Are you worthy of a Disney Cruise? The short answer is “yes.”
This topic has been percolating in my head for a few
days. Maybe it was my sick day when I
was home in bed and watched the Oprah Lifeclass shows I had DVR’d. Maybe it was hearing about others’ Disney
cruising experiences or reading trip reports.
Or, maybe it was thinking ahead to our next Disney cruise.
Are you worthy of a Disney Cruise? Definitely.
Do you feel worthy?
That is another question entirely.
Being pampered and served on board a luxurious vessel equipped
to provide you food, fun, and entertainment literally around the clock requires
that you are able to accept that service.
The Cast Members on board see serving you as their number one mission;
their reason for being a Cast Member on a Disney Cruise ship. Guests who are unable or unwilling to receive
their service either won’t enjoy their trip, will make Cast Members
uncomfortable or frustrated, or both.
I’m not talking about going overboard (pun intended) with
requests or special service, just the everyday assistance of a stateroom
host/hostess visiting your stateroom at least twice daily to tidy up, refresh
your towels, make and turn down your bed, and restock your toiletry
supply. Or your dining room servers who
quickly learn your drink and dining preferences so that they can anticipate
your needs. Or the shop clerk who
answers your questions about products and purchasing. Or the entertainment staff member who helps
you navigate the line or schedule to meet characters. Or, the guest services attendant who helps
you settle your account or answers your questions with a smile even if it is
the 100th time they have answered that same question that day. I could go on and on. . .
Trust me, we’ve seen and heard the overboard requests and
they aren’t pretty. We’ve witnessed a
mom telling her child in a shop on board a Disney ship something like this, “see,
sometimes it pays not to be nice.” We
later saw that same parent arguing with a lifeguard supervising the Mickey pool
about her child’s diaper. She then
whipped the diaper off, threw it, and put her child back in the Mickey
pool. We’ve see a dad arguing with a
ship’s officer because his child wasn’t tall enough to go on the Aqua Duck and
of course, the dad had promised his child that he would be able to ride—no matter
safety issues and rules. I was glad to
see the officer didn’t back down. I’m
wondering if these people felt worthy of their Disney cruise.
There can be lots of feelings attached to a Disney cruise,
and after 4 cruises, we’ve probably run the gamete. I can remember trying to get to our first
Disney Cruise. We flew the day before,
but had flights with minimal time in between and went rushing from one gate to
another at an airport. We then arrived
to a packed Hyatt at Orlando International—due to a snowstorm on the East Coast
that had flight passengers stranded. We
got up the next morning and eventually made it to Port Canaveral using Disney
transports, but by the time we got on board, the husband needed a time
out! Not literally, figuratively. We had anticipated getting into our stateroom
right away—now we know better! And, plan
better! The whole process of getting to
your ship and in a timely smooth manner can be overwhelming!
Disney Cruise Line does its best to help guests with that
overwhelmed feeling by streamlining the check-in process, limiting choices when
guests first come on board, etc. Yet,
nevertheless, those feelings can take over, almost hijack you, for lack of a
better word, and require some time to pull yourself together. Even on our last cruise, the husband went to
a “shopping in Nassau
When you’re feeling overwhelmed, it is difficult to feel
worthy of the experience.
Keeping a family on track at home, is difficult—with varying
schedules, priorities, etc. Routines
take over some of the decision making and smoothes out differences in
expectations. All bets are off when that
same family goes on vacation. There are
no routines to fall back on, rely on, or predict what will happen. It is all about making decisions. Decisions that not everyone may want, enjoy,
or agree with. This is where some Disney
Cruise planning comes into play and helps build positive anticipation for an
upcoming trip. Many of our conversations
center around what people want to do (click here to read about one of our top 10 lists). Then, it is usually my job,
to put those priorities into our vacation.
Luckily, and thankfully, many are the same—characters, dining, and port
adventures combined with relaxation. The
photo taking priority is mine and the husband the boy go along, as they know
they are going to get to do what they want—like pin trading, or going to the
kids’ club.
Making all of those decisions while on vacation can be
taxing and sometimes, downright exhausting.
There are times when I tell the husband that I’m done deciding; done leading.
We know then it is time to take a break or “another goose needs to fly
to the front of the V” to lead the flock so to speak. And, this is after many Disney trips!
That’s why we try to make as many decisions ahead of time as
we can. We then adjust as needed. No need to feel like air traffic controllers—who
make tons of decisions—while we are on vacation. Again, this can lead to not feeling worthy of
your Disney cruise.
So, are you worthy of a Disney Cruise? You bet!
Do you feel worthy of a Disney Cruise? Of course!
You are willing to accept and appreciate the service on board the
beautiful ship and shake off any uneasiness or anxiety getting to the ship
brought on. You have planned, made
decisions, and compromised with your family prior to arrival so that everyone
has a clear picture or vision of your Disney Cruise Line vacation. And, yet, you are willing to accept any
magical surprises that may appear and adjust your plans. You’re going to be in the moment and enjoy
rather than keep your mind racing to the next event or portion of your
vacation. I can put myself at Castaway
Cay right now, relaxing on a float at Pelican Point while the husband pushed
and pulled me through the water. Ah, I
can feel the sun, the breeze, the water . . .
Okay, I’m back. That’s my
point. Allow yourself to be totally
immersed in those moments!
Are you ready to enjoy your Disney Cruise? I am!
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