We took this cruise (two early 50's ladies) and my son and his partner (two mid 20's young men)to introduce my son to cruising. We were able to cruise thanks to a wonderful Disney Friends and Family discount, for which I am very grateful. I have cruised many times with Royal Caribbean and once with NCL, and was anxious to try the Disney product.

We drove to the port from Orlando and arrived at the new terminal at 11 o'clock. We were given boarding number "8" and relaxed in the terminal until about 11:45am, when they began boarding. I loved the "Welcome the Farnsworth Family" as you board. It's a nice touch. We were directed to Parrot Cay where we had a lovely buffet luncheon. It was beautifully laid out and the food was tasty. I was impressed by the fact that they lead you to a table, and then you get up to get your food, just like at a buffet restaurant.

We stopped by our stateroom at 1:30 to drop our carry-ons and check it out. Here's where the differences to RCL began to show. Disney's split shower/toilet is GREAT! Even with 4 adults sharing a cabin, there was never a problem with juggling bathroom time. There is also the additional dressing table near the balcony door, where someone could be putting on make-up. I had brought an over-the-door shoe holder for additional storage, but it was totally unnecessary. There was more than enough storage for all of us. The 3rd and 4th bed set-up is also way better than RCL. Where RCL would have a pull-out couch, DCL has two bunks. The sofa becomes the bottom bunk and the upper bunk comes out of the ceiling. That allows much more walking space between the bed and the balcony, when the beds are made up. I slept on the top bunk and it was perfectly comfortable, even for an adult. Read more