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.