For our first ever family cruise, we decided to see what all the fuss was about with the Disney Cruise Line, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. With its multiple theaters, Oceaneer Lab, pools, and countless character-themed events, there’s plenty of things to keep the kiddos entertained. The entertainment is usually just a small portion of what makes a cruise great, but in Disney’s case, since they essentially babysit your kids while you take a nap or partake in a few adult beverages, the entertainment is a non-negotiable. The other factors that make a great cruise is it’s food. With Baby Horse’s allergies, it’s comforting to know that a cruise line is allergy-friendly (or at least as much as it can be). For the adults, most of us decided to try out Palo, and like the rest of the cruise, we weren’t disappointed.

A couple of highlights from the cruise:

–The kids all got to play together. They’re all pretty close in age and having them bond like this is why we moved back to California
–Spending time with the family. This is our 3rd (I think) family vacation, and it’s always nice to take a break from our otherwise stressful lives and enjoy some quality time with family
–Palo. I love buffets and this is no different. Too bad we had to stop eating to pickup the kids from the Oceaneer Lab (I’m kidding…kind of)
–The Frozen musical! Pretty cool to see this. As it’s currently debuting now on Broadway, it’s nice to know we got a sneak peak of what’s sure to be a hit with the kids
–Character-themed events: from the sail-off parade, to the trick-or-treat meet and greets, this was really well done

Although everything was near perfect, we did have a small snafu towards the end of the cruise. Little Tiger got really (REALLY) sick on the final night and ended up vomiting 7 times in and around our state room. Looking back, I don’t think the $20 tip I left was enough to clean the vomit from two beds and multiple bed sheets. Even though Little Tiger got sick, what really impressed me was how concerned he was for the person that had to clean-up the room. He’s a great kid and hopefully that final night didn’t taint the good memories he has of the trip.

Speaking of memories, Baby Horse still mentions the cruise and wants to go back. Um, maybe in another 5 years when we can save up enough money for the cruise and for a Palo dinner!

All smiles and ready to on the cruise!

The condition of the state room certainly didn’t look this nice when we left it. Sorry.

No shortage of things for the kids to do. With all the different things going on, we didn’t even get to catch a movie in one of the theaters.

The parades and parties were great. Not only did the kids get to see the Disney characters, but it was overall a great way to keep the Halloween theme and keep the energy up throughout the cruise.

The pool was a big hit, but unfortunately, we didn’t get to go back there and let the kids swim some more. Next time, forget the origami, we’re going straight for the pool.

Deal ALERT! The Knight-thingy was the best deal of the entire cruise! The kids got to have their hair styled and glittered (although they could’ve done without it), AND they each got foam swords and shields. As I’m typing this now, 5 months later, the kids are still playing with those swords and shields. What a steal!

What’s a Halloween cruise without getting all dressed up. I’m not big on dressing up, but I got to admit this was pretty cool.

Excellent cruise all-in-all. Next Disney stop…Alaska!