Between our Cozumel excursion and Pirate Night, the previous day had been long and busy (though fun!) so I was ready for another relaxing day at sea! We started the day with a leisurely sit-down breakfast at 1923. I had the eggs benedict, which was delicious and a chocolate croissant for dessert. I’m not the only one who has breakfast dessert, right? I love that DCL has so many options for dining – whether you want quick service, sit-down or room service AND that they’re all included! It’s really nice to have those choices yet not TOO many choices where it’s overwhelming (kind of the exact opposite of Disney World).
After breakfast, we had pre-booked the Royal Gathering. If you want to meet princesses, this is a must do activity and one you want to try to book as soon as it opens up at midnight 30 days before your cruise (your TA will do this for you by the way!). This is the only opportunity to meet several princesses all at once and it’s so sweet. We met and took pictures with Rapunzel, Tiana, Belle and Moana. They’ll take professional pictures that you can purchase but you can also hand them your cell phone to take pictures that way too.
We took advantage of our Rainforest Room pass again today and enjoyed all the spa amenities, which was lovely. We were assigned to Pride Lands again for dinner that evening but decided instead to try out the complimentary room service. I got buffalo chicken wings and chocolate chip cookies (because I’m healthy like that) and both were great. Later that evening we attended the popular Hercules show. I absolutely loved it. The singing and dancing talent on this ship was astounding. We also managed to stay awake to see the 10:45pm showing of Treble Making with Cruella at DeVil’s. I didn’t quite know what to expect but it ended up being one of my favorite things on the ship. It was so much fun. I will say it can be tricky to catch some of the shows that take place in the smaller lounges because space is definitely limited and not everyone will get a seat. We would often see a line wrapped around the hall to get into some of the spaces 30+ minutes ahead of time.
Our last full day was Castaway Cay and I was so excited to see one of Disney’s two private islands. But before that – we had to get some of the delicious churro Mickey waffles at Marceline’s. They live up to the hype, friends! The water at Castaway Cay is gorgeous and there are so many things to do and see! They even have a 5k route that you can run or walk. We didn’t do any excursions on this day, but they have plenty to offer from snorkeling to parasailing. They also have tons of shopping and food/drink available, so you don’t even need to go back to the ship for lunch. We took the shuttle to the adults only beach area and lounged there for a few hours. The adults only area was actually pretty busy. The main beach area was bigger, quieter and more centrally located. I probably would have preferred sitting there in hindsight. We ate lunch at Cookies, which was your standard barbeque fare, but pretty good, and then headed back to the ship.
Before dinner, we had to take advantage of that Rainforest Room pass one more time! Did I mention they have heated loungers? They are so relaxing! After a day in the sun, it was so nice to sit in the calm and dim Rainforest Room to rest and rehydrate with spa water. If you love sparkling water like me, they had it on tap in the Rainforest Room. We had our second dinner at 1923 this evening, followed by a glass of wine at the very elegant Rose lounge. We had hoped to catch a final sunset from the Rose’s beautiful panoramic windows, but unfortunately it was on the ship’s other side that evening. I absolutely loved that lounge. It’s such a great spot to grab a pre or post dinner cocktail and it feels very upscale and elevated, which honestly the whole ship feels elevated so for this to feel a notch even above that is saying something. We ended our final evening with the Frozen show and I absolutely loved it. The actresses who played Anna and Elsa were absolutely amazing and their voices – wow. I was once again blown away by the talent.
Sadly, the day to disembark arrived the next morning and it was time to leave The Destiny. But not before I purchased my placeholder for my next Disney cruise! This is a must do if you want to cruise DCL again, which I can’t imagine who wouldn’t. For a refundable $250 deposit, you can get 10% off your next Disney cruise anytime in the next 24 months, but you have to purchase the placeholder while you’re still on board. Count me in!
I had an 11:30am flight, which the earliest DCL recommends is 11am. I opted to do express walk off, meaning I carried my own bags versus having DCL staff take them off for me. I probably would have done that anyway since I was by myself with just a small carryon. I was eager to see what the process would be like so I decided to skip breakfast on the ship (which you definitely can and should do if you have a later flight!) and make my way off the ship around 7:30am. It was already quite busy in the grand hall, so I had to wait in a bit of a line, but cast members were helpful in keeping it moving. I used the Disney transportation to go back to the airport and again, I thought it was great – super easy and seamless.
That’s it for my cruise on The Destiny, friends! Bottom line, I loved it and definitely want to do another with my family. I gained so much insight beyond what I’ve shared here that I am now able to bring to my clients. I look forward to helping you book your Disney Cruise soon!
