If you've never considered going on a cruise as an alternative for your family vacation, it's time to start thinking about it! While most cruise lines offer great family options, activities and pricing, Disney Cruise Lines is hands down an expert favorite when it comes to cruising with the entire family. Here are some reasons why you should consider a cruise for your next family vacation–and a couple of them that make Disney Cruise Lines a special treat for your familia!
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You can plan ahead for deals.
With cruises, you can plan your vacation way ahead of time. This means you can give a specific required deposit now, and not have to pay the full thing until 90 or so days before your sailing. This way you can split up the cost over a few months and aim to save the amount during the time you’re planning.
A good example is Disney Cruise Lines, where you can book a cruise up to 18 months before the sailing and are only responsible for a 20 percent deposit at the time you make your reservation. The balance is due 90 days prior to sailing. That’s up to 15 months to save 80 percent of your trip cost! Disney Cruise Lines also provides help in booking flights at the best rates and times for our cruise. Win-win!
Cruises are great for all ages.
You’d think that cruising is an adult activity, but this couldn’t be further from reality. Many cruise lines provide excellent activities for kids and teens while onboard, so there will be no boredom and no "Are we there yet?” questions. Of course, Disney Cruise Lines take family cruising to the next level with all-day activities for all ages, well-known Disney characters and a focus on details that will be hard to find elsewhere.
However, other cruise lines also offer a family-friendly atmosphere: Royal Caribbean, for example, has DreamWorks-themed characters and kids’ clubs aboard some of its ships. Same set-up for Carnival with Cat in the Hat and Dr. Seuss characters and Norwegian Cruise Lines with Nickelodeon characters.
It's easy to plot out your days well ahead of time.
Controlled and timed boarding and departure time means you can plan your trip and your arrival time to coincide with boarding. If you're traveling from a port near you (that is, that you don't have to fly to), the planning is even easier and your savings increase.
Shore excursions at your various destinations are available to plan and purchase well ahead of your sailing date on many cruise lines, which makes planning a fun-filled, unique vacation stress-free.
A tip for embarkation: Load up on some water bottles before you hit the departure port and be sure to bring snacks if you’ll be waiting long to embark. They’ll save you some aggravation and money as you wait to board in usually restaurant and amenity-challenged ports.
All the food is included, so this takes a huge burden off your family’s shoulders.
Picky kids? Food allergies and restrictions? There will be something for everyone and you won’t have to worry about the extra expense this entails. Be warned though, alcoholic drinks are not included on most cruises, so always budget for this if you want to have a few cocktails or your vinito with meals.
On Disney Cruise Lines, the waiters move with you to your assigned restaurants every night, so they'll remember your likes, dislikes, and your kids' favorites too.
The lodging goes with you, so it's another stressful part of vacation you don't have to worry about.
Whether it's an inside cabin or a room with a view, there's a variety of levels, sizes and prices to pick from when you're booking your stateroom aboard a cruise.
On Disney Cruise Lines, the staterooms are designed for families! They're spacious, provide ample room under the bed for empty baggage, plenty of room on board to unpack, have two bathrooms so you don't get stuck (one with a tub and sink and the other with a toilet and sink). Besides this, there's a bunk bed that descends from the ceiling in most staterooms, so there's plenty of sleeping space for all.
Amenities on board make it easy to just relax while on the ship.
From the pools, to the cafes and spas, you're covered on cruise ships. Most provide plenty of activities and amenities on board to make your experience worthwhile.
Disney Cruise Lines is one of the few lines that provides entertainment for kids standard on every ship. Their kids' clubs make it fun–and very safe–for your kids to be on their own (with enough supervision of course), while you either catch up on sleep, sun, take in a spa treatment–whatever you want! There is also a movie theater, nightly shows, games, character meetings, and just a fun kid-friendly atmosphere to make it unforgettable for them too.
But port activities will make you want to get off!
Most cruise lines offer a myriad of off-ship activities at all your ports of call and in many price ranges, so take advantage! Disney Cruises has many family and kid-friendly activities–as well as some just for adults! There is a concierge desk open 24 hours on all Disney ships, so if you don't book ahead, you can book when you board too.
Nightly activities will keep everyone entertained.
And I mean everyone. Disney Cruise Lines offers what they call "Broadway quality" musicals that are truly out of this world (pictured here is a scene from Frozen: A Musical Spectacular). Ships also have movie theaters that play first-run Disney movies (with free popcorn and everything!). Or there are family games set up nightly. Or if you want some adult-only fun, the nightclubs and bars that are only for grown-ups are perfect. Or you could just chill in your stateroom and enjoy the ocean views, classic and new Disney movies on the TV.
Pack light--there are laundry rooms on board Disney Cruises!
Many cruise ships offer the great bonus of being able to wash and dry clothes right as you sail–and Disney Cruise lines offers this self-service laundry option on ALL their ships. I know doing a few loads during vacation doesn’t sound like a good use of your free time, but it goes a long way to let you pack a bit less because you know you’ll be able to wash and re-use clothes and other items you take along. And for families with babies, this is major!
Why Disney Cruise Lines is such a great idea for families.
As the home of some of the most beloved characters for all kids, Disney’s magic is felt throughout the ship, the ports, and Disney’s own private island, Castaway Cay–a regular stop on all of Disney’s Bahamian cruises. No detail is left to chance–from the care that servers give to the kids in your party, their likes and dislikes and, most importantly, dietary restrictions, to the many, many activities that are planned each and every day with kids in mind, to the family pools that play Disney movies all day. As an adult, it’s a pleasure to let your child come out and enjoy.
My son, Sebastian, and I recently went on a three-night Bahamas cruise aboard the Disney Wonder and a couple of months later, Sebas is still asking me when we’re going to go back. He ate what he loved (and let me tell you he is PICKY), got Mickey ice cream delivered to our stateroom one night at 11 p.m. (the 24-hour room service is everything. Oh, and mom tip: Request some continental breakfast in your room early in the morning so you could have your coffee before you even have to start your day!). Besides all this, Disney Cruise Lines has gotten top scores in environmental friendliness and sustainability–the highest score of any other cruise line out there, meaning you can cruise almost guilt-free if you’re an environmentally-conscious family.
