Add a Disney Cruise for a Total Disney Family Vacation

The only thing better than going to Walt Disney World is adding a Disney Cruise for a total Disney family vacation. Disney's 7 night land and sea package gives you the best of both world. A great Disney World vacation followed by a cruise directed by the big guy himself. (M I C - K E Y, sing along with Dad, M - O - U - S - E. Who's the leader of the band ... Come on now ...)

There really is something magical about a cruise. For years cruising was reserved for the wealthy, or it was a grown-up thing. In the 80's cruise lines started paying attention to children. Finally in 1995, the Disney Cruise Line was introduced and family cruising was born.

The Disney Cruise Line - Disney Magic in the morning

A great sunrise on the Disney Magic by flickrized

The Disney Cruise Line

In 1995 Disney announced they were entering the cruise business. The cruise world laughed. A cruise ship run by a mouse, and a duck and a bunch of dogs will never work. It was true that Disney didn't have any experience in the cruise industry, but like everything Disney does, they hired the best talent available, and turned the industry on it's ear.

Disney's first cruise ship, The Disney Magic, set sail on July 30, 1998, and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Disney Cruise Line has a great reputation in the cruise industry. As with everything Disney does, they have taken cruising to the next level. From the food, to the entertainment, to the ship's crew, everything is top of the line. Hey, even the guys that paint the ships between voyages are the best.

Adding a Disney Cruise to a Disney World vacation

You can combine a Disney Cruise with a Disney World vacation. In fact Disney has made it easy. How easy? glad you asked. A Disney Land and Sea package is a completely seamless vacation. For example, your room keys will work both on board and in your hotel. If you have charging privileges on your keys, they will transfer back and forth. Seamless.

The Itineraries

There are two Land and Sea packages. Both include a 7-night total Disney vacation. The difference is how long you stay on land versus how long you cruise. The options are 4 night on land and 3 nights at sea, or 3 nights on land and 4 nights at sea.

3-nights Sea		4- Nights Sea
Depart Port Canaveral Nassau, Bahamas Castaway Cay Port Canaveral	4:00 pm 9:30-6:00 8:30-4:30 7:30am	Depart Port Canaveral Nassau, Bahamas Castaway Cay At Sea Port Canaveral	4:00 pm 9:30-6:00 8:30-4:30 All day 7:30am

Dad's 3 day Disney Cruise page

Nassau, Bahamas

Nassau is the capitol of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. (The Bahamas are the islands just off of the eastern coast of Florida.) It's located on the island of New Providence. The Bahamas Islands were part of the British Empire until 1973. The British influence is still seen all around the island. There is a lot to do while you are on the island. The mega-resort Atlantis is located on Paradise Island which is connected to New Providence Island by bridge. There are beaches, casinos, lots of shopping and some really neat swim with the stingray/sharks/dolphin type experiences.

Castaway Cay

Want to spend a relaxing day on a beautiful private island complete with snorkeling, swimming, boating, parasailing and even The Flying Dutchman. (Yep, that's right, Captain Jack Sparrow's ship is here in Castaway Cay. It's actually one of the ships that was used in the movie.)

Hey, Dad, what is there to do on Castaway Cay?

If you like beautiful white sand beach's, clear tropical blue water, hammocks you're in luck. Castaway Cay is truly an island paradise. There are miles of white sand beaches. Disney has even cordoned off one beach for adults only. There is water to swim in. Boat rentals are available. You can snorkel out to an area where 2 of the submarines from the old 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride have been placed. There is even an place where you can feed sting rays.

What if I get hungry?

You have a couple of options if you get hungry. You can go back to the ship, or you can grab a bite on the island. (It's included in your cruise price.)

Castaway Cay is a really neat place to spend a quiet day relaxing in a tropical paradise.

The Beautiful Cruise Ships

The Disney Cruise Line has 2 ships currently. The Disney Wonder currently serves the 3 and 4 night itineraries. Starting in January 2011, a brand new ship, The Disney Dream will take over and the Wonder will move to the west coast.

The Disney Wonder

The Disney Wonder first sailed in 1999. It is almost identical to it's sister ship, The Disney Magic. The Wonder is 964 feet long and can carry 2,400 passengers. It has a crew of just over 900. Disney set out to bring back the feel of elegant cruise ships. They patterned the ships after great cruise ships of the early 20th century. Each vessel has a elongated black hull with two matching red funnels. Though made to look like classic cruise ships these babies are state of the art.

The cabins in the Disney ships are larger than industry standard cabins. Disney knew their primary audience would be families with children so they tailored their cabins to accommodate them. A lot of the cabins have 2 bathrooms. The average cabin is 25% larger than industry standard cabins.

The Wonder is decorated with ritzy art nouveau decor. Even with all the ritzyness, Disney characters abound. Hidden Mickey's aren't so hidden all around the ship. The common areas are elegant. The dining experience is unique and special. There are 3 main dining rooms on the ship and guests rotate between the three. (There is also a mind blowing adult only dining room.)

Dad's Disney Wonder page

The Disney Dream

The Disney Dream is a larger version of the current Disney ships. It's slated to be 1,115 feet long and hold 4,000 passengers. It will have wi-fi throughout the ship. There are some new mind-blowing features slated to debut in the Dream, including a virtual porthole in all inside cabins. The Dream will feature the first "water park" on a cruise ship.

Check out The Disney Dream ...

Building the Disney Dream

 

Port Canaveral - Disney Cruise Line

View Port Canaveral Florida in a larger map

Port Canaveral

Port Canaveral, Florida (yes, like the place the launch space ships) is the home port for the cruises. Port Canaveral is about an hour drive from the Orlando International Airport (add 30 minutes if you are starting at Walt Disney World).

Several forms of transportation are available to get to your cruise. You could walk, but that would be a little silly, you could drive or you can find someone to take you.

Driving

If you want to drive to Port Canaveral from Orlando, you take SR (state road) 528 east out of Orlando. You'll reach SR401 until you see signs for Cruise Terminal A.

Disney Transportation

Disney will be happy to take you to your cruise. They charge about $70.00 per person to take you from your hotel to the ship (roundtrip).

Limos

I know it sound silly, but you might be able get a limo to take you to your cruise for less than Disney Transportation. Limo companies charge per car. For example it cost around s $350.00 to take you in a Limo from Walt Disney World to the cruise terminal and back to the airport. That's for up to 9 people. (See what happened when Dad rented limos for the family.)

Booking Information

When booking a Disney Cruise, or any cruise for that matter Dad suggests you contact a travel agent. Yes, it's possible to book online without using one, but qualified travel agents can really help with your cruise.

Let Dad help you book your Disney Cruise

Dad's Bottom Line

Adding a Disney Cruise to a Walt Disney World vacation is a great idea. There is nothing more relaxing than sitting on cruise ship, sipping your favorite beverage and watching the sun go down. A perfect way to end, or start, a perfect vacation.

Dad's Walt Disney World home page