What’s New with Disney Cruise Line in 2013

Walt Disney's lifelong philosophy can be summed up in a few short words – “If you can dream it, you can do it.” The most current expression of Disney’s Cruise Line dream-come-true vision incorporates innovations never before experienced at sea and affirms Disney's place in the front rank of all the best known entertainment companies throughout the world. New for this current year is Disney's number one ranked Mega-Ship fleet featuring redesigned three deck lobbies, new restaurants, enhanced salon/spas and a brand new water thrill rides that include a water coaster that extends out over the ocean. All of these enhancements have resulted in the company garnering a fifth consecutive award for the top ranking experience for families among all the mega-ship cruise lines.

The Disney Company is rooted in imagery. That is why the newest additions to the Disney fleet are designed to recreate the romance of history's classic sailing ships. Also new this year is special immersive experiences that appeal to guests of all ages. For families this includes the practice of announcing the each of the families by name as they come aboard ship. Other new features include engineer designed line management systems that minimize wait times for the most popular onboard amenities. An all-new bill of fare catering to those looking for adult nighttime fun now provides an abundance of entertainment alternatives within the special Disney Cruise Line after hours district.

Disney builds ships with families in mind. This means making the staterooms larger and filling them with innovative comforts not commonly found on other cruise ships. The newest of these innovations involve lifting the beds up higher in order to create additional storage space under them. Split baths with separate sinks within the rooms permit more than one person to wash up at the same time. Again, this is done to accommodate families. Rooms without portholes are graced with “Magical Portholes” that entertain children with views of iconic Disney characters.

There are several different ways that Disney Cruise Line guests can partake of the many dining options available to them. By the pools are quick-serve stations along with complimentary drink stations. There is always 24-hour complementary room service to the staterooms, there is of course the buffet, and all the newest Disney cruise ships now have fine adults-only restaurants to steal away to. Unique to the industry, Disney cruise family restaurants now have “rotational dining” which permits families to dine in a different restaurant every night of the week. Surprisingly, this system calls for every family to be served by the same wait staff for the full duration of their cruise regardless of where they choose to sit down to eat.

In the children's activities rooms, Disney Imagineers have made the ceilings lower to make the kids feel taller and further immerse them in the story the rooms are designed to tell. For family entertainment options there are two types of theaters — one for movies, and one for live stage shows. Of course, as anyone who has ever been to a Disney theme park before knows, their newest characters will certainly be found onboard — dressed in their Sunday best and ready to meet and greet all their guests.