I've been on 29 Disney cruises.
Twenty-nine!
And I have wonderful memories from every single one.
But there's one cruise I think about more than the others.
One I would give almost anything to experience again.
Our 2015 Disney Magic transatlantic cruise.
Not because of the destinations.
Not because of the ship.
And not even because we stayed in the Royal Suite.
Although, let's be clear.
That suite was amazing.
It had a real bathtub!
And a dining room!
I could have happily moved in.
But that's not why I wish I could take this cruise again.
It's because of who was with me.
My family.
Dave, G, L, and me.
G was 13, almost 14.
L was 9.
And we were about to spend 13 nights together on a Disney ship.
At the time, I didn't realize just how special those 13 nights would become.
I was too busy worrying.
Because that's what I do.
And Disney certainly gave me something to worry about.
Icebergs.
Yes.
Actual icebergs.
Our original itinerary included St. John's, Newfoundland, and Reykjavik, Iceland.
But because of icebergs, Disney changed the itinerary.
Suddenly, we were going somewhere different.
And Dave and I seriously considered canceling.
We didn't.
Thankfully.
Instead, we sailed from Port Canaveral, visited New York City and Halifax, and then headed across the Atlantic toward Norway and Denmark.
Seven straight days at sea.
Seven.
No ports.
No getting off.
Just us, the Disney Magic, and an enormous amount of ocean.
And I was terrified.
I remember boarding the ship in Halifax and crying.
Not little happy tears.
I was scared.
What had we gotten ourselves into?
What if I hated being stuck on a ship for seven days?
What if something happened?
What if I couldn't handle it?
I had spent so much time looking forward to this vacation.
And now I was afraid of it.
But something wonderful happened.
Those seven days became my favorite part of the entire cruise.
We had nowhere we needed to be.
No ports to rush off to.
No transportation to figure out.
No sightseeing schedule.
We were just together.
We ate.
We laughed.
We relaxed.
We explored the ship.
We spent time doing things together and sometimes doing absolutely nothing.
And it was wonderful.
Really, really wonderful.
For seven days, the rest of the world felt very far away.
And for once, I wasn't wishing we had more time.
We actually had it.
The Little Moments I Wish I Could Have Back
We had Pirate Night.
And a special Frozen Night while we were in Norway.
Frozen Night! In Norway!
We met Anna and Elsa.
And I'll never forget G's smile when the confetti came raining down.
That smile.
I can still see it.
L sang karaoke and participated in just about every game she could find.
G discovered quiet little cubbyholes around the ship where she could curl up with her books.
We made cars out of carrots and raced them down a track.
Carrot cars!
Who comes up with these things?
We met so many Disney characters.
And our dinner service team was wonderful.
Then there was our special concierge breakfast as we sailed past the Statue of Liberty and under the Brooklyn Bridge.
We all wore pajamas.
Which sounded adorable.
Until we realized how cold it was.
Our jackets?
In our stateroom!
And I managed to spill hot chocolate everywhere.
Because of course I did.
We never went swimming.
Too cold.
But we didn't care.
We even ordered Palo dinner to our suite.
And watched Hercules while eating Palo's chocolate soufflés.
I remember that evening.
All four of us together.
Watching a Disney movie.
Eating chocolate soufflés.
Not doing anything particularly exciting.
And yet, it's one of the moments I wish I could have back.
We were happy.
And we were together.
Now, I look back at that cruise differently.
G and L are adults.
They're 25 and 21.
And life is different.
Not bad.
Just different.
On that cruise, G was in okay health.
The kids were young.
We could all travel together without having to think about some of the things we have to consider today.
And I didn't know how much I would miss those days.
I have photographs from that cruise tucked away in a bin.
Pictures of the kids.
Pictures of the ship.
Pictures of places we visited.
Little moments that probably didn't seem particularly important when I took them.
But now?
They're everything.
I wish I could go back.
Not to see the Royal Suite again.
Not to visit Norway.
Not even to eat another Disney dessert.
And you know how much I love dessert.
I wish I could go back and spend those seven days with my family exactly as we were.
G at 13.
L at 9.
Dave and me.
All four of us together.
With nowhere else we needed to be.
I know I can't.
And that's what makes those memories so precious.
Dave and I have since taken another Disney transatlantic cruise.
And we've booked one for 2027.
And if you're wondering why I keep booking these cruises, I've written about 10 things I love about Disney transatlantic cruises and 5 things that make me question my life choices.
Because apparently, seven days in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean is my idea of a wonderful vacation.
I love these cruises.
I love the sea days.
I love the food.
I love the feeling of having all that time.
But I know that no matter how many transatlantic cruises we take, there will never be another one quite like 2015.
Because the thing I miss most isn't the vacation.
It's that moment in our lives.
🚢 Clearly Maggie's Advice
Take the vacations.
Make the memories.
Take the pictures.
Even the silly ones.
Especially the silly ones.
You don't need the fanciest stateroom.
You don't need the perfect itinerary.
And you certainly don't need everything to go according to plan.
Sometimes the vacation you almost cancel becomes the one you wish you could take again.
And sometimes the most wonderful part of traveling isn't where you go.
It's who gets to go with you.
