Kosher Disney Cruising Part 3 – In-between Meals

This is part 3 of a 3 part series, to read part 1 (overview) go here, for part 2 (meals) go here

In-Between Meals

Disney has a great feature where they offer free 24/7 drinks on the pool deck. Drinks include fountain Coca Cola products as well as coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.  In fact, unlike most other cruise lines, soda does not cost extra on Disney ships unless you order it from a bar or room service.  Additionally, room service is generally free on Disney ships for many products (although you should tip) so you can order not only things like fresh fruit to your room but also the amazing, and kosher, Mickey Ice Cream Bars. There is also soft serve ice cream available on the pool deck whose mix is under the OU.  Sometimes there have been cones and toppings; the cones have had an OU as well but the toppings did not, so we bring our own sprinkles for the kids (but really for my wife, I guess also my kids).

Just like with the parks, if you ask a staff member they will be happy to show you “the book” the includes the packaging for all of their item so you can check on the hechsher as needed. It is important to note that rooms do not generally come with an actual fridge, it is more of a “cooler.” It will keep things cool that are already cold, and things that aren’t somewhat cool.

We recommend ordering multiple deserts for later, they come in handy in case you are hungry later and generally stay as fresh as they ever were.  The best two are the chocolate chip cookies or the chocolate cake.  You can also get extra sodas and keep them in your cooler in the room for later.

Kids Clubs and Food

In general, DCL has two different types of kids clubs for those under teenage age: there is babysitting for kids aged 6 months to 3 years and then the kids clubs (or camp as my kids call them) for those over 3 (if you child is under 3 and toilet trained you can ask for a trial run for your kid to attend the older clubs). The cost for the baby-sitting in the Small World Nursery is $9 per hour and $8 per hour for each additional kid with a minimum of 2 hours at a time (still a great deal compared to what a lot of us pay!).    Cancellations can be made without penalty 4 hours in advance, but in the past the cast members have been accommodating if we had to cancel somewhat last minute.  The kids clubs for kids older than three are included in the cost of the cruise.

While the staff will feed your child if you drop them off at meal time (we usually ate before dropping them off) there is no guarantee they will be able to get one of your kosher meals down to the nursery/club, so we certainly recommend making sure your kids are fed beforehand.  Additionally, the cast members will provide snacks based on what you give them (e.g. if you give them milk to give the child), as well as  crackers and juice.  So feel free to ask the cast members to see the packaging of any snacks or drinks they will possibly give the kids and they will be happy to see and take note of what you want your kid to eat.

During one of our trips, they ran a kids’ program called “Anyone Can Cook,” where everyone made cookies.  The staff called me because my daughter knew she couldn’t eat anything unless we said it was kosher (I was very proud).  After speaking to the cast members, we agreed that while she could cook with everyone, she wasn’t going to eat what they made.  However, the cast members were so great because they went into the back to find cookies that she could eat so she wouldn’t feel left out.