We are avid Disney park fans, but we had never been on a Disney cruise. In fact, we had never taken our kids on a cruise! Ryan and I have had some experiences with cruises pre-kids and historically it just wasn’t our thing, however, many friends told us that cruises are a great option once you have children.

One of our concerns with cruises has always been cleanliness, level of service, and feeling crowded in confined spaces. However, we had heard wonderful reviews of Disney Cruise and we figured the best time to experience it was when our children were younger.

We chose a 4 night itinerary on the Disney Wish that left out of Port Canaveral.

Day 1: Embarkation

We flew in two nights early and stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. This meant that it was really easy to use the Disney Bus Shuttles to get to port. A huge benefit of this was that they picked up our luggage early in the morning and delivered it right to our cabin, so we didn’t have to lug it around. Additionally, when you use the Disney Cruise transportation, you don’t have to worry about trying to get an early check-in time. Our bus arrived around 10am and the passengers on the bus were the only ones in the security line. We were able to get right on the boat rather than wait to be called.

The first thing we did was explore the kids club and register our kids. This was a really smooth process and it was fun for us to see the space with our kids. My son was really excited to try all of the activities, but we had to explain to him that this was just an opportunity for him to see everything and he would need to come back when they open to actually try out all the interactive options as they didn’t have them fully turned on. My son was REALLY cranky that he had to leave the kids club, but luckily we went up the stairs and literally ran into Mickey Mouse. Michael was able to get a hug and that made everything right. Throughout the cruise there are so many characters and little “events” that it really just helps keep the mood of the kids going strong.

Then we went and grabbed lunch by the pool, where they had various different “stands” of food, like pizza, Mexican, BBQ, and hotdogs/hamburgers. We really liked the food, however by this time we were HUNGRY and I was hustling to all of the booths, waiting in line because everyone wanted something different. Next time I will opt for the buffet which is faster and easier for the kids to get their own food. However, I have heard the buffet can get busy for lunch on arrival day.

We were able to get into our room around 1pm, and the room was beautiful. We had a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah. I loved that there was a sofa bed and a pull down bed so my kids don’t have to sleep together (my son is a roller at night). The bathroom had a separate toilet and shower space, with a vanity in both, which was very convenient and nice to have that privacy.

The kids club officially opened up, so we dropped off the kids to check it out while we waited for our dinner time. While Michael loved it, Stella was more hesitant. I think there were less girls her age in the club, and she is really social so she likes making friends.

Our first dinner night was at Arendelle, which is so well catered to kids. The space is completely themed for Frozen, there is entertainment throughout and my kids never got bored. We met our staff who was wonderful, and at one moment in the dinner the kids were welcomed to parade around the room and the head waiter took my son around with him and made sure he found his way back to the table. For once, I felt like I could enjoy my meal without entertaining my kids and that was a wonderful feeling.

That night we went to the night show “Disney Seas the Adventure”. It is a shorter show and just highlights different well known songs and characters. The theater does fill up pretty fast, and at all the shows something falls from the sky, so if your kids have FOMO like mine, get there earlier so you can get a seat in that center section and not under a balcony.

Day 2: Day at Sea

In the morning we had reservations for the Royal Gathering, which is an opportunity to meet three princesses. Right when my son woke up, he wanted to go to the kids club, so we dropped him off and explored the ship a little. When we went to get him from the kids club to meet the princesses, he didn’t want to leave, so we let him stay! Stella met with Rapunzel, Moana and Belle. I was worried that she might feel “too old” for character meets, but she actually really enjoyed it! You never know when that “last” moment will be as the kids grow up, so I try to take advantage whenever I can for them to enjoy this magical phase.

Stella and I decided to try out Bingo, and the entertainment staff do a wonderful job of making it fun. We had virtual bingo cards, so we didn’t have to do any work and Stella just enjoyed the excitement. After lunch at the buffet, we finally checked out the pool area. It was definitely busy that time and there weren’t many seats to be had. The kids went down the smaller kid slides.

This day was also the official Halloween themed day, and I was so surprised that a majority of the guests dressed up. There were so many fun family costumes! That night they handed out bags of candy and there were various parties to go to.

For dinner we were at 1923, which is more of an adult theme with no entertainment. The space was beautiful, but our kids were over it quickly so we learned to have one adult bring the kids to the kids club right when they were done eating so that we could enjoy our meal without being rushed.

That night Stella and I watched “The Little Mermaid” show while Michael stayed in the kids club.

Day 3: Nassau, Bahamas

We chose to stay on the ship during this port as there weren’t any excursions we were interested in, and with such a short cruise we wanted to enjoy the boat. The kids went to the kids club right after brunch, so Ryan and I were able to enjoy coffee on the adult pool deck and it was glorious.

Eventually we grabbed the kids and then found a spot on the pool deck. It was less busy than the sea day, so we had a lot of options and we were even able to bounce around to different spots throughout the day. We tried out the AquaMouse, which is the bigger waterslide on the boat. The first section of the slide is not in water and has video panels along the tube that show a Mickey & Minnie show. Then it turns into a water slide, however it is REALLY short and there aren’t any drops. For us it was a one and done, but we did find out that every day the show changes which would be fun to see.

That night was pirate night, so dinner was pirate themed and there were two evening pirate shows. We had brought pirate costumes for our kids and they loved it! We stayed up late for the late night pirate show and it was a rocking party, my son and husband really enjoyed it.

Day 4: Castaway Cay

After breakfast, we got off the ship pretty quickly after port and headed to find a space on the beach. There are two family beaches, we went to the second beach because it had water slides. We didn’t have a problem finding seats as we arrived earlier in the morning, which I do recommend if you want life jackets as those can get picked pretty quickly. The first thing my kids did was the water slide and they did not like it. There is a decent size drop from the tube into the water, and with all the excitement we forgot that it was salt water. So the water was in their mouth and eyes which wasn’t fun for them. The water is really deep by the slides, so I had to push them along to the shore while trying to deal with their salt issues. You can wear goggles on the water slide, but not the snorkeling goggles that go over your nose.

The kids enjoyed playing in the water and on the beach. After we ate lunch, we went to the other beach which had a platform in the water with multiple rope courses and my daughter really enjoyed that!

We did end up doing an excursion of feeding and snorkeling with the stingrays. This was a great experience! It was just fun and easy for the kids. I was grateful my kids knew how to snorkel as I saw many parents trying to teach their kids for the first time which is brutal when you are in salt water. Highly recommend teaching your kids in a pool or bathtub at home if you plan to snorkel!

We stayed on Castaway Cay the entire time, and then made our way back for dinner. Our dinner this night was at Marvel. While it was really cool, I was surprised that the entertainment is pretty spread out and more at the end of dinner, so it didn’t keep my kids attention like Arendelle did.

The last night, we all went to see the Aladdin performance, and the entertainers are so good at making it entertaining for the kids! The Genie was hilarious and the magic carpet is an amazing acrobat. It was a really good end to the cruise

Day 4: Disembarkment

We really hate waiting in lines, so we knew we wanted to do the express walk off. Additionally, I didn’t love the idea of my luggage sitting in a massive room for random people to grab. The night before I was stressing trying to figure out what to do for breakfast since we were planning to walk off at 7am, and that wouldn’t allow time for the dining room breakfast. What they don’t tell you anywhere is that the buffet is open! So we were able to grab some quick breakfast, and then quickly walk off and onto a bus. It was extremely smooth.

Overall Experience

My husband and I both said the cruise was a way better experience than we were expecting. I was worried 4 days would feel too rushed, but it actually worked well, I think party because we stayed at a Disney resort for two days prior so we were able to settle into a vacation. The staff was wonderful and the ship was so clean. My one regret was not getting to explore all the adult lounges. There are so many options I was looking forward to experiencing but my daughter wanted to spend time with us vs. hanging at the kids club. We were also surprised how smooth the cruise was. My husband gets bad motion sickness, and he did not feel anything, which I think is a testament to the boat but also only having one sea day. Overall we would recommend the Disney Wish, especially for families with young kids or first time cruises!