Daddy Daughter Disney Cruises!
When a close friend of mine mentioned he was taking his daughter on a Disney Cruise, and asked if I wanted to join with my 3 year old daughter, Alex, I was immediately interested. From taking Alex on the Disney Fantasy last year, I knew she would love returning to a Disney Cruise. Although this time we would be leaving Mom at home with Alex’s baby brother, so I wasn’t 100% on how not having Mom with us on vacation would be received. However, once the Disney Cruise itinerary arrived, and she slept with it for 3 straight weeks I knew we would be alright!
Daughters getting a Meet and Greet with Princess Tiana
When my friend suggested the idea, my thoughts were we have all heard of the Daddy Daughter dances, why not take it to the next level with Daddy Daughter vacations! Similar to most dads, I always fear I’m not spending enough quality time with my kids, and the Disney Cruise was a perfect opportunity to capture that time. One of the best things about the Disney Cruise is virtually everything is taken care of for you. Admittedly, my wife is the one that keeps us functioning at home, so the Disney Cruise was perfect as Disney handles the heavy lifting for a busy Dad like me on vacation. Consider the following:
- There is always someone there to feed you.
- There is always someone to clean your room.
- There is an amazing kid’s club that many parents such as myself have to nearly bribe our kid to leave!
- Lines for character experiences are significantly reduced with far less people on the ship compared to the parks.
- The staff is amazing! (Disney quality all the way)
Alex enjoying her nightly desert: Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar
As a former Cast Member who had sailed over 100 times for work, I was familiar with Disney Cruises to say the least and have always been a fan. However, nothing compares to the Disney Cruises with my daughter. Seeing her pure enjoyment and excitement on the cruise is hard to put into words. Each night I returned to our stateroom, with a clean bed, creatively designed towel animal and a tired and wonderfully content daughter.
Daddy and Daughter Pirates!
So, of course my daughter’s first question once we debarked, “when are we going back on a Disney Cruise daddy?”. Fortunately, we are a Disney Family, so we will certainly be back. I don’t know if we will be back as fast as she would like (i.e., never really leave), but we will certainly return. Typically, we pay for our Disney Cruises on cash vs. points using the great folks at Be Our Guest Vacations. However, to help that return to a Disney Cruise come even faster as a DVC Member I was thrilled to see DVC Rental Store’s new Cruise Swap Program. As a DVC Member they’ve found a way to make our DVC Points go much further for cruises. Consider that right now they have a 7-Night Fantasy Cruise available for 339 points with no exchange fee, where as using your points directly would costs 682 points with a $95 exchange fee.
Alex with her favorite, Queen Elsa!
And, I have to mention the best part, Disney’s private island of Castaway Cay! Disney even moves the kid’s club experience to the island and calls it Scuttle’s Cove. Below you can see Minnie running for her life with my daughter in pursuit 😉
Alex chasing Minnie Mouse at Castaway Cay
Our next several trips will certainly be to Walt Disney World as that is the “mecca” as we refer to it. And there is no doubt we will work in some Daddy Daughter Disney Parks days as well. I don’t know if Daddy Daughter Disney Cruises are for every dad out there, but I highly recommend it! One day my little Alex will grow up and in all likelihood get married and have kids of her own. But for now, we have our Daddy Daughter Disney trips for many years to come!
Alex with Princess Tiana at Dinner
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