Kick-Start Your Cruise Senses Juice Bar Tasting Class

Ever think to yourself “Gee, I’d love to do a mixology class on Disney Cruise Line, but that’s way too much alcohol for me!” Maybe you’re looking for something fun to do on embarkation day? Or perhaps you’d like to get an introduction to juice bar options.

Recently, Disney quietly added a new option to its Beverage Tasting seminars called the Kick-Start Your Cruise Vacation Tasting. This beverage tasting option currently is only available on the Dream and the Fantasy, and it is only offered on embarkation day. The price is a bit steep compared to other mixology classes–$38. For that price, you get a “signature mimosa”, a Bloody Mary, and 3 non-alcoholic craft juice beverages. It also is very brief–only 30 minutes.

Truth told, this offering really surprises me, and while I’m tempted to try it out in the name of research, I can’t imagine that this is that great of a deal. Let’s assume that you get a full-size juice blend from the Senses menu. For the low-end options around $6 each, three would run you $18. We’ll divide the remaining cost of the event in half, and that means the Bloody Mary and the mimosa are costing you $10 a piece. If they give you the high-end juice options at around $9 each, three would run you $27. Divide the remaining cost of the event in half, and the other drinks will run you $5.50 each. At Cabanas, you can get a Bloody Mary or a mimosa for under $5. So unless everything is the high-end option (juice and alcoholic options), you’ll likely pay more than you would a la carte.

And on the question about juices, although it is possible to sample five beers, or five glasses of champagne, or even five types of whiskey or tequila during an hour-long tasting session, I can’t imagine trying to chug down three full-size juices (full of pulp and fiber) in 30 minutes. (And if they’re aren’t full-size juices, you’re paying extra for smaller portion sizes.) Oh, and then you have to chug that mimosa and Bloody Mary, too.

Add to that the location of the Senses juice bar tends to be a bit of a madhouse on embarkation day–it’s right outside Senses spa, and that always is busy with people coming and going to look around and sign up for spa treatments. Seating is also very limited in Senses Juice Bar–it really isn’t a big place like the lounges often used for mixology classes.

Then put into the mix that embarkation day can be crazy with getting to the port, getting checked in, getting on board, needing to grab something to eat, wanting to get into your room (and if you’re lucky to have your bags delivered right away, unpack), and then get everything else set so you can hit the muster drill. It just doesn’t feel like locking this in for embarkation day would be a relaxing start to your voyage.

I’d be delighted to be wrong about this experience–and maybe it is a good way to try some of the more unusual juice options to find a new favorite. (Spirulina… um, yum?) But at the surface, it seems like a hard pass.

Have you tried the Kick-Start Your Cruise tasting? Think it is worth the money or does it feel like too much for too little? Let us know what you think in the comments.