Back in 1986, when Walt Disney World was preparing to celebrate its 15^th anniversary, select members of the media who had been invited to cover the over-the-top birthday bash also received invitations to sail with Premier Cruise Lines, which at the time, enjoyed an exclusive partnership with the Walt Disney Company.

The two companies had just started a “land-and-sea” package deal and they wanted to get the word out to the media: Guests could spend a few days at Walt Disney World, then hop on one of Premier’s Big Red Boats for a three- or four-night cruise to the Bahamas.

The Premier-Disney partnership ran from 1985 to 1993 and during that time, guests who signed up could enjoy a host of perks: A private morning breakfast with Disney characters; accommodations at a Disney resort; round-trip airfare; a rental car; unlimited theme park admissions, and a tour of NASA’s Cape Canaveral facility … all starting at $695 per person. Let that sink in for a minute.

For several years, the association between Disney and Premier flourished. Premier’s Big Red Boats sailed out of Port Canaveral in Florida and docked at Nassau in the Bahamas, staying in port long enough for guests to enjoy tours of the island, swimming, and boating by day, as well as nightclub and gambling options during the evening. The Big Red Boats also stopped at a private island in the Bahamas called Salt Cay.

But after a few years, the Disney hierarchy realized that the 10-year licensing agreement it had with Premier wasn’t living up to its high standards.

For one thing, Premier’s older ships, built decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act, were not handicapped-accessible. For another, Disney was concerned that it didn’t have complete control over what was being offered on the ships, mainly in the areas of guest service, cleanliness, dining, and entertainment.

And lastly, newer, much larger, and decidedly more upscale ocean liners were now plying the world’s oceans, part of an industry-wide resurgence by all the major cruise lines. Would-be cruisers were flocking in droves to these opulent “floating hotels,” and all the amenities they had to offer.

By the early 1990s, Disney was at a crossroads when it came to its participation in cruising: Should they a) sign a new agreement with Premier; b) find a new cruise partner; c) start a cruise line of its own; or d) get out of cruising altogether?

Long story short: Disney Cruise Line will be celebrating its 25^th anniversary on July 30, the date the Disney Magic was launched into service in 1998.

Entering the cruise business was truly uncharted territory for the Walt Disney Company, which started as an animation studio before branching out into theme parks and a variety of other ventures, but it was a gamble that has paid off handsomely over the years.

Disney Cruise Line now boasts five boats in its fleet: The Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish. Two additional ships will be setting sail in the next few years.

During WDW’s 25^th anniversary in 1996, the Disney Cruise Line was teased to members of the media during a special presentation at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort. Disney representatives even handed out samples of the food to be offered on Disney cruises.

On a personal level, we’ve spent the most time on the Magic, including a 10-night Mediterranean cruise and two trans-Atlantic voyages, and a trip to eastern Canada out of New York City under our belts. We also were fortunate to be in attendance during the christenings of the Disney Dream in Port Canaveral in 2012 and the Disney Fantasy in New York City in 2013.

Much thought and planning went into Disney’s decision to enter the competitive cruise market. First and foremost, Disney wanted to create a wholesome, family-friendly atmosphere on board its ships. To that end, casinos were never part of DCL’s entertainment options.

And considerable care went into the quality of dining, entertainment, guest services, and overall cleanliness.

All of Disney Cruise Line’s ships feature rotational dining – there are three main dining halls on board each of the ships, with guests and their servers rotating among those three venues during their cruise.

There’s nearly an entire deck devoted to young cruisers – from toddlers to teens – allowing the adults to enjoy quality time together while their offspring get VIP treatment from a dedicated youth staff.

And then there’s the entertainment: Most nights, DCL offers Broadway-quality shows in the opulent Walt Disney Theatre, performed by multi-talented singers, dancers, and actors.

And there’s even an entire theater devoted to screening movies, all from the expansive Disney-Pixar-Marvel-Star Wars collection.

In addition, most of Disney Cruise Line’s Caribbean voyages make a stop at Castaway Cay, DCL’s lush private island that many guests consider the highlight of their cruise.

Our first Disney cruise was aboard the Disney Wonder in early January of 2002. For historical context, our cruise came less than four months after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The nation – and the travel industry in general – was still reeling from those heinous acts.

Evidence of that uneasiness came when we arrived at Disney’s cruise terminal in Port Canaveral, Fla.: There were armed military personnel stationed outside the entrance. Their presence was unnerving … and at the same time, reassuring.

Thankfully, our four-night cruise was uneventful … unless you count all the special touches DCL threw in to make the trip such a memorable experience.

One of those special touches occurred as we boarded the ship: Neatly attired crew members in their dress uniforms lined up in the ship’s spacious atrium as one of them announced our arrival. “Disney Wonder welcomes on board the Schmidt family!”

Prior to our cruise on the Wonder, our previous maritime experiences consisted of trips on a former World War I troop carrier that was converted into a passenger liner [the term “rust bucket” comes to mind], the aforementioned Premier cruise, and dozens of trips aboard the Staten Island Ferry.

So, that 2002 voyage on the Disney Wonder was a magical, dream-like fantasy … the type of cruise you once could only wish for.

BLOWN AWAY BY THE ELEGANT GRAND ATRIUM

When we first boarded the Disney Wonder – after the glowing introduction, of course – we were blown away by the grand atrium: Its size, its décor, its flat-out elegance.

Most passengers, particularly first-timers, wander around the atrium with that classic eyes-up, jaws-down look on their faces. And that’s exactly what we did.

The atrium is that impressive, from the stunning chandelier hovering above to the magnificent Disney character statue at the foot of the winding staircase.

In that instant, we were transformed into vacation mode. Call it Disney magic.

From the atrium, we hopped on the elevator and headed up to the buffet for lunch. As we ate and enjoyed views of Port Canaveral and NASA’s facility at Cape Canaveral, our luggage was delivered to our rooms.

After walking around the main decks to familiarize ourselves with the ship, and following the mandatory safety drill, the Wonder set sail on the wings of a lively sail-away party on Deck 9 midship, hosted by Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and friends.

Later that evening, we enjoyed a tasty sit-down dinner, the first of our rotational offerings in the tastefully appointed Animator’s Palette. And we got to meet our friendly, energetic wait staff, the same folks who would move with us from dining room to dining room each night.

Our first port call was to Nassau in the Bahamas. We took a taxi to the Atlantis Hotel and Casino, where we walked around the lush grounds and tried our luck [or lack of same] in the gaming hall.

We were scheduled to spend the next two days on Castaway Cay – what has become known in Disney Cruise Line parlance as a Double Dip – but rough seas forced the captain to alter our plans: Instead of our initial stop at Castaway, we made a port call to Freeport.

We got off the boat, walked around for a bit, then returned to the Wonder for lunch and some pool time.

The seas calmed somewhat the next day, so we were able to enjoy all that Castaway Cay has to offer:

A pleasant tram ride from the dock area to the main section of the island; relaxing in a hammock; dipping our toes into the placid waters of the adults-only Serenity Bay; finding sea shells along pristine, white-sand family beaches; taking a bike ride along one of the island’s lush trails.

The day was topped off by a tasty lunch at Cookie’s Barbecue, which remains one of the many highlights of any visit to Castaway Cay.

During the cruise, our son Gregg and I tried our hand at sports trivia in the now-defunct ESPN Lounge. To our surprise, we won the competition and came away with a DCL pin for our efforts.

Our first Disney cruise was truly an enjoyable experience, filled with memories that have endured decades later. Our family had a blast … and we’ve been back many times since.

Chuck Schmidt is an award-winning journalist who has covered all things Disney since 1984 in both print and on-line. He has authored or co-authored seven books on Disney, including his On the Disney Beat, for Theme Park Press. He also has written a regular blog for AllEars.Net, called Still Goofy About Disney, since 2015.

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