Our second Disney cruise, now as a family of 4!
If you’ve ready my previous post(s) about our very first Disney Cruise you’ll know that we were just a family of 3 back then. In 2010 our daughter came along, and in the fall of 2011 we decided she was ready for her first cruise, our second! This time around we would be sailing from Vancouver, BC to Los Angeles, CA, with a stop in Ensenada, Mexico.
We had to get up super early as we had a 3 hour drive to get to the port. Everyone was excited to go though and didn’t seem to mind the early morning. So we put on our DIY tie-dye Mickey shirts and we were off!
When we got to Vancouver we first had to park the car. We chose to park in the long term lot at the airport because the price was good and we were able to hop on the sky-train that took us within a block of the cruise terminal. We dropped off our luggage with the porters and then went through security and on to the check-in area for the Disney cruisers. It wasn’t long before we were boarding the beautiful Disney Wonder!


Once we were on board the ship we headed for lunch. You have a couple of options when it comes to lunch on embarkation day. You can go up to the top decks to the buffet (or other top deck quick serve options), or you can go to a designated dining room that is open for lunch for a more relaxed, sit-down lunch. We chose to head to the dining room, but either option would have been fine. After having a bite to eat we wandered the ship a little, checked out our stateroom and attended the mandatory safety drill. Once the drill was out of the way, it was time to head up to the Sail Away Party! We found a nice spot up front near the stage and the kids had a blast dancing to the music and waving their streamer wands!
After the Sail Away Party we explored the ship some more and then it was time for dinner in Animator’s Palate. I really love this dinning room. It starts out as black and white and throughout dinner color emerges in the pictures, so fun! After dinner we watched the the nightly show and then headed to bed. We were all quite tired after a long day of travel and Disney excitement!
Oh and I almost forgot! At some point in this busy day we took some time to hang up our Fish Extended (I’ll have a post with more information on these soon) and decorated our stateroom door with some DIY magnets we brought along with us (a post about this is coming soon too, so be sure to check back). I’ll share a photo below of how our door looked after decorating, and another photo of some of the awesome gifts we received during our cruise! And if you need some ideas for gifts for your next cruise, check out some of my favorites in this post about Fish Extended Gift Ideas!
During our day at sea we had a character breakfast scheduled in the Parrot’s Cay dining room. This was so much more enjoyable than waiting in a line to see the characters. As we ate our breakfast the characters visited each table and took photos with us. It was a much more relaxed way to do it, especially with small children! The servers even made cute napkin hats for the kids to keep them entertained while we waited for the characters to come around.
We had so much fun on this cruise! We only got of the ship in Ensenada for a quick peak in the shops near the ship, other than that we just enjoyed the activities on the ship and spent our time relaxing! Check out the gallery of images below for a peak at all the cool stuff we did while on our cruise of the Pacific!
We haven’t had the opportunity to go on a Disney cruise yet, but they look like so much fun!
We hope to do one at some point. Looks like your family really enjoyed it, especially the children.
Wow it really looks worth the money! Can’t wait to make the leap!
Looks like you made some unforgettable memories! I would love to go on a cruise this year and I would love it to be a Disney cruise! Thanks for sharing your experience.
We have not been on a Dinsey cruise yet. However, they look like so much fun. I like the towel art on the bed. 🙂
So much fun! We love DIsney cruising!
We are headed out on our 9th Disney cruise next month. It never gets old. We have been to some amazing destinations, like Alaska and the Meditteranean. It is a perfect vacation.
Such a great family trip. We have yet to take our first Disney cruise but hope to take one in the near future!
So fun! It’s cool to see how baby friendly these cruises are! I hope to go on one day
This cruise looks so fun. I love the DIY magnets and t-shirts. Such a smart way to have fun but save money too.
I can’t wait to do all the Disney thing with my kids! I always debate between the parks or a cruise!
A Disney cruise has always been on my travel wish list. Pinning for future trips!
Love that you include a video too!
Thanks! I love travel videos myself, so I had to add one 🙂
Great overview especially for those cruising with little ones!
What a great trip! I would love to take my grandkids on one soon!
I love your matching shirts! When we do Disney we have to Match!
Thank you! We got so many compliments on our shirts that trip!
What a fun trip. I would love to take my kids on a Disney cruise.
I’ve always wanted to do a Disney cruise! We love Disney, but we haven’t ventured away from the parks yet. Someday! Your family is adorable!
You should give it a try someday if you’re able. They are some of our most memorable vacations!
What a fun Disney experience. I hope to one day share a Disney Cruise with my future little ones.
I hope you are able to as well, so much fun!
I have not been on the Disney Cruise in many years but it is still my favorite cruise line and their customer service is impeccable. No other cruise line an touch theirs.
Yes, they are phenomenal!
I’ve heard that Disney cruises are the absolute best! <3
They are! So much attention to detail and great service!
Kids definitely enjoyed themselves 😆 this is on my bucket list
They really did 🙂
there is nothing like a disney cruise is there?
There really is nothing quite like it 🙂