Disney Cruises: An Obsession with Service

Disney is a completely obsessive service organization. And a cruise is the ultimate opportunity for them to control every last detail down to the minute. They might not be able to control how many people want to ride Space Mountain right before lunch (clearly the smartest time…) in the theme parks, but on a cruise, oh boy!, they can divide dinner seatings down to 15 minute increments and then blow you through a meal in an hour that feels completely relaxed but never lacking a plate of food in front of you with a subtle encouragement to “eat, sailor!” (the food is about as good as mass produced food can be). When you get back to your stateroom, the bunk bed will be folded down and the bath towel will be twisted into some exotic sea creature…guar-an-teed.

There’s more ‘Disney’ per square foot on these boats than any theme park could hope to achieve. Disney has a rule about only one of any character allowed to be on duty in a given park or boat at one time. But there’s a big difference between one Mickey in a 30,500 acre park and one on a 900 foot boat. You will see a lot of characters and get to sing a lot of Disney songs.

From the moment you check your bags in at your departure city, Disney’s reach is apparent. Bags are automatically transferred to the ship while you casually travel by Disney bus to the boat terminus. You are whisked through a check in line and then, you kick back and relax (old Disney cartoons, anyone?) while you wait for them to call your boarding group. As you come on the boat, you are announced as if you have just been married. And from there, the full Disney immersion begins….

- Bill

Add comment August 4th, 2006