I laughed at a comment made by a fellow Frequent Traveler University attendee upon being introduced last month. That comment? Referring to me as “the happy cruiser.” That is, of course, a highly accurate moniker. I am a happy cruiser, also known as a frequent floater (and flyer). I’ve led a pretty Royal Caribbean centric cruising life so far, with some Celebrity in between. I’m pretty happy with my cruising choices, but also recognize that there are a tremendous number of other cruising options out there. One that I am most curious is about is Disney Cruises. I’ve heard time and time again that nobody does cruising like Disney, and having experienced their parks, I don’t have any trouble believing that. I thought readers might enjoy hearing about a recent Disney experience aboard Disney Magic. Thanks to friend of MrsMJ and MJonTravel Kristina Morgan Rose for sharing the scoop on her recent family vacation.

Which ship did you sail on?

We sailed the Magic, one of their original ships.

How did you reach the decision to take a Disney cruise?

Just a few general thoughts. This was our second 7 day family cruise. I feel like cruising is a great family vacation. Cruises provide, at a more moderate price point, more family activities than you can find in pretty any much vacation type. Additionally, the travel time is play time. Day at sea? The kids are in the pool, or in the kids area. But if you are on a long train ride in Europe, or a long international flight or series of flights, the comfort level is not there. So we knew we liked the cruise experience. Our kids like warm weather and we needed to fill spring break week, so we decided to go Caribbean this time. The deciding factors in picking this cruise were the itinerary (ports were Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Castaway Cay with 2 days at sea), our familiarity with the Disney experience (we have been park passholders for 3 years) and relative value.

A Shot of Disney Magic From Castaway Cay

Did you consider other cruise lines?

Yes. We were looking at Caribbean trips with Royal Caribbean, also out of Port Canaveral. We had previously sailed Royal Caribbean with the kids. Their children’s offerings were solid, but the Disney offerings for the kids seemed like a better fit.

Once your decision was made, how did you book the cruise? (Travel agent, direct with line?)

We booked two cabins, two different ways. One via the cruiseline and one via Costco Travel. The Costco booking came with a Costco card.

Overall, what were your impressions of your Disney cruise?

Overall we were impressed. The cabins were each over 200 sq ft and included a split bathroom model with a toilet and sink in one bathroom and a sink and tub/shower combo in the other even in the basic cabins. The Disney service is really apparent as well. There were lots of nice little touches. The ships horn plays “When you wish upon a star”. The shipboard entertainment was amazing. Their is a shipboard fireworks show that also features an actor dressed as Mickey taking a zipline across the pool deck. There was a variety of dynamic musical shows. The theater had amazing effects including indoor fake snow. The day spa had a great variety of services. Appointments were flexible. The cocktails of the day were well blended. The shore excursions were well-run. The one in Cozumel in particular involved only 14 guests and it was amazing.

How was the dining experience on board?

They use a rotational dining plan. You and your table mates move through 3 different restaurants. Your table mates and and servers rotate with you. Each restaurant is a unique experience and vibe. On the Magic, there is Lumiere’s (formal, French), Parrot Cay (It looks like a Caribbean resort) and the Animator’s Palate (the restaurant starts out black and white and adds color over the course of the meal. The restaurants are kind of more the star of the show than the food. That said, the buffet was fresh and had great variety.

Animator's Palate Aboard Disney Magic

Did your kids enjoy their activities? Tell us about those.

On this point we are comparing apples to apples, we had previously done a 7 day cruise on another GREAT line. Our kids came out of that experience feeling like they enjoyed cruising. They made art projects that they liked, and the staff reported to the dining room at 9:00 p.m. at second seating to take the kids back to the children’s area. However, when we were in port in Key West, the children quickly asked us to return them to the ship because they so enjoyed the activities. The activities included an opportunity for the kids to appear in an end of cruise show on the main stage. There were science activities where the kids made flubber. There was a variety of toys, lots of computers and each day they provided a good list of activities. The check-in and check out was orderly. Parents had to use a password to check their kids in and out and the children get water proof wristbands that allow them to be tracked on the ship.

How did the experience compare to your prior cruises?

We loved our prior cruising experiences, but this was that much better. The spacious cabins, the children’s enthusiasm for their programs, the amazing entertainment and the attention to detail made for a truly spectacular week.

Were there adults only venues and did the cruise line ensure they really were adults only?

Yes. There was an adults only pool, coffee house and several bars. They were truly adults only. Given the popularity of the children’s programs, even people traveling with children end up having the opportunity to enjoy the adults-only venues.

Do you think adults traveling without children would enjoy a Disney cruise?

Yes. There are more than adequate adults-only spaces. Many of the arts offerings (animation work shops, cooking demonstrations, trivia games) would have adults only sections. There was also a good beverage program including tequila tastings, beer tastings and wine tastings. There was a complex of bars called Beat Street. It included a sports bar, a piano bar and music club. Beat Street is 21 and over after 9 p.m.

Another interesting point, there are refrigerators in the cabins and you can bring on liquor so long as it fits in your carryon. You can bring your own wine to the restaurants, albeit with a corkage fee. Also, there is 24 hour access to free coffee, water and sodas. We thought this was neat.

Will you cruise on Disney again?

We’re already booked for our next spring break cruise. This time on the Disney Dream.

A Word From MJ

Wow! Sounds like a truly great vacation. Considering my first visit to Disney World was for my 40th birthday (and I had a GREAT time), perhaps it’s time I add a Disney cruise to my cruising bucket list! Seriously, I’ve always heard great things about Disney cruises, and this interview with a trusted cruiser and friend just confirms everything I’ve heard.

Book certain 9-night or longer Mediterranean cruises with Royal Caribbean and children 11 and under receive free cruise fare. I was 34 before I ever took my first cruise. I can’t imagine what a vacation a Mediterranean cruise would be if I’d started cruising as a kid!

Click here for details. Act soon as this deal goes away May 31, 2012. Just note that you have to enter code SIG3 during the booking process, and the credit for the child’s fare will be applied by June 15.

You have until May 18th to take advantage of some new booking specials for Celebrity Captain’s Club members for select 2013/2014 sailings of 6 nights or longer. Book your cruise by May 18th for sailings departing between April 2013 and April 2014, and you may be eligible for up to $600 dollars in onboard credit. Specifics of the available onboard credit listed below:

You can check out the available sailings here. Terms and conditions per the email I received are as follows.

“Onboard Credit Offer available to Captain’s Club members for bookings made March 14 – May 18, 2012. Valid membership number must be provided at time of booking; new members may book onboard without a membership number but must provide the membership number by June 10, 2012. Offer applies to Celebrity cruises 6 nights or longer departing April 2013 – April 2014 that are initially offered for booking March 14 – April 30, 2012. Cruise portion of Cruisetours eligible for Offer. Offer excludes Celebrity Xpedition. Onboard credit (“OBC”) in USD, varies by stateroom category and cruise nights. For Offer OBC amounts, see your Travel Agent, call 1-877-202-4344, or click here . OBC will be applied to reservation within 10 days of booking One Offer per stateroom. Offer applies to new individual and group bookings named and deposited during the Offer booking window and is subject to availability. Offer combinable with only one other offer such as future cruise benefits or GRPX rates, which are special group rates. Offer is not combinable with multi-component offers or promotions and is not applicable to certain price programs including interline, employee, travel agent, and seminar at sea rates. Offer is not applicable to contracted and incentive groups or charters. Offer applies to single occupancy bookings. OBC has no cash value, is applicable to cruise only, non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and will expire if not used by 10:00 PM on the final night of the cruise. Additional terms and conditions apply.”

Most interesting to me is that this offer is combinable with “one other offer” according to the T&C, but is not combinable with multi part offers, which makes me think Amex Cruise Privileges benefits and this offer cannot be combined since Cruise Privileges includes onboard credit, specialty restaurant comps and other goodies. But it may be combinable with the shareholder onboard credit available to Royal Caribbean shareholders. Trying to run that down and will update the post accordingly. Very excited that a November 2013 sailing aboard Celebrity Eclipse that we are considering appears to be eligible.

Reader J. writes:

We currently have a lot of UR points and AA points. Probably using as much of them as we can for travel to China. We are planning on cruising the beginning of 2013. I have cruised 4 times on Norwegian and am a Latitudes member so I would like to stick with them. They currently have a Bank of America Card with a 10,000 point bonus. Do you know if any of my other rewards could be used or of any other better offers. Any suggestions are appreciated.

MJ responds:

I think NCL’s credit card issued by BofA is quite similar to the Royal Caribbean card, also issued by BofA, that I recently wrote a post about. It’s OK for a fee-free backup credit card, but in most instances, you would usually be better off concentrating on one of the other points cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Ink Bold card. You can cash in 20,000 Ultimate Rewards points for a $200 dollar gift card on Royal Caribbean or Carnival. In your case of desiring to cruise NCL, you could simply cash out 20,000 points and Chase will give you a $200 dollar statement credit or send you a check for $200 dollars.

With the NCL card, you get a 10,000 point first purchase bonus, which equals $100 dollars in onboard spending money. After that, you’re earning 1 point per dollar for all of your non NCL purchases and 2 points per dollar with NCL. That $100 dollars is free money, but in your day to day spending is where the Sapphire or Ink Bold really shine. Sapphire = 2 points per dollar on on dining and travel and the Ink Bold could net you 5 points per dollar in categories like cell phone expenses, landline phone, internet access, and cable tv; 2 points per dollar at gas stations and hotels; and 1 point elsewhere. In other words, you could be earning more points per dollar that are more valuable than those offered by the NCL card and offer better bottom line cash benefits to you that you can use on your cruises. I hope this helps. Please feel free to write back with any questions or comments.

Anything I missed on this? One thing I can already think of (and that I learned more about at FT University) is possibly adding the Chase Freedom card to the mix. Since the reader already has at least one Ultimate Rewards card, they may be limited in what they can add. Any thoughts from other readers?

Celebrity Cruises is introducing some fabulous new itineraries aboard Celebrity Constellation for 2013 and 2014. Among my favorites are the Black Sea and Greek Isles cruises from Istanbul. Greece is wonderful, but the thought of sailing the Bosporus Strait to the Black Sea, the Ukraine, and Bulgaria. Awesome!! Check out some of these great new itineraries by clicking here.

Sitting here on the front porch in NW DC pondering the day ahead over coffee and my MacBook Air. Of course, I’m flying out this afternoon for Ohio, but other than that, I’ve been perusing the blogs and message boards for information. The big news of the 50,000 point Amex Business Platinum was only good for one day (yesterday), but the bigger news was the reemergence of the 100,000 Avios British Airways Visa (now my affiliate link!) (Hat tip to Gary) 100,000 Avios is pretty snazzy, biz class across the pond anyone? Unless I change my mind, I won’t play this time. I’m pretty much loaded up with all the credit cards I can manage for the moment. But if you are in a good spot with your credit and spending, you should consider this offer.

You will have to do some work for it. You get 50,000 Avios with your first purchase, then 25,000 for the next $10,000 in purchases and the final 25,000 with the following $10,000 in purchases. In other words, you have to spend $20 grand in a year to get the full 100,000 Avios. The card does have some extra bennies that make it worth considering. Companion certificate, chip technology for spending abroad, and no foreign transaction fees. I could make the spend if I tried, but I just did a Citi AAdvantage application and am working on meeting the minimum spend for that card now. Not to mention I really want to hit $25K in spending on my US Airways MasterCard this year for the 10,000 preferred qualifying mile benefit. Living 15 minutes away from US Airways’ large operation at Reagan National (DCA), it’s just too handy to have US status, and anything I can do to keep it and build on it, I will. All this coupled with most of my dining/travel expenses being charged to my Sapphire Preferred card, and there’s only so much money I can throw around.  But that’s just me. If you’ve got the spending capability, I’d jump on this BA offer right now. You never know how long it will be out there.

In cruising news, Royal Caribbean has a pretty good deal available for a limited time. If you book by April 15, you can book a European cruise AND air fare starting at $1,349 dollars per person. Seriously, if I didn’t have a big vacation commitment this fall, I’d be on this one. As you know, I think cruising represents an amazing vacation value, especially in Europe. See fantastic sights, but use the ship for your “hotel and restaurant.” Cruising can also be a great way to sample the fabulous Mediterranean and Europe to give you an idea of where you might want to take your next land-based vacation.

Well, that’s all for my Saturday morning musings. Time to get ready for the airport. Next post will be from the Southwest Airlines elite lounge at BWI aka the Vino Volo with a cheese plate and wine.

Disclosure: The credit card links in this post are not my affiliate links and I do not receive any kind of referral bonus if you apply for and receive the card products mentioned. These simply represent the best available offers that I am aware of for the card. Updated on 4/11/12 to note that the BA Visa offer is now my affiliate link. It is the best offer available to my knowlege.

I’ve blogged previously about MrandMrsMJonTravel taking a big trip to Italy this fall, including a 14-night repositioning cruise aboard the then brand new Celebrity Reflection. I say “then” because she’s still in the shipyard being constructed, and our cruise will be her third revenue sailing. Take a look at this video of her first steel cutting.

The big logistical items for the trip are taken care of. Flights to Rome, and from Barcelona are now reserved (with miles, of course), and the cruise was booked during our big trip on Allure of the Seas in November. But this trip is more than a cruise, it’s an important birthday celebration and I want to do it right. Fortunately, I have a great travel agent I can work with on some things. But there are other trip details that I want to do on my own. I mean…how can I profess to write a travel blog if I don’t take care of it myself?!

Sounds like the making of a blogging series, so that it will be. It even gets its own category, MJonItaly. Since a big component of this trip is a 14-night cruise that originates in Venice and ends in Barcelona with several countries in between, the whole trip is about more than Italy. Frankly, I’ve never cruised on such a new ship and this will be my longest single cruise ever. I get quite a bit of traffic from travelers searching for information on cruising and individual cruise ship experiences, so I’m lead to start another category for the blog, MJonCruising. I’ll have a lot to say on all of this in the next several months. Stay tuned!

Courtesy of The Frequent Miler, I just learned that Chase Ultimate Rewards will be offering 6X (4 bonus points plus the 2 you earn for booking travel with your Chase Sapphire Preferred Card) UR points for booking a cruise with an Ultimate Rewards travel agent. This deal runs April 2 through June 30, and is a very fine reason to book with Ultimate Rewards if you’re going to be booking a cruise anyway.

I’m a big fan of the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, and this offer makes it even more attractive for a frequent floater like me. Cruiser or not, I love my Sapphire Preferred Card. Ultimate Rewards is a very compelling rewards program especially that it now has 1 to 1 transfers with the new United MileagePlus. The Ultimate Rewards shopping mall is a lucrative way to earn points as well, and I’ve all but stopped using the airline shopping malls because of it. Just one example, drugstore.com purchases earn 3 miles per dollar spent with the MileagePlus shopping portal, but you’ll earn 5 Ultimate Rewards points per dollar spent with the Ultimate Rewards mall.

Disclosure: If you apply for and receive a card through the links provided, I will receive a referral bonus.

Reader S writes:

Hey MJ, I’ve been following your blog for a few years and want to thank you for the content and I wanted to ask you, the Cruise Expert, a question as I’ve only taken one cruise before in my life.

I’m in the process of making travel arrangements for my in-laws (yes, I deserve an award to fly to Sicily for a vacation and subsequent cruise on the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas around the eastern Mediterranean.  Anyway, my question is about booking cruises, specifically Royal Caribbean cruises, and what site/method you normally choose in order to find the best price. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks! 

MJ Responds:

Hello. Thanks for reading, and your email. There is no best way to book a cruise. In the past, I’ve booked cruises on my own direct with the cruise line. However, since about 2008, I’ve been working with a local travel agent I like. I don’t necessarily need an agent to help me book a cruise…especially a basic Bahamas or Caribbean run, but I like working with our agent, so we use her exclusively. Not to mention, it helps them begin to know your likes and dislikes. We took a big trip to Europe in 2010 which included an 11-night cruise of the Med. Our travel agent arranged a private tour of the ancient city of Ephesus for us and our friends, a total of 6 people. We had our own guide and our own transportation.

I have not personally utilized any of the online travel agencies for cruises, but I understand cruise411.com and crucon.com have been useful to many people. With most of the big lines, the price is the same whether booking with an agent or directly with the cruise line. What you may sometimes find is an agent (either online or traditional) that might offer a booking incentive for using them that effectively lowers the cost of the cruise, but you’ll have to hunt for them. Basically, there is no right or wrong way to do it. Just go with what you are most comfortable with. Feel free to email anytime with questions.

Yes, you heard it straight from me. The self described frequent floater, avid cruiser, cruise junkie, cruise advocate, and promoter of the cruising lifestyle will admit that things don’t always go well. No, I’m not talking about the obvious….that being the tragic Costa Concordia accident. I’m talking about something a little more mundane. Ships, much like airplanes are extremely complicated mechanical contraptions that sometimes fail. Case in point, Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas, scheduled to sail from Baltimore this past Saturday, February 18. You can read this thread on Cruise Critic (the Milepoint/Flyertalk of cruising) if you’re really interested in the details, but the short story is that Enchantment had a mechanical issue that impacted her propulsion system.

Even after reading the thread, I’m still not clear if it was an engine issue, a propeller issue, or something in between, but what I do know is that the ship could not sail as scheduled and actually spent the first night of her cruise tied up at the pier in Baltimore. In fact, Enchantment did not sail until the next day and I even caught a glimpse of her sailing down the Chesapeake Bay as my flight on Sunday descended towards Baltimore around 1pm. From what I can tell, the onboard services were not impacted by this issue so there was plenty of booze and dinner was still served on Saturday night as if nothing was wrong, it just happened while sitting in port. When the ship finally did set sail, it did so at reduced speed and some of the ports of call were deleted from the planned itinerary.

After an initial offer of onboard spending money to help make up for the problem, it is my understanding that Royal Caribbean will be refunding the price of the cruise for all passengers. I should be so lucky as to have been on this cruise!!! That’s easy for me to say as an experienced cruiser, but I’m certainly sympathetic to those on board who may be first timers, and really have no idea that sometimes things can go wrong with ships as they can with airplanes. Frankly, I think this offer is more than fair, but I have to wonder if the compensation offered for those impacted by this would have been as generous prior to the Costa Concordia accident. In any event, I think Royal Caribbean deserves a shout out for handling things they way they did. I wonder if there are some passengers onboard Enchantment right now who are feeling less charitable than me?

Headline says it all. Here’s a link to the booking site and the T&C’s of the promotion.

I’m sure you all get the emails from time to time from your favorite mileage program about booking cruises with them. Most of the airlines have a similar program. Generally, you earn 1 mile per dollar paid for your cruise, with occasional bonuses like this one. Basically, the programs outsource the booking to a travel agency who books your cruise. These agencies operate much like any other online travel seller. If you are looking for a few miles, and you are going to take a cruise, this can be a good way to add a few miles to your account for something you are going to do anyway.

I prefer to book my cruises with my travel agent, a person I’ve actually met, and trust. While I’ve never used one of these programs to book a cruise, I’m not opposed to doing so. Perhaps I’ll try one in the near future as a test and report the results here! If any readers have experience earning bonus miles through these cruise programs, comment about your experience.