My husband's cousin decided to get married on a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas. The little cuties met at Disney World, and so thought this would be memorable. We'd have gone anywhere that they wanted for the wedding, but must admit that we were not initially excited to drop a couple grand for a cruise. We'd never cruised before, and never planned on it. Aside from that, we have no kids, and Disney Cruise= kids.

So we book the cruise (Travelocity was awesome) and away we went. First and foremost, Disney has got this down to a science. We never waited in a boarding line, it was never confusing, and getting on the boat was simple. In fact, the whole "cruise process" was easy. Food was good---I was not blown away, but I was mildly surprised at the quality of the meals. The service was impeccable, and the staterooms were always cleaned wonderfully. Everyone smiles, and I am pretty sure they mean it.

For those without kids: The boat is set up perfectly, and isolates the adult area from the kid and teen areas. All areas are fun, but if you want to chill with some drinks and not dodge happy running kids, you can find a quiet, fun place at the adult pool area (quiet cove). I barely remember running into any children at all (I am not anti-kid, by the way. I grew up in a family with six kids, I just didn't really like the idea of being on a boat with 2000 of them!). When we did cross paths with the little munchkins, they were busy in basketball and drama camps, or swimming and playing in the arcades. Fun times.

The Characters were around lots of the time- catering to the children. Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale, you name it. Nightlife- Karaoke, sports bar and cigar/smoking area called Cadillac (I think) are all on the "adult" side of the boat (which is the forward side). We stayed on floor seven- forward- so that we could take a couple flights of stairs and get everywhere on the big people side of the boat. I have heard there is less rocking on floor 5 or 6 though. The water was pretty calm on our trip- no dramamine needed for me.

Nassau....is icky. I guess if you really get into the neighborhoods it may be more historic or something, but to me (and for the time allocated) it was a basic cruise ship mecca. We took a $4 cab ride to Atlantis to check out that hotel. It was big and had a casino, kind of like Vegas in the Caribbean. Not a fan of that...but it was fine. We got back on the ship fast and hung around at the pool. Weather was hot and humid...so the pool felt good!

Disney's Island- after Nassau, we sailed to the Disney Island of Castaway Cay, Bahamas. It's great because that is the only boat that sails there. It's clean, gorgeous, you never fight for a lounge chair or umbrella, and there are so many activities. They also don't rake you over the coals money-wise. Rentals are cheap (for bikes, snorkel, etc). Food is awesome.

General facts: Your serving staff stays the same for the entire time you are there. We loved our guys and gal. Same with the stateroom cleaner. There are no irons, but there is a laundry center on each floor with two irons and washer/ dryer. There is a blow dryer in the bathroom. Rooms and bed were very comfy. Shower pressure is Ok.
The gym is good - but gets busy. Take 35spf and a visor or hat for certain. We went tanning and I still got burnt. Drinks are well priced. I found I needed water more than alcohol! But of course, had both ;-) Great cappuccino for the folks that run on high octaine (I live in Seattle- enough said!). Getting the "commemorative glass" drink deal is worth every cent.

I am sure there is more, feel free to email me specific questions at kara.bennett@wamu.net.
Have fun!

Kara