Disney Cruise Line - 1st cruise I've ever been on and 1st cruise I've ever been on without my family. I live in central Illinois and I went with my best friend and his mother and sister. I am so VERY grateful that they paid for me to cruise with them over spring break.

Getting There - Here's a very good suggestion, if you live in the Midwest or far away from Florida, it's probably a good idea to fly there. We drove and it started like a normal road trip - everyone is excited and ready to go! We got to Florida late that night, very late. We spent the night in a Fairfield Inn near the border. We had to get up at about 4:00 in the morning to beat a storm. Then we made it to the Florida turnpike which can be very stressful to drive on and on top of that, we had to wait 4 hours bumper to bumper because of a car accident when the ship was going to set sail soon. I'm going on another cruise in 2012 and we will be flying.

We're There - The entrance was fantastic, you get your room key and there are photographers waiting to take your picture in the terminal as you walk down the jet-way onto the ship. You are greeted by a cast member with a microphone who asks you what your last name is and then he announces it. "Please welcome the ________ family!" and all the cast members are lined up around you cheering and applauding you as you enter the main lobby. Inside - The ship was beautiful, we stayed in a forward room on deck 7 conveniently located next to the elevators and stairways. Once you get to your stateroom and unload you get to relax for a little bit. The staff on board are very polite and they always greet you when you pass them in the corridors or anywhere. about a half hour later, you are called out to the elevator lobby where a cast member directs you down the stairs to the lifeboat deck and after that is over, they throw a huge celebration party with all the Disney characters. (Did I mention the gifts in your stateroom waiting for you? - DCL duffel bags and water bottles) After that you can do whatever you want to do. There are so many onboard activities that you can never be bored. For dinner every night, we were assigned to a different restaurant but it would be at a specific time and table which was a good idea. That way you can be served easier and get your food faster. We had our own wait staff that went with us from one restaurant to the other each night and they were fantastic! They got to know you; we got to know them and they knew what you liked and didn't like and they would bring you it without being told! For breakfast and lunch you could go wherever you wanted, there was a pizza place right by the pools which made it easy to grab something quick and the food was great! Every night your stateroom host came to turn down the beds and make towel animals for you. Read more