Family-friendly Experience
Just by waking the length of the ship, we were able to get a sense for the kinds of people who were making this voyage: couples both young and old, and families with children.
This mix of generations also reminded us of a Disney theme park, which means that the brand is consistent across its various offerings.
Always ready to play when Mickey is around, we made a wordless connection with an on-board family that included two youngsters – both of whom were wearing appropriate Disney ear hats. Noticing our enthusiastic efforts to photograph the group, the parents helped their children to climb a little higher so that they could wave to us above the protective railing.
The best part, however, was when the mother went into the cabin for a moment and returned wearing her own ear hat. That willingness of an adult to come out and play with complete strangers – with whom she will never even speak – is an important part of the Disney customer experience. We just knew that this family would be having fun together on the coming voyage.
And while we were enjoying our ship-to-shore wave, we overhead a conversation between two burly out-of-town convention delegates: “Just look at those spoiled brats,” said the first electrical worker to his associate, with a twinkle in his eye. “What are they doing on that cruise ship? They should be at school and we should be on it!”