Disney currently has two cruise ships in service - the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. They also have two more under construction, of whic the first to be added to the fleet will be the Disney Dream. Disney Cruise Line (DCL) mainly sails out of Cape Canaveral, and offers cruises to the Bahamas, the Eastern Caribbean, and the Western Caribbean (although they are starting to offer European, Mediterranean, and Alaskan cruises during the summer months).
The Disney Cruise Line section will slowly be added to our WDW Autism site – a website with information on traveling to Disney with people who have Autism Spectrum Disorder. But for this posting, I wanted to discuss our experiences on the cruise and talk a little bit about how Disney was able to accommodate our situation
There are many different entertainment activities. Here are some of them and tips to help make the most of it.
Shows
Every night there is a show in the Walt Disney Theater, a Broadway style theater located on the forward end of the ship on deck 4. The shows tend to be musicals that incorporate a wide assortment of Disney Characters into various story lines. They have two different show times every night to accommodate those that have either early or late dining. The theater is very large and can get crowded for both shows. If you want a good place to view you might consider arriving early to have a better choice of seats. If the theater is too overwhelming for the family member with autism, check the show guide on the TV – sometimes they will broadcast the show in the staterooms on the cruise ship network. You can also check with the cruise ship staff to see if the show that night will be broadcast to the staterooms. This option worked really well for our family – it allowed the kids to play in the stateroom while we parents watched the show on TV.
Movies
There are two different places where you may view a movie. The first is the Buena Vista Theatre that is on Deck 5 and the second is the Goofy Family Pool on Deck 9 (which consists of a movie screen attached to one of the stacks over the family pool). In the Buena Vista Theatre they show recently released movies and some times they may show Disney movies which are scheduled for release while you are on the cruise ship. They show different movies at different times. Check the daily schedule to see what will be shown at the Buena Vista Theatre. This is a small theater that is just like other movie theaters, and can be dark and loud. If the family member is not used to watching movies in a normal theater they may have issues there. There is no fee for the viewing of the film.
The Goofy Family Pool on Deck 9 shows short classic Disney animated films or longer, feature-length Disney movies throughout the day and into the evening hours. You can also find a schedule for the shows in your daily newsletter. Since this on the pool deck there are tables where you can sit, have a drink from the free soda fountain, or grab a quick bite to each while you watch the movie. This setup may be more accommodating for the family to watch compared with the Buena Vista theatre. At night, they line up deck chairs on the upper levels to provide a comfortable place to watch movies geared towards older children and teenagers.
Characters
There are many characters greeting opportunities throughout the cruise. You can meet anyone from Mickey and his pals in different costumes, to the Princesses, and on Pirate Night they have the famous Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Hook. On certain cruises there are also character breakfasts with Mickey Mouse and his pals. In their daily schedule they provide a list of the characters and where they will be holding the meet. Some of the characters will be more popular than others so be prepared for a line. You can also arrive a little bit early to get in line to meet the character. They have a fixed schedule and they will only take those that are already in line when it is getting close to the end of the scheduled time. There are also cruise ship photographers there to take your picture but feel free to take pictures yourself and ask them to take your picture with your own camera. Some of the characters only come out certain times during the cruise so plan on who you would like to see and arrive early to make sure you will have a chance to meet them. Also the character interaction is very good on the cruise, compared to what we have experienced at the parks. Goofy ran around the lobby scared when he saw my 5 year old daughter wearing a pirate costume, and the Princesses chatted away with each of the children.
The cruise ships have three main dining rooms. You alternate between them for the duration of the cruise. You however, maintain your dining staff from you server to the dining room management, and your wait staff quickly gets to know you and your family.
The three dinning rooms are the Animator Pallets, Parrots Cay, and for the Disney Magic it is the Lumiere’s and for the Disney Wonder it is the Triton. These are the three family dining rooms. There is an adult’s only dining room called Palo, but a special reservation and extra fee is required for this experience.
Animator’s Pallet is a themed after Walt Disney animated movies. As you enter the room you see many artist renderings in black and white. As the dinner goes on the works of art start to have color and end off in full color. The dining staffs also change their clothes to reflect the color in the dinning room. To top it off, a special visitor comes for a parade through the dining room - Mickey Mouse in his Sorcerer’s Apprentice’s outfit comes and says hello to the guests.
The Parrots Cay is a second dining room that is decorated in a Caribbean theme adorned with parrots. The third dining room is a formal dining room – but the theme is different depending on your ship. If you are on the Disney Magic you will have a Beauty and Beast Dining room with rose accents and an elegant design. If you are sailing the Wonder the dining room is themed after the Little Mermaid and is called Triton.
The meals are very nice and they offer a wide selection. If you have a special dietary need it is best to notify the cruise before start you cruise. They are very flexible and if you need to they will make something off the menu if possible. The meals always offer a choice of appetizers, soups or salads, entree, and also dessert.
There are two different seatings for each of the dining rooms – early seating and late seating. The dining times will vary depending on the cruise ship and are your seating is generally set up when you book your cruise.
There is also a limited buffet, counter service venues for snacks (including pizza, hot dogs, and burgers), and also room service if you do not want to dine in the main dining rooms. The buffet is not always open so check the hours if you want to eat there.
Now the dining services can be very loud and also very slow. They dining service progresses in a very leisurely fashion – with menus and drinks first, then the appetizer course, followed by soups and salads, the main entrees, and then the desserts. For some children this can be very hard as with the noise and activities can be very overstimulating.
When you book your cruise, you should work with Disney or your travel agent to try and make arrangements to have your table in a quieter area of the dining room. If your family member is also on a special diet you should notify them at the time of booking to help the cruise line to make alternate arrangements.
While you are on the cruise, speak with the dining staff (either to your server or to the dining room manager) to help with any special arrangements that may be necessary. They may not be able to do everything that you ask, but they will try their best to ensure you have a pleasant dining experience. When we went, our table was on the main aisle, central to the activities that were occurring in the dining room. This made it very difficult for our son, and we found ourselves having to leave early on the first night. Our wait staff and the head waiter noticed this, and asked us the next day how they could help. We were unable to move to a different table because there were none available, but the wait staff were able to speed up the service to help ensure our children would be able to make it through the entire meal before becoming over stimulated.
Again the key to a successful dining experience is to communicate your needs and be flexible with the solutions offered. The staff is extremely helpful and will work with you so you can have a pleasant dining experience.
Click here for Disney's Magic Kid's Clubs Image gallery.
The Disney Magic has 3 clubs for kids, the Oceaneers Club, Oceaneers Lab, and Ocean Quest. They are all designed for the different age groups. The youngest club is the Oceaneer club and is for children 3-7. It has a stage for performances, a pirate ship for them to climb up and slide down, and also a computer room. The next club, called the Oceaneer Lab, is also on the same level of the ship and is for children ages 8 to 12. It is has computers and TV’s, video games, and lots of hands-on activities. The last club is the Ocean Quest for children 11 to 13 and is on a different floor. Geared for young teenagers, Ocean Quest offers a lot of computer and video games and activities for that age group. The Ocean Quest also includes a replica of the ships bridge so they can play captain.
Children are required to be signed in by a parent, and prior to the first visit parents must complete paperwork and other forms. When you register your child, Disney cast members issue the parents a pager so the kids can communicate with the parents when necessary. They give each child a wristband with their information to help the counselors. They encourage the child to keep the wristband on for the duration of the cruise in case the child becomes lost on the ship – the wristbands can help cast members locate parents.
The kids club has various activities held in the club and also at various locations on the cruise ship. The schedule is posted daily and is also on the daily navigator (the newsletter Disney publishes each day listing all shipboard activities). There are times when you are not able to check your child in during a transition from one activity location to another.
Overall, the Kids Club cast members were very helpful and accommodating to our son. We explained his needs and what he was capable of doing – what he liked and disliked, etc. For example, he would not wear the wristband so we would place his wristband daily on the back of pants (linked to a belt loop). The computer system would also keep notes on him for other staff members. He has a younger sister and we asked to keep them both together, even though our son was in the next age range up. We also realized that he preferred the younger club, so we talked with the counselors and allowed him to be in that one instead of his age group. To make this successful, communication is really important with the club staff so they can work with you on the right placement and activities for your child. They are really accommodating as much as they can be.
Something else you can do is to stop by the Kids Club as soon as you board the cruise ship to complete the paperwork. The place is not open for activities, but the counselors do allow the child to explore while you are fill out paperwork and speak with the counselors. The kid’s club staff during our cruise were wonderful with our son – our experience in the club was one of nicest things about the cruise. So much so that our non-verbal child knew how to say the word “club” after just a day or two, indicating his desire to go back and play.