Disney ships work their magic for families

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The Disney Wonder docked at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

We all know that for kids, Disney is magical. But you don't realize how much that magic permeates the adult psyche until you see a Disney ship pull into a port.

Anyone who has docked where multiple ships are tied up for the day knows you will find a smattering of people on other ships watching your arrival from their balconies or the decks above them. It's a cruise thing -- you wave, they wave back.

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At left, Disney Wonder Triton family restaurant (POSTMEDIA)

When a Disney ship pulls into port, the crowd is bigger, more enthusiastic, more curious about what's on board. And when Disney lets go with the horn playing the first bars of When You Wish Upon a Star, you know this cruise line is indeed different.

It all starts when you reach the entrance and you're announced to the world, or at least to whomever's in the atrium -- applause, applause -- and a Disney "cast member" dressed in white finery fills you in on plans for the next few hours.

Disney Cruise Lines built its ships for families. Other cruise lines built their ships for adults and families, and there is a difference. While other lines are developing characters and themes to bring their own brand of magic to cruising, Disney definitely had a head start in this category and aims to keep it that way as the fleet doubles in just over a year. There will be more added for the kids, plus a lot more areas for adults, especially on the newer ships -- the Dream and the soon-to-be-launched Fantasy.

Disney figured this out long ago. If the kids are coming, that means parents, uncles, aunts and cousins. All of a sudden, you have a family reunion and that sale of four tickets all of sudden becomes 12.

Dining is unique. During a seven-day cruise, you will be in three different dining rooms for dinner. While there are different themes in each, the most important thing is that the people serving you move with you. They know you by name -- not unusual for a cruise-line wait staff, but they know that travelling with children makes a big difference, and they approach your service with an understanding of that difference.

One waiter suggested that, to get the feel of a ship, I should sign on for a week as staff. However, with experience limited to "Hi, welcome aboard!" I would soon be former staff.

The staterooms are different. To start with, they have two washrooms, a pull-down bunk bed, a couch that changes into a bed and a curtained-off room for parents. The bathrooms are small, but one does have a tub.

Outside, you will find pools for kids, families and adults-only. Start at the kids' pool and work your way to the adults' area, and you'll notice a drop in the decibels. As the Disney characters come out to party -- with adults, as well as kids -- there's a constant whir of motion.

Inside, the characters pose for pictures. While the pros are providing you with that perfect picture, you can fire away with your own cameras.

The best adult experience on the ship is Palo, the adult-only dining room with an excellent multi-course dinner for only $20.

More ships and more destinations mean seeing a Disney ship in port will not be that unusual.

-- Postmedia News

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Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition January 21, 2012 D6