Got a handful of likes; so, I’ll take that as interest in a Disney cruise report.
Cruise left from Port Canaveral. We took a day before the cruise to tour the Kennedy Space Center. I visited there back when I was a kid 20-25 years ago; obviously, a lot of changes since then (such as Space Shuttle Atlantis). Flew into Orlando and stayed at a Residence Inn near Port Canaveral. My wife discovered in research that the hotel shares a parking lot with a Hertz. So, we were able to drop off the rental car there, and then Hertz gave us a complimentary shuttle ride to the cruise ship. If we did not do the KSC, we could have taken a Disney shuttle bus over there.
The day of cruise departure, we got on the ship around 11am or so. We spent much of the first day by the pool and getting the layout of the ship. We also visited the “
Oceaneer’s Club” which has a bunch of activities for tykes — it is a kiddie day care type place where you can drop off your kids. We found my son a bit too young for it though. He just turned 3, but activities/oversight were geared a bit more for a couple years older (the kids there range from 3-12, so he’s at the very low end). They have a toddler area for younger kids, but he was too old for that. I think he would have gotten more use out of the club if we did the cruise in another year or two (he has some slightly older cousins who were in there a lot, which their parents took full advantage of to do their own thing).
They have a launch party with characters — characters are always around the ship for pictures, and the cruise app can tell you when/where. Woke up the next day in Nassau. We did an excursion to Ardastra Gardens & Zoo — saw a marching flamingo show and fed some parrots — which was combined with a city tour. They also had some excursions over to the Atlantis resort, and the straw market is not far from the port, but we skipped that.
We then spent two days in Castaway Cay, which is a private island in the Bahamas owned by Disney. They have family and adult beach sections. Also a kids’ club area on the island. Lots of equipment for rentals, such as bikes and snorkeling equipment; they also offer parasailing. We spent the bulk of our time on the family beach — nice place and did not feel too crowded. Felt more like a pool, which I appreciated because the actual ocean scares me with the little one and the threat of riptides. The time of year was not in our favor as it was blistering hot with a heat index around 105 both days (even the water was too warm to be refreshing). If I did again, I’d want to go in later winter/early spring, as I found it too hot to really enjoy too much; I wouldn’t have minded biking, but too hot for that (timing was driven by in-laws who were celebrating a milestone anniversary).
Leaving Castaway Cay was “pirate night” where everyone dresses up like a pirate and there is a fireworks show. Last full day was a day at sea. Theatre on the ship was showing some newer Disney movies — we watched Toy Story 4. They also offered a live production of Beauty & The Beast. The new Avengers was also showing.
I wish I could have partaken in some of the other ship activities that require registration, but they were all filled up before it was open to us for signing up. They give preferred access based on number of Disney cruises that you have been on. I was interested in a Mixology class and a Martini class, but they were already filled up, even though we looked into them as soon as it opened up to us. On the first day of the cruise, my FIL stood in line at Guest Services for an hour to get on the waitlist for the martini class, and was able to get into it when a spot opened up, but I didn’t get time to stand in line for that. I think the people with seniority just book it to reserve a spot, and then drop out before the deadline to do so, if they decide to something else.
Ship has some other activities like the
Aquaduck water slide, and a sports deck where I played some mini golf with my son (who somehow got a hole-in-one before me). Restaurants were solid, but nothing special (about what I expect on a cruise ship) — lots of Mickey waffles and Mickey ice creams for the little ones.
Animator’s Palate was pretty cool — there was a large screen TV by our table and “Crush” the turtle from Finding Nemo came by on the screen and talked to the kids. Also pretty good with food allergies, if that is important to anyone.
I’ve probably rambled enough. If you are into cruising and have some small ones, definitely a good route to go. I’m not much of a cruiser (or beach/pool person) and prefer more active vacations (my only other cruise experience was a pre-kid Alaska cruise, which is a bit different from this kind of cruise). I could see myself doing another Disney cruise in a couple of years when my son could enjoy the kids’ club a bit more, but I may look into a different location.
ETA: If I could change one thing, it would probably be a separate kids club for kids between, e.g., 3-6 to separate them out from the 7-12 year olds. It is a nice amenity, but too intimidating to throw a 3 year old in the same room to compete for the same toys/attention as a 10-12 year old.
, the Camera Center, and Colortopia. Electric Umbrella and Mouse Gear will not be effected (yet). 
