Time's tips for Disney Cruise Line

Professional reviews always have a different tone than reviews you might find on Cruise Critic or Cruiseline.com. Because of their experience, access to the ship's leadership, and compensation, the writers often don't experience or notice the same things a regular cruiser would. That is why some of the best professional reviews come when the writer is cruising for the first time. That's what happened in this review of the Disney Dream from Time/Travel + Leisure's Stephanie Wu.

Wu mentions the usual cruise tips about packing and carry-on bags. She also knows that some excursions require early booking. With regards to tips and thoughts on this particular ship, Wu writes that the quality of the food was a pleasant surprise and loved the access to the Disney movie library (we enjoyed this same little detail when we took a Disney Cruise).

Like all good reviews, Wu sets the stage, gives some unique details but moves everything along. We're glad she had a good time and glad she shared her review.

Disney Cruise Line returns to Big Apple; Could New York support year-round Disney Cruising?

Disney Cruise Line unveiled their 2016 itineraries and announced a return to New York City. From the Big Apple, Disney will sail to the Bahamas and Canada. This obviously has Disney Cruise fans excited, but to us, raises an important question: could Disney sail year round from New York? The short answer is "yes," but there are some obvious challenges and a few big opportunities.

• Can the New York Market support it? New York is a growing cruise base with more and more companies adding departures. The local population alone is huge and when you add in drive market and air access, it can certainly support even more cruise traffic. NYC is already a big customer base for DCL and Disney's other vacation destinations, so the company could easily tap into a welcoming group of potential passengers.
• What about "offseason" weather? The big test for the 2016 return will be demand in October for the Canadian cruises. Is there enough interest for similar, colder destinations when most families are in school? Or perhaps there will be overwhelming demand for offseason trips to the Bahamas as New Yorkers try to escape the cold.
• Does Disney have enough ships? All the lines that sail year-round from the New York area have twice or three times the fleet that Disney has. Because the fleet is limited and the demand is so high, Disney has to be selective where they sail. 

Disney could make year-round sailing from New York work tomorrow if they wanted to try it. However, the company can only be in so many places at once. Until they have a bigger fleet or face over the top demand, year-round New York sailing will have to wait. 

MailOnline Video Reviews: Disney Cruise Line for adults

Since their launch Disney has been fighting perception that their cruises are just for families and children. They're not. Adults can have a great time too and avoid kiddie activities with all the private, and adults-only features on board. Here is a helpful video review from Daily Mail.