\nFamily-friendly attractions on Disney\u2019s new ship<\/h2>\n
Some of the freshest additions aboard Disney Destiny are those that bring the theme park experience to sea.<\/p>\n
The new “Pirates of the Caribbean”-themed tavern Cask & Cannon celebrates the fan-favorite attraction, with d\u00e9cor that celebrates pirate lore from Disney parks around the world. Families can stop in during the day for trivia, crafts and activities; adults will appreciate the specialty cocktails, vintage rums and \u201cbootlegged\u201d brews.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nThe ship also features a new animated storyline for its popular AquaMouse water thrill ride, as well as a “Toy Story”-themed splash zone for younger cruisers. My kids spent hours at Hero Zone, a futuristic sports arena themed to “The Incredibles” with a giant inflatable obstacle course; it quickly became their favorite onboard activity.<\/p>\n
Disney\u2019s Best-in-Class Kids\u2019 Clubs Disney Cruise Line consistently ranks as the top choice for families cruising with children, and its kids\u2019 clubs are a major reason why.<\/p>\n<\/p>\nFrom the Grand Hall, children (ages 3\u201310) enter Disney\u2019s Oceaneer Club via a slide, landing inside a fantastic kids\u2019 club that comprises nearly an entire ship deck. Inside, offerings include Star Wars: Cargo Bay (a “Star Wars”-themed kids\u2019 area), Marvel Super Hero Academy (where kids can train to become superheroes), Fairytale Hall (where children can meet princesses and participate in activities), Walt Disney Imagineering Lab (where kids can design their own rollercoasters), and Mickey & Minnie’s Captain’s Deck (a cruise-themed playground).<\/p>\n\nFor babies and younger children (6 months to 3 years), the \u201cIt\u2019s a Small World\u201d nursery offers childcare for a nominal fee. The ship also has two separate clubs for tweens and teens: Edge (ages 11-13) and Vibe (ages 14-17), and even special meetups for young adults (18-20).<\/p>\n
My children (ages 6, 6 and 9) never wanted to leave Disney\u2019s Oceaneer Club. Every day, they told me stories about fun activities; highlights included a pajama dance party with Daisy Duck, channeling the force with Rey and Chewbacca and learning superhero moves from Spiderman.<\/p>\n
Rotational dining with a theatrical twist<\/h2>\n
Disney Cruise Line ships are unique because they offer rotational dining, meaning that guests rotate to a new themed restaurant each night alongside their serving team.<\/p>\n<\/p>\nOn Disney Destiny, this meant that our family dined in 1923 (a fine-dining tribute to Disney animation), Pride Lands: Feast of the Lion King (an in-the-round style musical dinner theater) and Worlds of Marvel (a futuristic dining experience with interactive trivia and superhero elements).<\/p>\n
For breakfast and lunch, we loved the casual dining restaurant Marceline Market, and the poolside Mickey & Friends Festival of Foods quickly became a family favorite, especially for its pizza, tacos, chicken tenders and ice cream (new favorite flavors: pineapple and coconut).<\/p>\n
Broadway-caliber entertainment at sea<\/h2>\n
Disney\u2019s Broadway-caliber stage shows are some of the highest-quality performances I\u2019ve ever seen at sea \u2014 and best of all, they\u2019re meant for cruisers of all ages.<\/p>\n
Aboard Disney Destiny, the new musical “Disney Hercules” is the ship\u2019s headliner, offering a fresh, high-energy take on the classic story. The musical features an unforgettable cast, dazzling costumes, new musical arrangements and enormous custom-made puppets, including towering titans and a multi-headed Hydra.<\/p>\n<\/p>\nOther nightly productions include “Disney Seas The Adventure” (an entertaining show that takes audiences on a journey with Captain Minnie and friends) and “Frozen, a Musical Spectacular,” which my kids loved. For families like ours who adore live theater, it\u2019s a standout benefit of sailing with Disney.<\/p>\n\nBest adult spaces on Disney Destiny<\/h2>\n
The third ship in Disney Cruise Line\u2019s Wish class, Disney Destiny\u2019s layout is nearly identical to the line\u2019s other Wish-class ships, Disney Wish and Disney Treasure. But while common elements can be found on all three ships, the theming of each is dramatically different, and Disney Destiny has stepped up its offerings for adults.<\/p>\n
New spots adults will love include De Vil\u2019s, a piano lounge themed to the extravagant villain from “One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” and The Sanctum, a “Doctor Strange”-themed entertainment parlor serving up tableside beverage experiences.<\/p>\n
The ship also offers several elevated dining options for adults, including the upscale restaurants Enchant\u00e9 and Palo Steakhouse, where my husband and I enjoyed a delectable brunch while the little ones played in Disney\u2019s Oceaneer Club.<\/p>\n\nFort Lauderdale sailings are drawing Disney fans to (and from) South Florida<\/h2>\n
Disney Cruise Line has long emphasized that it is \u201can entertainment company that also happens to be in the cruise business,\u201d said Yolanda Cade, vice president of Communications and Public Affairs for Disney Signature Experiences. This approach has built exceptional brand loyalty: according to company surveys, 40% of Disney Cruise Line guests book specifically because it\u2019s a Disney vacation.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nFor many families, getting to Fort Lauderdale is easier than ever, and the high-speed rail line Brightline has transformed regional travel. From our home in West Palm Beach, the trip to Fort Lauderdale took just 40 minutes via Brightline. We kicked off our sailing with a pre-cruise stay at the landmark Pier Sixty-Six Resort, which reopened in January following a $1 billion renovation.<\/p>\n\n\u201cPort Everglades offers incredible accessibility for our guests, with convenient connections to major airports, railways and highways throughout South Florida,\u201d Fernandez said. \u201cThis flexibility makes it easy for families to start their vacation seamlessly, whether they\u2019re arriving from nearby cities or pairing their Disney cruise with a Walt Disney World getaway for the ultimate land-and-sea experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the future is bright for Disney cruises in the Sunshine State, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Disney Destiny sets the stage for even more growth on the horizon as Disney Cruise Line moves toward a 13-ship fleet by 2031,\u201d Fernandez said. \u201cFlorida will continue to play a key role in that expansion, giving guests more options and more magical ways to experience a Disney Cruise vacation.\u201d<\/p>\n\nIs Disney Destiny a good cruise for families? Here\u2019s what to expect<\/h2>\n
Disney Destiny is now sailing four and five-night itineraries from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamas and Caribbean. Many include visits to Disney\u2019s new private island destination Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point and Disney\u2019s private island Castaway Cay; other ports include Cozumel and Nassau.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nAs a mom who cruises often with my children, I can confidently say that Disney Cruise Line offers one of the best experiences at sea for families. In addition to the line\u2019s high-quality kids\u2019 programming and entertainment, Disney also has a wonderful selection of stateroom options for families. Our family of five fit comfortably into a deluxe family oceanview stateroom with a veranda, which was thoughtfully designed with a split bathroom and ample storage space.<\/p>\n
According to Disney Cruise Line\u2019s website, fares aboard Disney Destiny start at $2,090 for two guests, with most dining, entertainment, character experiences, soda and kids\u2019 programming included.<\/p>\n
Linnea Bailey is freelance travel journalist based in West Palm Beach. She can be reached at linnea@linneabailey.com.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.palmbeachpost.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Linnea Bailey \u00a0|\u00a0 Special to the Palm Beach Post Cruella to Black Panther set sail in Disney’s new themed ship USA TODAY’s Nathan Diller toured Disney Destiny, a cruise ship equipped with guests’ favorite heroes and villains from Disney and Marvel movies. Disney Cruise Line’s newest ship, Disney Destiny, is now homeported at Port Everglades […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2198636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[39915,30218,22220,344468,358177,379392,421042,312872,385323,410484,23301,364406,6297,284334,21741,22702,400854,421515,21993,61678,51971,344346,21739,298114,344928,346106,305412,239343,239347,346464,358413,358420,23759,384607,421041,421043,25306,23152,284335,24047,346463,346469,23139,240579,240574,239344],"class_list":["post-2198635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-affiliate","tag-ai","tag-arts","tag-broadway","tag-broadway-u0026-musical-theater","tag-charters","tag-comparisons","tag-cruise","tag-cruises","tag-cruises-u0026-charters","tag-disney","tag-disney-cruise-line","tag-eamotion","tag-enabled","tag-entertainment","tag-family","tag-family-films","tag-family-travel","tag-films","tag-guides","tag-highlights","tag-line","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","tag-local-affiliate-travel","tag-musical","tag-optimized","tag-overall","tag-overall-positive","tag-parks","tag-pbpost","tag-pbpost-optimized","tag-positive","tag-price","tag-product","tag-product-reviews-u0026-price-comparisons","tag-reviews","tag-story","tag-story-highlights-ai-enabled","tag-theater","tag-theme","tag-theme-parks","tag-travel","tag-travel-guides-u0026-travelogues","tag-travelogues","tag-u0026"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Disneys-newest-cruise-ship-Destiny-now-based-in-Fort-Lauderdale.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2198635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2198635"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2198635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2198637,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2198635\/revisions\/2198637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2198636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2198635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2198635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2198635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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