I don’t ever try to deny the fact that I don’t enjoy cruising in the Caribbean. I’ve been lucky enough to experience Eastern and Western itineraries on different cruise lines, but I’ve never been blown away by these cruises because the destinations don’t interest me at all. The same goes for sailing to The Bahamas with the exception of stopping at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. However, Disney Cruise Line offers many different itineraries that have nothing to do with the Caribbean or Bahamas and some of the different destinations are on my bucket list of Disney cruises!
5. 10-Night Westbound Transatlantic Cruise
I know a transatlantic cruise sounds like a lot of time in open water for many people, but it’s definitely a dream vacation for me. Disney does two transatlantic cruises – an eastbound and a westbound – but the westbound journey is a lot more intriguing to me. The current 10-Night Westbound Transatlantic Cruise starts in Dover and stops in Plymouth (England), Cork (Ireland), St. John’s (Canada), Halifax (Canada), and New York. This cruise knocks out two cities right at the start of the cruise, spends a few days in the Atlantic Ocean and then finishes the itinerary with every other day stops until you reach your final destination in New York. I don’t mind days at sea, but this cruise seems to break up those days as much as possible for a transatlantic cruise. The eastbound itinerary spends nearly a week at sea at the start of the 12-night cruise before knocking off stops in Portugal and Spain very quickly, and that number of days at sea in a row doesn’t really appeal to me. However, if I didn’t have a choice, I’d take either transatlantic sailing.
4. 14-Night Panama Canal Cruise
This sailing goes hand in hand with the transatlantic cruises. There’s plenty of days at sea to enjoy everything that makes Disney Cruise Line amazing, but it also provides an opportunity to actually sail through the Panama Canal. How does that not scream bucket list? This year’s current itinerary sails out of New Orleans and ends in San Diego for the westbound cruise and departs San Diego in the eastbound cruise with the final destination being Galveston. The actual ports along the way are the same, so for me, it would come down to timing when deciding which way I’d travel. However, the eastbound cruise is also a Very Merrytime Christmas cruise, which could really make for a true bucket list trip.
3. Hawaiian Cruise
In an ideal world, one day I’ll travel to Hawai’i and spend a month traveling around to the different islands. I don’t live in that reality, so I don’t expect it to actually happen, but a cruise can help check off a couple of the islands. Disney isn’t the only cruise line to sail through Hawai’i, but one part of the itinerary, in particular, makes sailing with Disney more appealing – Vancouver. Because Disney Cruise Line ships hail from The Bahamas, every Disney cruise must stop at a foreign port. For Hawai’i to work, Disney has to choose a foreign port to sail out of and they choose Vancouver, which is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited. I enjoy it so much that I’d consider this cruise just so I could have Vancouver and Hawai’i all in one package. You can also experience Vancouver with Alaskan cruises, but I’ll explain that later…
2. Northern Europe Cruise
It shouldn’t be a surprise that I was going to get to northern cruises eventually considering my dislike for the Caribbean and Bahamas, but in case it caught you off guard, surprise! The Northern European cruises are very intriguing to me and something I’d love to do one day. Disney offers three different variations on the Northern European cruise in 7-night, 8-night, and 11-night variations. The 7 and 8-night cruises go in and out of Copenhagen with stops in Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Estonia and those are all bucket list destinations that I don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance to visit outside of a cruise. The 11-night cruise throws in a stop in Poland and Germany, which I wouldn’t be against, but I know I will probably make it to Poland one day and I will definitely return to Germany at some point. Anyways, the selling point for this cruise for me is St. Petersburg, but I’m sure every port is stunning.
1. Norwegian Fjords Cruise
I have no basis for this, but from the photos I’ve seen of the Norwegian Fjords cruises, it seems like this cruise is meant for people who have done Alaskan cruises multiple times and are ready to go to the next level. I would definitely fall into that category. I would be happy doing any of the itineraries Disney sails with their Norwegian Fjords cruises and I can guarantee that I’d be on the top deck as much as possible taking in the mountains, waterfalls, and untouched nature that I don’t get to enjoy living in Florida.
Honorable Mention – Alaska
Many people might be disappointed that I have Alaska as an honorable mention and not a bucket list item, but the simple answer is I’ve already done it and checked it off my bucket list! In fact, I’ve been to Alaska twice – once on Disney and another sailing on Princess. I know Alaska is a bucket list cruise for many people and I couldn’t recommend it enough. That being said, if you want any type of itinerary featuring Glacier Bay National Park or Anchorage (for Denali) then you’ll have to look for another cruise line.
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