Cruising with
the Mouse Disney Cruise Line
By Colin Hartness
Theres
magic in everything that team Disney touches and their cruise line
is no exception. Michael Eisner himself commissioned a talented
group of ship designers, cruise experts and Disney creators to
produce cruise ships that would appeal to adults and children of
all ages. The result was two nearly-identical ships, Disney Wonder
and Disney Magic.
The ships are distinctively Disney, with the famous mouse
silhouette prominently placed on the smokestacks and appearing
frequently throughout the ships. Thats not all; a fifteen-foot
statue of Goofy is the figurehead on Disney Magic while Donald Duck
adorns the front of Disney Wonder. Of course, cast members
masquerade through the ship in costumes of the famous Disney
characters. Disney art is featured on the walls and images of
Disney characters appear everywhere. Disney excels at promoting
everything Disney so expect onboard shops to be full of Disney
memorabilia.
Disney Cruise Line offers three, four, seven and ten day cruises
that sail from Disneys own Port Canaveral near Orlando to popular
spots in the Caribbean, including St. Maarten, Nassau, Antigua,
Cozumel, St. Thomas, Grand Cayman Island, St. Lucia, and Key West.
All cruises stop at for a day at Castaway Cay, a private island
developed by Disney solely for the enjoyment of Disney Cruise Line
passengers.
The cruise can easily be combined with a stay at Walt Disney World;
passengers can stay at Disney World for several days before or
after a cruise for one price that includes transportation on, what
else, a Disney bus to or from Port Canaveral. And with the latest
technology, tourists check in only once and the key card issued to
them unlocks both their hotel and stateroom doors.
As expected, Disney Cruise Line caters to children with activities
for all age groups all day long. In fact, more than 15,000 square
feet of ships real estate is devoted to children. Teens have a
private area of the ship dedicated to their interests that offers
video games, movies, and a place to listen to CDs. Supervised teen
sports are also available.
Disney Cruise Lines provides quality nighttime entertainment in a
977-seat theatre each evening with, of course, a family
orientation. While other cruise lines mimic Las Vegas
entertainment, Disney entertainment is similar to shows at Disney
World. As might be expected, there is no casino on board the Disney
ships. However, adults can find evening entertainment in a number
of lounges and nightclubs.
A special feature of the Disney cruises is the dining arrangement.
Dinners are served at 6:30 and 8:30 pm in one of three family
dining areas. Over a three day period, a passenger will have dinner
in a different restaurant each night, thus getting to experience
the unique ambiance of each one. For a $10 cover charge, those
wishing to avoid family dining can opt to eat at the upscale
adult-only restaurant, but only after gaining sought-after advance
reservations.
If you or your children adore everything Disney, you will certainly
enjoy a Disney cruise.
About
the Author
Looking for
information about cruises? Go to: http://www.whatcruises.com 'What
Cruises' is published by Colin Hartness - An excellent resource for
Cruises!
Check out more cruise articles at:
http://www.whatcruises.com/archive
|