Why Cruise?

 Why Cruise?

More people are choosing Cruising over other types of vacations. It is becoming so popular that 71% people who have sailed once decide to make it their vacation of choice. The reasons are simple.

1 Cruising is easy to budget. Do your research and you know what is included and what is not. Much of what you want is included in your cruise fare. Usually you only have to add Port Excursion Fees, Alcohol (some lines have packages some do not), and merchandise.

2 There is always something to do! On the ship or on the shore, when in Port there is always something to do. Much of what is on the ship is included in your fare.

3 If you want a vacation to just sit and chill by a pool, a cruise definitely has that to offer.

4 You unpack ONCE and see many new cities/countries.

5 You can sample many locations that you may want to visit again and spend more time.

6 You can explore places that are both interesting and educational, like the artic or Galapagos Islands. Some lines offer special tours that help protect nature.

Cruising can offer many different kinds of things. From Family Friendly to Adult Centered you can find a cruise for you.

 

Do you like to see new places yet don’t want the stress of moving from hotel to hotel every couple of days to see all the places you want? Let your “hotel” move with you! Take a cruise! Wake up most mornings with a different country to explore. No tiering travel by train, bus, car, van or air! Just enjoy the evenings entertainment, meal and sleep in your comfy cabin while you travel!

Want to have a multi-generational family reunion? Worried about how the kids will tire out the grands and older family members? Want adults to have adult time and not worry about who will watch the kids? Don’t want to chase the kids around an amusement park but still want them to have age-appropriate fun things they will love to do? Check out a cruising!! The kids can spend time in the kids club while the adults enjoy adult time. Families can mix and match who is together at any time during the day. Kids have the clubs all day and until late at night. Pull the kids out for pool and game time with the grands during the day. This gives the parents a chance for some private time! Dine together at night as a family, with no worries about cooking or adding extra cost! Enjoy the evening show as a family, then the kids can go back to the kids clubs while the adults go for a drink or some adult entertainment. It is truly a vacation for EACH member of the family!

 

Again this can all be very cost effective giving you more for your travel dollar! It is also a priceless way to make memories that will last forever.

 

 

Disney's Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point!

 Disney's Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point!

In just a two weeks Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point will be accepting it’s first official visitors!! The Inaugural Cruise will leave June 8^th and stop at Lookout Cay. The ship will be the Disney Fantasy sailing out of Port Canaveral. June 10^th and 13^th they will make stops at Lookout Cay with a stop at Castaway Cay on the 12^th!! So, what are the differences between Disney’s original Private Island, Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay, Disney’s newest Private Destination?

 

Both locations have areas for specific age groups. There are areas for the kiddos to enjoy without their parents, Teen Activities, Family Fun from Snorkeling, Swimming to other free and for a fee activities that are amazing for families. They both also have Serenity Bay, an Adult Only beach area with a bar and BBQ. Both have amazing Port Adventures from paddle boats, parasailing, water play areas, bike riding and more. Castaway Cay has swimming with Sting Rays and some other Port Adventures that Lookout Cay does not.

 

Lookout Cay has some totally wonderful things to do!! Lookout Cay is on the island of Eleuthera, Bahama. You can choose to stay in the Disney Bubble and inside Lookout Cay. You can also take excursions outside of Lookout Cay and explore the culture, beauty, and history of the island!

 

Unlike Castaway Cay where the characters are only there to take pictures with on Lookout Cay there are performances! Join a local Junkanoo Group as they call guests to join a Junkanoo Celebration at Disney Lookout Cay! There will be a colorful parade with dancing while you enjoy a Rush Out as performers parade to the Goombay Cultural Center, where Mickey, Minnie and the gang will dance along! This is a vibrant celebration that brings the heartbeat of the Bahamas to life.

 

Over at the Sun Beach Bash on Lookout Cay you can join in the fun with your favorite Disney Pals as they play Goofy’s Good Day Limbo, Pluto’s Pineapple Ring Toss and cool off splashing at Chip-Dales Water Brigade! Enjoy Bahamian renditions of Disney tunes as you play! Fun for the entire family!

 

Keep watching this blog as we will be there and have more 1^st hand information and will share our experiences and pictures next month! We will be sailing on this Inaugural Cruise to Disney’s Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point! We will explore both Disney destinations and share the different offerings!

Disney Cruise Line has 3 new ships coming out by the end of 2025!

Disney has 3 new ships coming out by the end of 2025!!

That will bring the fleet to 8 ships!

Let me start off by telling you the ships in order of build.

Magic (1998) was 1st and then Wonder (1999). These 2 ships are nearly identical twins and are called the Magic or Classic Class. One being Art Deco and one Art Nuevo. They are the smallest of the Disney ships and carry 1,750 passengers. Magic sails out of various ports. She moves around filling in where needed. Wonder usually does spring and fall West Coast cruises and summers in Alaska. For the last couple of years she has also headed to Australia during their summer our winder months. Wonder may go to the Gulf and East Coast as well.

Dream (2011) and Fantasy (2012) are the 3rd and 4thships in the fleet and are once again nearly identical twins. They are called the Dream Class of ships. This class of ship carry 2,500 guests. At this time Dream is sailing out of Fort Lauderdale, Fl and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Fantasy is going out of Port Canaveral Fl and then headed to Europe for the summer months.

All four of the original ships have Animator’s Palate Restaurant. Magic also has Lumiere’s and Rapunzel’s Royal Table. Wonder has Triton’s and Tiana’s Place. Both Dream and Fantasy have Enchanted Garden. Dream has Royal Palace. Fantasy has Royal Court. Really there is not much difference between Royal Court and Palace. The restaurants that have shows on these ships are Animator’s Palate, Rapunzel’s Royal Table and Tiana’s Place. The rest are just fancy sit down restaurants in my opinion. Beautifully themed but easily found on land.

Magic has the AquaDunk. It is a short drop waterslide off the forward funnel. Wonder has no big waterslide. Dream and Fantasy have the AquaDuck, the first Water Coaster at Sea!

Wish joined the fleet in 2022 and is the 1st of a new class of Disney ship, the Wish or Triton Class. Her theme is a Royal Castle at sea. She is the first of a set of triplet ships! This class of ship can carry 2,508 passengers. For the main restaurants it has 1923, Worlds of Marvel, and Arendelle a Frozen Dining Adventure. There are shows in Marvel and Arendelle. 1923 is a fancy sit down with the glitz and glam of 1923 Hollywood, honoring the starting date of the Walt Disney Film Company. Wish only sails 3 and 4-Night Bahamian itineraries so you get shows once in the 2 restaurants with shows. Wish has some fantastically themed lounges! It has the Hyperspace, Star Wars lounge that is a big hit as well as the Bayou. AquaMouse is the Triton Class ships version of the AquaDuck. AquaMouse is the first Disney Attraction at Sea. Think Fantasyland Dark ride crossed with Water Coaster! There are two themes on the video screen that that make up the ride. Wish has an AR game that is a search for the Wishing Star.

December 21st, 2024 the Disney Treasure will join the fleet. Her theme will be Adventure. She will be sailing out of Port Canaveral on 7-Night Caribbean itineraries. The main restaurants will be 1923, Worlds of Marvel and Plaza de Coco. Both Marvel and Coco will have 2 different shows during the 7-Night cruise. There will be Haunted Mansion, Jungle Cruise, and 20,000 League Under the Sea lounges! The major construction of the Treasure is complete once completed she will do her sea trials in the next few months before being turned over to Disney Cruise Line.

Treasure will have the AquaMouse! She will keep the 2 themed runs from the Wish and add her own! We are waiting for announcement on the status of an AR game.

Destiny is the 3rd of the triplets! She will join her sisters in the fleet in 2025. Destiny’s theme is Heroes and Villains. The build was started late last year. Not much is know about her as they just released her name and theme. It is guessed she will have 1923 and Marvel restaurants but the 3rd is an unknown. We can assume she will have the AquaMouse and maybe even add a new show! We do not know where she will call home port, but I can guess it will be Port Canaveral.

Disney Adventure has the most interesting story. Adventure started her life being built for a Chinese Cruise Line. Both the Cruise Line and Shipyard building her went bankrupt during the Covid Pandemic. With both Line and Shipyard going under the ship, then called the Global Dream was going to be sold for scrap. DCL stepped in and purchased the ½ built ship and asked the Meyer Warf, the shipyard that has built every Disney ship from the Dream on to take over the closed shipyard and finish her, fixing her to be a Disney Ship. Really, we know nothing more about this massive ship, other than she will carry a staggering 6,000 passengers.

Disney Adventure will join the fleet sometime in 2025 she will be sailing out of Singapore for her first 5 years, she will cover the South Pacific. Covering the South Pacific I think she can do the Asian Pacific countries and maybe even Australia and New Zealand. After 5 years she can stay there or maybe come to the West Coast of America. This is completely unknown.

Disney Parks Blog posts a Ships Log for the Treasure Build and I believe they are starting to do one for the Destiny. So you can follow along!

I hope this helps you pick your next Disney Cruise Ship to sail on!! If you have questions do ask us, Pixie Dusted Memories Travel to help!

Carolyn-Tinky@PixieDustedMemoriesTravel.com

Scott-Sparky@PixieDustedMemoriesTravel.com

Do Adults Bound or Dress Up in Costume on a Disney Cruise?? HECK YES!!!!!!

 

Do Adults Bound or Dress Up in Costume on a Disney Cruise?? HECK YES!!!!!!

 

When going on a Disney Cruise many people ask if it is ok to dress up in costume for dinner and shows. The answer is YES!!! Not everyone does dress’ up but many do. Many dress up for Pirate Night. They do everything from simple Pirate Themed t-shirts to full on pirate gear. Some even dress up as pirates from Disney movies.

 

Pirate Night Fun!

Some people dress up for the theme of the restaurant. Going to Tritons? How about a t-shirt, bound or costume from Little Mermaid? Tiana’s or 1923? Get the 1920’s vibe going and dress up with a 20’s feel!! A flapper dress for the ladies and an appropriate dress shirt, pants and vest for the men works well. In Tiana’s add a bit of Mardi Gras! Do you have beads or an appropriate mask or boa? Animator’s Palate we go for a Disney cartoon themed. Something Disney sketchbook themed is good. Enchanted Garden, Royal Court and Palace a Princess and Prince bound is great. Lumiere’s a Beauty and the Beast theme outfit is appropriate. Arendale has a Frozen theme, so Let it Go!! World of Marvel is all about Super Heros so let your inner superhero out to play! Plaza De Coco is themed after the movie Coco. Dress up as your favorite character from the movie or just go with a Mexican themed outfit If it makes you happy DO IT!! We are still waiting for the restaurants for the Treasure and Adventure to be announced.

 

Triton's Night

Tiana's Place for Celebrating!

Rapunzel's Table - Ulf's Mime Troup

Instead of dressing up for the restaurants you can dress up for the show you are going to see. Formal Attire is great for the Golden Mickey’s! Frozen, Beauty and the Beast and other Disney Movies have Live Stage Plays you can dress up for! At minimum you can always go for a Mickey and Minnie bound no matter where you are.

 

Showing our love of Mickey and Minnie!

Do not feel bad if you are the only one dressed up, or if there are just a few others are dressed as far as you. Nobody judges! People are as excited to see a fun t-shirt or nice simple regular nice clothes as much as people dress up. Cruise Casual is the standard dress code in all main restaurants, except the Adult Exclusive restaurants.

 

So dress up, dress down or BOUND!! It does not matter as long as it makes you happy!

What NOT to Put in Checked Luggage

Someone asked me if they could pack their laptop in their checked luggage. I responded, NO!!!! Well, yes you can but really NO!! Listen to why I am so adamant.

1. Your bags are handled by both port workers and Disney crew. The bags are out of your site for hours. Anything can happen!

2. Your bags are tossed into luggage trollies and taken onto the ship. There is not gentle handling.

3. Your bags are tossed into a large room on the ship to be sorted and taken to your cabin.

Anytime during steps 1-3 your bag can be damaged and maybe pop open, spilling the contents.

4. Unexpected things can happen to your bag! Listen to the next story.

As we were leaving the hotel to board the Wonder last month we ran into a family that had just gotten off the ship. A dock worker accidently DROPPED one of their bags into the ocean! Divers were sent in to get the bag. I still don't know if they got their suitcase, and their child's blankie and much loved Mickey Mouse back along with all the other contents of that bag. I do not know if they have gotten their items back yet.

We boarded the ship and enjoyed brunch, settled into our cabin, walked around the ship and then went to dinner. While at dinner an announcement was made that departure was delayed due to an "unforeseen" incident. Departure was delayed for over 3 hours! The next day we found out a lift, being used to load luggage onto the ship broke and dropped an entire trolly of luggage into the ocean! Again divers were sent down to get the luggage. 1 family had all of there luggage take a swim!! It took the crew 2 days to launder the clothes and return them. All their FE/Pixie Dust items and gifts for their kids were destroyed!!

To be clear twice in one day luggage went into the ocean! They were dropped by Port Workers NOT Disney Crew.

So be smart when packing. If it is fragile or something you do not want to take the risk of being lost, broken or you just can't do without put it in your carryon!

What NOT to Pack in Your Checked Luggage When Sailing

 What NOT to Pack in Your Checked Luggage When Sailing

 

No matter what Cruise Line you sail on there is a list of Prohibited Items and Items that you must pack in Carryon Bags instead of Checked. For Disney Cruise Line you can take up to 2 bottles of Wine or 6 bottles of Beer per adult. This MUST be in your Carryon and cannot be in Checked Luggage.

 

Other things, like electronics, valuables like jewelry you can, by policy do in either Carryon or Checked Luggage. So, what should you do? In my opinion and experience it is best to take things you would never wish to lose or have damaged in your Carryon. Do not put laptops, camera’s, tablets, phones, jewelry, or cash in your Checked Luggage! Besides it being both the cruise line and customs policy that you must carry wine and beer on and off the ship you would not want your bottles of wine or beer to break open in your suitcase damaging your clothes, other contents of the bag and the suitcase itself!

 

Why am I so adamant? There are many reasons. Theft is always possible. You don’t want valuable item lost to theft.  Not only is Disney Crew handling your bags, Port Employees, Porters and Long Shorman also handle your bags. They are tossed together in Luggage Trollies and then dumped into large storage rooms on the ship. Suitcases can be accidentally damaged and pop open, dumping the contents. Accidents happen and Luggage can fall overboard while being transferred from shore to ship and ship to shore. Yes, I’ve been on a ship when it has happened! Thankfully not to my luggage. You would not want your Medication, Laptop, Tablet or Camera to end up in the Ocean! So, keep those valuables with you!