DINKS Cruise Disney – The Beginning
DINKS Cruise Disney – Pre Planning (Mickey and Minnie CalledPirate Night Prep)
DINKS Cruise Disney – Time to Go
DINKS Cruise Disney – Onboard (Multiple Posts Throughout: Initial ThoughtsAround Disney FantasyAnswering Reader Questions)
DINKS Cruise Disney – Parting Thoughts
Cruise Review – Parts OneTwo, and Three

Hello again from aboard the Disney Fantasy. We are sailing towards Costa Maya, Mexico as I type, on schedule for a 1PM arrival. We actually have a shore tour booked today with our friends so I’ll have some thoughts on the Disney shore excursion experience in a later post.

Overall, we continue to enjoy a great cruise, and are looking forward to several more days onboard. Tomorrow, we are in Cozumel, then a day at sea, with a final port of call at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island. We disembark the ship in Port Canaveral on Saturday. In a sure sign that I’m enjoying myself, I’m not completely sure what day it is, but I think it’s Tuesday. I’ve picked up a few questions from readers in prior posts so I thought I’d use this morning’s blog to answer them.

Reader Stu writes: Based on your experience, it sounds like you could recommend the Disney Fantasy to those adults traveling without children as well, of course, as to their core family market. My question would be, based on your experience, what do you think Royal Caribbean could learn from the Disney onboard experience?

MJ Replies: That’s an excellent question, and one in which I think my answer might evolve over the course of the cruise as I soak in more experiences onboard. My impression is that if one loves Disney, they’re going to love cruising Disney, no matter their age, and there are many areas of the ship dedicated solely to adults, not children. Note that this did not stop me from riding the Aqua Duck yesterday! My initial answer to this would be that the “adults only” venues onboard Disney Fantasy appear to truly be “adults only.” There’s an “adults only” coffee shop with complete bar setup. I think RCL could learn something from how Disney also focuses on grown up time. Now, to be fair, I’ll offer something I think Disney could learn from RCL. That would be how to board a ship and crowd control. I’ll elaborate in a later post.

Reader Melissa writes: I’ve considered booking with the Mouse a few times, but the price has always convinced me to look elsewhere. Interested to learn more.

MJ Replies: A typical Disney cruise is almost always more expensive to book. Their staterooms are a tad larger on average, though I didn’t really notice it in our room. There are little things that add up too. Soda is complimentary on Disney where other mass-market lines typically charge extra. I think the food is better too. Food is so subjective that I almost hate to bring it up, but I don’t think I’d be wrong if I guessed that Disney spends more per plate, and that shows up in entrée quality. One last thing – a crewmember I was chatting with yesterday offered a statistic that I can’t verify, but it certainly sounded plausible – there are hundreds more crew on this ship than one of similar size with other lines just because they are dedicated to activities for kids. In my capstone ship review, I’m going to include some cost data which I hope many will find useful.

Reader Denny writes: I’m a solo cruiser, so I’ve always been hesitant about a Disney cruise-although I’m a huge Disney fan. I’d be curious if there are any SINKS on board?

MJ Replies: I can’t promise, but the sense I’ve gotten from a lot of conversations in Skyline and the other lounges is that we certainly are not the only people on board without children, and some are single…but likely traveling with friends. I think I can promise that if anyone loves Disney and cruising, they’re going to love a Disney cruise. The Mouse is rules.

Well, on to the rest of the day. Dining in Palo tonight….my camera is ready.

-MJ, March 18, 2014