This was our first Disney Cruise. It will probably be our last. Before I go into my opinion of the "philosophy" of Disney Cruises, here's some specifics:

Embarkation-Couldn't have been easier. We received our keycard and boarding time at the airport. We waited no more than 10 minutes on the bus until it left for the port. We were about 15 minutes early for our embarkation time and waited about 15 minutes to embark. The only glitch we noted was the traffic jam where they take your family photo. You are herded into a narrow corridor where you encounter a slow-moving long line simply to take a picture they'll try to sell you later. Otherwise, checking in at the airport and getting on the ship was a breeze.

Getting to our cabin- The people that greeted us onto the ship said our cabin would be ready between 1:00 and 1:30. We went up to eat and finished there by 12:45 or so, so decided to see if our cabin was available. Much to our surprise, all cabin areas were roped off! No access was allowed until they opened the areas. We returned about 1:10 to find them still roped off. Apparently the people that greeted us were confused. Again, at 1:35 we tried only to find long lines waiting to gain entry. Within 5 minutes, the ropes to the starboard cabins were opened, but not the port. After another 5 minutes waiting, the assembled passengers staged a minor mutiny and opened the rope themselves and we went to our cabins. Read more