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Why Do a Second Disney Cruise to the Bahamas?

We had such an incredible time on our first Disney Cruise on the Disney Dream that my kids pretty much demanded we do a second Disney cruise as we left the Dream. My husband fortunately agreed to another cruise, so I booked a very similar trip as our first sailing except we sailed on the Fantasy instead of the Dream, and we left from Port Canaveral instead of Fort Lauderdale. I want to share what we did differently on this cruise that made it even better than our first sailing!

Planning:

Our first cruise was a huge success despite us planning nothing more than getting on the ship and buying wine plus collapsible sand toys in advance. This time we had the experiences of our first cruise to learn from plus a year to plan/dream so we were a lot more prepared which made this trip even better than the first. Here are some things I did in advance of our sailing to prepare for the second cruise:

• Midship Detective Agency Game: I booked the Fantasy for our second cruise because of the Midship Detective Agency game. One of my children thinks it is the best part of the Disney Cruise, so I knew we needed to sail on a ship with the game. This limited our options to the Fantasy or sailing again on the Dream.  
• Frozen: I also picked the Fantasy ship because one of the evening shows is the Frozen musical. Frozen is still one of my children’s favorite Disney movies so I wanted to make sure our second cruise had a Frozen element. It was adorable to watch my child enthusiastically sing along to their favorite songs while watching the show onboard. 
• Disney Magic Bands: We did not buy Magic bands for our first cruise because we did not know if we would book a second Disney Cruise. The only issue we had as a result was when we got the kid’s identical magic bands issued by the kids club mixed up after my husband and I had split up with the kids, and then we had to coordinate stopping our activities and swapping the bands we each had for the kids. While this is very much a  first world problem, we decided to buy the bands since we anticipated sailing on additional cruises. 
• Bath Bombs: I bought Disney character bath bombs in advance of our sailing to plan for intentional down time for the kids. I wanted them to have a reason to pause in the middle of the day to bathe and not be over stimulated, and bath bombs were a way to both plan for and incentivize that pause.
• Character Magnets: For our first cruise we brought magnets from the local Tae Kwon Do studio and toy library; two local small businesses we support. This year we “invested” in character magnets from Etsy. I picked magnets without our names on them for security reasons which is a very different mentality than most people on the ship who have elaborate magnets with their family’s names on them. 
• Adult Activities: We did not book activities on our first cruise because we did not know how the kids would do with the kids club. This time we had a year to prepare the kids, and discuss that part of our second cruise would include mandatory kids club time. We had some good news to celebrate around when our activity window opened up so I booked my husband a massage when he got on board, a dinner for two at Remy- the adult only restaurant, a date at the mixology class, and then a couples massage to end our final day at sea.
  

Experience on the Disney Fantasy:

I didn’t think it was possible for our family to have a better vacation than we did on the Dream, but we did manage to have an even better time on the Fantasy. Here are some of the things that made it even better:

• White Noise Machines: On our first sailing we packed them in a suitcase, and that suitcase did not not arrive in our stateroom until after dinner. This time we carried the white noise machines onto the ship without issue, and received our luggage by 1:30 when we got to our stateroom.
• Stateroom 5156: I booked this stateroom that is adjacent to the kids club so we could minimize the walk there, and it ended up being the perfect stateroom for our family. While some people complain about the lower height of Deck 5, both my husband and I are under 6 feet tall, so the shower height was not an issue for us. Instead, we enjoyed a balcony that was double the size of the other balconies, and had four chairs on it which meant everyone could enjoy coffee and pastries on the balcony in the morning, and star gazing at night. If we sailed on the Fantasy or Dream again I would bring a travel yoga mat so I could do sun salutations on the balcony before the kids got out of bed.
• Kids Club Check in: My husband checked the kids into the kids club as soon as we got on board and finished lunch. On our first cruise we did it during the sail away party because we didn’t know any better. This year I used that time to unpack in our stateroom while my kids explored. Dividing and conquering on that activity meant we were ready to go for the mandatory muster drill.
• Sailing away party: We did not go last year, but this year my husband questioned my sanity when I told him and the kids to run for the elevators as soon as we were dismissed from the muster drill. Little did he know we would get to deck 11 in time to have a second row seat (plus drinks!) for the sail away party. He did duck out for that massage I mentioned, but the kids and I stayed for the entire sail away show, and loved dancing until the conclusion of the party. 
• We stayed on the ship in Nassau: Last year we went to the pirate museum. This year we stayed on board to enjoy less crowds in the pool and around the ship. This made for a more relaxing first full day on the ship and let us experience more of the activities onboard.
• Dinner at Remy: We were celebrating some good news with dinner at Remy, and it did not disappoint. The food was delicious, and the service was even better. The staff went above and beyond with a celebration egg dessert, and the wine pairing with the food was memorable. It was also incredibly romantic sailing away from Nassau at sunset watching the island fade into the distance while we ate delicious food. We did feed our kids in advance of the meal, and learned that the staff will do everything they can to keep the kids happy in the kids club when you are dining at Remy which was good to know. On our first cruise we got a few SOS messages from the kids club requesting pick-up, so we were a bit nervous booking such an extravagant dinner. Fortunately we were able to relax and enjoy our dinner at Remy knowing the kids were taken care of. I also bribed the kids by letting them pick their cruise souvenirs in advance, and told them they could have them as soon as dinner was complete.That may have helped too!
• Mixology Class: I know it seems excessive, but we did have some big news to celebrate – so we also booked the Mixology class. This was not a hands-on class except for the last drink. Instead it was more of a cocktail education class. We learned how to pour layered shots for the last beverage, but after having three other cocktails it was hard to have a steady pour. (or at least it was for me). Some members of the class had previously taken the class on other ships, and said the content and participation levels vary both by ship and instructor.
• Royal Gathering: I did get up at 11:50 the night before my kids were out of school for a blizzard just to book the Royal Gathering. It felt a bit crazy doing this knowing I would have to both work and parent on less sleep. I would 100% do it again next year with a bit more coffee on hand so the kids have a chance to meet even more of the princesses. This year they met Mulan, Belle, Snow White and Jasmine, and it was a magical experience. We did pack some princess dresses for this experience, and I got some elastic crowns so the brittle plastic crowns that came with the dresses would not break during our travels.   
• Pirate Party: On our first cruise we went up too late for the kid party due to a meltdown. This year we were prepared, and secured a spot on deck 12. It was fun to have the magic bands light up during the show, and my kids had just as much fun dancing at this party as they did the sail away party. We had also made sure to watch Peter Pan the week prior to our departure so they would better understand what was going on with Pirate night. This helped the kids understand more of the context of some of the events of the show. We did not make the midnight fireworks, but of course can make that a goal for our next cruise.
• Couples Massage: The massage rooms look over the forward of the ship with awesome views. The massage itself was better than many I have had closer to home at a lower cost. My husband did have an issue with the hard sell of products during his first day massage, but we did not experience that during our final day couples massage. The spa also has several different kinds of showers, a sauna, and other features which means you could spend half a day or more relaxing there. 
  

Lessons Learned:

While it will be hard to top this experience on our next cruise, here are some things we are thinking about or planning for next year:

• Bring less wine: This year we brought three bottles of wine onto the ship instead of four in anticipation of the mixology class and dinner at Remy. Next year we want to be able to enjoy grabbing drinks at more of the bars on the ship or on the pool deck while we enjoy the various activities the ship has to offer.   
• Book a cruise that goes to Lookout Cay and Castaway Cay: Next time we want to skip Nassau and enjoy two Disney Island beach days. We escaped Virginia the day after yet another snow storm this trip, so it was incredible being in the sand and sun at Lookout Cay. Friends we have spoken with who have also done Disney Cruises say Castaway Cay is even better than Lookout Cay so I want to see for myself!
• Bring a Food container: Next year my “me time” is going to be a run on Castaway Cay to complete the 5K they have. Bonus points if I can do it on Lookout Cay too! The plan is for me to get off the ship early and go for a run while my husband takes the kids to the buffet for breakfast. Since there is no breakfast or snack food available on the island, he will bring a take away container with eggs benedict and fruit to the island for me and we will reunite at beach chairs. Let’s see if we can pull that off next year. 
• Bring Fidget Toys to the Muster Drill: This year there seemed to be a lot of people who did not understand the definition of “mandatory” on our ship. The kids understandably got antsy waiting on entitled adults to follow directions. Next year I will bring some fidget spinners or water basketball toys for them to play with while we wait. 
• Book our pre-cruise hotel and transportation through Disney: After two mediocre or worse experiences with budget hotels near the cruise port, we are going to book a Disney hotel and DCL transportation for our next cruise. This will also ensure we get an earlier boarding time on our arrival day which means more time for exploring the ship before it gets crowded.
• Pack less “real” clothing: With our plans to spend an extra day at the beach next year we need to pack even less “real” clothing. We will pack dinner clothes, and fewer daytime outfits. This will make it even easier for us to keep carrying our luggage onto our flights and avoid potentially lost luggage before the cruise.  
  

Travel Gear:

I didn’t own any character clothing prior to this trip, so I went ahead and got Disney socks and some Minnie earrings to try to fit in more.

The pop-it toys I keep attached to our carry-on bags ended up being helpful while waiting in line at the cruise terminal and while we waited for our ride to the airport on the final day. The kids had something easily accessible to play with while waiting in joyous anticipation of getting on the cruise ship. 

We needed fewer travel toys this trip because the kids were happier watching Disney shows this year. To be fair, we had spent the last year incorporating Disney shows into the kids’ limited screen time to prepare for the cruise and make it more magical.

The character bath bombs were also super helpful for getting the kids to relax in the tub after an exciting day on the ship. One day on the cruise I did have the very gross experience of watching another kid try to exit the pool to potty, the parents being completely oblivious to the universal potty sign, and then seeing a bright pool of yellow engulf my child who was happily watching a movie in the pool. That Minnie bath bomb and wet bag I packed for my child’s now soiled swim suit came in handy real fast.     

Like last year, the collapsible sand toys and snorkels we brought made the beach experience incredible, and meant we did not spend money on snorkel rentals.

We also packed our pirate gear from the first cruise to enjoy the pirate party. Both kids wore their pirate costumes (boy and girl), and I re-used my skeleton earrings. The shoulder parrots we bought last year were an easy way for my husband to look like a pirate too in a black t-shit! I did also buy two sets of Minnie pirate ears when they were on sale to complete our pirate costume collection.

We also brought the magnet hooks, clothes pins, laundry bag, and even a second hanging closet organizer that helped even more for keeping everyone’s belongings organized on the cruise. 

I also packed a fancier dress from my Rent the Runway subscription for our dinner at Remy. It was fun to get extra dressed up for dinner, and I would have felt under dressed had I worn a basic sun dress given the level of celebration we had.

We did not participate in the Fish Extenders, Duck Hunts or “Pixie dusting” during this cruise to limit the amount of luggage we needed to bring on the flight to and from the ship. I do not anticipate this changing in the future, but it seems like those who did participate had a mixed experience from what I saw on the cruise Facebook group I joined in advance of our sailing. 

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Final Thoughts:

I can’t wait for our next Disney Cruise. Disney makes it so easy for the whole family to have an enjoyable and restful vacation. I cannot say enough good things about the magic of being on a Disney cruise.