Disney cruising for kids is an unbelievably magical experience. Trust me on this: Your kids will never be bored on a Disney Cruise.

There are clubs for every age group that will keep your children entertained, active, and delighted for your entire voyage. Do not be surprised if you kids prefer to hang out at the clubs than with you. On several of my cruises, I had to force my kids to come meet me a few days a day or I wouldn’t have seen them all week.

Here are the kids clubs and what you can expect:

On most cruises, you can leave children ages 6 months to 3 years old (or 1-3 years old on some longer cruises). Kids are both cared for and entertained by Disney counselors. Naps, games, crafts, and movies are all part of the nursery activities. Yes, they will change and feed your child. You can bring your child’s formula, milk and bottles, as well as diapers, baby blankets and pacifiers. You can peek on your kids unnoticed through a window into the main play area.

Unlike the other clubs, an additional fee applies for the nursery. Currently rates are $9 per hour for the first child, $8 per hour for any additional children in your family. Reservations are required because space is limited, but you may cancel without penalty up to four hours before your reservation.

Stepping into Oceaneer Club / Oceaneer Lab is truly like entering another world! If you’ve ever been to a Disney park, you know that Disney Imagineers create elaborately designed spaces to make you feel transported to a magical place.

Well, the Disney magicians have done it again in Oceaneer Club. You’ll find playgrounds, high-tech interactive activities, computers, TVs, light-up disco floors, drawing tables and more. Disney characters like Belle or Peter Pan will lead special storytelling sessions. Tinkerbell might show up and ask kids to help her find her shadow.

Oceaneer Club - Img: Jose A. Perez

Disney’s amazing youth counselors keep the kids entertained and safe. Our kids have made friends from all over the world that they still keep in touch with.

Kids can eat lunch and dinner at Oceaneer Club. Activities are built around the interests and maturity level of the children (not by age). This means siblings in the age range of 3-12 can spend as much time together as they want.

Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab are two connected rooms within the same space and the kids have freedom to move within the two spaces.

Tweens (ages 11-14) have their own youth club on each Disney Cruise ship with a private location decorated in bright colors and retro decor. On each Disney ship the Edge is outfitted with high-tech gadgets and games and charismatic youth counselors from all over the world.

Computer stations, tablets, karaoke machines, trivia games, and a ready-made dance floor are all part of the fun. Counselors constantly (literally) have activities running that keep the kids entertained until after midnight each night. In the rare moments your kids grace you with their presence, they will likely tell you about their scavenger hunts, video karaoke, pizza cooking, and pirate trivia.

Edge is open from 10am to 1am most nights.

Disney takes care of teens unlike any other cruise line. Vibe is the exclusive teen hangout for ages 14-17, providing a private club where they can break off from the family and meet other teens.

The club is full of the latest technology, complete with enormous LCD screens and digital surround sound. Inside the club, teenagers find computers, video games, a dance floor (even a DJ mix station), and a stage for karaoke or dance performances. If you have a chance to tour, check out the private “porthole nooks” with built-in seats and TVs -- a private escape even inside a packed club.

Vibe Teen Club - Image by Chad Sparkes

On the Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream, teens have a private deck area with pools, hot tubs, ping pong, and foosball.

Just like the other youth clubs, your kids are chaperoned by the coolest Disney counselors. The DCL staff plans incredible experiences that are both entertaining and socially rewarding.

The whole experience is designed to be laid back and entertaining, allowing your teenager to feel comfortable.

One of the most surprising things about a Disney cruise is how many adult-only activities are available.

Yes, you can spend every moment with your kids if you like, but with all the fun youth club activities, there’s a strong chance they are going to be just fine without you.

So, what will you do with your “ME Time”?

All Disney ships have secluded adults-only sundecks and pools for reading, relaxing and sun-worship.

For those sailing on Disney Dream or Disney Fantasy, my particular favorite is Satellite Falls.

Signature dining is available at Palo and Remy restaurants if you want a “date night” on-board ship (and with the clubs and nursery, your kids will be well cared for).

The Senses Spa and Salon offers high-end spa treatments, including body-wraps, facials and massage therapy, as well as salon services such as hair, nails, shave and and teeth whitening. The fitness center is stocked with every type of workout equipment you could imagine and classes for aerobics, yoga, Pilates are available.

Each evening the nightclub features all kinds of entertainment, ranging from comedy, music, juggling, magic, trivia, game shows and dancing.

In my experience, while acts might allude to adult-oriented themes from time to time, you won’t find anything raunchy and I can’t remember any cussing in their entertainment acts.

I noticed they play “clean” or “radio” versions of popular songs in their clubs.

They invite their headliners that perform in the Walt Disney Theatre for the nightly family acts to do additional shows in the clubs.

I highly recommend all of the nightly shows. It’s all first-class. Disney knows how to do entertainment well!

At its core, Disney is the world’s best storytelling company. Every night, the cruise boasts a premium entertainment event in the Walt Disney Theatre and each act is top-notch. Twice each night, a live feature production is performed. This allows guests from each of the two dining schedules to attend. The Walt Disney Theatre stage is outfitted to accommodate Broadway-caliber shows. Seriously, the production value of these performances is on par with anything you’ll see on stage in New York City.

Each ship features an original show based on a classic Disney film or set of characters. These are absolutely not to be missed. Whether it is Aladdin (Disney Fantasy) or Villains -- soon to be Beauty & the Beast -- (Disney Dream), Tangled (Disney Magic) or Frozen (Disney Wonder), both kids and parents find these shows to be some of the biggest highlights of the cruise.

Besides the marquee shows, each ship features other nightly shows. The shows vary depending on the sailing and itinerary. For example, a recent line-up of shows on the Disney Magic included the following (to go along with Tangled):

• All Aboard: Let The Magic Begin!
• Remember the Magic! A Final Farewell Show
• Twice Charmed: A Twist on the Cinderella Story
• Disney Dreams: An Enchanted Classic

On some nights, your Disney Cruise features headliner acts that are geared to please every age level. We’ve seen hilarious comedy and juggling acts, a few mind-boggling magicians, even a hypnotist act that had everyone laughing.

How about a new release movie? On select voyages Disney Cruise guests will get a sneak peek at a brand new movie on-board ship. Attending a movie premiere while sailing is a pretty cool experience.

You won’t ever go hungry or be left wanting when it comes to dining. Disney Cruise Line has won awards for the quality of their food and the dining experience as a whole.

There are many choices of where and what to eat. On each ship, you’ll find quick service dining locations, an enormous buffet called Cabanas, three themed restaurants for your nightly dining, stellar room service, and at least one premium restaurant.

Each of the main restaurants has their own theme. Through Disney Cruise Line’s “rotational dining” you will eat at a different restaurant each night, allowing you to enjoy every one of those unique dining experiences. Not only is the food fantastic, the presentation of the food rivals any fancy restaurant around.

Want to try more than one dish at dinner? No problem. You’re allowed to order as much off the menu as you like, allowing you taste anything and everything that looks tantalizing.

It is noteworthy that your servers rotate with you, so you’ll have the same wait staff serving you each night. They’ll get to know your preferences and will anticipate your likes and dislikes. Service at meals is so well done, it probably deserves a section unto itself.

For those 18 and up, it is worth trying a premium dining experience at either Palo (Italian theme) or Remy (French cuisine) restaurants. Reservations are required and you’ll be charged an additional fee per person for both restaurants. The food is fantastic and not a single detail is overlooked. These book quickly, so if you’re interested, make a reservation as early as possible.

If you sail with Disney Cruise on a Caribbean, Transatlantic, Panama Canal, or Bahamas itinerary, you’ll be taken to Castaway Cay (pronounced "key"), Disney’s private island.

Located in the Bahamas, Disney converted a deserted 1,000 acre island into a sunny island paradise, created and cared for with the meticulous attention that only Disney Imagineers provide.

When you step off the ship, you (and all of your Disney Cruise friends) have Castaway Cay all to yourself. There are no inhabitants on the island and areas have been carefully crafted for your recreation, relaxation, and play. Hammocks stretch between coconut trees. You can take a stroll on pristine shoreline. Comfortable beach chairs are provided in the white sand and palm trees provide plenty of shade.

In the clear blue waters, you can enjoy swimming, snorkeling, even water slides. Excursions are available if you want to pet stingrays, ride WaveRunners, parasail, kayak, or go deep-sea fishing.

The food on Castaway Cay doesn’t disappoint either. Open-air barbecue restaurants serve complimentary meals, and there’s no shortage of ice cream or specialty drinks available.

Fun tip: If you mail a postcard from the island’s post office, it will have a Castaway Cay postmark upon arrival!

For many guests, Castaway Cay inevitably ends up being the highlight of their entire cruise. It’s not hard to see why Castaway Cay has been voted the #1 Private Island Destination multiple times.

It’s easy to understand why Disney Cruise has been voted #1 Best Cruise Line for Families.

Family Time Together on St. John

It all begins when you first step on-board your Disney ship and your family is announced via microphone to the entire ship. Every day you’ll discover activities that the entire family can enjoy together on the ship. Recreation and entertainment options abound for families. One of my favorite daily activities was scouring the Navigator together to make a plan as a family for the fun we’d have together.

Proof of Disney Cruise Line’s commitment to making a family-friend experience is what is NOT found on a Disney ship. You won’t find a casino or gambling on-board a Disney sailing. Raunchy humor and profanity is notably absent, even in the adult-only entertainment.

Every stateroom is spacious enough to accommodate families of four. There are plenty of options of shore excursions designed for families with children. The design of the ship is both whimsical and elegant at the same time.

From the Caribbean to California, Europe to Alaska, Disney Cruises cross the seas and explore all of planet Earth. You can sail from anywhere from 3 to 14 days.

Here we are in Cozumel, Mexico

Seriously, this is incredible. Take a look at this list...

In the last three years, Disney Cruise ships have sailed to Russia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Scotland, England, Denmark, Canary Islands, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Malta, Turkey, Mexico, Hawaii, Canada, Alaska, Grand Cayman, Panama, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, Martinique, Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, Tortola, St. Thomas, Key West, Texas, Florida, New York, Bahamas, Colombia, Massachussetts, California, and Puerto Rico.

Ready to see the world?

Don’t just take my word for it.

The list of awards Disney Cruise Line has won speaks volumes for what the entire travel industry thinks of a Disney Cruise experience.

Here is just a small sampling of the recognition that DCL has received in 2016 alone:

• Best Cruise Line in the Caribbean by U.S. News & World Report
• Best Cruise Line for Families by U.S. News & World Report
• Best Large Ship Line by Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards
• Best Cruise Line Private Island by Cruise Critic Cruisers' Choice Awards
• Best for Families and Best for Dining by Cruise Critic Editors' Picks Awards
• Best for Families by Cruise International

Clark & Lois: Our Halloween Costumes

Okay, here's a bonus for those considering a holiday vacation.

Celebrate your favorite holidays of the year with Disney Cruise Line’s special holiday sailings!

The ship is decked out in special decor for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Disney characters join in the fun and dress up while Cast Members provide special activities and story-telling events to celebrate.

What a delightful way to make holiday memories!