Following is the draft script for The Travel Channel’s Secrets of Disney Cruise Line, which aired for the first time in the spring of 2007. The Q&A provides useful information for families considering a Disney cruise.Q. Are the Disney ships just for families?
A. People assume that the Disney ships are only for families. And yes, the ships are great for families, but they’re also great for adults – either traveling with children or without. That’s because Disney has cleverly designed its ships so that they feature ships within ships: one for adults traveling with children, and the other for adults traveling without children.
Both ships have many adults-only areas, including a restaurant for fine dining, a pool area and an evening entertainment area.
Q. So why would anyone without kids want to do a Disney cruise?
A. First, the entertainment is great. Second, adults are well catered to. And third, it never hurts to get in touch with your inner child.
Q, Tell us about the accommodations on the ship.
A. The standards staterooms would be called mini-suites on other ships. They’re very roomy, with a sitting area and bedroom separated by curtains that can be drawn at night. This configuration gives you two bedrooms. The ships also feature a bath and a half, which is probably the ultimate luxury for families traveling together.
Q. What distinguishes Disney form the other cruise lines?
A. There are a few things that distinguish Disney: First, the ships have a classic ocean liner style. I love standing in front of the large portholes along the adults-only entertainment area, Route 66 on the Disney Wonder and Beat Street on Disney Magic. It gives me the feeling that I am cruising during the golden age of transatlantic liners. I also enjoy unpacking into the upended steamer trunk that serves as storage in the stateroom.
Q. Are the ships overly themed, or is the underlying Disney motif more subtle?
A. There’s certainly going to be no escaping the fact that you’re on a Disney ship, but you’re not going to disembark feeling as though you’ve been overly exposed to Disney. It’s not a Disney in your face experience 24/7.
The overall Disney motif is rather subtle. There are areas in fact where you’d never know you were on a Disney-themed ship. Take the adults only areas for example. In Palo, the adults-only restaurant, you get the feel that you are in Northern Italy – not on a Disney ship.
There are two other very elegant dining rooms, Lumieres on Magic and Tritons on Wonder. So these sort of bring a luxury feel to the ships that is not total Disney.
Q. How many pools are on board? Are there differences between them?
A. There are three pools on each of the ships, and they’re all quite different. There’s a pool for kids only, and it has a waterslide. There’s a pool for families, and there’s a pool for adults only. There are also a couple of hot tubs which everyone seems to enjoy.
Q. Tell us about Castaway Cay.
A. Castaway Cay is so remarkable that it often ends up being guests’ favorite port of call. In fact, some itineraries stop there twice. It’s a seamless experience from ship to shore, and Disney has made it extremely convenient to walk off the ship and onto the island without having to tender as you have to do at many other private islands operated by the cruise lines.
What you’ll find at Castaway Cay are great beaches, and they’re actually protected so that no predatory marine life can get into the swimming areas. There’s swimming, snorkeling, boating activities, volleyball, fun and games for young kids, bicycling and of course a barbecue feast.
There’s a great teen beach, and another area called Scuttle’s Cover for kids ages 3 – 12.
Again, there’s also an adults only area at Serenity Bay, which features a beautiful stretch of sandy beach, open-air cabanas for massages, and the Castaway Air Bar for drinks and food. One of the additions is the flying Dutchman Pirate ship from “Pirates of the Caribbean.”
Q. Tell us about the spa villas.
A. The spa villas are one of the industry’s more unique spa experiences. Disney Magic has three that each feature an indoor spa treatment suite connected to a private verandah with hot tub, open-air shower and comfortable seating in the form of a chaise lounge the size of a full-size bed.
I was fortunate enough to experience this. My spa treatment began on the veranda on one morning of our cruise. The setting was serene, with light music and the sound of waves washing against the ship’s hull. After a foot soak, followed by 20 minutes in the hot tub, I received a one-hour spa treatment and then returned to the veranda to relax on the chaise lounge. I fell asleep in that chaise lounge.
Q. Tell us about the suites on board.
A. Well, I’ve never stayed in one, but I’ve walked in all three types. They range from one to two bedrooms and from 614 to 945 square feet. They are appointed with dining tables, numerous storage areas and TV’s, plus Kohler whirlpool tubs, expansive balconies, and a cabinet stocked with popular board games.
The Walt and Roy Disney Suites are the ship’s grandest (1,029 square feet) accommodations. They’re filled with Disney family photographs and shelves with interesting old books. Suite guests can select their preferred pillow — hypoallergenic, feather or therapeutic memory foam — from the “Pillow Talk” program menu, plus enjoy comfortable duvets, robes and slippers. In addition, the dining room menu is available for delivery in the suites.
Q. Tell us about the Stingray Adventure. Can you interact with the rays? A. Stingray Adventure is just an awesome experience. First, it’s a great education. You learn a lot about the magnificent marine creatures.
Second, it’s a wonderful opportunity to interact with stingrays in a controlled and safe environment. The water is only a little more than knee deep, and the stingrays’ stingers have actually been trimmed so that there’s no danger of anyone getting hurt.
They’re fun to touch, and they seem to like the human hand on their velvety underbelly. That’s where the mouth is, and you actually get to feed the stingrays, which suck bits of fish, shrimp or squid from your hand.
Q. What is a “sail-away party?”
A. The sail-away party on Disney ships is one big festive event. It really gets the cruise going. The action takes place outside on the upper decks, where you have this sort of super-charged atmosphere. Disney characters and cast members are on stage and in the audience, and everyone is dancing.
Being the children of a travel writer, my kids have cruised many times, but I’ve never them so exhilarated as on a Disney sail-away party. They practically hyperventilated. The adults have fun joining in on the festivities also. It’s truly a memorable experience.
Q. What do you hope to see happen with Disney Cruise Line in the days and years ahead?
A. I’d like to see Disney Cruise Line build more ships and cruise to more destinations worldwide. There’s just no better way to introduce families to the rest of the world (in fact, shortly after this interview, Disney announced two new ships for delivery in 2010 and 2011).
Imagine a Disney ship sailing into the fairy-tale kingdom of Denmark. Just a short walk from where the ship would dock is the Little Mermaid, which of course was conjured up by the Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Anderson and later immortalized in the Disney film The Little Mermaid. Few other cruise lines are capable of waving their wands to create that sort of magic.
