Why a Disney Cruise?

Even though I am a travel agent specializing in Disney vacations, I still get asked why we chose a Disney cruise for our summer family vacation this year. Isn't the answer, "Well, duh!" But seriously, I love my job and someones gotta do the research, right? It's tough, I know, but I'm willing to take on the challenge.

So since I get asked this question, I thought I would come up with my Top Ten Reasons to go on a Disney Cruise....much like David Letterman, I will start from number 10 and work my way to number 1:

#10: Room Service, Buffets, More Food.....all included!: Now the room service, buffets and more food are included in other cruise lines, this is true, but can you get Mickey ice cream on board other cruise lines, I think not

!

#9: Free Soft Drinks: Yes, on a Disney Cruise , you even get free sodas. This is a rarity, as on other cruise lines, you have to pay for soft drinks.

#8: Characters Galore: What better way to meet and greet Mickey and the gang than on a Disney Cruise. Ok, I'm in my 40's and I fess up that I still love getting my picture taken with a character or two.

#7: Ports of Call: On the Mediterranean Cruise, we will be calling on amazing locations, like Rome, Tunisia, Nice/Monaco and Florence!

#6: Entertainment: Nightly, Disney offers amazing entertainment acts. Whether it be a Broadway style show with Disney characters or a comedian, the entertainment is top-notch.

#5: Adult Only/ Children Only Areas: Disney Cruise boasts great adults only area on their ships. There is nightly entertainment just for adults, an adult only pool, spa and my favorite... an adult only restaurant called Palo's. Childrens Areas too: Who knows how to entertain children better than Disney? They offer great childcare facilities and programs plus special areas for pre-teens and teens.

#4: Rotational Dining: Disney offers 3 main sit-down restaurants for dinner which you will get the opportunity to visit each one on a rotational basis. The great thing about not eating at the same restaurant each night is the variety of food and decor. The other amazing part about the rotational dining is that you will have the same waitstaff rotate with you so you can build a relationship with your servers and they get to know your likes and dislikes.

#3: Family Activities: When I think of vacation with my family, I think of all those opportunities I have to build better relationships with my children and to bond in a fun atmosphere! Whether it's playing a trivia game, family bingo or simply watching a movie together, Disney offers all of this and more! (yes, there is a movie theater onboard and they are showing the new Alice in Wonderland for our cruise, which I haven't seen yet! plus other movies too!)

#2: BYOB: Disney actually allows their guests to bring beer and wine onboard with them. No need to sneak in beer or wine (or even hard liquor), just carry it onboard with you! I'm really not a big drinker but I like that Disney caters to their clients and they know what their guests want and they deliver! If you do plan to partake of a bottle of wine that you brought onboard with you in one of the restaurants, Disney will charge you a corking fee for this, but other than that, there is no charge and you are welcome to come aboard with your beverage of choice. I usually bring on bottled water too.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....

And my #1 reason to go on a Disney Cruise:

No Gambling and No Smoking: I've been on other cruise lines and there is a huge appeal for gambling on the ship but it's just not my thing. And nothing against smokers, but I prefer to walk throughout the ship and not worry about the smoke. Now, on a Disney Cruise you can smoke in smoking areas only so it's not all together banned so don't let that stop you if you are thinking about a Disney Cruise for your next vacation.

Have you been on a Disney Cruise? Leave a comment and share why you sail with Mickey!

This blog post won Tripatini's 2010 "Best of Show" at The Travel Blogger Show in September 2010!