Several years ago, we went on a Disney Cruise with our extended family, about 37 of us in total. It was a fantastic experience. I have two boys that are around the same age, and a niece that is the same age as the youngest of my two boys. They were in the teen club at the time, and they had a ton of flexibility on where they could be on the ship. Every day, they would hang out by the pools and eat nearly non-stop. I guess that is what teenage boys do, it has been a while since I have been one. My niece would hang around with them, and would eat the food, but every time it came to eating the ice cream, she would refuse.
My boys never even thought twice about her not eating ice cream, they were too busy getting their own. This went on for 6 days. Finally, the last night of our cruise, my niece started complaining to her mom that my boys were so spoiled, they got everything they want, and she didn’t get anything. After some confusion, we all finally figured out that she didn’t know the ice cream was FREE!
She immediately ran out of the room directly to the ice cream shop and loaded up with the largest ice cream you have ever seen, trying to make up for the missed days.
The lesson we all learn is that you should be fully aware of what is and is not included on a Disney Cruise. A rough guide is that ALL food is included on your Disney Cruise. There are some recent exceptions where some items on the room service menu now have a cost listed by them, but any food that you eat in a restaurant or that you order at a window will be free, even if you order three entrees and two desserts at dinner (not that I have ever done that). All soft drinks are included with your meals or from the drink station up by the pools. Any drinks that include alcohol are NOT free.
Before your next Disney cruise, make sure everyone understands what is and is not included in your cruise fare. No one wants to miss out on free ice cream, and no one wants a huge bill at the end when you assume something is free that is not.
