Cruising is a great way to see many destinations in one vacation! One of the best things about a cruise is stopping at different ports and having a unique adventure at each stop. But what do you do when you have a full day at sea? If you are like me you might worry you will get bored but let me tell you there is so much to do you will find you have to prioritize your wish list!
My family recently went on a Disney Cruise aboard the Disney Magic cruise ship and we had 3 full days at Sea. Here is what we did while cruising the Caribbean.
Pool Time
The Disney Magic cruise ship has 3 unique pools and 2 amazing slides all on the top deck of the ship. There is a dedicated adult-only pool, a pool right in front of a big screen TV that plays movies all day, and a fun splash pad and wading pool combination perfect for the little ones on board. No matter who you are you are bound to find a spot you enjoy.
For my family the wading pool and water slide reigned supreme – my son rode the water slide over 25 times in a row one afternoon!
Character Greetings
One of the best parts of a Disney cruise is you never know who you will run into while wandering the ship. We love meeting all of the classic characters, princesses, and even met numerous Marvel heroes.
Kids Clubs
Disney has a program for kids ages 6 months through 17 so no matter the age of your kid they are sure to find a place on the ship to call their own. My littlest spent time in the It’s a Small World Nursery almost every day of the cruise. There is a small surcharge for kids to be in the nursery but it was less than we would pay for a sitter at home and the quality of care and personalized attention she received was so worth it. She loved her time here playing with others her age, napping in the arms of cast members, meeting characters, and creating crafts to take home. We were so thankful she loved her time here because it gave us opportunities to do adult-only activities onboard.
My older kiddo is 4 now and he had an absolute blast playing in the Oceaneer Club and Lab which are open to children ages 3-12. During his time in the kids club he participated in Pluto’s Pajama Party, learned how to shoot webs from Spiderman, helped Stich capture his crazy cousins around the ship, and so much more. Seriously the kids club is THE BEST place on board and my son would spend all his time here if we let him.
Movies and Broadway Style Shows
One of the best features of a Disney Cruise is the incredible Broadway style shows that are performed in the Walt Disney Theater. While on this ship we enjoyed 3 unique shows including Tangled the Musical, Twice Enchanted a twist on the Cinderella story, and Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic. I loved each of the shows and highly recommend you take advantage of them if you cruise with Disney.
In addition to the live shows, Disney ships all have a movie theater and a Funnel Vision screen near the pool where you can watch new releases and fan favorites. We spent a lot of time on deck watching various movies and members of our group went to the movie theater to watch Black Panther: Wakanda Forever which was released in theaters while we were cruising.
Beer Tasting
One thing that might surprise you is that there are numerous adult-exclusive areas on the ship and tons of activities dedicated to adult activities. We took full advantage of our kids playing in their own clubs for some down time for ourselves. One of the favorite things we did was a Beer Tasting event held in the O’Gills Pub. If you aren’t a beer fan there are plenty of other opportunities including wine, champagne, and liquor tastings as well as opportunities to take mixology classes to learn how to create your own amazing cocktails.
Family Time in the Kids Club Open Houses
We loved going to the kids clubs during open house hours to have some fun family time. During select hours the clubs open up to all guests and host fun events. Two of the events we did as a family were creating Stich’s Goo and Exploding Volcanos. Both events were a ton of fun and we loved doing them onboard where someone else was responsible for cleaning up the mess afterwards!
Deck Parties and Fireworks at Sea
Last but certainly not least we participated in numerous deck parties! This is probably my personal favorite part of any Disney Cruise because I LOVE dancing and we all have such a good time together as a family at each event. The Magic hosted a fun Sail-A-Wave Party on embarkation day and our family dominated the dance floor! The party is so fun because they bring out all the characters and get everybody excited to kickoff a great vacation. There was also a fun party for Pirate Night – where all passengers are encouraged to dress up as pirates. During the Pirates in the Caribbean deck party we danced with Captain Hook and all of the favorites while watching Fireworks at Sea. Talk about a magical moment on a family vacation!!
EVERYTHING ELSE
As if all that wasn’t enough, we still managed to fit even more into our trip. We participated in Disney trivia contests, played a family game show, tried our luck at Bingo, created crafts as a family, and ate a ton of ice cream every day of the trip. We had so much fun during our Disney Cruise vacation while at port and at sea that we honestly couldn’t tell you what we loved more. All I know is I am already actively searching for the next opportunity we have to take another Disney Cruise as a family because it really is an incredible vacation for everyone!
