I am very blessed to be on the Disney Dream while you all are reading this. Celebrating my sister's birthday in style, my second Disney cruise was booked over a year ago. Now, I am not an avid cruiser. I actually get motion sickness very easily, so am concerned about this trip as there has been lots of strange weather out there recently. My first was in 2018, so it's been a while! 

Like most cruise lines, Disney cruises are all-included regarding food and entertainment. Disney does offer free sodas while on other ships, that is a purchased extra. Of course, specialty drinks, alcohol, and various snacks are not complimentary. 

What makes a Disney cruise line unique? A lot of Disney cruises are themed. Theme cruises mean that the activities are often geared specifically towards halloween, christmas, marvel, and the like. Ship adventures, costuming, shows, etc all offer the magic. Of course, it's not cheap, but it can be doable if you book way in advance and pay off your bill in segments. Disney offers payment plans but requires payment in full about four months before your sailing date. 

Our 4-night Very Merrytime Christmas Cruise will begin with a tree lighting, a sailing away party with our favorite pals, and continues on with themed fun throughout the week. Character meets, Princess parties, shows, and regular entertainment keep you captivated throughout the day. I think the Christmas cruise even has a pirate themed night and a "Christmas" themed night too! I might even get to meet Santa.. after all, he needs a break before the madness begins, too!

Our cruise includes one day at Disney's Lookout Cay, one day in Nassau, and one day at sea. I'm leaving the entertainment choices up to my sister. I'm just excited to be able to be disconnected and offline! 

We may or may not get off at port-we didn't purchase any special excursions. I may or may not make a visit to the cruise spa either. Who knows at this point.. I really haven't prepped well for this cruise at all. Good thing that Disney, like most lines, use their own inflight navigator app to give us entertainment options, timing, and adventure! 

Of course, packing is super important too. I'll be flying, adding an extra night in between. It's always recommend to fly down early and not day of. Too many things can happen, and while Disney is about customer service, port call time is port call time. If ya don't make it, sorry friend, see you again next time. 

Also, flying- luggage restrictions. But for five nights and four days, I really shouldn't need THAT much stuff, right? 

Some things I'll make sure to have with me:

• Passport: technically a passport isn't needed if you don't plan to get off the ship, but if you encounter an emergency, it makes life so much easier. Travel agents and cruise lines both recommend having a passport or card in case of emergency transport needed.
• Sea bands & motion sickness meds: waters can get rough, and the movement from the ship can do me in when I'm sitting still. I remember my first cruise, I started to feel sick at dinner because I noticed the movement while looking at walls. 
• My kindle for some nice reading time! Whether at the pool or on our veranda, I'm excited about the downtime. 
• a water/ drink bottle because 24 hr access is available for sodas, coffee/ tea, and other limited fountain type drinks.