Can you believe that we embark on our very first voyage to Alaska in just 15 days? To help get you excited, I wanted to share some of our exclusive Port Adventures that await you and your family in Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan. These unique offerings are great ways to explore Alaska’s splendid scenery, adventurous spirit and rich history. Check it out…

What an incredible summer it’s going to be aboard the Disney Wonder! Let us know if you’ll be joining us, and what you’re looking forward to the most.

For the original post, see the Disney Parks Blog.

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For the first time ever, Disney Cruise Line® will set sail from three new ports in 2012 – New York, Seattle and Galveston – making the Disney family cruise vacation more accessible around the country. There are also more itinerary choices than ever before, including one special voyage to Hawai‘i.

As an exclusive benefit to guests who are Disney Cruise Line Platinum/Gold Castaway Club Members, bookings will open via phone at 8 a.m. EDT on Thursday, April 7, 2011. All other guests we can start booking at 8 a.m. EDT on Friday, April 8, 2011.  Call our travel partner, Destinations In Florida Travel at 877-918-8941 to book.

New York Disney Cruise Line Sailings

Beginning May 25, 2012, the Disney Magic® will sail a total of 20 cruises from New York.

• 8-night Bahamian cruises include a day at Disney’s Castaway Cay and a stop at Port Canaveral, gateway to the Walt Disney World® Resort. As part of this itinerary, you will receive a one-day Park Hopper® Ticket and roundtrip transportation between the ship and resort.
• 5-night Canadian/New England cruises will visit Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Saint John, New Brunswick.
• 2-night cruises are perfect for guests looking for a quick getaway at sea over a weekend.

Seattle Disney Cruise Line Sailings

Beginning May 28, 2012, the Disney Wonder® will sail a total of 14 cruises to Alaska from the Port of Seattle, Wash.

• 7-night Alaskan cruises will call on Tracy Arm, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan plus Victoria, British Columbia.

Galveston Disney Cruise Line Sailings

Beginning Sept. 22, 2012, the Disney Magic will sail 12 cruises from the Port of Galveston, Texas.

• 7-night Western Caribbean cruises will visit Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico, as well as Grand Cayman.

Los Angeles Disney Cruise Line Sailings

In addition to 7-night Mexican Riviera cruises, the Disney Wonder will set sail on Disney’s first-ever voyage to Hawai‘i on April 29, 2012.

• 15-night Hawaiian cruise departs from the Port of Los Angeles and includes stops at Hilo; Kahului, Maui; Honolulu, Oahu; Nawiliwili, Kauai and Ensenada, Mexico.
• 7-night Pacific Coast cruises will call on San Francisco, San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico.

The Disney Dream™ will continue to sail 3-, 4- and 5-night Bahamian cruises. The new Disney Fantasy™ will offer Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, beginning with the maiden voyage on March 31, 2012. Sail dates for both ships are now available through December 2012.

For more information about booking your 2012 Disney Cruise Line vacation, call our travel partner at 877-918-8941 or visit them online.

With a new ship, the Disney Dream brings with it a new Pirates IN the Caribbean show!  Still the same concept, pirates take over the cruise ship, fireworks ensue, a good time is had by all.  However, this one adds so much more, including a lit up AquaDuck during the fireworks, new characters, and games for the kids.

The fireworks and musical shows include lots of new music from the Pirate of the Caribbean movie series.  Join in the fun and boogie into the night!  You'll also get to see Capt. Jack Sparrow repel from a funnel and escape his captors!  It's a great night for the kids and adults, alike.

As with all Disney cruise ships, the new Disney Dream cruise ship has a pirate night with the only fireworks show at sea!  This one is a awesome spectacle with the AquaDuck all lit up with the fireworks as a back drop.

Of course, the fireworks show is just a part of the overall pirate night on the Disney cruise.  We'll post a video of pirate night later, today, but we decided to give you the finale, first.

The new Disney Dream cruise ship has a great little mini golf course called "Goofy Mini Golf."  It has just about everything on the course, including the kitchen sink on the last hole!

The course is on the aft end of Deck 13 and you'll need to check your Personal Navigator for operating hours while on board.  There are some beautiful views from the course, especially when you're in port at either Nassau or Castaway Cay.

Disney Golf Mini Course Highlights include:

• "Handling a Dog Leg" – Golfers avoid a fire hydrant and use Pluto's dog bone to guide them to the hole
• "Stuck in the Rough" – Goofy shows golfers how to avoid the tall turf and steer clear of a lawn mower
• "Reading the Green" – Stacks of books and a large magnifying glass are obstacles to circumvent on this undulating green
• "Attacking the Green" – Golfers take a pirate's approach to sinking the putt as they maneuver their ball through various pirate-like obstacles

Mickey's Midship Detective Agency is a really cool interactive game on the new Disney Dream cruise ship.  You stop off at the Midship Detective Agency kiosk (located midship, of course) on Deck 5 -- the same deck as the children's programming -- to check in and get your "detective's license."  The kiosk will give you instructions on how to play the game, a choice of two mysteries to solve and the license with a special code that can be read by different pieces of Disney art located throughout the ship.

The really neat part comes out when you wave the card in front of the art and the pictures come to life!  Interacting with you or your child and the card.  The "license" becomes a tool to open safes, move cans on shelves, as a squeegee, and more!  You check off clues and collect stolen items to solve the mystery.  In the process, you get a cool tour of the Disney Dream and see some amazing Disney art.

In the video, you'll see a couple glimpses of my kids playing the Midship Detective Agency game while we were on the Disney Dream cruise ship.  Although there were about 10 interactive Disney art pieces on the ship, you don't have to visit all of them to solve the mystery.  However, we played the game several times to make sure we saw them all!

As promised, I am posting a little more information and a video about the tween club on the Disney Dream cruise ship, called Edge.

Edge is a loft-style lounge exclusive to tweens (ages 11-13) that you'll find tucked away on deck 13, forward funnel on the Disney Dream cruise ship.  Operating hours vary, so while onboard, please check your Personal Navigator for specific times.

Edge tween club offers lots of options for your tween, including Wii on a state-of-the-art video wall that stretches more than 18 feet long and nearly 5 feet tall, an illuminated dance floor for music lovers, and notebook computers for game playing and accessing a unique onboard social media application.

Edge tween club also offers 3 green-screen rooms.  Tweens are invited to become the stars of the show.  They can easily superimpose their image in both photo postcards and video karaoke, ensuring an unforgettable "immersive" experience unlike any other.

Edge also has port holes that offer silhouetted views of AquaDuck riders, as well as a view from the forward funnel of the pool decks, below.  Tweens can see out, but you can't see in!

On the new Disney Dream cruise ship, an old favorite from the Wonder and Magic makes it's way to your dining rotation; Animator's Palate.

However, on the Dream, Animator's Palate has a whole new theme and a whole new show!  You find yourself submerged in an ocean wonderland with paint brushes, pencils, art, and some special visitors throughout your meal.  Be sure to pay close attention to the amazing detail in the restaurant when you visit, including looking up at the ceiling, at your bread basket, your waiter's attire, and more.  Bonus points if you can tell me some of what I'm referring to in the comments!

Similar to the "old" Animator's Palate, this new on on the Disney Dream provides more than just a meal, but also a show and this one includes a very special guest, you!  That's right!  You get to interact with Crush from Finding Nemo as he swims his way around the room from screen to screen.  He'll pop in to your table, greet you, and even have a conversation.  Want to hear the crazy part?  He also visits the Oceaneer's Club and Lab, so if you met him earlier in that location, he'll remember you and talk about your time in the Lab/Club, too!!!

It's an amazing show that involves the entire dining room and still has hints of the amazing artistic portion of the "old" Animator's Palate.  Check out our video to get a sneak peek.

Well, we showed the upper end of the new Disney Dream cruise ship with the suites and concierge level rooms, but what about the staterooms that the rest of us will actually stay in?

During our cruise, we stayed in a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah (Categories 5 & 6) that sleeps 3-4.  Along with the Category 4 that sleeps up to 5, these are the most numerous staterooms on the new ship.  The Cat 5 & 6 includes a queen size bed, a single convertible sofa and upper berth pull-down bed.  The Cat. 4 includes the Murphy bed near the verandah door to add that 5th person.  Unlike on the Magic and Wonder, you can actually get around that Murphy bed to the verandah when it's down!  A welcome change on the Dream.

You'll also Oceanview Staterooms and Inside Staterooms in the video, below.  The Inside Stateroom on the Disney Dream includes the new virtual port hole that everyone wants to see.  It's in the video, however, you may have to wait quite a while to see one on your own, as the Inside Staterooms are booked up through 2012!  It's a very popular stateroom, but there just aren't that many on the ship.

The Oceanview Staterooms have a HUGE port hole.  Much bigger than the one's we've had on the Wonder and Magic, offering a more expansive view of the scenery from your stateroom.

So where are you going to stay for your next cruise aboard the Disney Dream cruise ship?

Several people have asked about the late night dining options on the new Disney Dream.  Most cruise ships offer some type of "after dinner" dining options and the Dream is no exception.

As a rule, Luigi's Pizzeria is always open late on Deck 11 and some nights, you'll find Cabana's (the main buffet) on Deck 11 open a little later than normal -- at least we did on our cruise.

You'll also find a late-night snack buffet in The District -- the adult entertainment area -- that's similar to the one you find in Diversions on the Wonder and the Magic.

You can always order room service, 24 hours a day on the Disney Dream.  It's a smaller menu, but a good option for late eaters.

In addition to these normal options, there's also a buffet that immediately follows the pirate party, whichever night you have that on your Disney cruise.