When you think about indulging on a cruise, food is usually the first thing that comes to mind. And while the Disney Fantasy does have fantastic dining options, the entire cruise experience is an indulgence for each member of the family.

This is Disney’s strategy – everyone should feel like they’ve had a vacation when it’s time to go home. “We [Disney] entertain one person, one group at a time. The experience needs to feel personalized”, said Tom Staggs, Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.

There are two elephants in the room right now in the cruise industry; the sinking of the Costa Concordia and the reoccurring Norwalk virus or Norovirus breakouts. As I watched the news unfold about the Costa Concordia, it occurred to me that I had never given much thought to my family’s safety or health while onboard the Disney Fantasy cruise this week.

I interviewed Rebecca Peddie, a Public Affairs Manager with Disney Cruise Line, to better understand Disney’s safety protocols and procedures for families.

I know it sounds crazy, but I had a terrific girls getaway on the Disney Dream.

When I received the invitation for the Disney Dream christening cruise, I immediately had visions of the adult beach at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. White sand, colored umbrellas and fruity drinks (not the lunch box kind). The perfect opportunity to check out the adult amenities I missed on my family’s Disney cruise last summer to the Bahamas.

I was invited down to cover the inauguration of the new “Disney Dream,” the third ship of Disney’s cruising fleet. I had many preconceptions about what the ship would be like (see Hello Disney Dream for details), but here’s what I found most surprising:

Just how much my son loved it

My son kept saying, “This is the best vacation of my life!” Now, this kid has been all over France, Italy, England, Ireland, Caribbean, and the USA — this is the best vacation of his life. Wow!

CB’s Nancy Solomon and Kristi Marcelle are lucky enough to be on the Disney Dream inaugural cruise this week. Talk about media buzz! There’s been a stream of constant chatter. I even saw a tweet yesterday calling the cruise, “The event of the decade.”

We’ll publish official reports from them when they return, but in the meantime, Nancy has sent fun photos for a peek at all the action.

A cruise, like any other vacation, is a different experience for each family. For some it’s all about the service and the food while for others it’s about exploring new destinations and unplugging from the daily grind. No matter what the reason is for your trip, the convenience of having someone else plan it all for you helps to create a stress-free experience.

There are a few tips to make your cruise planning and experience more enjoyable for all.

This was my first Disney Cruise Line vacation and besides thinking I’d see plenty of Mickey and Minnie, I wasn’t sure what to expect. By the end of the cruise, I realized that in subtle and not so subtle ways, the mission of the Disney staff is to make every passenger’s vacation as stress-free as possible.

The service level was extraordinary—this vacation helped us understand why families like cruising so much and return over and over again.

I was thrilled to learn that Ciao Bambino was invited to participate in a press trip on the Disney Cruise Line. We’ve been planning to start covering cruising on Ciao Bambino and Disney is the perfect venue to kick off exploring the best cruise lines with kids.

My family has a close connection with Disney … My husband’s first job out of college was with the Disney Channel, we had Disneyworld annual passes long before the kids …