Star Wars Day At Sea coming to Disney Cruise Line in 2016

They had me at "Star Wars-themed specialty cocktails."

They had me at Star Wars with no George Lucas involvement but, yeah, that too.

I never had much interest in a cruise (granted I wouldn't turn one down if a steal of a deal came my way and all the cards fell the right way). But this sounds pretty cool. Just add it to the "someday list"!

I was never interested either, but that was four Disney cruises ago. Amazing every time, and I'm anxious to do one without my boy, too.

Just got off a 3 day on the Dream Monday morning, and I've already started looking at 7 day cruises. Loved every bit of the experience, but Star Wars would be a much more appealing theme night for me, personally. The fireworks for the Pirates party were very cool, but I didn't even bother to watch the stage stuff in front of the pool, but would definitely watch Star Wars stuff.

Maybe a trip report would be in order? What do folks do on a cruise, what makes a Disney cruise top notch, etc?

I guess my biggest reason for not being overly interested is anyone who has told me about a cruise either was somewhere between half-in-the-bag and wasted the entire time, or is a very senior citizen... Seemed like a pretty steep cover charge to get hammered for 4-7 days. Plus I'm not much of a drinker.

I know this isn't CruiseBuzz but I'm curious what people think of their cruise experience.

I've written some blog posts. If you want an overly detailed account of a 3-day on the Dream, I wrote three blog posts (February 2013). Here's a shorter one that probably isn't as obvious unless you've been on one (May 2014, with Mike/onceler from the podcast).

For the short itineraries like the 3-night, honestly, the appeal is that it's like staying at a fantastic hotel with fantastic service and 24-hour room service. While you're in the hotel, you get great food (with more great service), some pretty solid live entertainment, for just a little more than a 5-diamond hotel cost. Compared to, say, the Grand Hyatt Kauai, it's an exceptional value.

So I've done that four times, but largely because it's super convenient for a quick getaway when you live in Orlando. Honestly, what I'm looking forward to is longer trips because it's all of that stuff above, only you get to visit and sample a bunch of different places while staying in the same hotel every night. The Northern European, Mediterranean and Hawaii itineraries are very appealing in that sense.

ShaneDenmark said:

Maybe a trip report would be in order? What do folks do on a cruise, what makes a Disney cruise top notch, etc?

I guess my biggest reason for not being overly interested is anyone who has told me about a cruise either was somewhere between half-in-the-bag and wasted the entire time, or is a very senior citizen... Seemed like a pretty steep cover charge to get hammered for 4-7 days. Plus I'm not much of a drinker.

I know this isn't CruiseBuzz but I'm curious what people think of their cruise experience.

Pretty much what Jeff said, although mine was a honeymoon cruise (also my first cruise). Being 25 and not much of a drinker I'm probably not the typical cruiser, but I also enjoy doing nothing and there's no chance of being interrupted on a cruise (unless you pay for wifi). The few hours I spent just lounging in the adults only section of Castaway Cay watching the water come in and out, admiring the pristine scene...best, most relaxing few hours of my life.

The service we got on this cruise was simply phenomenal as well, better than anything I've experienced in the parks or any hotel (granted I've never stayed in a real 4 or 5 star). Our room attendant was almost a casual friend by the end of the trip with how much we chatted with her as we came and went from our room for breakfast/dinner, and the staff during dinner could predict what we were going to order by the 3rd night, even with the changing menus. The entertainment was also really good considering the venue (which was gorgeous).

I really want to do a 7+ day cruise to have at least 2 days at sea so I could really enjoy the ship more, namely the all you can eat soft serve ice cream on deck 11. We didn't even get off the ship in Nassau (though everyone coming back on that we talked to said they wished they hadn't, as there were 5 or 6 other ships besides the Dream in port that day) and barely did half the things on the ship that we could have.

I enjoy getting my drink on at times, but it's not really a reason itself to cruise, I don't think. We never get off at Nassau either. That disconnection is one of the most awesome parts to me. Last one I did we tried concierge, which included a significant amount of "free" WiFi, but we didn't bother.

You make a good point about the stateroom hosts and the wait staff. It's really staggering how good they are. And because they're never American (at least, none of the folks assigned to us), it's a great opportunity to learn about their cultures.

It's worth noting too that you don't need to view DCL as a thing for kids. As Mike mentioned, he spent time in the adults-only part of Castaway Cay, and on the ship, you don't see many kids after 9. The bars and clubs obviously are adults-only. You'll find singers and small bands there, more great service, DJ's, karaoke, and even "game shows." Because there is something of a family bent to the daytime activities, it's not much of a singles scene, so you probably don't want to go expecting to hook up if you're single. :)

I can't speak for Disney as I've only done Carnival (twice, my honeymoon in 2004 and got a crazy group deal the following year with a friend's scuba diving team), but I can echo everything Jeff and maXairMike said. Both were 7-day cruises, South and Western Caribbean, respectively.

Two things to mind when I think back on my first cruise (the much better of the two, for a few reasons: the company we were with*, the fact that it was our first cruise, and it was the quickest and most dynamic come-down experience from one of the most stressful times in our lives leading up to the wedding):

1. Less than an hour after departing Miami, sitting in a hot tub looking up at the night sky with my new bride, drink in hand.

2. Our first excursion at our first stop in St. Thomas--taking this boat over to St. John, Bob Marley blasting over the speakers, ocean spraying us the entire trip, then spending the most relaxing few hours of my life at the most serene beach I've ever seen, Trunk Bay:

*On our second cruise, we were able to truly get to know our "friend" (who got us the great deal) during those 7 days. The day we deboarded the ship back in Ft. Lauderdale was the last time we ever spoke to her.

Going with "good people" definitely makes a difference. We have enjoyed our solo cruises, but it's definitely better with friends or family.

I get an insanely steep discount on Disney cruises but have yet to book one because I can't get past the incredible service I get on Celebrity. I have cruised with Carnival and Royal as well but after our first cruise on Celebrity I was hooked. They treat you as if you are the only person on the ship and it is great! We spent 2 weeks in the Western Caribbean last April and loved every minute of it (going in thinking 2 weeks might be too much), I could have easily spent another week on the ship. We enjoyed those 2 weeks so much that we booked 2 weeks in Alaska while on the cruise for this coming May. I suppose someday I will take a Disney cruise but for now my money belongs to Celebrity.