With the launch of Disney Cruise Line in 1998, families were offered yet another reason to take a cruise. The magic of a Walt Disney resort vacation plus the romance of a sea voyage are a tempting combination, especially for adults who discovered Disney movies and the Mickey Mouse Club as children. Mixed with traditional shipboard activities, who can resist scheduled opportunities for the young and young-at-heart to interact with their favorite Disney characters?

A Disney cruise begins even before embarkation if you opt to use bus transfers from the Orlando airport or Walt Disney World. A slick orientation video passes the time and gets everyone revved up for their first view of the ship. Passengers who added a precruise stay at Walt Disney World seamlessly complete their cruise check-in before leaving the resort; check-in for the balance of passengers is handled in the efficient Port Canaveral terminal designed especially for Disney. While waiting to board, capture your children's attention by pointing out the cut-away model of a Disney ship and a map of the Bahamas and Caribbean inlaid in the floor.

Shipboard entertainment leans heavily on popular Disney themes and characters. Parents are actively involved in the audience with their children at production shows, movies, live character meetings, deck parties, and dancing in the family nightclub. Teens have a supervised, no-adults-allowed club space in the forward fake funnel, where they gather for activities and parties. For adults, there are traditional no-kids-allowed bars and lounges with live music, dancing, theme parties, and late-night comedy as well as daytime wine-tasting sessions, game shows, culinary arts and home entertaining demonstrations, and behind-the-scenes lectures on animation and filmmaking.

A giant-size LED screen has been affixed to the forward funnel on Disney Magic. Passengers can watch movies and special broadcasts while lounging in the family pool area.

For many Disney Wonder passengers, the cruise is a three- or four-night extension of a Walt Disney World vacation, while Disney Magic sailings more resemble a traditional seven-night cruise with a Disney twist. All Bahamas and Caribbean cruises call at Castaway Cay, Disney's private Bahamian island with its own pier for convenient dockside debarkation. It's the only cruise line private island with a dock.

Food

Don't expect top chefs and gourmet food. This is Disney, and the fare in Parrot Cay and Animator's Palate, the two casual restaurants, is all-American for the most part. Triton's (Disney Wonder) and Lumière's (Disney Magic) restaurants are a bit fancier, with French-inspired dishes on the menus. Naturally, all have children's menus with an array of favorite sandwiches and entrées. Vegetarian and healthy selections are also available in all restaurants. A bonus is complimentary soft drinks, Kool-Aid, lemonade, and iced tea throughout the sailing. A beverage station in the buffet area is always open.

Palo, the adults-only restaurant serving Northern Italian cuisine, requires reservations for a romantic evening of fine dining. Although there's a cover charge for dinner, at $10 per person it's a steal and reservations go fast. A champagne brunch on four- and seven-night cruises also commands a $10 surcharge; high tea on seven-night cruises is $5.

Fitness & Recreation

Three swimming pools are designated for different groups: for children (Mickey's Pool, which has a water slide and requires a parent to be present); for families (Goofy Pool); and adults (Quiet Cove). Young children who aren't potty trained can't swim in the pools but are invited to splash about in the fountain play area near Mickey's Pool. Be sure to bring their swim diapers.

The salon and spa feature a complete menu of hair and nail care services as well as facials and massages. The Tropical Rainforest is a soothing coed thermal suite with heated tile lounges. It's complimentary for the day if you book a spa treatment, or available on a daily or cruise-long basis for a fee. In addition, in late 2005, the spa on Disney Magic gained three unique indoor/outdoor treatment suites, each of which has a veranda with a hot tub and an open-air shower. In addition to a nicely equipped fitness center and aerobics studio are a jogging track and basketball court.

Your Shipmates

The young and not so young -- singles, couples, and families -- all find Disney Cruises appealing. As expected, multigeneration family groups are the core audience for these ships, and the facilities are ideal for family gatherings. What you might not have expected are the numerous newlywed couples celebrating their honeymoons on board.

Dress Code

Three- and four-night Disney Wonder cruises are casual; no formal wear is required, and resort casual is the evening dress code for dinner in the Animator's Palate and Parrot Cay dining rooms. A sport coat with tie is appropriate for Triton's (Disney Wonder) and Lumière's (Disney Magic) restaurants as well as Palo, the adults-only restaurant on both ships; however, you won't be turned away without a tie and could probably get by without the sport coat as well. In addition to the guideline for shorter cruises, one-week cruises on Disney Magic schedule a semiformal evening and a formal night, during which men are encouraged to wear tuxedos, but dark suits or sport coats and ties are acceptable.

Junior Cruisers

As expected, Disney ships have extensive programs for children and teens. Parents are issued a pager for peace of mind and to alert them when their offspring need them. Complimentary age-appropriate activities are scheduled from 9 am to midnight in the Oceaneer Club for ages three (toilet training required) to seven, in Oceaneer Lab for ages 8 to 12. Activities include arts projects, contests, computer games, pool parties, interactive lab stations, and opportunities for individual and group play. The emphasis is on fun over education, but subtle educational themes are certainly there.

An hourly fee is charged for child care in Flounder's Reef Nursery, which is open during select hours for infants as young as three months through three years. Supply your own diapers, and nursery attendants will change them. Private, in-cabin babysitting is not available.

For teens, the Stack is a coffeehouse-style club complete with music, a dance floor, large-screen television, and Internet Café. Scheduled activities include challenging games, photography lessons, sporting contests, beach events, and parties, but the Stack is also a great place for teenagers to just hang out with new friends in an adult-free zone.

Service

Friendly service is extended to all passengers with particular importance placed on treating children with the same courtesy extended to adults.

Tipping

Suggested gratuity amounts are calculated on a per person/per cruise rather than per night basis and can be added to onboard accounts or offered in cash on the last night of the cruise. Guidelines include gratuities for your dining room server, assistant server, head server, and stateroom host/hostess for the following amounts: $32.50 for three-night cruises, $43.75 for four-night cruises, and $76.25 for seven-night cruises. Tips for room-service delivery and the dining manager are at each passengers' discretion. An automatic 15% gratuity is added to all bar tabs.

Past Passengers

Castaway Club membership is automatic after completing a Disney cruise. Benefits include a complimentary gift (such as a tote bag or beach towel), communication about special offers, priority check-in, invitations to shipboard cocktail parties during subsequent cruises, and a special toll-free reservation telephone number (800/449-3380) for convenience.

Disney Cruise Line.
Phone: 407/566-3500 or 800/325-2500
www.disneycruise.com