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FTF's cruise expert takes a long, hard look at the celebrated family cruise line founded by the family entertainment experts.

To no one's surprise, Disney Cruise Line's youth facilities are exceptional in size and quality. From a dress-up room and pirate slide for little ones to extensive computer and science equipment for older children, Disney leaves no stone unturned. In addition to the free Oceaneer Club (3-7-years) and Oceaneer Lab (ages 8-12), both the Magic and Wonder also have a coffee-house style teen room, a new Wi-Fi Internet cafe, and a nursery.

In 2006, the Wonder underwent an extensive renovation, in part to improve facilities for toddlers.  A Mickey Pool designed for children includes a toddler water slide for kids that 4 years old and older, and a splash zone created especially for the littlest of kids, who are not yet toilet trained to play in while in their swim diapers.

Guests enrolled in the Oceaneer Club have expanded dress-up and role play areas, and a new, more interactive program. Oceaneer's additional activities for 3 to 7-year-olds include Mouseketeer Training and making Flubber. Children's activities often reflect the ship's itinerary; for example, children may make pinatas as the Western Caribbean cruise carries them to Mexico.

Older children at the Oceaneer Lab, inspired by the movie Toy Story, will have access to a computer simulation of ship operations from the captain's point of view, as well as toys, games, movies, and a reading area. Parents with children 12-years and under receive a pager and a password, while children ages 3-9 wear identifying wristbands, adding to the comfort level. Age-appropriate activities continue on Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, with "Scuttle's Cove" and sports and dances for teens.

Mindful of adult needs, Disney Wonder has upgraded its adults-only pool Quiet Cove, added more lounge chairs,  and enlarged its fitness center and spa.

Aboard the Disney Magic and Wonder, your child gets to meet a select group of Disney characters in a more intimate setting. While Alexandra was a bit afraid of the characters during our previous visits to Disney World, she warmed right up to Minnie Mouse once Minnie donned her formal wear at dinner time aboard ship!

SMOOTH SAILING: Disney is the only cruise line offering evening stage shows that are really appropriate for all ages (some showcase famous Disney movie characters), as well as top quality, in-cabin TV programming.

Staterooms, designed for families with split bathrooms, have a privacy curtain separating the main sleeping area from the pull-out couch. Embarkation is another well planned detail for land/sea itineraries, since guests (and their luggage) can go straight from their hotel to their stateroom without waiting on another check-in line. Disney is also one of the few lines with a supervised children's play area on their private islands, a nice plus for parents.

Both the Magic and Wonder have Flounder's Reef Nursery, equipped with cribs and age-appropriate toys for little ones 3-months to 3-years. The nurseries feature a roomy play area, complete with large toys, video screen, baby swings and rockers, along with a separate sleeping area with cribs.

I highly recommend the nurseries to parents wishing to cruise with a child under 2-years. While the ratio of infants to counselors on paper is four to one, I found the ratio generally was a more comfortable two to one. Unlike most youth programs at sea, counselors change diapers, dispense bottles and feed children. The counselors are very competent and loving.

My 7-month-old son, Ethan, stayed at the nursery three times during our recent cruise and by the end of his second stay, he was smiling and reaching for the loving counselors there.

ROUGH SEAS: Since this line is so kid-oriented, there can be huge numbers of children in the youth program. While my daughter is pretty outgoing, she found it hard to meet other children since she rarely saw the same youngster twice. Similarly, while youth counselors and service staff were efficient, they were not as warm as on other ships we've been on. If this was due to the fact that 3 and 4D cruises leave less time for bonding, it should change on the newer 7D Caribbean cruises and even longer Mediterranean cruises.

Disney does not offer in-room babysitting. Since Alexandra is an early riser, she would have done better if a private babysitter had put her to bed early, rather than staying up until 10 pm when group babysitting starts.

Overall, we found the nationwide clientele and the legendary Disney "family values" (no casinos) atmosphere that prevailed just what we were looking for.