Disney Cruise Line: For Kids of Any Age, from 1 to 81.

I admit.  I had been ambivalent about traveling on Disney Cruise Line.  For one, unlike my sister, I am not a huge Disney fan.  Of course, I like Mickey and Minnie, Goofy and Donald, but I never felt the need to vacation with them.  For another, I have no small children to entertain, so in terms of experiencing the different cruise lines, Disney had not been high on my list.  I wanted to experience a Disney Cruise some day, though, and that some day finally came.

My extended family and I -- 17 of us in all ranging in age from 1 to 81 -- traveled on the Disney Wonder on a three day Bahamas cruise February 11-14th.  Three days worked well for us when we booked -- it was not a big time commitment, it was over Presidents' Day Weekend, and, amazingly because of promotions Disney ran in the fall, it was relatively inexpensive allowing more of my family to go.  What I discovered, though, was that 3 days left me longing for more, so much so that I booked another Disney cruise while on board.

Being in the industry, I knew the statistics.  Roughly 40% of guests who travel on Disney Cruise Line are adults with no children.  Disney Cruise Line hosts more honeymoons onboard than virtually any other cruise line.  And Disney has a reputation of being a premium product, excelling in service and cuisine in ways that other cruise lines in the family market do not.  Yet, it was the personal experience I had that really drove home why so many adults love Disney, and keep coming back to Disney Cruise Line over and over again.

It's hard to summarize all the reasons why my Disney Cruise experience has catapulted Disney to among my top three or four favorite cruise lines.  For one, not to be too trite, there was something really "magical" about having Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Captain Jack, and a host of other Disney characters about the ship on a daily basis.  From photos with your favorite characters, to a Pirate Party on Deck with Minnie and Goofy and Mickey, to one of the only actual fireworks displays at sea, the experience was quintessentially Disney.  Add to that the magnificent spa, the adult-only pool with hot tub, a spacious well-equipped gym and a phlethora of intimate lounges for adults to kick back and relax over their favorite drink, and it's not hard to see why Disney Cruise Line has such broad appeal.

For those who judge cruise lines by the dining experience, I don't think Disney will disappoint.  In the range of cruise lines, I would rate Disney's dining experience squarely in the middle within the Premium market -- superior to the mass market lines like Royal Caribbean, NCL, and Carnival, but not quite as good as the upper premium and luxury lines, like Oceania Cruises, Crystal Cruises, or Regent Seven Seas.  What makes the experience so unique is the rotational dining through the ships' three unique dining venues.  While your table guests and dining room waiter and assistant waiter remain the same each night, the restaurant and accompanying menu change.  One night you will dine in Tritons; the next in Animator's Palate, and the next in Parrot Cay.  All are unique, but perhaps the most unique is Animator's Palate.  Costing Disney roughly $4.3 million to construct, Animator's Palate begins the evening in all black-and-white decor.  As the evening progresses, the black-and-white characters turn to color, until the walls and paintings all turn vibrant.  If I had to fault one thing, it would be the deserts.  Like on so many cruise lines, I found the desert menu and quality lacking.  Not being a huge desert fan anyway, though, I found the appetizers and main courses more than made up for that.

I also was impressed with the quality of the staff.  Staff members were polite to a fault, always greeting guests as they passed, stepping aside to allow guests to pass in the narrow hallways, and performing their jobs with consummate professionalism.  Our head waiter, Witt, knew our names by the first night of our short cruise, and called us by name thereafter. 

Finally, I really liked the layout of the staterooms.  The rooms are spacious, with plenty of storage room, desk, and sofa.  What I like best, though, is the split bathrooms.  Included in all rooms with the exception of interior, the split bathrooms feature sinks in both bathrooms, with a toilet in one and a tub/shower combination in the other.  This really helps when getting ready in the mornings.  One stateroom category I highly recommend is the Category 7 sheltered balcony.  For the money, it's a steal, priced significantly lower than regular balcony staterooms, but still offering a spacious balcony cut into the haul of the ship.  There aren't many of these rooms on the ship, so getting them may be a challenge at times, but they offer perhaps some of the best value rooms onboard.  I also was impressed with the Category 9 ocean view staterooms on Deck 2.  With a layout that is identical to balcony staterooms, but boasting a very large porthole window in lieu of the balcony, these rooms too represent a great value.

Overall, I rate Disney Cruise Line a 7.5 out of 10, which is a pretty high score in my book.  We liked it so much, in fact, that we are planning a wine cruise aboard a Disney cruise in Europe in 2011.  Stay tuned.

Independent Shore Excursions

A great way to enhance your overall cruise experience is to consider taking shore excursions operated independently of the cruise line.  I am not suggesting stepping off the ship and taking your chances with the countless vendors peddling their services.  Instead, I am recommending that you work with a trusted travel professional to explore the many reputable providers of independent and private group shore excursions.

There are many advantages.  One is simply great choice in customizing your overall experience.  Another is the more intimate experience you'll have.  Rather than joining a group of 50 of your fellow ship guests on a full-sized bus, you'll instead likely be with a group of 20 or fewer on a van or small-sized bus.  Additionally, these small, independent shore excursions often can be modified along the way, or fully customized before you even join your guide.   These excursions often are no more expensive, and many times are less expensive, than comparable excursions offered by the cruise lines.

Our clients sometimes express concerns about the risks involved in an independent excursion provider not returning to the ship on time.  The thought is that the ship will wait for guests who have traveled with the cruise line excursions, but not for guests taking independent excursions.  By working with reputable excursion providers, however, this should not be a great concern.  These providers guarantee your on time return to your ship, or they will get you to the ship's next port of call if for any reason they you do not make your ship before it sails.  In the years we have been in business, we have placed many clients on independent excursions, and never have they been late returning to the ship.

Some of the private group excursions we have customized for our clients have included an amazing tour of the Biblically-significant city of Ephesus, Turkey.  On this private excursion, our guide was a native of the area, and also a Biblical expert.  Because there were only 10 of us on the excursion, the guide and her driver were very receptive to allowing us to remain longer at the stops of our choice, and we were not wedded to a rigid schedule.  We enjoyed a diversion to a fine leather shop, followed by a leisurely and informative tour of the amazing ruins of Ephesus.

Another extraordinary private excursion we have arranged included a 3-day tour of St. Petersburg, Russia, with the same private guide and driver all three days.  Again with a private group of just 10 guests, we were able to customize our tour along the way to linger in the places we desired while spending less time in those places that proved of little interest to us.

When arranging independent excursions, I strongly recommend working closely with your travel professional to ensure you get the most from your experience while ensuring you will be in the hands of reputable, fully licensed excursion providers and tour guides.

Cruise Holidays of Alexandria's Fifth Anniversary Cruise

Cruise Holidays Luxury Cruise Counselors marks 5 years in Alexandria, Virginia in 2011.  Each year, we have invited our clients/friends to join us on our anniversary cruises.  We've been to some extraordinary places -- Alaska, the Baltics, the Mediterranean.  We want our 2011 Anniversary Cruise to be our most spectacular yet, and we're seeking your input.

We've narrowed our search to three destinations and four cruise lines.  The possible destinations are (1) Asia; (2) the Holy Land; and (3) Norway and the Fjords.  We think these destinations are unique, and promise to offer our clients something different.  Regardless of destination, we'll be hosting lots of fun activities, to include onboard cocktail receptions and private shore excursions custom tailored to our specifications, just for our group.  To assure that the broadest number of people can join us, we've select four cruise lines which we believe will offer us an exceptional onboard experience at the best values:  (1) Holland America Line; (2) Princess Cruises; (3) Azamara Club Cruises; and (4) Oceania Cruises.  These are premium and upper premium lines that provide superb on board service, quality cuisine, comfortable accommodations, and affordable rates.

We'd love your input.  Please complete our survey, and let us know which of these three destintations interest you, and what cruise line(s) would most appeal to you.  Also, if you might be interested in the details of our 5th Anniversary Cruises, simply leave us your name and address and we'll mail information to you as soon as we've finalized the details.  If you fill-out the survey and then end up joining us on the cruise, we'll give you a special gift.  Simply click here to complete the survey.