From Ann Cochran, Maryland

My husband and I are just back from a three-night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Wonder, April 10-13. It was a treat for our godson, Matthew, who just turned ten, but it turned out to be a treat for us, too. Although a Disney cruise is obviously custom-made for families, I was impressed by the care and attention given to kids of all ages, from nursery babies through teenagers. It was a sulk-free zone.

The nightly shows included the captivating Toy Story, the animated movie has just been made into a musical by Disney—it debuted very recently. All the entertainment was first-rate: Broadway-level talent, lots of audio and visual special effects, gorgeous costuming…and a little pixie dust. Don’t miss any of the shows, or the fireworks at the Pirates of the Caribbean party on the pool deck.

On a cruise you expect to gain weight but I was able to lose a few pounds thanks to all the delicious healthy choices, for meals and snacks: grilled vegetables in whole wheat tortillas, plain Greek yogurt with fruit, grilled fish, vegetable wraps.

The short cruise we chose went to Nassau and Disney’s island, Castaway Cay. My husband and I have been to Nassau before and I had no desire to go back. I spent much of the Nassau day in the spa, which was larger than I’ve seen on other ships. All of the staff seemed well-trained and interested in making an extra effort. The pedicurist, for example, used some kind of tool on my heels that looked like sandpaper wrapped around a pie server, and she returned them to a smoothness I haven’t felt since childhood. They use and sell Elemis products, but no pressure to buy. I didn’t even see a spa shop.

Castaway Cay was well designed, great fun—all the activities one could imagine on an island. Snorkeling, biking, beach games, marine animal encounters, watercraft. We had lunch at Cookie’s BBQ. Even there, Disney made sure there were healthy choices: the chicken was not drowning in sauce (as the finger-licking ribs were) and for those who did not want fries with that, cous cous with vegetables was a welcome option.

We have cruised before, with Royal Caribbean to Silversea. Disney rated right up there with Silversea, but for families. The staterooms are quite roomy. We were on Deck 5 near the middle (the calmest most stable part of a ship) and ours had two bathrooms with sinks: one with toilet, one with tub/shower. There was a curtain between us and our godson, not a separate room, but it was fine for three nights. More than enough closet and storage space.

There are adults-only zones (Route 66 evening entertainment area, the spa and fitness center, a coffee shop, and a designated pool) and it works well, but not perfectly. Disney isn’t about to march a family out of an area. Most guests complied. We visited Route 66 one night and found it fun and decently populated, predominantly with thirty-something young parents. We walked by a Newlywed Game that we expected to be hokey – but we listened for a while and ended up sitting down with drinks for the entire show. The host was creative and funny, and the questions were interesting. Big surprise.

Quibbles: the cabins are not soundproof and we ended up next to a family with very loud young children. I didn’t ask to be moved as I might have in a hotel because, well, it was a family cruise, so who knows who we’d end up next to, and the kids went to sleep at a reasonable time and slept all night. The only other complaint would be that there is no shade to be found if you are in a pool. For small children or sun-sensitive adults, this was disappointing.

www.disneycruise.disney.go.com ; 800-951-3532