantis resort. I don’t think we’re likely to take advantage of the water park. But I’m sure we’ll wander around and take in some of the other sites. I believe the package includes lunch preventing us from having to return to the boat to eat.

Mostly, I expect this trip will be about something that is in short supply at Disney World – relaxation. Since we’re travelling at the concierge level, we will be entitled to a few extra perks. For example, on the 13th deck is a sun deck exclusively open to concierge guests. It’s stocked with free sun screen products. So even if I don’t feel like lounging in the sun, I’ll probably raid their supply before we head out on our first beach excursion.

On the 12th deck of the ship is another exclusive perk, the concierge lounge. Staff is on hand to help out with any schedule changes we need to make. There are two happy hours every night which include alcoholic beverages. The Disney Cruise Line allows guests to bring their own alcohol, but prepared drinks cost extra. They also have a coffee machine that makes fancy coffee drinks.

The lounge also includes another buffet just in case we aren’t yet stuffed. The offerings in the concierge lounge buffet change several times daily. It definitely sounds like it will be worth checking out.

One night during the cruise is designated “pirate night”. Guests are encouraged to dress like pirates. There’s a pirate-themed menu served at all the main dining rooms. There’s a DJ and a pirate-themed show on the center stage. And the whole thing is capped off with fireworks at sea.

The cruise is still more than half a year away. There’s still a lot of details to settle between now and then. But I’m definitely looking forward to some new experiences with the familiar Disney touches.

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