The Disney Cruise Ad That Hit Me Hard (And Why It Matters)
If I Could Go Back, I’d Cruise Sooner
We fall into routines.
And life does a pretty good job of keeping us there.
At least, that’s how it feels to me.
Now that I’ve been a dad for over 15 years, I see life very differently than I used to. The perspective shifts. The priorities change. And the “someday” list starts to feel a little more urgent.
There are a lot of things I wish I could have done differently.
But one thing I know I got right…
I made sure to spend as much time as possible with my daughter.
The Ad That Hit Harder Than Expected
A few days ago, while working on a new project for myself and my family (not for clients, which already felt different), I kept seeing people online talking about a Disney Cruise Line ad that was making everyone emotional.
I figured, “Okay, I’ll watch it tomorrow.”
I did not expect it to hit me the way it did.
Middle of the morning. Just trying to get work done.
And suddenly… I’m sitting there, completely caught off guard.
Why It Hit Me
Maybe it’s because of my history with Disney.
I’ve only cruised with Disney Cruise Line.
I’ve been a Walt Disney World passholder for over a decade.
I’ve been a Disneyland Magic Key holder.
And I’ve been a Disney Vacation Club member for the past 8 years.
But when I really think about it, none of that is the point.
The point is this:
All of those experiences gave me time with my family.
Time to be a kid again.
Time to disconnect from a world that doesn’t always make it easy to breathe.
The Real Message
When I watched that ad, one thought kept coming back:
If I could go back… I would have started cruising sooner.
And that’s not easy to admit.
There was a time when we couldn’t afford vacations at all, let alone a Disney cruise. Building a business, raising a family… survival comes first.
But still, looking back, I would’ve traded a couple of park trips to get on a ship earlier.
Not because the parks aren’t amazing…
But because cruising gives you something different.
Slower time.
More presence.
More togetherness.
When You Start to See It Everywhere
Around the same time, I was watching SoCal Dad, who I often recommend to clients for Disneyland tips.
He had just taken his first Disney cruise on the Disney Wonder.
And he said something that stuck with me:
He wishes he had done it sooner.
One of his kids, around 11, had just missed the full kids club experience.
That hit home.
My daughter is 15 now… and she would absolutely go back to the kids club if she could.
That window? It moves fast.
Way faster than you think.
Even Outside Disney… The Message Is the Same
This idea of “don’t wait” isn’t just coming from Disney.
Over the past year, Bad Bunny (Benito Antonio Ocasio Martínez) has been pushing a similar message through his album Debí Tirar Más Fotos.
Experience more.
Love more.
Capture more moments.
I was talking about this with my friend Juan Segarra Palmer, and we both saw the connection.
Different worlds. Same message.
Our First Cruise (And Why I’ll Never Forget It)
We started cruising when Disney returned to sailing after the pandemic.
Our first sailing was on the Disney Fantasy, with two stops at Castaway Cay and a day at sea.
The ship was quieter than usual. More space. Fewer crowds.
And somehow… that made it even more special.
It was also deeply personal.
It was the first big experience I had after my mom passed.
We never got to do Disney together.
We never got to cruise together.
And I remember standing there as the ship left Port Canaveral…
Just feeling everything.
That’s what experiences do.
They stay with you.
Fast Forward to Today
From that first sailing in 2021 to today…
I’ve now sailed 10 times with Disney.
I’ve made friends from around the world.
Picked up bits of Bahasa, Tagalog, Serbian, Croatian…
Had conversations I never expected to have.
And somehow, cruising became more than just a vacation.
It became a reset.
A way to step away from running a business… while still being connected enough to handle real life if needed.
Now I Help Families Do the Same
Over the past year, I’ve started helping families plan their own Disney vacations and cruises.
And I always tell people the same thing:
I’m not here to tell you to go into debt for a vacation.
But I am here to help you experience something meaningful, in a way that works for your life.
Because these moments?
They matter more than we realize.
The One Thing I Always Come Back To
For as long as I can remember, I’ve taken photos of our experiences.
Not for social media. Not for content.
For us.
Because at the end of the day, those moments become your story.
And there is nothing I love more than capturing them…
and knowing we’ll carry them with us forever.
Final Thought
I hope you create the memories you want with the people you love.
And I hope you don’t wait too long to do it.
If you ever need help planning that next trip…
