Can we talk about our empty nest plans yet? Too soon? Not really. We’ve been mapping out our plans since dropping off our eldest child at college in 2020. Three years ago, as we looked ahead to the fall of 2024, we booked a Baltic Sea cruise that was to knock several items off Rich’s Russian bucket list. That plan did not age well and who knows if we will ever get Rich to the Hermitage.
When it was apparent we needed to shift gears in our quest for an empty-nesting itinerary, we pointed our ship goals to an Alaskan cruise for which I then proceeded to invite nearly a dozen other people. Why? Rich and I will handle the shock of an empty nest quite differently. He will look for solitude while I will look for strength in numbers. While we both agreed that needed something on the Fall of 2024 calendar, we were approaching it from different directions. Something quiet (for Rich), fun (for me), and interesting (for both of us).
While Rich played along with my emotional need to surround myself with people and avoid reality, I did understand that I’d launched that Inner Passage Invite right through the middle of his emotional need for contemplative alone time. As odd luck would have it, our Alaskan cruise also fell apart as our fellow travelers discovered unavoidable conflicts or physical issues that led to abandoning that particular ship. Alaska would also have to wait.
After a quick pow-wow, we opted to postpone the Alaska group cruise to 2025 and, thus, Rich and I were, again, faced with empty nesting without a plan.
Moments later, the universe took over and tossed us a dream.
Sometimes, I think, it really is better to let fate decide what’s next on the agenda.
Still, if you’d told me a year ago that we’d be happily slated for a ten-day Disney cruise (including five days at sea), I’d have been thrilled and concerned. Thrilled for me–I love a Disney cruise. Concerned for Rich–was he concussed when he agreed?
How did this Wonder of a trip come to fruition?
Let’s go back a few months to Spring Break 2024.
When we asked our son, a senior in high school, what he’d like to do for his ‘final’ spring break he quickly answered, “Disneyworld.” Without thinking, I volleyed, “What if we do a few days in the parks and a few days on the Disney Wish?” For those new here, I fell madly in love with the Disney Wish the previous year. Did I use that love to bribe my boys? Yes.
Click Here about my first Disney Wish experience
“Sure… I mean…I guess we could go back to Disneyworld…” I said with a faux tone of resignation, “But maybe we could also do a few days on the Wish…just to relax before things get graduation crazy…” Honestly, I didn’t expect a yes and would have gone along with another full week at Disneyworld, happily.
They did say yes.
If you asked him, my husband would say his expectations for a Disney cruise were fairly low. He braced for the encounter of hundreds of screaming children in a variety of princess or pirate costumes. He prepared for meals with limited options like macaroni & cheese, chicken nuggets, and apple sauce. Adult spaces? Sure, he knew there would be at least one as they are available on every cruise ship but we’ve always found them overcrowded with folks exploiting their drinking package while remaining planted in the hot tubs. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, we just like our hot tub time, well, filled with the drippings of alcohol-soaked sweat.
In other words, beyond humoring me, Rich’s plans for this three-day jaunt on the Disney Wish included resting tired park legs while hiding in our stateroom.
I daresay his transformation began the moment we entered the stunning atrium on the Wish. I could almost hear my husband’s curiosity peak. This wasn’t the usual cruise ship entry point that snakes through the casino, smelling of stale cigarettes and the regret. Disney wouldn’t dare. Instead, Disney guests are welcomed straight into the most wonderous spaces of all, greeted by characters and cast members, and, good grief, they are all genuinely happy to see their newest adventurers! When you board a Disney Cruise, you become part of a floating, blissful family.
Still, Rich’s face held some skepticism. I mean, sure, first impressions were great but what about OMG THIS FOOD IS SO GOOD DID YOU SEE THEY HAVE CRAB LEGS? CRAB LEGS. THIS IS SO GOOD. The way to my husband’s heart? Yes, you guessed it. Was he drinking the Disney Kool-Aid Dole Whip? I was hopeful, but we’d only been onboard for 45 minutes.
After lunch, we went to the Adults Only area for the Sail Away party. On a typical ship, Sail Away means passengers stand shoulder to shoulder on the upper deck waving to the landlocked while exiting the port. It’s a little awkward as one is never quite sure when Sail Away ends and the real cruising begins. On a Disney ship, Sail Away is a massive party with Captain Minnie leading the singalong. It is impossible not to join in the fun.
Well, mostly.
By dumb luck, our departure took us straight past all things SpaceX. If Rich wasn’t sold on the Disney cruise by then, his I’m-so-close-I-could-touch-it view of all Elon Musk’s toys certainly tipped him over the edge. I was slightly concerned that he might, in fact, launch himself off the ship and make a go at swimming to the land of all things Starship.
Four years ago, if you’d asked either Rich or me what our favorite cruise line was, we’d have listed plusses and minuses across a few brands.
Today when asked, our answer is Disney. Always Disney.
It has been Disney since my first time on the Wish in 2023–a trip that was really just about girl time and emotional recovery from some life hiccups. That trip was awesome but I thought it might have been more about the getaway than the actual ship. When I boarded the Wish again, in early 2024, again on a girls’ trip, I did so thinking that it wouldn’t pack the same Pixie Dust punch. I was wrong. Knowing what to expect made it all the better. I took more time to explore and relax and feel the joy that camps out in every nook and cranny of the Disney ships.
The Disney Wish is really the starter ship for those testing out the Disney cruise brand. It departs Port Canaveral twice a week for either a three or four-night sailing to the Bahamas with stops at Nassau and Castaway Cay (one of Disney’s two private islands). While it could be called an abridged cruise, somehow, time on the Wish moves slowly enough to make a three-night sailing seem to last forever in all the right ways.
I suppose one could argue that Disney puts all the whistles and bells into the Wish sailings to hook guests, but that’s not how Disney operates. That would be like saying Magic Kingdom is the gem of the Disney parks, meant to get people there, while the rest of the parks are just average. Again, not true. It’s why visitors to Walt Disney World have such a hard time deciding which park is the priority–they are all wonderful. No fluff to be found.
The same applies to Disney’s cruise ships. In the fall, Rich and I will be sailing on the Disney Wonder. In January, my girls’ trip will be aboard the Disney Fantasy. I am locked into planning groups and researching more about these ships than any other that I have been on. Why? Because they are so stinking fun.
While on the Wish and during our Arendal dinner, my jaw hit the table as I watched my child singing “Let it Go” at the absolute top of his lungs. My child – a senior in high school. My husband? Also singing along though he denies it to this day. Honestly? I’m not even sure he is denying it as much as I think maybe he momentarily blanked out in a journey back to the freeing days of childhood when inhibitions were not yet discovered.
My favorite moment of our entire vacation was when Rich turned to look at me, sparkling eyes, arms waving in the air as we hit that chorus one more time, and saying, “I have no idea why I am enjoying this so much!!!
Pixie Dust. It has to be the Pixie Dust.
PS: The kids? Yes, there are plenty of kids on a Disney Cruise–I just have no idea where they are stashed throughout the day. I’m assuming there is a daily nap scheduled for the under-10 set as they seem to show up to dinners with enough glee to share. If you think Disney cruises are just for kids, you are one thousand percent wrong. Oh and, a small tip, if your kids are fans of Disney characters but are not quite ready for the theme park experience? A Disney cruise may be the best (and most affordable) answer.
Ready to go? Zip me a note and let’s get your Disney Cruise booked.