Created in 1995, Disney Cruise Line is an American cruise line owned by (not surprisingly) The Walt Disney Company. In a previous article, we wrote about Disney cruises and the ships in the Disney fleet. In this article, we look at some of the specific cruises offered by Disney to get a general picture of what Disney cruise vacations are all about.
To begin, the cruise ships of the Disney Cruise Line, of which there are three, sail all over the world. Disney cruises go to Europe, Alaska (and other areas on the Pacific coast), the Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Mexican Riviera, Canada, and New England. Cruise vacations can be planned to anyone of these locations, although not necessarily all year long (there are seasons for different voyages, just as there are seasons for other segments of the leisure industry).
To get an idea of what a Disney cruise vacation is all about, let’s look at cruises to the Bahamas. There are currently four different cruise packages that involve a voyage to the Bahamas. The shortest is a three-day trip that departs from Port Canaveral. The first stop is at a port in Nassau, where the ship is docked for a day. The voyage departs from Nassau in the evening and sails onto a port located at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, on which all sorts of tropical activities can be enjoyed, like snorkeling and boating. Moreover, the island is reserved exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests.
There are also four and five-day trips to the Bahamas. These voyages include stops at the same ports, but overall the journey is longer (obviously), with more time being spent at sea and at the Nassau and Castaway Cay ports. Finally, Disney offers an eight-day trip to the Bahamas, which also includes stops at the ports of Castaway Cay and Nassau. Rather then departing from Port Canaveral, however, this voyage leaves from New York City and includes a one-day stay at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.
The time spent on-board during a Bahamian cruise (or any Disney cruise, for that matter) can be used for any number of activities, many of which are family-oriented. (Disney cruises tend to attract vacationing families.) One might enjoy Disney musicals performed on stage, or they may decide to attend a first-run of a Disney Digital 3-D movie. There are also a number of different restaurants, bars, and nightclubs on-board, some of which cater to adults specifically (in case they tire of watching Disney-related entertainment).
The cruises to the Bahamas offered by Disney give us a pretty good idea of what a Disney cruise is all about. They vary in length and depart from different ports, but the skeleton of the voyage remains the same, as do the on-board activities. Also, whenever possible, Disney will incorporate other divisions of their vast operation, like Disney World.
For more information about Disney cruise vacations, visit the Disney Cruise Line website here: