I've been on 3 Disney cruises. Here are 6 things that surprised me the most.

Before the cruise, I had visions of Mickey being absolutely everywhere — popping out from behind deck chairs with a chirpy "Ahoy, pal!"

I enjoy Disney characters as much as the next person, but the idea of spending a week at sea with them didn't gel with my vision of a relaxing vacation.

Although there are plenty of opportunities to see characters, they aren't waiting around every corner.

Character meet and greets run on a schedule, so if you want to get your picture taken with Minnie in her pirate outfit, you can refer to the Navigator app. The few random interactions usually happen when characters travel from one location to another.

I once saw Captain Hook strutting down the hallway. He threw me a disdainful wave and kept moving — it was actually pretty impressive.

After three Disney cruises, I don't have one memory of unruly, unhappy, or poorly behaved children — possibly due to the well-oiled activities on the ships.

Disney offers three tiers of kid's clubs: preschool/school-age, tweens, and teens.

I hardly saw my kids on a Disney cruise. If they weren't asleep or being forced to dine with our family, they were in (or begging to go to) the Oceaneer Club, where the kid's activities are held.

There's no guarantee you'll never witness a meltdown, but the only place I saw hordes of screaming kids was at the high-energy Sail Away dance party on deck.

The cruise line's ships have an art-deco design with muted Disney touches. The 1920s style feels high-end, but not intimidatingly so.

Kids will still zoom in on the Disney branding, but there's an elegance here that I think distinguishes it from the theme parks.

For example, standing in the atrium of the Disney Dream feels like being inside a fairy-tale. There's a huge stained-glass chandelier and elegant columns.

I think there's a perfect balance between "too much Disney" and "not enough Disney" that most people can appreciate.

Although Disney cruises are definitely family-friendly, passengers 21 and older can still enjoy alcohol in the dining rooms and various bars around the ship.

Disney doesn't sell the type of package where you enjoy unlimited libations for a set fee, which I've seen on other cruises. But there's no shortage of alcohol.

You can even join a beverage-tasting seminar or mixology class.

After you book your cruise, you'll get a window for booking port excursions and ship activities. The window aligns with your stateroom category or Castaway Club level.

Although people at higher levels get first dibs, diligent passengers who log in immediately after their window opens are usually rewarded.

But immediately means 12:01 a.m. The early bird catches the spa booking.

All Disney ships have adults-only areas like pool decks, spas, lounges/bars, and signature dining rooms.

Disney's Wish, Dream, and Fantasy ships have more adult dining venues than smaller ships like Magic and Wonder, but each has at least one.

Signature dining is a delicious splurge, especially if you have tweens or teens that are too cool to eat with you.