Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
“See the line where the sky meets the sea. It calls me.”
We all feel Moana’s yearning to set sail when booking a vacation on Disney Cruise Line.
With four ships (soon to be seven), a private Caribbean island, and a myriad of destinations from Norway to Alaska, Disney Cruise Line has become one of the most prestigious cruise companies since its launch in 1996.
With many unique and magical aspects aboard the ships, Disney has set a high standard in cruise experiences. But there’s one thing that Disney incredibly completely changed the rules of when it comes to cruising.
Credit: Disney
Disney Cruise Line has come a long way since the company was incorporated in 1996 as Magical Cruise Company Limited. Disney Cruise Line currently operates four ships: Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, and Disney Fantasy. Three ships will join the fleet in 2022, 2024, and 2025, the first being the Disney Wish, which recently delayed its inaugural cruise this summer. Disney Cruise Line operates the Disney Cruise Line Terminal in Port Canaveral, Florida.
The Disney Wish will be Disney’s most elegant cruise ship to date and will feature a number of brand new, one-of-a-kind experiences — including the first-ever “attraction at sea”, the Aquamouse, as well as Frozen and Marvel dining experiences, and an enchanted forest-themed Walt Disney Theatre.
The Disney Wish hit the water for the first time on February 11 in Papenburg, Germany, alongside fireworks, musical fanfare, and even Captain Minnie Mouse joining the celebration.
Guests’ experiences aboard Disney Cruise Line are unique when compared to other cruise companies. Disney Cruise Line, of course, owns Castaway Cay, a private island in the Bahamas designed as an exclusive port of call for Disney’s ships. A second private destination, Lighthouse Point – a 700-acre property on the southern end of Eleuthera, Bahamas – is set to open in late 2022 or early 2023.
But one little tidbit truly makes Disney Cruise Line different from any other competitor.
Credit: Disney Tips
It’s not the iconic first seven notes of the “When You Wish Upon a Star” song melody as their horn signals, nor that Disney ships are the only cruise ships to have five captains – the ship’s captain, Captain Mickey, Captain Minnie, Captain Hook, and Captain Jack Sparrow.
No, it is in fact the lifeboats.
Yep – the lifeboats on Disney Cruise Line’s ships are totally unique and special, and actually, go against the Coast Guard’s rules!
The Disney ships are painted in Mickey Mouse-inspired colors. Each has a black hull, white superstructure, yellow trim, and two giant red funnels, each with the Disney Cruise Line Mickey Mouse logo.
And Disney wanted the lifeboats to match. Disney Cruise Line was the first cruise line to have yellow lifeboats, instead of the traditional regulation orange. Disney was granted special permission from the U.S. Coast Guard to paint the lifeboats yellow, to keep with the special Mickey-theming of the ship.
Disney fought to have the specific lifeboat color in order to match the color of Mickey’s shoes. They won, and now Mickey’s yellow Pantone 99 is a patented color to be used only by Disney.
Credit: Disney via Youtube
Furthermore, Disney pioneered the rotational dining concept, in which Guests rotate with their servers through different main dining rooms.
No other cruise line can compare with the service you’ll get on a Disney ship. With approximately one crew member for every three Guests, plus that legendary Disney customer service, you’ll be in excellent hands!
Of course, you should expect to pay a high cost for the privilege of enjoying these Disney perks aboard a cruise ship, including those infamous yellow lifeboats. Disney Cruise Line sometimes offers Florida Resident, Military, and last-minute booking discounts, so keep your eye out for those if on a tighter budget.
And here’s one last fun fact for all those Disney Cruise Line fans out there. Measuring 964 feet in length, the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder are each longer than Main Street, U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World!
At 1,115 feet, the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream are longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and longer than the height of New York City’s famous Chrysler Building.
Crazy, right? Each ship is like a floating city!
