I booked a 243-square-foot verandah room on one of Disney Cruise Line's newest ships. At over $780 per night, the vacation wasn't cheap, but it was worth every penny.
The Category 5C stateroom was my home away from home for a short four-night getaway to The Bahamas and had a balcony, a queen-sized bed, and an innovative split bathroom design.
When I booked the Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah, I knew I wouldn't be getting a run-of-the-mill cruise cabin. If you've ever been on a Disney cruise, you know that they're known for maximizing comfort and functionality for families — and I was thrilled to be proved right on my recent sailing.
My cabin on the Disney Destiny ship cost $3,125 for a four-night stay for two people. The cruise sailed round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to The Bahamas, including visits to both of Disney's private destinations: Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point and Castaway Cay.
Although we did not have long on the ship, we spent more time than usual enjoying our cabin's amenities. Here's a look at every detail that made the cruise worth the hefty price tag.
The Disney Destiny ship has 1,256 rooms and suites. My cabin was located mid-ship on Deck 6.
There's nothing wrong with windowless inside cabins or cruise rooms with a picture window. However, my fiancée and I prefer balcony cabins, so we always factor that into our vacation budget.
In this case, we also paid a little bit extra to have a mid-ship stateroom near the elevator bank since my fiancée suffers from awful motion sickness.
The cabin's location was also beneficial since it was so close to the aft elevator bank, making it easy to run up to the Marceline Market buffet or grab a specialty coffee at Café Merida on Deck 5.
Our cabin, 6112, was 243 square feet, including the outdoor balcony.
The stateroom was nicely designed with a queen-size bed, a spacious vanity, an innovative split bathroom, and plenty of storage. Even with two people sharing the cabin, it never felt cramped thanks to the ample floor space.
There were plenty of subtle magical touches throughout the stateroom without the decor feeling overly themed. One of my favorite details was the elegant mural above the bed, which was inspired by Hercules.
Other details included hidden Mickeys on the lampshades and carpet, along with tons of complimentary programming on the television, ranging from cute Pixar films to classic, nostalgic favorites.
As a newer ship, the stateroom was outfitted with convenient charging options, including multiple USB-C ports and standard outlets near the bed and vanity.
This made it easy to keep all our devices charged throughout the trip, including cell phones, smart watches, headphones, and Kindles.
One thing to note, however, is that you'll want to pack a European power adapter to take advantage of the outlets on both sides of the bed.
Moving on, there was a hidden mini-fridge built into the vanity area's dresser. Rather than concealing a standard black mini-fridge with a cabinet door, the fridge was integrated into a pullout drawer, making it feel far more sleek.
That said, we didn't use the fridge during our four-night sailing, so I cannot attest to how well it kept drinks chilled. Still, it is important to know that it exists in case you want to store bottled water or other beverages during your cruise.
Speaking of the vanity area, it was perhaps the most spacious, storage-friendly vanity I've ever had in a cruise room. There were so many built-in shelves that we could easily unpack our cosmetics, chargers, sunscreen, and other travel items without feeling cluttered.
Speaking of storage, the vanity area had a nicely sized dresser with five drawers where we kept things like our bathing suits, undergarments, t-shirts, and shorts. The closet outside the bathroom also had more than enough hanging space for our dresses and blouses, along with a few built-in cubbies.
We brought more dressy attire for this cruise, rather than everyday wear, since we planned to dine in the themed rotational restaurants and adult-only Palo Steakhouse. Everything fit comfortably, and thanks to the safe, we had a place to store our valuable items, including passports and wallets.
Finally, I really loved the light-blocking curtain, which separated the living area from the sleeping area. My fiancée loves her afternoon naps, so I was able to keep the space dark while moving around the vanity area without disturbing her.
The best part about my Disney cruise verandah was the split bathroom.
My balcony cabin had a split bathroom design, which separated the shower and bathtub from the toilet area.
The toilet and sink were in a room closest to the stateroom's entrance, while the shower/tub combo and main sink were located in a separate room. This layout made it much easier to get ready, and we noticed that there was a lot more storage than in standard cruise bathrooms.
The shower room, for instance, had three built-in shelves above the spacious vanity. The toilet had an additional five shelves, so we had more than enough space to unpack all our toiletries and cosmetics.
The shower itself felt luxurious with the white tile, premium sea salt bath products, and a showerhead that had solid water pressure. And although we did not use the tub, this is a huge advantage for families with younger children.
Additionally, there was liquid hand soap and body lotion, and our cabin steward replaced the dedicated make-up removing towel daily.
My fiancée and I loved how we each had our own space to brush our teeth and wash our faces in the morning, and it was nice that we could use the restroom while the other was in the shower.
Since we were traveling alone, we definitely could have made do with a standard cruise bathroom, but the added space, storage, and privacy made a noticeable difference in how smoothly we got ready.
I loved my verandah room aboard the Disney Destiny ship and would book it again.
My Disney cruise verandah room was a splurge — we could have saved a lot of money booking a windowless inside cabin — but it was so worth it.
From enjoying room service breakfast on the balcony as we docked in Castaway Cay to quiet afternoons spent reading before getting ready for dinner and a front-row view of cotton candy sunsets, the slower moments on the verandah became some of the most memorable of the trip.
Another benefit was the innovative split bathroom design, which meant we could both be in the bathroom at the same time without getting in each other's way.
In the end, there are a lot of ways you could decide to spend $781 per night, but for us, we knew we were paying for more than just an average cruise to The Bahamas.
Disney cruises have the best Broadway-style entertainment at sea, and I love the themed dining rooms. They make dinnertime feel more like a must-do experience than just another cruise meal.
The service on Disney Destiny was also top-tier. Every crew member we interacted with was invested in making the trip feel magical, and the attention to detail stood out from the moment we boarded.
Plus, Disney fares include twice-daily housekeeping service, with turndown service each evening. One of my favorite parts about the cruise was coming back to the cabin to find chocolates and intricate blanket animals waiting on the bed!
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Having sailed on over 30 cruises across different lines, including Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC, Margaritaville at Sea, and Princess, she loves sharing her insight and expertise on all things cruising!
In addition to writing for Cruise.Blog, Elizabeth has bylines in Business Insider, Royal Caribbean Blog, and Cruiseshipfood.com.
