Our first ever Disney Cruise!

We had been hesitant about going on a family cruise (I feel like a lot of people are), but we decided our girls were at the perfect age that we had to try a Disney Cruise. They are pricey, so although I was originally looking at 7-night cruises, we decided on a 5-night. I also found out that there was a 20% off deal for Canadians, which helped lower the price even more! Overall, we LOVED it. All of us. The girls said it's the best trip we have ever taken, and Jason and I loved it too. I can safely see that I see more cruises in our future. We sailed on the Disney Dream, and we went on the 5-Night Very Merrytime Bahamian Cruise from Fort Lauderdale. There were Christmas decorations up and a tree-lighting which was fun! The ship had such a great layout and the BEST part is that it didn't feel crowded! That was my number one concern. Oh and the Disney App was super helpful because you could see the schedules and everything going on the ship. We brought motion sickness stickers but didn't need them. The girls could feel the boat but thank goodness no one got sick. We also didn't need extra hooks or hangers like people suggested and just carried our cards around, so didn't need a lanyard either. I have a reel here showing the cruise in action if you want to see! I'll break down all the details below, including pricing at the end.

Room

The room was such a good size, definitely made for families! There was a big bathroom, one side had a toilet and sink, and one had a bath/shower and another sink. Then there was a queen bed for Jason and I, and 3 beds that pulled out for the girls. They thought they were so fun! There was even a curtain that divided the sections so we could put the girls to bed and still stay up for a bit. We had plenty of closet/drawer space and hangers. There was a mini fridge and we had a balcony which was so nice! The room was a Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom. We were on the 9th floor and it was a perfect location. We also couldn't hear our neighbours at all! The rooms got cold and the beds were comfy so we slept great.

Food

The food was good. I wasn't expecting gourmet food, so it was kind of what I expected. The selection at the buffet was amazing, the girls could always find something. You rotate through their 3 restaurants at dinner, all were good. I won't say the food was great, but we expected that. You can pay to eat at higher-end restaurants, but that wasn't something we wanted to spend money on. There are two dinner times, 5:45 and 8:30. We chose the earlier one because of the girls and it worked great. They also had unlimited soft serve, soft drinks, tea and coffee.

Nassau, Bahamas

This was our first port stop. I went back and forth between booking Atlantis and Baha Mar and ultimately chose a day pass at the Baha Mar waterpark and it ended up being the girls favourite day. It was pricey, but I'd say worth it. It's a HUGE waterpark with lots of waterslides, a wave pool, lazy river, a kids waterpark and small kids slides. We were there for 5 hours and didn't run out of things to do. Free lunch also comes with your pass and the food was good!

Disney Lookout Cay (Bahamas)

This was mine and Jason's favourite day. The Disney island is beautiful, but you have to go off the beaten path. The main beach area is good, but crowded. We ended up walking down to the end of the beach where there were cliffs and caves and explored there most of the day. We found so much cool stuff and the girls just loved swimming in the ocean. It was so blue and clear and warm. The sand was also buttery soft. We left our bags on a chair by the kids area most of the day and had no issues, because the only people on the island are cruise guests. Everything on the island is included like the boat, so we got lunch and drinks and ice cream. They also have a kids club, a few shows/activities, a kids small waterpark, but we didn't really do any of that. Right before heading back to the ship we went for one last swim in the ocean and I got stung by a jellyfish! I knew right away, it had wrapped around my leg and was stinging so bad. We got back to the ship and they gave me sting wipes and hydrocortisone cream and by morning it was fine (I also peed on it in the shower LOL).

Kids Club

Okay I think this was the most surprising to me. I figured my girls, especially Everly who is already to cool for everything, would not go to this once. Literally the first day Rosie said "I am never going anywhere without you mom". We told them they only had to go a few times while Jason and I went to the gym to workout, so we dropped them off the first morning for an hour. Needless to say they fell in love. The staff were amazing and they started making friends. They were asking us to go back 3-4 times a day! I couldn't believe it. They made slime one day, decorated a pillow case, Stitch visited them and so many other cool things. This also gave Jason and I a bit of time to ourselves which was so nice! They also have a nursery and a teens club, so basically every age is covered.

Pool/Activities

Cruise pools are small, so I wasn't expecting much. There were two kids pools, one shallower and one deeper. The girls swam in them, but they're often really crowded. Honestly it didn't bother the girls, and Jason and I just sat on the edge. They also always have a Disney movie going on the big screen in front of the pool during the day which is fun. They also had a fun water slide called the AquaDuck, but during the day the line was 20-30 minutes so we didn't go on it that much. Then there was a smaller slide and a splash pad for kids under 4. We were able to find a couple of lounge chairs each sea day which was nice. Again it was busy, but never felt too crowded. Then on the top deck they have mini golf, fooseball tables and basketball. We went up there a few times and the girls loved it!

Characters

The access to characters is great. There are a lot of appearances throughout the day and they have a few performances that you can go watch them, like the Sail Away Party and the Tree Lighting. You can also book the Royal Gathering once you're on board, and that lets you get pictures with 4 of the princesses. This is free, but does sell out so you'll want to book it right away. They also have characters come into the kids club every so often, you can usually see on the schedule.

Entertainment

Okay I think my highlight was the Beauty and the Beast show. It was literally as good as Broadway, I couldn't believe it. We also got to see Disney Believe, which was also amazing. I couldn't believe how talented everyone was! They also have smaller evening shows with Mickey and Minnie on the deck, like the Pirate night, which was so fun. Lots of people come out and you're in the open air. On Pirate night they give everyone a pirate bandana thing and we all wear them, the girls loved that. Then on that night they do fireworks over the boat! They were amazing, was bigger and longer than I thought they would be! That was for sure a highlight. The girls also just loved staying up late, exploring the ship, and looking out at the pitch black Ocean. I'm so glad we go to do that with them. Oh and they give away free charms at the jewelry store every night! We always went and grabbed them for the girls and I plan to put them on bracelets for them. And on that last night they drew a raffle prize and I won! Two really nice necklaces.

Ft Lauderdale/Flytographer

We stayed one night before the cruise and one night after the cruise. The first hotel (B Ocean Resort Ft Lauderdale) was decent, but we much preferred the second hotel (Pelican Grand Beach Resort). It was older, but redone and the location can't be beat. You are RIGHT on the ocean. It had a nice big pool and lazy river, lounge chairs and umbrellas on the beach and they even gave the girls sand toys and boogie boards to use for free! Also the staff was 10/10. The room was also huge, with two king beds and a whole separate living room, and then a massive shared balcony. The hotel food was also amazing, but not included. Then on our last night we got family photos taken with Flytographer. We try and do this every vacation because I love having the memories and I love beach/ocean photos! If you're seeing this before April you can use code Stacey50 to save on your next shoot!

Cost Breakdown

We have money we keep in our American bank account, so the exchange rate didn't matter to us, but I get that exchanging the Canadian dollar right now is horrible! The price you pay for the cruise includes food, soft drinks, coffee, tea and unlimited soft serve. There as specialty restaurants you can pay more for, specialty cafes that aren't included, and a candy shop that's not included. When we booked there was also a 20% off deal for Canadians, so ask about that. We booked through Brittany and I definitely recommend her. I wouldn't have been able to get the deal on my own! You can message her here. Below is what we paid for everything!

Cruise: $5955 USD

Flights: $1750 CAD (we had points we used for this)

Ft Lauderdale Hotels: $783 (we had points we used for this)

Ft Lauderdale Food: $400 USD

Baha Mar Waterpark: $665USD

Wifi On Ship: $200USD

Flytographer: $400 USD