Do the cruises capture that “Disney magic”?

[hogie1]

We haven't made any decisions yet, but right now, the most tempting option is to leave from NY (which is less than two hours by car) and do a 7 day Bermuda cruise.

We are doing the 5 nite NYC to Bermuda cruise next month. Between the 5 nites and being able to drive instead of fly sealed the deal for us! We have been to Bermuda on another cruise line back in 2005 (and before kids) and it was fantastic. It will be nice to be back on DCL, it really is a class of it's own that brings the right amount of Disney magic, service, fun, and some of that classic cruise ship feel from a long time ago. I'll let you know how our trip goes, I can't wait to go!

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Disney cruise is always preferred over the parks with my family. We love the parks, don't get me wrong. That's why we cruise out of NYC now. We get a day at the parks.

One year, we were on the Wonder. My oldest DS wanted to go to the movie show by himself. He was 9 years old. I walked him into the theater and he found a seat. I made sure he was sitting and I left. My two youngest, DS5 and DD7 were in the kids club. The movie had about 30 minutes left, so I went to the theater, poked in to be sure DS was still sitting where I put him, and went out in the hall and sat on the bench across from the doors. I was sitting there for about 10 minutes, when the doors open and out comes Captain Hook. Let me backtrack a minute. While DS9 was at the movie and my DH and I wandered around the ship, we would see the little ones (ours) from the kids club out with the counselors, on a scavenger hunt. OK....so out come Captain Hook with his handler. He waves at me the way you would expect him too. I smile. My smile had not left my face when the movie doors open again, and it's my DS. He has a look of shock, awe and amazement on his face. "DID YOU SEE HIM???" "DID YOU SEE CAPTAIN HOOK?" "HE WALKED RIGHT BY ME!!!!" He wanted to know where he might be going, so I suggested we follow him. well, we didn't have to go far because as we passed the kids club, we heard screeches and giggles. We walk in, and there is Captain Hook chasing the kids, with Peter Pan and Wendy trying to help the kids get away. You see, the scavenger hunt was a hunt for Captain Hooks treasure. the kids found it and brought it back to the club. Peter Pan and Wendy were there to celebrate with them, and then Captain Hook stormed the club.

So, you tell me, where else in the WORLD can you get Peter Pan, Wendy and Captain Hook to play with your kids????

Another cruise, one more recent, I was on the promenade deck at 6am, enjoying the quiet of the morning, and watching the sun come up. A few joggers would pass me. I am sitting on a lounge chair and I hear "clomp, clomp, clomp" I look towards the sound and I kid you not, it was Goofy, decked out in a running suit and headband. He was with a handler. No kids are in sight. It was one of the most exciting things I have seen on a cruise, because it was not a planned meet and greet. It is 6am on a sea day, 75% of the ship is still sleeping, and Goofy is out for a run.

You cannot get this kind of personal interactions with the characters at the parks. Not unless you pay for them.

 

[starvenger]

Another cruise, one more recent, I was on the promenade deck at 6am, enjoying the quiet of the morning, and watching the sun come up. A few joggers would pass me. I am sitting on a lounge chair and I hear "clomp, clomp, clomp" I look towards the sound and I kid you not, it was Goofy, decked out in a running suit and headband. He was with a handler. No kids are in sight. It was one of the most exciting things I have seen on a cruise, because it was not a planned meet and greet. It is 6am on a sea day, 75% of the ship is still sleeping, and Goofy is out for a run.

a) That's pretty cool.
b) That's pretty cruel. Props to whoever was in that suit.

 

[Disney1fan2002]

a) That's pretty cool.
b) That's pretty cruel. Props to whoever was in that suit.

HA HA HA HA. Actually, being truthful, I thought the same thing, except, I thought it was more cruel for the handler to have to run with him. I just imagined that the guy in the Goofy suit was probably a runner, and wanted to have some fun and run in costume. Well, he can't go anywhere without a handler.

That would be my luck as a handler.

DCL scheduler: "You are assigned to Goofy today. Your shift will start @ 530am. Goofy is to put on his running suit and run 4 laps with the joggers at 6am. Have a Magical day with the passengers."
Me: "Kill me now, please"

 

[lklgoodman]

HA HA HA HA. Actually, being truthful, I thought the same thing, except, I thought it was more cruel for the handler to have to run with him. I just imagined that the guy in the Goofy suit was probably a runner, and wanted to have some fun and run in costume. Well, he can't go anywhere without a handler.

That would be my luck as a handler.

DCL scheduler: "You are assigned to Goofy today. Your shift will start @ 530am. Goofy is to put on his running suit and run 4 laps with the joggers at 6am. Have a Magical day with the passengers."
Me: "Kill me now, please"

OMG, I didn't realize when I read your first post about Goofy that he was ACTUALLY running, I thought you meant he was just pretending to run, like just a few steps. Yea, if I were his handler I wouldn't be too happy either, Goofy might "accidentally" end up in one of the pools, lol!!

 

[NickC]

There is so much good info and good stories in this thread. I am convinced that a cruise will be a good next vacation. It looks like there are fewer dates and options for the N.Y. port. However, it would save a ton on air fare and hotels. So, I am not sure if we should do Disney for a few days and end with a short cruise...or do a longer cruise but have less options for dates and ships.

 

[southerngirl528]

I personally think the cruises are much more magical than WDW. We will be going on our 5th cruise this coming Jan. Cruising is so much more relaxing. We had a similar experience as pp with running into a couple of princesses when my dd was 6 yr old. We saw Rapunzel in a hall way, she sat and talked with my dd for 15-20 mins. We then left and turned the corner and saw Tiana, she also sat with my dd for a long time. We've only done 7 night cruises, a lot of people on here always comment that 3 and 4 night cruises go by way too fast and feel rushed, if you can't do a 7 night, you may want want to do a 4 night.

Agree. Agree. Agree!!!

I look towards the sound and I kid you not, it was Goofy, decked out in a running suit and headband.

Having spent a lot of time on DCL ships, Goofy must be quite the athlete as I have seen him in his workout outfit a number of times in a number of places! I've seen him doing stretches near a stairwell, before heading out to the promenade deck to do some jogging. A separate time I saw him jogging on deck 4 during an Alaskan sailing. Who knew Goofy was so into exercise??

 

[PurplePencil]

Having spent a lot of time on DCL ships, Goofy must be quite the athlete as I have seen him in his workout outfit a number of times in a number of places! I've seen him doing stretches near a stairwell, before heading out to the promenade deck to do some jogging. A separate time I saw him jogging on deck 4 during an Alaskan sailing. Who knew Goofy was so into exercise??

Goofy has his own sports deck...

 

[southerngirl528]

Goofy has his own sports deck...

 

[koala1966]

There is so much good info and good stories in this thread. I am convinced that a cruise will be a good next vacation. It looks like there are fewer dates and options for the N.Y. port. However, it would save a ton on air fare and hotels. So, I am not sure if we should do Disney for a few days and end with a short cruise...or do a longer cruise but have less options for dates and ships.

So far the ship has only been spending 2 months in NY in the fall, in between the Mediterranean and Miami seasons. So it is less to choose from, but even if you travel for the ship, I am with those who recommend the longer cruises. Even a 5 day instead of 4 day is worth it, you wouldn't believe the difference it makes.

Some of our Magical moments on the ship:
- one time my niece and I were lost, we took a wrong turn, and the cruise director happened along our hallway. We asked directions, but instead of just telling us he escorted us to where we wanted to go.
- When Tiger was an assistant server on the Magic (he's since been promoted), he entertained my nephews nightly with magic tricks. They adored him.
- I rode the elevator with Minnie Mouse!!! Also she really liked my Polka dot dress
- When my Dad lost his credit card in France, and we couldn't make his cell phone work for the call to the cc company, guest services helped him get through to them and helped me calm him down, the whole ordeal had him really panicked.

From character interactions to guest services, from activities staff to maintenance, from restaurant servers to room hosts, all the way up to the Captain, DCL goes out of their way to treat you right.

 

[MyShoes]

Disney magic??? Absolutely it exists. My young grandson was afraid to approach Mickey Mouse. Goofy sat on the same bench as my grandson and gradually worked his way closer and closer to my grandson. By the time Goofy was close to him, Goofy put his hand out; my grandson grabbed it and they both walked over to Mickey. Now THAT'S magic!

 

[Spotthecat]

We were watching a deck 11 show from up on deck 12. Well, at the end of the show Stitch climbs the stairs, grabs my 3 kids and proceeds to do the conga line ALL THE WAY AROUND DECK 12. We had to join the line, and our antics were shown on the funnelvision. Hilarious and kids had a blast!

Ran into Pluto in the middle of the stairs randomly. He spent 15 minutes digging for bones and dancing with my middle son - it's his fave character and he was holding his stuffed version of Pluto. Then Pluto started playing with stuffed Pluto and my son. Priceless!

 

[thumpie's mom]

While I love WDW, our hearts belong to DCL. We have had soooo many magical moments on board the ships...it is truly our happy place. It is so much more personal and the service is awesome. My daughter is a character addict and we know when and where they will be on a daily basis. Plus there are so many unplanned moments with the characters when they are just walking around. Several times, I have had a character gently move me out of the way so they can push my daughter's wheelchair. I love the look on her face when she realizes I am not the one pushing her and she looks and finds Pluto, Donald or Chip and Dale pushing her! Priceless memories. I will chose DCL over WDW everytime.

 

[NickC]

Right now, we are planning a 3 night Very Merrytime Bahamian cruise on the Disney Dream followed by 5 days at the parks (with some downtime on departure and arrival days). This will be November 7th until November 17th. After a lot of back and forth, we decided that this allows us to get a taste of the cruise, but also give us plenty of time for our annual WDW vacation. Then, we can better decide how to distribute the days for our 2020 trip.

 

[DCLCrazy64622]

I am hoping to get some opinions about our next trip, and this board has always delivered great advise.
We’ve done Disney for the past 6 years and are considering a Disney cruise. We are thinking a few days at the parks, then a 3 day cruise. Every other "Disney family" that we’ve talked to has great things to say about the cruises...but, still, I’m nervous about switching it up. Every time we go to WDW, there are magical moments that we experience as a family. Little things that just mean so much to us. It’s not so much because of the rides or attractions, but because of the environment.
I was wondering if the cruises capture that Disney Magic like WDW does.

We feel it actually goes above and beyond anything we experience in the parks. We found the park CMs to be rude and not very engaging versus the CMs aboard the ships who are always warm and friendly.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I had a casual conversation with Cinderella in the stairway one night about shoes. She is my favorite, and it was like a full five minutes, nobody else around. Totally amazing. PS: I'm 25.
Yes, 100% the Disney magic is still there - for kids of ALL ages!

 

[squirk]

I was wondering if the cruises capture that Disney Magic like WDW does.

No, not really. Not at all, actually. What made you think that?