A NOTE TO OUR READERS:
"Holidays at Sea" is from the December 2007 issue of Southern Living.
Because prices, dates, and other specifics are subject to change, please check all
information to make sure it's still current before making your travel plans.
This year, try a whole new take on Christmas. Swap snowmen for
sand castles, sweaters for swimsuits. Sail through the season on a
cruise. It'll be the easiest—and most memorable—holiday ever.
Seven days for the family. No decorating. No cooking. No cleaning. Sound
like a fantasy? Not on a Disney cruise. It's perfect for a newlywed
couple, a family with kids, or a sprawling multigenerational clan.
All Aboard With Disney
If you can wish it upon a star, you'll
find it on board. The Disney Magic, which sets sail from Port Canaveral,
Florida, blends the sleek looks of a classic ocean liner with modern
perks: Internet access, daycare, movies, and nightclubs. Imaginative
restaurants with good food. Quiet, kid-free spaces just for adults. Best
of all, this boat stays clean. Pools are drained and scoured daily. So
is your room. Courteous deckhands pass out antibacterial wipes at the
entrance to every restaurant, buffet, and ice-cream station, keeping
germs at bay.
Little Things Set This Cruise Apart
As you glide through one
of the snorkeling lagoons off Castaway Cay, Disney's private island,
never mind the stingrays. They've been de-barbed. It's just one of the
ways a Disney cruise leaves others in its wake. And where else can you
bump into Peter Pan and Captain Jack Sparrow on your way to the Goofy
Pool?
You'll get larger-than-average staterooms, parties with Mickey and the
gang, and a highly trained staff. Returning cruisers (aka Castaway Club
members) pack an eye patch and hone their "Yo Ho, Yo Ho" for the Pirates
IN the Caribbean deck party.
For your grand finale on Castaway Cay, you'll dance a conga line with
Donald Duck and see the Flying Dutchman (the phantom ship filmed in the
sequels for Pirates of the Caribbean). Bonus: This is the only cruise
ship that shoots fireworks off the deck while sailing, as Mickey rappels
down the smokestack.
Please the Whole Bunch
Obviously, this cruise tops the list
for families, especially those spanning age groups. Tots love seeing
Minnie in a bikini. Teens dig hanging out in their own club, The Stack,
where young staffers host late-night pizza-and-pajama parties. Parents
appreciate the daycare. Tweens have a blast in the Oceaneer Lab, where a
mad scientist teaches how to make Flubber, that famous goo from the
movie. Fun choices abound for all, but privacy is never far away.
