Lisa's Magical Disney Cruise!

Embark on a magical journey with Lisa as she shares her unforgettable experience aboard a Disney Cruise! From enchanting character meet-and-greets to dazzling entertainment and fine dining, Lisa’s adventure at sea captures the perfect blend of family fun, relaxation, and Disney magic.

Journey there

Who did you fly with?
We flew from Aberdeen to Gatwick with Easyjet.

Did you get any connecting transport from the airport?
We collected a hire car at Gatwick and drove to Southampton.

How was the journey?
We ended up being delayed around 2.5 hours so not ideal but the flight itself was fine.

Did anything memorable happen?
As we were so delayed, the original car hire company we had booked weren’t going to be open by the time we landed. Luckily as we had booked the easyjet flights and car hire together as part of a package, they moved us to another car hire company at no extra cost. When we landed we also got a nice surprise with a lovely upgraded car for free for our troubles with the delay.

Hotels

Where did you stay?
We stayed for 4 nights on the Disney Dream cruise ship. We had a deluxe ocean view cabin which was mid ship on deck 2

Were there any special features?
So many! It was quite unlike any other cruise I had been on before, the characters on board were amazing and the kids club facilities were the best I have ever seen. The Toy Story themed playroom especially, it was just beautiful and both of my daughters really enjoyed it.

What was your stay like? Did you enjoy it?
Our stay was great, the bed in our cabin was one of the comfiest I have ever slept in and was very spacious considering there were 4 of us in it. I liked that there is a curtain separating the children and the adults sleeping area.

Did you receive any special service/treatment?
On Disney cruises they really do try their best to make everyone feel so special. When we walked on board the ship, they announced our arrival as if we were royalty. They also made a fuss of our daughter whenever she was wearing one of her princess dresses, clapping as she entered the restaurants.

Any recommendations?
Make sure you take part in the detective game! This is an interactive game that you can take part in at any time during your cruise. It leads you all around the ship finding clues so is great for helping to find your way around if you do it towards the beginning of your stay. There are 3 different mysteries to solve.

Activities

Where did you go?
We sailed from Southampton over to La Coruna and back again. We did get off briefly for a short walk around La Coruna but our daughters were desperate to get back to the fun of the ship so we didn’t stay long.

What did you see/do?
Lots! We watched several of the wonderful broadway style performances such as Beauty and the Beast, we took part in the pirates night party, we played mini golf, splashed in the kids pool area ‘Nemos Reef’ and went on the amazing Aqua Duck waterslide. Our oldest daughter went for two kids club sessions, one of which was Stitchs Space Goo where she got to make slime with Stitch – one of her holiday highlights.

Did you learn any fun facts or see anything exciting?
The horn on the Disney Dream plays songs from Disney movies rather than the traditional horn sound you usually hear on cruise ships. There is a sculpture of Mickey Mouse dressed as a sorcerer on the stern of the ship which is about 14 foot long!

What was the weather like?
The weather on the first day when we were at sea was hit and miss, a bit grey and windy but this didn’t bother us too much as there was so much to do on board that didn’t rely on the weather. Aside from that it was early 20’s and sunny.

Any recommendations?
Don’t forget to pack your pirate costume for pirate night! We didn’t take any and were definitely in the minority. 

Food/Drinks

Did you go to any local restaurants/cafes?
We didn’t eat anywhere in La Coruna as the ship had so many great dining options.

What did you enjoy eating/drinking?
The dining plan on Disney ships is quite unique and not something I have seen with any other cruise line. They offer rotational dining where you move between the three restaurants each night and your waiter moves with you so they get to know your likes and dislikes. Your dining time is booked each night for you and the app tells you which restaurant you are to go to each night- made life very easy as we didn’t have to think about it. There were also themed cocktails each night based around the theme of that restaurant.

Did you try any new dishes? What did you think of it?
I didn’t try anything too unusual but I did have a baked potato soup one evening as a starter which I had never seen on a menu before. I also enjoyed the jerk chicken and my husbands favourite meal was the short ribs. The kids options were always good even for fussy children, pizza, mac and cheese, burgers, always served with veg and potatoes and you could ask for fruit for starters and/or puddings too.

Did you go to any quirky places for food/drinks?
For breakfasts we did a mixture of the Cabanas buffet and to the Enchanted Garden as this was located very close to our cabin so handy in the mornings. There is a sweet shop on board called ‘Vanellopes Sweets and Treats’ which was Wreck it Ralph themed. It sold beautiful cupcakes, ice creams and various other treats. At lunchtime it did get incredibily busy but luckily you could also take the food to go from there, so we ate on our sun loungers one day as we wanted to enjoy the sun some more. I also had lunch in our cabin one day when my daughter was having a nap so that was handy. Room service is included as part of your cruise fare.

Any recommendations?
We loved Animators Palate. The food was fantastic and the theming was just immaculate, the butter knives were even shaped like little paintbrushes. We requested a table next to the screens when we checked in for our cruise and luckily we were given this. The screens had fabulous interactive animations on where the characters actually spoke from the screens to the children at the tables- I'm still not sure quite how they did it! Our eldest daughter was delighted to be chatted to by Crush, the turtle from Finding Nemo, another definite highlight for her! The Mickey waffles at breakfast were very cool and a must try! Also the ‘Ice Scream’ self serve ice cream stand. Lovely ice cream you could help yourself to throughout the day. We had several most days! 

Conclusion

Would you recommend this holiday and who to?
I would recommend this cruise for families predominately however there are quite a few adults only areas on the ship that sadly I didn’t get to explore. We saw a lot of people on their honeymoons though and a lot of couples travelling without kids so as long as you like Disney and fancy a bit of a cruise experience unlike no other, then it might be for you!

If you are interested in planning a Disney Cruise, get in touch with Lisa:
[email protected]
0808 169 8208