Follow Dan Brooks from StarWars.com as he shares details of his adventures at sea on board the Disney Fantasy enjoying Star Wars Day at Sea with his young family.
Our early-February trip on the Disney Fantasy, one of Disney Cruise Line’s ships, was to be a seven-day journey through the Western Caribbean. My family — my wife Jen, our sons Jack (three) and Ben (nine months), and myself — had never been on a real vacation together. In fact, Jen had never been on a cruise before, and my last cruise was 20 years ago. Traveling with kids is never easy, and the change in time zone would, we knew, impact their nap schedules and most likely their behavior. (When kids are over-tired, they act like crazed rock stars. At least mine do.) So this was a big deal, and we really didn’t know what to expect.
Turns out, we needn’t have worried.
Even just leading up to Star Wars Day at Sea, our trip was filled with a feeling of family, discovery, friendliness — and definitely Star Wars. Going to the pool on the top deck was obviously a big draw; Jack would spend all day in the water if he could, a preference only compounded by the pool’s proximity to a massive screen playing Pixar and Disney movies. (Really, though, who wouldn’t want to watch Ratatouille on a sunny day, while in a pool on a cruise ship?) We took in the live, Broadway-style performance of Aladdin — Jack’s first time seeing a play or stage actors ever. He delighted in meeting Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, Daisy, and various Disney Princesses, either waiting in line or just having a chance encounter, which seemed even more special. Seeing how he and other kids react to these real-life versions of their animated heroes is enough to warm the heart of even the most Scrooge McDuck-like.
