What it's really like in a $888-a-night, 300-square-foot stateroom on a Disney Cruise

My family set sail on our first Disney Cruise after our daughter was born.

We sailed on the Disney Fantasy ship. Tiffany Leigh

I'm a lover of the Disney theme parks, but I was never enticed to take a Disney Cruise until I had my daughter.

As a first-time mother with a 16-month-old baby, I felt that it would be a wonderful opportunity to experience the magic together.

My parents are avid cruisers and encouraged us to go with Disney because they said the cruises take it to the next level, especially when it comes to customer service and attention to detail.

We sailed on the Disney Fantasy in a family stateroom.

We splurged a little on our family stateroom with an ocean view. Tiffany Leigh

We sailed on the Disney Fantasy in a deluxe family ocean-view stateroom with a veranda, which had about 300 square feet of space.

Despite being aware of the cost-saving tips and hacks available in smaller rooms, since this was our first time on a cruise with our baby, we didn't want to chance it. We opted to spend a bit more to ensure we had enough space.

We ended up in stateroom 10600.

Our stateroom cost us about $888 a night. Tiffany Leigh

We were given stateroom 10600 for the week and paid $6,217 for two adults and one baby, or about $888 a night.

The first thing that struck me was the configuration of the room.

Our stateroom was long and rectangular in shape. Tiffany Leigh

The room was a long rectangle, but fortunately, it didn't feel overly cramped compared to other cruise rooms I've stayed in that felt as though I was dwelling in a shoebox.

There was plenty of natural light.

We had a veranda attached to our room. Tiffany Leigh

It was wonderful to be greeted with natural light streaming into our room, thanks to a private two-seater balcony located just outside.

The bathroom was just to the right of the front door.

The split bathroom had separate rooms for the shower and toilet. Tiffany Leigh

It was a split bathroom with two rooms, one for the shower/tub and one for the toilet.

There were two separate sinks, one in each section of the bathroom.

We loved having two sinks in the bathroom. Tiffany Leigh

Since we're always late getting anywhere with a tiny human, the two sinks helped us immensely in that my husband and I could both brush our teeth at the same time.

There was a good-sized circular tub.

The tub was perfect for bathing my daughter on the cruise. Tiffany Leigh

The round bathtub made bathing my little one a breeze. But there was also a showerhead for the adults.

I loved having the extra vanity space in the bathroom.

My husband and I could get ready for the day at the same time. Tiffany Leigh

Because of the two sinks, I didn't have to wait for my husband to finish using the toilet before I could access the bathroom mirror to do my makeup.

That might be considered a minor detail, but it was pretty big game-changing in terms of logistical cabin flow.

The closet outside the bathroom had more than enough hanging space.

There were plenty of hangers in the closet along with a laundry bag. Tiffany Leigh

Just outside and in front of the bathroom was a large wooden closet with plenty of space and hangers.

We brought fancy attire for the two formal nights on the cruise along with our vacation clothing, shoes, and hats, which all fit comfortably.

Thanks to the built-in safe, we also had a place to store our valuables.

The queen-sized bed was situated in the primary living area.

There's a queen-size bed in the deluxe family stateroom. Tiffany Leigh

The bedroom area was lofty and spacious for my husband and me.

But because of the large size of the bed, there was only a narrow pathway at the foot to get to the other side of the room.

There wasn't a ton of space to move around the bed, but we made do.

The shower made the wall next to the bed jut out. Tiffany Leigh

Because of the tub in the bathroom, the area to the right of the bed was slightly obstructed by the cylindrical wall.

It was a bit of a squeeze to get in and out of this area, but it wasn't a personal nuisance for me.

I loved having storage space under the bed.

We put our empty suitcases under the bed. Tiffany Leigh

We also noticed and appreciated all the space under the bed, which allowed us to fit our suitcases.

It was another thoughtful design element.

There was a second living zone with space to relax.

The other area of the room had a couch and a TV. Tiffany Leigh

In the secondary living zone, there was a couch, coffee table, and chair.

This area offered plenty of space to store all our clothes and essentials.

There were storage options spanning the whole length of the wall. Tiffany Leigh

The area also had a TV, desk, more drawers, a mini fridge, a mirror, and electrical outlets.

The storage was more than enough to fit all of my clothing as well as my husband's and baby's. We didn't even use all the drawer spaces provided.

The three-seater couch across from the mirror was actually a pullout bed.

Larger families than ours could comfortably stay in the room. Tiffany Leigh

We didn't use the pullout, but I imagine this would be valuable for a family of four or five in this stateroom.

I loved being able to separate the room in half.

There was a light-blocking curtain that ran down the middle of the room. Tiffany Leigh

Perhaps the aspect I loved most about this section of the room was the sturdy, light-blocking curtain.

It acted as our room divider between the couch (baby's side) and the bed (parents' side). We used it to prepare a makeshift nursery for our baby with the crib Disney loaned us, and it worked like a charm.

We were able to create a little area for our young daughter.

Disney loaned us a crib for the duration of the cruise. Tiffany Leigh

The room was large enough to nestle the crib between the couch and lounge chair.

There were plenty of outlets.

We could plug in several things at night. Tiffany Leigh

Additionally, because of all the available outlets, we could easily install our baby monitor and white noise/story reader machine and charge our phones.

There were separate light switches for both living zones, which came in handy for us.

We could turn the lights off for my daughter to sleep but keep ours on. Tiffany Leigh

My second favorite thing about the room was having control of the light switches.

We were able to turn off the baby's side of the room while keeping our lights dimmed without worrying about accidentally turning hers back on.

As a first-time Disney cruiser, there was a lot to take in and notice in the room.

There were so many Mickey Mouse-themed decorative elements. Tiffany Leigh

It was only when doing a second sweep that I noticed the countless Disney Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the space.

The room was creatively dotted with Mickey Mouse ears and Disney characters — everything from the linens and glassware to the light fixtures and paintings was well-themed.

This attention to detail made me smile and feel as though I was 5 all over again.

I think the cruise was definitely worth the splurge.

Even though it was more expensive than a typical hotel stay, the cruise was worth it. Tiffany Leigh

Ultimately, at $888 per night, it's by far the most expensive room we've paid for — and a small one compared with traditional hotel spaces. At that cost, we easily could've gotten a mini-suite at a land-based hotel.

But it was totally worth the splurge. Everyone, especially my baby, slept so well, and adjusting from home life to sea life was seamless and stress-free.