My first cruise was 7 years ago and it wasn't a trip I thought of going on initially. At that time I envisioned cruising as buffet lines and crowed pool decks. I had no idea what I was missing. My parents, who in their retirement, had become "cruisers", wanted to cruise with the grandkids, so that placed me on my first cruise, a Star Wars themed Disney Cruise Line cruise with stops at Tortola, St. Thomas and Castaway Cay. It was amazing! I have been hooked ever since! Here are a just a few things I learned about a Disney Cruise Line cruise.
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Disney Cruise Line has sit down rotation dining
Disney offers sit down rotational dining each night. This means each night you are assigned to a nice sit down restaurant, where you will order off a menu and the food is served to you. Your servers will follow you to each restaurant your entire stay. They get to know you and your travel party. They know your drink preferences, names and may even show you a magic trick or two at the end of your meal! If you are a smaller group you may be sat with another group. If you want a private table, be sure to request this at the time of booking. Your travel agent can assist you with this request. There are additional upgraded and quick service dining options as well. There is a buffet available on each ship, which is very well organized and has a variety of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can choose to visit this buffet if you like, but if buffets are not your style, you can enjoy your cruise without ever experiencing a buffet.
Room service is FREE
That's right, you can order as much room service as you like at no cost (alcohol excluded), just be sure to tip your server. One of my favorite things to do on a cruise is order room service in the morning for breakfast and enjoy it on our verandah. It's so peaceful to watch the ocean while I sip my coffee. My kids love the muffins, danishes and fresh fruit available on the room service menu.
You can book connecting verandahs
You may have traveled with friends or family before and booked connecting rooms. On a Disney cruise you can book connecting cabins as well. Many of the connecting verandah cabins also have the option to open the verandahs to provide one very long verandah!
There's something for everyone on the ship
Upon arrival you can connect to your ships wifi and through your Disney Navigator app you'll be able to see a plethora of daily activities. Among them are drawing and cooking classes, arts and crafts, comedy shows, trivia, movies and much, much more. You will also find three kids clubs, one for kids, tweens and teens, a spa and fitness center, and adult only activities and areas.
Disney has two private islands
Bahamian and Caribbean cruises departing from Florida will stop at at least one of Disney's private islands. Castaway Cay is Disney's first private Island and welcoming guests in 2024 is Disney's newest island Lighthouse Point. There are a few itineraries that stop at both islands!
Disney works with local vendors to provide many safe and reliable port adventures.
Disney has a variety of port adventures available for booking through your Disney Cruise Line account. The vendors have been vetted by Disney and can be sorted by the type of experience you are looking for, such as "athletic, moderate or mild", or "nature, sightseeing, cultural, beach, private.." You're sure to find the perfect fit for you.
Junior Detectives can put their skills to work at sea.
If you are sailing on the Disney Dream or Disney Fantasy there is a mid ship detective agency. This is a really fun activity where you pick up a crime card, then go to various stations all over the ship to unlock clues that are hidden in pictures. By holding a QR code to what looks like an ordinary picture, the picture comes to life and provides a clue. Detectives must use deductive reasoning to solve the crime.
Disney cruisers and fun, welcoming and like to build community.
I have to mention pixie dust, fish extenders and the rubber ducks. I could probably write a whole blog post on this one, but I'll try to keep this short. On our first cruise my girls were randomly pixie dusted (this is where someone secretly surprises you with a gift), with Minnie Mouse stuff animals. This was such a nice surprise and so kind of the person who left them on our door. On another cruise someone pixie dusted us with a beautiful handmade magnet that had our ship name and the sail date on it. It was such a nice and unique souvenir. Since then, I have always made a few extra magnets prior to our cruises and I let my girls find a few doors to "pixie dust". While walking around the ship you may randomly see a rubber duck hidden behind a curtain or under a table or some strange place. This is not a child's lost toy, this was hidden for you to find. It's like a savenger hunt. You can take it and re-hide it. It can be fun to see how many you can find. Lastly, you may have heard the term "fish extenders". There are fish extender gift exchanges on Disney cruises. This is an optional gift exchange similar to a secret Santa between a group of 10 cabins or so. It's called a fish extended because you hang your basket to gather gifts on your door's fish hook. None of these activities are organized by Disney, they are organized by passengers on the ship. If you want to connect to shipmates prior to your sailing you can usually find a Facebook group by searching your ship name and sail date. I do recommend joining a group. Often times people will organize met ups the first day so kids can make friends, you can chat about port adventures and onboard fun and this is where you will be able to find sign ups for fish extender groups. If traveling on your first cruise, I don't recommend joining a fish extender group because it can be a bit overwhelming.
Disney allows you to carry on your own alcohol
There are limitations to this one. Currently, Disney Cruise Line Guests 21 years and older may bring a maximum of 2 bottles of unopened wine or champagne (no larger than 750 ml) or 6 beers (no larger than 12 ounces) on board at the beginning of the voyage and at each port of call. These beverages must be packed in carry-on (not checked) bags or luggage. Always be sure to check the Disney Cruise Line website prior to travel for additional details and please note that the Disney Cruise Line alcohol policy is subject to change without notice.
Bahamian and Caribbean Cruises have a pirate night
Pirate Night on a Disney cruise is a really fun themed night where many guests dress up. It often includes a pirate entertainment and menu at dinner and a deck party. Guest are also given a special Pirate Disney Cruise Line bandana.
Disney is the only cruise line that offers fireworks at sea
Most Disney cruises offer fireworks at sea one night of your cruise. Be sure to check your Disney Cruise Line navigator for the dates and times, this is an experience you won't want to miss!
There will be a dress up or formal night.
This is a great opportunity to dress up and get some nice family pictures. You don't have to dress up and you will see a wide range of attire, but dressing up can definitely be fun. This is another great reason to get the photo package, which you can purchase for the length of your entire cruise. Here are the dining dress guidelines by Disney Cruise Line:
3-night cruises:
One cruise casual night—no swimwear or tank tops
One pirate night themed deck party
One optional “dress-up night"—jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women
4-night cruises:
First night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops
One pirate night themed deck party
One optional dress-up night—jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women
Final night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops
7-night cruises:
First night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops
One pirate night or other themed deck party
3 additional cruise casual nights—no swimwear or tank tops
One formal and one semi-formal night—both give you the opportunity to dress up and take advantage of the onboard photography services. Though optional, we recommend dress pants with a jacket or a suit for men, and dress or pantsuit for women
Disney offers themed cruises
Disney offers many themed cruises. Currently the themed cruises are Marvel, Pixar, Merrytime and Halloween on the High Seas. These cruises include character appearances, special themed activities and decorations.
Decorating your door is not only fun, but helpful.
Many guests choose to decorate their cabin doors with magnets. Planning out magnets to represent your style can be a lot of fun. You can make magnets yourself, find custom designs on Etsy or order Disney themed magnets from Amazon. Melissa & Doug makes great inexpensive Disney magnets. Once on board you'll find having a decorated door makes finding your stateroom much easier. It's also nice to look at other doors and use them as landmarks when walking to your stateroom.
If you get lost on the ship, look down.
The stars on the floor, not only serve as decor, but a navigation system. The top of the star points to the front of the ship.
At Animators Palette you get to become a guest animator.
Animators Palette is one of the dining options on the Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream. On select sailings (7 or more nights long) you can try your hand at drawing your very own character! This creation becomes part of the animated dinner show, dancing alongside some classic Disney characters.
Character sightings are common.
While there are a few character meet and greets you can sign up ahead of your visit, characters will be seen around the ship throughout your visit.
Many meals come with entertainment
Each night there will be a show available at the Walt Disney Theatre before or after your meal, but in addition many nights you will experience entertainment DURING your meal. You may be surprised by a visit from Mickey and his friends, it could be a crew of pirates on pirate night or if you are dining at a restaurant that is the home to a famous princess, she might come and sing for you!
Disney partners with hotels close to the port
Disney has partnerships with select hotels close to ports of departure and offers pre and post stays that can be added on to your cruise. These partnerships help simplify your travel plans and make travel seamless and hassle-free. In most cases you can also add ground transfers and Disney will even pick up your bags from your Disney partner hotel room!
Your room may. not be ready when you first arrive on the ship.
On arrival day, your bags will be collected and run through security. They will later be delivered to your stateroom. You will be allowed to enter the ship and your room may not be ready. You'll want to have a day bag with you with any items you want for your first few hours. Consider packing a swimsuit if you want to head straight up to the pool deck.
Ready to start cruising? I'm Irene, a travel agent with Mouseketrips, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and I would love to work with you! My planning services are free and I price monitor saving you time and money! Request a no obligation quote here or email me Irene@mouseketrips.com with any cruising questions!
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