The 5 Best Decisions I Made for My First Disney Cruise

No regrets on these choices for our recent sailing!

Thanks to the advice of many experienced cruise-goers, I felt very prepared for my first-ever cruise. There isn't one "right way" to have a great cruise because it depends so much on the unique needs and preferences of your family, but here are some of the big wins we recently had on the Disney Dream.

Note: We are a family of four with a 7 year old and 4 year old.

1. Room Location

Midship, mid floor (deck 7) was perfect for us. We felt like everything was very accessible without having too much traffic right outside our door. On days with choppier seas, we felt significantly less motion in our room than other parts of the ship.

2. Midday Naps

The days we had our (usually non-napping) kids rest made the evenings more enjoyable for everyone. I talked to other parents who said they weren’t able to do anything after dinner because their kids were understandably exhausted. At first, I struggled to "waste" precious time having the kids sleep for an hour, but doing so made it possible to do more evening activities together.

3. Easing Into Port Days

It worked really well to have slower mornings and disembark to the islands a little later than the morning crowds. It was less stressful for us as first-timers, and we still had plenty of time to enjoy things. I totally understand families choosing to maximize their time off ship, and we might do that when our kids are older, but this was perfect for us this time around.

4. Arriving the Day Before Embarkation Day

This is common advice, but it was really important for us to have extra time to arrive amidst weather related flight delays. We were able to get a solid night's rest before kicking off the cruise.

5. Skipping the Wifi Package

I only used my phone to take photos/videos and use the Disney Cruise Line app. It was incredibly freeing and allowed me to really focus on being in the moment with my family. Unplugging was great (and it saved us money)!

If you're thinking about your first Disney Cruise but don't know where to start, I'd love to help!

My planning services are always completely free.

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