In summary, we did enjoy the experience of a Disney cruise but will stick to Princess. We prefer the ambience, food and layout on Princess ships and we can do two cruises on them for the price of one on Disney. Having said that, for families with young children, I don’t think you can beat a Disney cruise.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Smooth embarkation experience at Port Canaveral, very organized. Was fun to walk through the Mickey ears!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
MDR food and buffet comparable to Princess though desserts in main dining room I find better on Princess. I did like the rotational dining experience with same waitstaff as we got to know them better and they were familiar with our needs (e.g. lots of butter for the buns as we didn’t like the bread dips, knowing everyone’s drink preferences and delivering them right away). Our table had two other couples and we all enjoyed meeting as new friends and dining together. Would have liked to have option to go to buffet for dinner if you have plans or just don’t feel hungry at the scheduled time. Did not try any specialty restaurants as Disney cruise itself is expensive enough.
Vista Cafe
5 out of 5
Barista on Disney Fantasy in the Vista Cafe made the best Americanos!
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
They had so many activities to choose from including tons of trivia, fun games, animation and craft classes, alcohol tasting events for adults, lots of character meets for the kids. Unfortunately because of so many activities being scheduled all day long in the adult lounges you could never find a quiet spot to read onboard (other than our balcony). However, we did enjoy a few trivia games while onboard.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The main theatre shows were very good which wasn’t a surprise coming from Disney. Loved Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Believe onboard this cruise. Live music in the main plaza area was very good as well.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Very good service from all cast members on board - everyone greeted us with a smile and made us feel very welcome onboard.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Beautiful ship, very clean and well maintained. The layout was tough to get used to as we kept running into deadends. I think this is mainly due to all the lounges and activity areas onboard. However, likely difficult for us as our first Disney cruise and we are so used to Princess ships.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
The cabin was very spacious, liked the sofa in the room. While I liked the split bathroom, my husband prefers one bathroom as only one door to deal with. The balcony maybe slightly larger than Princess ships we have sailed on. Beds were comfortable though they don’t beat Princess beds.
Ship tip
If you want a nice quiet spot head to the adult Satellite Falls area - the adult cove pool gets very crowded. There are also some nice seating areas on the floors overlooking the main plaza area but they do go fast.
We did the Magen’s Bay excursion through Disney that included a couple of nice photo stops along the way. Our guide was very good and kept us all engaged. We did enjoy the beautiful beach at Magen’s Bay and just parked at one of the picnic tables under the trees which was first come first serve - you can rent lounge chairs and umbrellas but only one full day price and not worth the money for couple of hours we had there. We have been to St. Thomas twice before and just walked around as lots to see in port area but this time we thought we’d try Magen’s Bay and glad we did.
Easy disembarkation. We had the option of main dining room breakfast with our table mates or buffet. We all ended up doing buffet on last morning for the flexibility.
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