Disappointed in Disney Cruise & another ?

I think 3 day cruises are way too short to get the real feel of the Ship. You get on, get off on a couple of ports, and the cruise is already over. Our first cruise ever we were on the Wonder for 15 nights to Hawaii, and we absolutely loved it. I will agree with the fact that the food is good, not great. Here is my take on the food, not all will agree. I feel that at the MDR is mostly gourmet food, most people are not accustomed to gourmet food every night, at least I wasn't. First of all, I am not eat any seafood, just that fact limited my choices of food, since there is a lot of seafood on cruise ships. My DW loved it, because loves seafood. DD was happy with the pizzas, bread, Mac/cheese, and other quick foods. Our server realized that I did not enjoy most of the menu items in the MDR, so he asked what I liked. I said I like Indian food, so after the third night, I had the best Indian food every time I requested during the MDR. He had it specially made for me in the kitchen, now that is great service. And he brought out enough to share with my family and the other family at our table. Little things like this make a huge difference. We were on RCCL in 2013, I thought the food was better, but it was mostly better at the specialty restaurants that you had to pay extra for. As far as entertainment and activities on DCL, we were very happy. We were at sea 11 out of the 15 nights on our Wonder cruise. We never felt bored or felt we had nothing to do. Fist of all DD was never seen, she was at the Oceaneers club/lab 80% of the day, this gave us a lot of time to do adult activities. We had a great time visiting each of the Hawaiian islands and doing various excursions. So for us Disney cruise is the way to go, I feel the pros outweigh the cons. We cant wait till our next cruise on the Fantasy, sadly, its a year and some days out. maybe you guys might want to try a 7 night, this will give you a lot more time to experience all that the ship has to offer.

My DH and I LOVE to cruise and we built it up for my SIL who went on her first cruise last summer. She thought it was "ok". She likes to come and go as she pleases though and packs LOTS of activities in her vacations--go go go, you know? I think it just isn't her style. She also tried a 7 night her first time which maybe was too long for just trying it out.

I love to do little classes and attend talks and presentations, which not everyone likes. My DH likes to just lounge in the sun, which is too "lazy" for me--but crusing works for us because he can be as "lazy" as he wants and I can keep as busy as I like. I do think maybe it's not for everyone. The same way lots and lots of people love WDW parks but I wouldn't mind never going to one again.

prune1977 said:

I didn't say their wasn't much to do I said we didn't get much done on the ship because we had 2 port days and it was a shorter cruise. Thats why I said for us I think it just wasn't long enough. It seemed like more of floating hotel because of it.

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I totally misunderstood. I do feel you on not getting to see enough of the ship on a short cruise! Consider doing another cruise, maybe on another line. I actually didn't enjoy my first cruising experience that much. I was 19, and it was on this small ship to Bermuda that did not have much going on during sea days like these new ships do. So I loved the Bermuda part but was bored with the cruise part. However, all of my cruising experiences since then have been great, so I think sometimes a different ship or line makes a big difference.

Our first cruise was on the Magic and it was a 3 night cruise. The small pools were a bit of an initial shock but overall we came back wanting more. In my opinion, food overall was great. Not all of it exceptional but overall great. We have been to MANY 5 star resorts and overall food was better on the cruise. What sold us though, was the service, the ability to do something every minute of every day OR not do anything at all and just relax. So I wonder if cruising is not for you? I mean there is nothing wrong with that at all! My friend LOVES the beach and must always be on the beach when on vacation so the cruise would not be ok for her, because she wants the beach every day all day long. I will say though that our 7 night cruise on board the Fantasy was much better all around, mainly because we took our time exploring, without feeling like we had to get all of it done in a short amount of time. I also loved the fact that in one short week we visited 3 great ports.

prune1977 said:

No we did excursions and enjoyed them quite a bit but was disappointed that our glass bottom boat tour on Castaway Cay day got cancelled. Our expectations may have been high on the food not sure but that's what we had been told. It wasn't near as good as the food at WDW. Also we did do a lot of research or I wouldn't have went period. It seemed very cramped as well and I mean the ship not necessarily our rooms; like you just couldn't get away from large crowds. I think the main problem honestly was we just didn't do a long enough cruise maybe. Pools I didn't expect to be huge but good grief not really being able to get in them and being that small with that many people on the ship seems a little ridiculous. Like I said my guess would be friends and family got our expectations maybe a little high and it just wasn't long enough of a cruise. I'll try another one but not sure it'll be on the DCL mainly just due to the cost of it vs. RCCL or Carnival.

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You aren't alone by any stretch in being disappointed in the food on a cruise ship. On a Dream-class ship, there are close to 4000 people. The kitchen staff is large, but they are not down in the galley preparing every meal to guest spec. Sure, they'll give you a piece of beef near the temperature you request, but cruise line meals are prepared assembly line style at a fast clip. I've always found the MDR food to be tasty, but never truly spectacular. Palo & Remy on the other hand were outstanding.

DCL really dropped the ball on the pool deck. They put too much focus on the aesthetics of the ship's profile with the dummy funnel and ate up a lot of valuable real estate. The Donald pool is way too small and the Mickey pool is useless for swimming if you are more than 3 feet tall and, well... gross!!! I have actually heard parents tell their kids to "go in the pool" when they were told they "had to go"... Not many parents, but more than a few and in that regard, one is one too many...

The Dream-class is fairly huge. 3 days is no where near enough time to "do it all" on a ship of that size. I've seen plenty of families running through the ship, maps and lists in hand, like they were on The Amazing Race, trying to get everything in. Oddly enough, they all looked miserable. You have to go into a short cruise with the mindset that you can't do everything. Make your list, prioritize what you want to do then cut it half. Look it over, then cut it in half again and you might get all that done...

DCL definitely charges premium prices. They can get away with it because a) they are Disney and b) they only have 4 ships to fill vs 20-some each on RCCL and Carnival. I've sailed all three and definitely prefer RCCL over Carnival, but it's just my preference, nothing against Carnival.

Hi there! I understand and relate to your experience. Our first cruise was a 7-night Southern Caribbean with RCCL, and it was a GREAT cruise. The food in the MDR was excellent, the kids had a lot of personalized attention in the kids club, the ports of call were all fantastic (Tortola, St Martin, St. Kitts, Dominica, Barbados), the service was very good, etc. On the other hand, I did think the pools were tiny. TINY! I don't know if I've ever bathed in a cruise pool, now that I think of it? I think we just bathed in the awesome, warm sea (almost) every day (it was 5 ports in a 7-night cruise).

Our second cruise was the 3-night Disney Dream with stops in Nassau and CC, also in January. I wasn't quite prepared for 4 things:
1) How many people were on that cruise. I don't think the RCCL November Southern Caribbean sold out, but our Dream cruise was most definitely sold out. It was crowded and the tiny pools were insane. There wasn't space to swim, it was really just standing in the water.
2) How cold the Bahamas is in January. The water was just too cold to swim. We're going back in April, and I hope that ocean has warmed up.
3) I wasn't interested in Nassau, so we just stayed on the ship. Many others did the same, so it felt like a sea day. It was crowded on the ship.
4) Our MDR servers were not very good. The first day, I asked if my DH and I could have a soup *and* the app and they told us to choose only one because otherwise we would be too full for the rest of the meal. Whenever, we were trying to decide between two entrees, they recommended one, but I had heard here of servers bringing additional tastes of other entrees. All in all, dinner was not memorable.

The funny thing is that despite those 4 things, we had a great time in the cruise, mostly because of the kids clubs and because we took advantage of the ship's activities.

In the end, I learned something very important. For me, the ports are more important than the ship, and I know that is not what others think. What I like most about cruising is the variety of going to different places. Otherwise, I would rather be at a resort, with better pools, better beach access, and without the pressure of missing the boat.

I also learned that my kids love, love, love kids' clubs. So, cruising allows my DH and I to have adult time while the kids are enjoying themselves. Good Kids Clubs are a high priority, which is why we are trying the 7 night Magic Western Carib in a week. In the 3-night Dream, we went to movies and shows on our own, to the Wine Tasting class, and to "adult" ship activities. We've repeated that in the last RCCL cruise we took (also a Southern Carib), and took Mixology, adult trivia, lots of dancing to bands, etc., while the kids are in the clubs. I think the cruise kids club are probably better than the ones we have tried at resorts, so that, and the variety of ports is what convinced me to go back to another cruise.

prune1977 said:

food wasn't great like we'd heard cruise ship food would be, pools were so small I don't know how you'd ever use them.

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You definitely didn't read my trip reports, that's for sure. We're vegetarian so our choices are limited, and most of the choices are just bad. We end up resorting to asking for veg Indian food on the first night (you request it the first night, but you don't get it that first night) because apart from one dish I love at Animator's on Dream, everything else is just ick to me.

And the pools on Disney are ridiculous. Not all cruiselines have buckets of water that they call pools.

On our 3 day I never even actually SAW the pools. Every time I was on that deck they were covered for an event.

Try a longer one or go to another line. Royal is terrific in our opening, and now I'm looking into Celebrity (they have a casino, but it's non-smoking, so DH can play some blackjack, and he doesn't have to decontaminate himself before entering the stateroom).

It actually sounds like you like cruising...you just didn't like the short one. I would really recommend one with 3 ports and the rest being at sea. You can really get to know a ship that way AND get your ports in.

DISNEYFOS said:

I agree that expectations run high with Disney Cruises.. There's a lot of build up about how great the kids clubs are .. the commercials show how many options there are for entertainment on board for kids and grownups alike... umm yeah.. not so much.. We did a 7- day Fantasy cruise in 2013 with 2 days at sea and there were definitely aspects we liked...the Shows, Castaway Cay, the excursions we did, but my kids hated the kids clubs. I didn't blame them much. There was a cooking activity that I thought they would love...we dropped them off and the cast members were totally consumed with 3 and 4 year olds... It was really a glorified preschool/daycare. at 6 and 9 they really had no interest in being there.. The pool was way too crowded for them to swim.. I actually got very concerned about my 6 year old who is tiny because she was swimming around all these adults in the pool..she was going underwater and it was so crowded I didn't know if she would get trapped. I eventually had to pull her out because I was having a nervous breakdown.. We played ping pong, we did the aquaduck (which they weren't allowed to go on without us)...we did the muppet mystery..but with 2 days at sea you do get thru that quickly. Unfortunately, if they don't enjoy the kids clubs, u do struggle to keep them entertained.

That said we are going to try again. A shorter cruise, smaller ship. Itinerary with less days at sea. An earlier dinner seating (my youngest fell asleep in my lap at dinner every night because we didn't actually have a dinner served til 9). We will try the kids club with sign out privileges to see if that makes a difference is how willing they are to check it out periodically during the day..see if there are any kids their age. We will try to do more family-based activities but I think for us having less days at sea will be better.

The spa, adult areas and nightclubs sound nice but I really don't know how you would experience them if your kids don't like the clubs..

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This post gives me hope. We are doing our first cruise ever for 4 nights on the Magic with 2 stops at CC. We are beach people but we love Disney vacations and want to give DCL a try for the experience. My gut tells me that my kids will not like the clubs but will love exploring the ship and seeing the shows, etc. I think my teen will like the Vibe, however, depending on the other kids there.

Anyway, I am worried when I read that 3 nights is not enough. But I hope that 4 nights on a smaller ship will help. Also we have two connecting verandah rooms because we are used to having space and we always spend a lot of time in the room when we travel.

I don't expect the food to be fantastic, so that's good. Honestly as a very tired mom of 3 high maintenance children I only need it to be edible and ***not cooked or cleaned up by me!!!*** LOL!

I figure for 4 nights, if it's not a good fit for us then at least it's only a short cruise. But OTOH, I am using this as a chance to test out cruising in general. If it doesn't go well there is NO way we will drop 8k-10k on a weeklong cruise to give it another chance!

I also think it could have to do with where the cruise went as well as the length. Our very first cruise was to the Mediterranean (12 nights) and we loved it, largely because it was very busy and focused on the cruise ports and excursions. We then did a 7 day western Caribbean which we didn't really like. Too much down time in terms of sunbathing, pools (which my daughter as a germaphobe won't swim in). We were busy but not as engaged as we were on the Med. We then went to Alaska in 2011 and loved that as well. So, I think we are just not Caribbean cruisers and prefer the longer, more exotic locations. We're going to Norway/Iceland on DCL this year and are very excited.

IMHO the 3 night cruise is the worst cruise to start out with. It really is to short and the you are not there long enough so the staff does not get to know who you are. Even a 4 night is to short IMHO. As for dining.....I agree I have read tons of reviews to find out what the best things are. But in general I am not blown away by the food and I do not expect to be. Even on our last trip I was not blown away with the food in Palo...however I still like Palo and will go again. Pools on cruise ships are really meant to just be a plunge pool and a place to cool down...not a place to swim. I would give it another try on a longer cruise.

bethy said:

This post gives me hope. We are doing our first cruise ever for 4 nights on the Magic with 2 stops at CC. We are beach people but we love Disney vacations and want to give DCL a try for the experience. My gut tells me that my kids will not like the clubs but will love exploring the ship and seeing the shows, etc. I think my teen will like the Vibe, however, depending on the other kids there.

Anyway, I am worried when I read that 3 nights is not enough. But I hope that 4 nights on a smaller ship will help. Also we have two connecting verandah rooms because we are used to having space and we always spend a lot of time in the room when we travel.

I don't expect the food to be fantastic, so that's good. Honestly as a very tired mom of 3 high maintenance children I only need it to be edible and ***not cooked or cleaned up by me!!!*** LOL!

I figure for 4 nights, if it's not a good fit for us then at least it's only a short cruise. But OTOH, I am using this as a chance to test out cruising in general. If it doesn't go well there is NO way we will drop 8k-10k on a weeklong cruise to give it another chance!

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I think you will love this trip with 2 stops at castaway...especially if you are beach people.

bethy said:

This post gives me hope. We are doing our first cruise ever for 4 nights on the Magic with 2 stops at CC. We are beach people but we love Disney vacations and want to give DCL a try for the experience. My gut tells me that my kids will not like the clubs but will love exploring the ship and seeing the shows, etc. I think my teen will like the Vibe, however, depending on the other kids there.

Anyway, I am worried when I read that 3 nights is not enough. But I hope that 4 nights on a smaller ship will help. Also we have two connecting verandah rooms because we are used to having space and we always spend a lot of time in the room when we travel.

I don't expect the food to be fantastic, so that's good. Honestly as a very tired mom of 3 high maintenance children I only need it to be edible and ***not cooked or cleaned up by me!!!*** LOL!

I figure for 4 nights, if it's not a good fit for us then at least it's only a short cruise. But OTOH, I am using this as a chance to test out cruising in general. If it doesn't go well there is NO way we will drop 8k-10k on a weeklong cruise to give it another chance!

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How old are your kids? My daughter is now 14 and she loved Edge when we were on the ships. She is looking forward to being old enough for Vibe this summer. We hardly ever saw our son as he spent most of his cruise in the lab hanging with his friends and playing video games. He'll be 11 when we sail this summer and is very excited to be old enough for Edge.

Keep your expectations in check as far as "space" goes. DCL does have nicely sized cabins, but they are very small when compared to a hotel room. Unless you have an aft balcony, there is enough room for 2 chairs and a small table. We are not "gotta do it all" people at all, but we find we are rarely in our room unless we are changing or sleeping.

As far as things to do go, make your list of stuff you want to do, prioritize it and then cut it down significantly. That way you won't fall into the crew that ends up miserable because more than half you list is unchecked. Remember, a 3-night cruise is only 2 1/2 days since you won't board until lunch time and the ship shuts down for about an hour around 3:30 for muster drill (the only actual "must do" on the cruise). And you'll spend a good chunk of embarkation day just getting your bearings on the ship and figuring out how to get from point A to point B.

Cruising is a great way to vacation. It's the only hotel you will ever stay in where the scenery constantly changes. The food is good, you don't have to cook it or clean up after. There are movies on board, live shows, adult venues where you can unwind and plenty of places to just sit back and soak up the sun. Enjoy!

Our first cruise was 7 night Eastern Carib on the Fantasy and this is what I came away with:
1. Castaway Cay is the highlight of the trip. I did not enjoy the excursions on the other islands much because I felt rushed and it was crowded. We travel to the carib often and much prefer staying at a resort where the pace is much more laid back and the feel is more luxurious.
2. We felt 7 nights was too long. By the end of the trip I was really sick of the food and wanted off the boat.
3. The food in the MDRs is not great. As others have stated it ranged from good to just ok. I don't remember anything being horrible though.
4. Remy is awesome. I equate it with dining at some of NYC's finest restaurants. Worth every penny.
5. Palo is no REmy but its still way better than the MDRs so its def worth the $25 upcharge.
6. In our minds, the Disney cruise is really for the kids. They loved it all. The aquaduck, the shows, the movie theater, the character meet and greets, pirate night, the kids club. If we didn't have kids, i don't think we'd ever chose a Disney cruise. Not knocking anyone else, but its just not the type of vacation we like to take alone as a couple.
7. We didn't sail concierge, but thought having a separate lounge where one can have drinks and snacks throughout the day, plus getting a cabana on CC, seemed to be well worth it.

Ever since we sailed 2 years ago, my kids kept asking when we were going on the "Mickey Mouse boat" again. After talking to my husband, we decided the only itinerary that would appeal to us would be a double dip with a shorter itinerary and to sail concierge. We are sailing in June on a 5 night double dip concierge level and I'm kind of excited for it. I feel like I'm so much more knowledgable, and know how to make the most of the vacation now.

mylittlebuttercup said:

I don't understand these comments at all, personally. I have done seven day cruises on other lines, but I have only done a three day on Disney (hoping for a seven night next year!) To me, there was so much to do that we barely scratched the surface with a three day. We never got to go to the movie theater, play mini-golf, experience the adult night life (I was pregnant and tired by nine!), do the Midship Detective Agency, go to any classes or tastings, go on a ship tour, or spend any significant time in the spa (again because I was pregnant.) There was tons to do in my opinion; we never sat around and felt bored.

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A 3 day is definitely different than a 7 day. My daughter hated the kid's club so that limited our options but that wasn't an issue for us because well...it's a family vacation. We don't drink so bars and mixologies don't interest us. I've done enough spas at seas to know that I'd rather have one at home for half the cost and no pressure to sell me products. We did go to the movies (good) and sat through all the shows. My daughter loved all the dance parties, etc. so we did enjoy our cruise. We've had mixed service in the dining room and missed some dining options that other cruise lines have. Maybe it's just hard to live up to the hype.

I would say 50% of our cruise 'enthusiasm' are the ports and 50% the cruising/ship/activities. We won't do 3 day cruises...it goes nowhere. (Sorry, just not that excited about Bahamas) We've done Mediterranean (AMAZING), Mexican Riviera (highlight was humpback whales tour), Eastern Caribbean (snorkeling in St. John!) and doing Western Med next...we cruise so we can see places we've never seen before and knocks our socks off. We don't cruise for the food or the slides..but those make seeing all these places less of a hassle. You just can't easily see 3-8 ports on your own with logistics of renting cars, hotels, etc...you waste your precious vacation time...these ships take you right there, you just walk off and GO explore!! That is the draw for us. To just get on a ship and hit two 'meh' sites...not worth it for us.

saraheli said:

Our first cruise was 7 night Eastern Carib on the Fantasy and this is what I came away with:

2. We felt 7 nights was too long. By the end of the trip I was really sick of the food and wanted off the boat. THIS
3. The food in the MDRs is not great. As others have stated it ranged from good to just ok. I don't remember anything being horrible though. AND THIS
6. In our minds, the Disney cruise is really for the kids. They loved it all. The aquaduck, the shows, the movie theater, the character meet and greets, pirate night, the kids club. If we didn't have kids, i don't think we'd ever chose a Disney cruise. Not knocking anyone else, but its just not the type of vacation we like to take alone as a couple. AND THIS

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Our Disney cruises are completely for our daughter. We figure we have one more to go before she outgrows princesses and characters. Then we'll be happy to get our fill at WDW.

lmhall2000 said:

I would say 50% of our cruise 'enthusiasm' are the ports and 50% the cruising/ship/activities. We won't do 3 day cruises...it goes nowhere. (Sorry, just not that excited about Bahamas) We've done Mediterranean (AMAZING), Mexican Riviera (highlight was humpback whales tour), Eastern Caribbean (snorkeling in St. John!) and doing Western Med next...we cruise so we can see places we've never seen before and knocks our socks off. We don't cruise for the food or the slides..but those make seeing all these places less of a hassle. You just can't easily see 3-8 ports on your own with logistics of renting cars, hotels, etc...you waste your precious vacation time...these ships take you right there, you just walk off and GO explore!! That is the draw for us. To just get on a ship and hit two 'meh' sites...not worth it for us.

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Interesting take. I think for port intensive cruises, it doesn't make any sense to sail Disney because it's NOT about the ship. But when we sail Disney it's all about the ship so my daughter can wear her princess dresses, dance with Pluto, go on the Aquaduck, etc. And while I don't cruise for the food, I figure it should at least be good. Good thing there are so many options out there for all of us!

Sorry you had a bad experience, cruising just might not be for you. The food is not gourmet, ships are feeds LOTS of people but so do resorts and all inclusives. That being said, I've never had a meal I was disappointed in or had to send back with DCL. Where the "masses" are being fed, I don't expect gourmet, quality yes, gourmet, no. Cruise ship pools FORGET IT! Too many folks wanting their kiddos to have that "experience". We told ours early on we weren't swimming and found lots of other fun things to do instead. All cruise ship pools not matter what line are small, I think that's why water feature type things have become popular. As for the freebies as new CC Members, don't take offense, they've got LOTS of stuff to send out to lots of folks.

E ticket rider said:

How old are your kids? My daughter is now 14 and she loved Edge when we were on the ships. She is looking forward to being old enough for Vibe this summer. We hardly ever saw our son as he spent most of his cruise in the lab hanging with his friends and playing video games. He'll be 11 when we sail this summer and is very excited to be old enough for Edge.

Keep your expectations in check as far as "space" goes. DCL does have nicely sized cabins, but they are very small when compared to a hotel room. Unless you have an aft balcony, there is enough room for 2 chairs and a small table. We are not "gotta do it all" people at all, but we find we are rarely in our room unless we are changing or sleeping.

As far as things to do go, make your list of stuff you want to do, prioritize it and then cut it down significantly. That way you won't fall into the crew that ends up miserable because more than half you list is unchecked. Remember, a 3-night cruise is only 2 1/2 days since you won't board until lunch time and the ship shuts down for about an hour around 3:30 for muster drill (the only actual "must do" on the cruise). And you'll spend a good chunk of embarkation day just getting your bearings on the ship and figuring out how to get from point A to point B.

Cruising is a great way to vacation. It's the only hotel you will ever stay in where the scenery constantly changes. The food is good, you don't have to cook it or clean up after. There are movies on board, live shows, adult venues where you can unwind and plenty of places to just sit back and soak up the sun. Enjoy!

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Aww thanks for this. My kids will be 14, 10 and 4. My 14yo will definitely choose Vibe over Edge (I think there is crossover .. . . ).

Mine is a 4 night cruise so I'm hoping the extra day will give us a better experience and feel for cruising. I'm basically not booking anything on board nor am I booking an excursions.

Frankly, I just want to sit and read my book as much as possible and maybe go to a show or two. And drink some cocktails.

Yes, I am definitely bracing myself for feeling cramped - even with two rooms! This is another reason for limiting it to 4 nights! But since we are going into it knowing this is just a part of cruising then I think it should be OK.

We have been to the parks enough that we know the dangers of trying to fit everything in. And how for us, that can really put a damper on a vacation.

We've met all the characters in the parks a bazillion times including Anna and Elsa. My 4yo will want to meet Minnie or a Princess if it works out so I might try and secure Princess M&G tix. Otherwise we will just wing everything like we do in the Parks - if we see a character with no line we will stop. We are Disneyland vets and so we are used to totally winging it and not stressing.

Mainly we are going on a voyage and that is the main event. That and finally seeing Castaway Cay!

saraheli said:

Our first cruise was 7 night Eastern Carib on the Fantasy and this is what I came away with:
1. Castaway Cay is the highlight of the trip. I did not enjoy the excursions on the other islands much because I felt rushed and it was crowded. We travel to the carib often and much prefer staying at a resort where the pace is much more laid back and the feel is more luxurious.
2. We felt 7 nights was too long. By the end of the trip I was really sick of the food and wanted off the boat.
3. The food in the MDRs is not great. As others have stated it ranged from good to just ok. I don't remember anything being horrible though.
4. Remy is awesome. I equate it with dining at some of NYC's finest restaurants. Worth every penny.
5. Palo is no REmy but its still way better than the MDRs so its def worth the $25 upcharge.
6. In our minds, the Disney cruise is really for the kids. They loved it all. The aquaduck, the shows, the movie theater, the character meet and greets, pirate night, the kids club. If we didn't have kids, i don't think we'd ever chose a Disney cruise. Not knocking anyone else, but its just not the type of vacation we like to take alone as a couple.
7. We didn't sail concierge, but thought having a separate lounge where one can have drinks and snacks throughout the day, plus getting a cabana on CC, seemed to be well worth it.

Ever since we sailed 2 years ago, my kids kept asking when we were going on the "Mickey Mouse boat" again. After talking to my husband, we decided the only itinerary that would appeal to us would be a double dip with a shorter itinerary and to sail concierge. We are sailing in June on a 5 night double dip concierge level and I'm kind of excited for it. I feel like I'm so much more knowledgable, and know how to make the most of the vacation now.

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This is exciting to read because I expect my experience to be similar to this. And thus we are doing a double dip shorter cruise. The only difference is that we can't afford concierge but that's ok. And also we do plan on doing Disney vacations as a couple when the kids move out but likely mainly at the parks. But who knows!