The latest from our Heart and Soul
I truly admire those parents who pack up their children and head out to see the world. I like to imagine being one of those types of people, where no hurdle is too high, and life is one big adventure. 
The reality is a tad different.
Thus we are not great world travelers and so the inaugural sail of the Disney Wonder to Alaska from Vancouver on May 3rd, was our first cruise.
I cannot imagine sailing with another cruise line with a family. And while there were many non families and seniors aboard, Disney is there to make sure all ages are taken care of and have fun. Yes indeed, there are adult only bars, restaurants, swimming, and so on.
Disney Alaskan Cruise Kid's Clubs on the Disney Wonder.
For the shorter set, there is the Oceaneer Club for ages to 3 to 10 and the Oceaneer Lab for ages 3 to 12. These two clubs were open from 9 am to midnight. Our two eldest children basically LIVED there for the entire cruise. Lunches, snacks and dinners are provided, making it perfect for when mom and dad want to enjoy a romantic diner at the adult only Palo.
For tweens there is the Edge, an exclusive hang-out with games, movies and music. For the older set there is the Vibe. Judging from the amazed parents of usually ‘too cool’ tweens and teens, these places were just as “awesome” for those age groups was the Oceaneer Lab and Oceaneer Club for the younger set.
The variety of kid's clubs are not just places to stow your bored kids; they are staffed by a dedicated and enthusiastic crew who worked hard at making sure every single kid was happy, included and doing something fun and special.
When you check-in to the kid's clubs on the Disney Wonder Alaskan cruise, children are given a micro chipped ID wrist band. This band is scanned as they come in and go out of the clubs and a secret ‘word’ is also required for added security.
We won’t forget to mention the sanity saving Flounders Reef Babycare. This childcare is open until 11 pm and did an amazing job with everything from newborns to preschoolers and was very inexpensive.
Disney Alaskan Cruise Staterooms Designed for Families.
Our family of five fit into the DELUXE Family Stateroom, with a verandah. This room comes with a queen bed, a sofa bed, a bunk and a fold down. The ships also have great laundry facilities that work with – like everything else – your Key to the World or room card.
Every day a Personal Navigator newsletter is delivered to your door. This outlined the activities, shows and events happening throughout the day. This also told you which Disney characters would be hanging out for photo opportunities.
Disney Alaskan Cruise Port Adventures.
When we arrived at a new port of call, a fun guide to the area was also delivered to our stateroom. The Port Adventures provided by Disney Cruise Lines are dizzying and amazing. There is something to do for every single type of traveler: crab fests, whale watching, glacier tours, dog sledding. The list is endless. We picked a train ride at Skagway and finished off with some panning for gold. We thought this would be a safe and fun thing for all our children. Juneau and Ketchikan also offer some great shopping.
Disney Alaskan Cruise On Board Dining and Entertainment.
After being amazed yet again by an incredible meal with incredible fun and attentive wait staff on board the Disney Wonder, the entertainment went on. The adult menus are amazing, though I found the kids menu’s a bit boring – BUT – our kids seemed more than satisfied with their choices of Pizza, Mac and Cheese or Chicken Strips and Fries.
The beautiful Walt Disney Theatre is host to three amazing musical shows. Their musical version of Toy Story was brilliant. The costumes, acting and singing were at a Broadway level; my six year old daughter was enchanted.
Quality and beauty are the two words that come away with me from this cruise. From the charming staff, to the luxury and elegance of the ship herself, we were wrapped up in luxury, fun and fantasy.
Disney Alaskan Cruise Toddler Travelling Tips.
- We were told to make sure we had everything from our luggage with us in case our rooms and bags were not with us until later in the day. This was not really necessary, as we then found ourselves with heavy bags and overexcited kids to chase all over the boat as we wrangled them up to the buffet, and our rooms were ready by 2 pm. Two hours before sailing.
- Although Guest Services on the ship have them to borrow, we should have brought a stroller for the security, check in and boarding.
For more information on the amenities and destinations of the Disney Cruise Line, please visit their Disney Cruise website. You can also follow them on twitter and join them on facebook.
A visit to Epcot at Disney World is a must if you want to travel around the world in just one day. Each country's pavilion transports you to their homeland by recreating the architecture, displaying artifacts, demonstrating cultural traditions and of course there’s the food. 
The food is one of the reasons I love visiting Epcot.
You will find a few rides at Epcot, like our family favourite Test Track, but if you’re travelling with kids Epcot may be a hard sell, especially when it has to compete with the ride-filled fantasy at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. But if your child is looking for a mission, then Epcot is the place to go.
Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure will take your kids on a voyage of discovery through one of the countries in the World Showcase. Prior to entering the World Showcase at Epcot (which doesn’t open until the afternoon), visit the Team Possible Recruitment centers. There you’ll be given a mission time and location.
Our family broke-up into two teams – boys versus the girls – and headed off to our mission station. There are a few mission stations in the World Showcase and you’ll be directed to report to the station closest to your mission (the girls were going to Germany and the boys were off to Japan).
Each agent is given a Kimmunicator (a pretend cellphone) and after a few directions we’re off to visit Germany. The Kimmunicator uses a combination of sound, animation, and reading, making it feel like you’re really participating in something live. The Kimmunicator has a help feature too if kids get stuck (giving them hints or repeating instructions).
My daughter completely got into her mission. We found ourselves exploring parts of Germany we had never seen before. My daughter was given clues on her Kimmunicator to visit a certain place and look for specific objects. The phone would trigger hidden features in the displays, which was great fun (like singing beer steins or moving trains) and sometimes clues would be given which had to be entered into the phone in order to get your next message. It really was an interactive experience.
Our mission took us about an hour to complete. Kids of any age can participate in the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure but younger kids might get bored quickly and you could end up with a frustrated toddler on your hands. You can always return your Kimmunicator to one of the mission stations should you discover your child has no interest in completing their missions. Our kids were just the opposite, wanting a second mission after they completed their first one. There are seven different missions you can go on, exploring different pavilions throughout the World Showcase. I must admit, even as an adult I had fun; it was a lot like a scavenger hunt but we didn’t have to collect anything.
You can get a quick glimpse of my daughter’s mission experience from the video below:
The Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure is definitely an adventure we’ll be doing on our next trip. A visit to Epcot just jumped up a notch in our kid approval status.
{jcomments on}
“We’re going to Disney!!!!” [Cue the fan fare, crazy, screaming kids jumping up and down and almost peeing their pants...]
Common scene, yes?
You would think. And this is exactly what I was expecting when we presented our kids with those exact words on Christmas morning.
And we did get that, from our 6 year old daughter (in fact, she “called first” on going down the AquaDuck with Tinker Bell), but we got a shoulder shrug from our 8.5 year old son.
A shoulder shrug. [Insert freaking out, bat crazy mommy here.]
Back story: We have never been to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Our kids are used to traveling to a fishing village and camping on the beach in nowhere Mexico. They know all about the beauty of nothing-ness where nature fills their every joy.
Fast forward. For weeks before the Walt Disney World experience and the Disney Dream cruise, we show him videos of Disney World and the brand new Disney Dream Cruise ship that we are incredibly fortunate to be invited on as part of a media tour.
“But it’s for babies,” says my 8.5 year old son that I am about ready to leave at home. [Insert shocked, stammering (and ok, I’ll admit it, ashamed of the attitude) mommy here.]
Besides feeling like I have the most ungrateful, attitudinal kid on the face of the planet, I realize that he just doesn’t get the magic, the age-less mystery, the thrilling adventure, the heart warming amazement of Everything Disney. My heart aches with incredible guilt because I think I’ve left the magic out of his life for too long and now it’s too late.
We've always wanted to go when our youngest hit 7 years old so she would have a bigger chance of remembering Everything. That was our plan. We had a plan. We messed up, we wrecked it. Oh, the guilt. Yes, sure there are bigger things in the world that we beat ourselves up as parents about, but Disney is a dream for many, many families, including ours. This Christmas morning, that dream was broken.
Or so I thought.
So we let him come after all. Aren’t we nice parents? 
From the moment we got off the bus at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, through the Disney Parks, aboard the Disney Dream, off loaded at Castaway Cay (Disney's private island in the Bahamas, yes, I'll write about that too), back aboard the ship and off to the remainder of the Parks -- all the way until the moment we boarded the plane ride home, this kid smiled, screamed, and laughed. A lot.
He had the time of his life. What’s more is the memories are magical, just like the experience. The animated story-telling, the show and tell, the mementos ... once we are back, the depth of the magic sets in, we feel it, we remember it, we know it.
We took in Everything Disney, and yes, I’ll write all about it. Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot and the brand new Disney Dream. [Insert heart swelling with gratitude mommy here.]
At every stop, I heard a lot of “LOOK, Oh YEAH, WOW, that was AWESOME, Mom, Mom, Mom - you GOTTA see THIS, please, PLEASE can we do that AGAIN, that was WICKED -- and the famous, oh the FOOD, don’t even get me STARTED on the food...”.
Yes, there are ALL CAPS. Because yes, he was in fact SCREAMING.
It went something like this. A lot:
So yeah. He loved it.
No magic lost. Disney is timeless. For Everyone at Every Age.
Psst -- the 6 year old loved it too, have you seen her dancing her heart out in the rain with the pirates?
|
About Everything Disney Coming Soon: Everything Disney! Our team is busy creating an entire section dedicated to Everything Disney, including content and photos from the brand new Disney Dream. Stay tuned... Michelle Davies, the founder of EverythingMom Media, was invited as a media guest to experience the Disney Dream Cruise, compliments of Disney Parks Canada. All content and opinions are editorial and were not paid for. |
Pirate Themed Rooms
The rooms were great. We slept in beds in the shape of ships and the bed coverings looked like treasure, full of gold and gems. All the drawers were in crates or a seaman chest. There was a little refrigerator stored inside a large barrel (it had a door cut open on the side). The bathroom and vanity area were closed off with a giant pirate skull curtain, like that in Pirates of the Caribbean. Even the carpet was designed to look like planks on a boat deck. Yup, the look was everything I had imagined and the kids loved it.
Pirate Themed Pools
The Caribbean Beach Resort extends the pirate theme into their pool area with a zero entry pool surrounded by a stone wall with a built in waterslide and turrets with hidden water spouts to soak guests. 
For little ones, there’s a pirate themed water park with mini-slides, splash pad and water cannons. My two youngest loved this area and didn’t want to leave. You’ll find lounge chairs available in both areas for adults to sit and soak up the sun while keeping an eye on their kids. The little water park and the main pool are beside each other so to avoid little ones running into the big pool, there is a gate all around.
Pirate Themed Dining
The pool area is conveniently located near Old Port Royale, where you’ll find dining and shopping options and the refillable drink station (if you purchase those refillable drink mugs Disney is known for). The food court area has a village marketplace feel, with different food stalls. After leaving the pirate pool area, the kids felt like they had docked and we’re walking through a village; they felt like they had stepped out of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
The only real drawback to the pirate themed rooms is their location; the rooms are located within the Trinidad South village, the furthest of the villages (there are six different villages with Caribbean names like: Trinidad North, Trinidad South, Martinique, Barbados, Aruba and Jamaica). A look at the resort map illustrates where each of the villages are located within the Caribbean Beach Resort but it doesn’t give you a sense of the expansive size of the complex. Although the resort has done a nice job with landscaping the walkways around the various complexes and by the water, but if you have young kids in tow, it can feel like a long walk to the main pool area and Old Port Royale. Each village does have it’s own little pool if you want to go for a dip without the hike but you know the kids will really want the pirate pool and who can blame them.
The Caribbean Beach Resort does offer an internal bus that just does a loop around the whole resort, stopping at each village, but if you happen to just miss the bus, which happened to us a few times, you have a nice twenty-minute wait. Oh and the theme park buses, although they stop at each complex, start at the Martinique complex and then move on hitting each complex one after the other. If you’re going to a popular theme park, like Magic Kingdom, don’t be surprised that the bus is full before it reaches your village.
If you’re planning a visit to Disney World with a little buccaneer, they’ll love the Caribbean Beach Resort pirate themed rooms. Just make sure you’re familiar with the bus schedule or your kids have a lot of energy when it comes to getting around the large resort.
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum (or pop).
Yes, I was one of the lucky media peeps invited to the Inaugural Christening Cruise of Disney Cruise Line’s newest and largest ship, the Disney Dream. (Have I said how much I LOVE my job lately?) I've added a full review of the ship here, but beware, it is long and barely scratches the surface of the ocean of wonder that the Disney Dream provides.
The Christening of the Disney Dream Cruise Ship
The magic started with a bang as the Disney Dream was christened on a beautiful sunny morning at Port Canaveral, Florida. After receiving the red carpet treatment, we found our seats with a perfect view of the multimedia stage and the majestic Disney Dream.
A true Dream Girl, Jennifer Hudson was the Disney Dream’s Godmother. Her career originally started on Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Wonder ship.
This was the first time of many over the next week, my eyes filled with tears. As a Disney newbie, I had never witnessed the depth of the Disney magic. An elaborate cast of Disney characters performed numerous heart-warming acts that had me smiling and crying the entire time.
You can watch the highlights from the Disney Dream Christening to see for yourself.
Disney Dream: Designing a Dream Ship
From the moment the crew greeted us personally off the gangway, we knew we were stepping into whimsical luxury.
A dazzling chandelier glistens overhead in the expansive, three-deck atrium lobby on the Disney Dream. Descending more than 13 feet from the ceiling, and spanning more than 22 feet in width, the illuminated masterpiece sparkles with thousands of hand-crafted crystal beads. Reminiscent of early 20th century transatlantic ocean liners, contemporary design and Art Deco style grace the grand lobby to exude splendor and sophistication throughout. (Gene Duncan, photographer)
The rich details and the decorative touches are absolutely remarkable, and sometimes very subtle. For example, Disney Cruise Line was granted special permission from the US Coast Guard to have yellow lifeboats instead of the regulation orange just to remain authentic to the colour palette with reference to Mickey’s shoes. Something you might never notice, but Disney notices Everything.
Disney Dream: Staterooms
Our family stayed in a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah. As this was my first time on a cruise as an adult, I was surprised how large the rooms were.
There was lots of storage space in our room, the beds were divinely comfortable AND there was a perfect separation of shower/bath/sink in one room and sink/toilet in another. At night, the curtain between queen bed and kids bunks hid the light from my (very brief) evening reading.
Our host was incredibly personable, she wanted to get to know our family’s needs and brought down the bunk bed each night. Incredible service and comfort.
Disney Dream: Making Communication a Dream
Each stateroom comes with (2) Wave Phones (additional units can be rented if needed) that enable you to make phone calls and send texts to others aboard the ship.
The phones also offered a way for the cast members to reach us if there was an emergency with our children while they were in the Oceaneer Club.
Disney Dream: Dining Options
As my son says...
*Side note: Gotta say, I'm totally impressed my son knows the AquaDuck swings 12 feet off the side of the ship. How does he know that? Sure, he watches me work, but does he retain Everything? Wowza! (Proud mom moment, back to regular programming...)
The Disney Dream offers food options for every palette and appetite. From Cabanas, an all day buffet option all the way up to the intimate, adult exclusive Palo and Remy’s.
Our first night, we indulged at the highly interactive Animator’s Palate where the Disney Imagineers have pushed the technology envelope and brought the animation to life. With over 100 screens in the restaurant, each guest becomes immersed in the undersea world of Disney-Pixar’s “Finding Nemo”, complete with our surfer-dude Talking Turtle host -- Crush. Truly amazing technology that interacts with the guests right down to knowing names. WOW.
Our second evening, we enjoyed a whimisical dinner at the Enchanted Garden restaurant. Here, our server shared his own dream-come-true story. He was from Jamaica and he had been trying to apply to work for Disney Cruise lines for 3 years. He was overjoyed that his dream had finally come true and here he was working on the majestic Disney Dream.
Disney Dream: Disney Live Entertainment
Again, as a newbie, I had no idea what to expect in a Disney production. More smiles and tears of wonder.
The first day, we took in the Golden Mickey’s in the extravagant Walt Disney Theatre.
The story is about a stage manager who must take take over the show from the Master of Ceremonies who has become ill. She learns to overcome her stage fright as the story travels through various animated Disney films such as Tanlged, The Lion King, One Hundred and One Dalmatians and more. The lesson of believing in your dreams (and yourself) is woven throughout the story. (This softy was sniffing through the whole thing.)
The second day brought another magical performance, “Disney Believe”, which is a new show created just for the Disney Dream. This show really hit a chord with me. It is about a workaholic father, Dr. Greenaway who doesn’t have time for his daughter, Sophia on her birthday. And all she wants is for him to believe in magic. So she makes a wish for her father to believe. Sure enough, the genie from Aladdin appears. Robin Williams would be proud of this dude’s performance. Really fantastic.
The Genie takes Dr. Greenaway on a a journey with many of Disney’s beloved characters, such as Cinderella, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Rafiki and more. You can guess how the story ends up, he believes and his priorities are set straight.
More sniffles.
In both broadway-style stage shows, the theatrics and technology is terrific complete with 3D imaging, animation and pizzaz. Blown. Away.
Disney Dream: Adult Entertainment
Not that kind of entertainment, people! However, I will say my husband quite enjoyed the dancers on stage at Evolution. Yes, yes, so did I, very talented indeed.
On board, you will find a complete section called The District set aside for adults only. We decided to drop the kids off at Oceaneer Club and go check out the action.
Our first stop was Evolution, a trendy dance club that features cabaret style entertainment and pumping tunes. Next up was Pink, a classy, quiet champagne bar. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take in all the nightclubs, but walking through them during they day, they looked very dreamy.
Disney Dream: Kid's Entertainment
We all know that no one does kid’s entertainment like Disney, and they have certainly delivered here on the Dream with the Oceaneer’s Club. Both our kids (Boy-8 & Girl-6) LOVED it. The Dream also features the Vibe and the Edge for the older kids and the Small World Nursery for the babes.
The kid’s club is always a top concern for many traveling parents. The Disney Dream sets THE standard for kid’s clubs where everything is interactive, engaging and FUN. Areas are divided into various spaces such as Andy’s room, Monsters Academy, Explorer Pod, Pixie Hollow, Animator’s Studio and more. They can go back and forth between areas whenever they like. Also, they can eat here. So if mom and dad want a peaceful meal on their own, they're covered. View all Youth Clubs aboard the Disney Dream >>
Another super cool activity for the kids is the Midship Detective Agency game. Essentially, you are asked to solve the mystery of missing paintings.
Kids are given a detective package with a card that when held up to paintings around the ship reveal magical codes. We only had time for this after it was closed, but this really had the kids intrigued. Guess we’ll have to go back!
Disney Dream: On Deck
Remember, this trip was a media preview cruise, so there were cameras and microphones (and celebrities) scattered everywhere. Yes, I saw Whoopie, but I missed out on the devastatingly handsome John Stamos. *sigh*.
There are three pools (1 for kids, 1 for families and one for adults) as well as a water play area for the tots and Mickey’s Pool Slide. Goofy Sports Deck offers miniature golf, virtual sports simulators, sports courts and more. I didn't have time to make it up here, although I am really wishing I would have.
And, yes, the infamous AquaDuck. I was lucky enough to get a video of me riding the AquaDuck, watch it here >>
Food and drinks on deck are easily accessible and delicious. Nutrition is Everything in the hot sun.
The deck was constantly buzzing with action day and night. During the day, a large screen rolls Disney animations while the night comes alive with fireworks at sea.
Confession. This was my FAVE part of the trip. It happened to rain during the “Buccaneer Blast”, a fireworks show choreographed to songs from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie and “Peter Pan”, but the rain certainly did not stop the show. Especially for the little ones. Watching my daughter dance her little heart out in the rain with the pirates -- yes, you guessed it, made me get all teary -- again.
Disney Dream: Summary
As I mentioned, I have not been on a cruise since I was a young child, so I was not sure what to expect. But it truly was spectacular. Cruising has become our family’s preference for future vacations, and Disney Cruise Lines has set the bar incredibly high for service, entertainment, value and experience. We created family memories that will be cherished for a lifetime aboard the Disney Dream.
This post would not be complete without a gigantic nod to the Disney Parks Canada team who managed the Canadian media portion of the Disney Dream Inaugural Cruise: Angela Saclamacis, Jo-Anne Wallace, Laura Haughey as well as Marlie Morrison. The talent, passion and work ethic of these incredible woman inspire and amaze me. The extra effort they put in at every stage of the event made our experience that more remarkable. My deepest gratitude goes out to each one of these women for creating an experience of a lifetime. Thank you.
Psst -- there's also a gorgeous spa, which I had no time to attend but really, really wanted to! There's a theme here. Clearly I need to go back. Soon. Who's in?
Coming up next:
- Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas.
- Newbies Perspective on Everything Disney: The Before & After
- Photo Tour of Everything Disney: Disney Dream, Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot
|
About Everything Disney Coming Soon: Everything Disney! Our team is busy creating an entire section dedicated to Everything Disney, including content and photos from the brand new Disney Dream. Stay tuned... Michelle Davies, the founder of EverythingMom Media, was invited as a media guest to experience the Disney Dream Cruise, compliments of Disney Parks Canada. All content and opinions are editorial and were not paid for. |
