We love to travel but have never cruised before, so when DCL came to Vancouver (our hometown) we decided to give them a try. Our kids are 4 and 7, the perfect ages for many of the activities and attractions on the ship. We also brought both sets of grandparents and a great grandparent. We were so surprised by the excellent service, great dining experiences and plentiful entertainment opportunities.

It can be so easy to overindulge in food while cruising but I was pleased to find that Disney serves hormone-free milk on board and makes it very easy to get plenty of fruits and vegetables into the kids at every meal. In addition to all the main dining menus, fresh fruit was available throughout the day at Goofy's Galley. When we told our dining room server that our kids liked broccoli, they made sure that a serving a steamed broccoli was added to their entree every evening. The salmon barbecue at Beach Blanket Buffet and lobster tails at the Captain's Gala were also exceptionally memorable.

We were so pleased with the Disney experience. Keep your autograph book handy because you're always running into Disney characters: at the character breakfast, at scheduled photo sessions, or just wandering about randomly around the ship. The longest line-ups were for the Disney Princesses but were still reasonable compared to what you would experience in Disneyland or WDW. The Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab provided a wide range of activities and crafts for ages 3 to 12. We were fortunate that our 4 and 7 yr olds could stay together whenever we dropped them off. That helped them to integrate into the new play environment with confidence. We took advantage of that time to use the Fitness Centre on Deck 9, adjacent to the Vista Spa, which has a stunning view from the bow of the ship. Read more