As Disney begins the final countdown to the maiden voyage of the Disney Wish, I have been feeling all of the feels about Disney Cruise Line. I have cruised before, but there is just something so special and different about cruising with Disney. They are luxurious, exciting, surprising, and magical all wrapped up into a 3-12 night itinerary, and you get to choose where you want to go. They just offer “more.” From the character meet and greets to the world class dining options, they truly have everything for every age.
If you have cruised before, you will probably know the “typical” tips of cruising. Tricks such as putting your phone in airplane mode to avoid crazy phone charges, buying WiFi packages based on your usage needs, and getting to your show seats early. Those are not the tips I will include below.
The tips I will include are Disney Cruise Line specific. They are everything I wish I had known before my first voyage. Hopefully they will save you some confusion, frustration, and stress and allow you to have the most magical adventure!
10. Book Early
For the most part, Disney offers their best prices when sailings first go on sale. Occasionally they will offer a promotion that will bring the price down closer to sailing, but I wouldn’t count on that. Prepare for them to launch with their lowest price and steadily raise their prices as the ship books up.
Of course the best deals can be found once you are onboard. By putting down a $250 placeholder for your next cruise, you will receive 10% off that current booking price. With how much a cruise can cost, that 10% goes a long way! If you are not sure where or when, no problem! That placeholder can be held until you are ready to make that decision.
9. Book Your Kids Club Ahead of Time
Disney offers unbelievable options for kids ages 6 months to 17 years. The ‘it’s a small world’ Nursery (6 mo-3 years) offers certified and highly trained teachers and babysitters to help care for your littlest ones. The Oceaneer’s Club and Lab (3-12 y/o) is filled with themed spaces that allow your kids to pilot the Millennium Flacon, create art with Rapunzel, or train to be an Avenger. Edge (11-14 y/o) is the perfect mix of counselor-led activities and time to allow your kids to “chill,” watch movies, play games, and be themselves. Finally, Vibe (14-17) is the place to be for teenagers! They include modern looking spaces and cool offerings to impress and meet teenagers where they are.
Now, I completely understand how much of a pain it is to think about when you might need childcare before you are actually on the boat. However, unless you want to stand in a long line full of parents doing the exact same thing on embarkation day, I would highly suggest booking (or asking your travel agent to book) your times for ‘it’s a small world’ Nursery or The Oceaneer’s Club and Lab on the app ahead of time.
Edge and Vibe are open for those age groups to come and go as they please.
(As of April 1, it’s a small world nursery had not reopened.)
8. Arrive a Day Early
One of the best things we did before heading to Port Canaveral was to fly in and stay the night at the Hyatt Regency Orlando International Airport .
First, flying in the night before allows you to wake up and have a morning that is not rushed or filled with stress from travel delays or cancellations. Second, this hotel is beautiful with great views, and they work really well with Disney! Our Disney Cruise Line transportation reservation had been lost, and Hyatt Regency Orlando took care of everything. They worked with Disney and made the reorganizing process so easy.
In fact, they work so well with Disney that you can book them, or a few other local hotels, with your cruise package as a pre- or post- stay. But after the treatment and kindness we were shown, I -100%- recommend Hyatt Regency. Plus, by staying at Hyatt Regency, they will pick up your luggage from your room, so you can casually walk down to Disney Transportation (grab a Starbucks on your way) and board your bus on your time!
7. Decorate Your Door
This was not a thing on previous cruises we had been on, and I wish I had someone to give me this heads up!
For safety and weight reasons, the doors to your stateroom are made of metal. So it has become a tradition on Disney Cruises to bring magnets to decorate the outside of your door.
People go all out with this! You can purchase magnets on Etsy and get very creative. We saw Mickey shaped magnets with names on them, large cruise ship magnets with momentous occasions written on them, and even Disney movie characters that were moved to create a new scene every morning. It was “Halloween on the High Seas” while we were there, so there were a lot of Halloween themed doors.
Some of my favorite magnets come from Tinkers Window Shop. These are so beautiful you will want to hold on to them for years to come.
6. Bring an Extra “Card”
To turn on and off the lights in your Stateroom, you will need to insert your Key to the World card in to a slip near the front door. However, if you are anything like me, you will also leave said Key to the World card in that slip and lock yourself out.
I wish I had known to bring an empty gift card or old hotel room key to be able to leave that in the light slip instead. Save yourself the time and risk, and put this on your packing list!
5. Can’t Decide What To Eat? Don’t.
If you decide to eat at the dining room breakfast or at your assigned rotational dining, you will be given a new menu each day with 3-4 options per course! That is a lot of decision making.
But you are on a Disney Cruise, and all of the food is included, so don’t decide! Order the soup and salad, or try the steak and fish. No one will even bat an eye. Disney has caught on to the fact that people do this and has made the portions smaller for this very reason.
Another known secret is if you give your server 24 hours notice, you might be able to get an item that is not on that night’s menu. Meaning you can probably get that delicious cookies and cream ice cream sundae every single night if you ask nicely.
4. Character Breakfasts
One of people’s favorite experiences in Walt Disney World are those character breakfasts. There is just something about waffles, coffee, and a hug from Mickey that brings a smile to anyone’s face, regardless of your age.
What if I told you that if you book a 7+ night on a Disney Cruise, that $40+ per person experience comes included in your cruise? It’s an amazing offering. However, just like Disney World, you are going to want to plan ahead and reserve you seats early. They book up fast!
3. Try The Disney Cruise Rainforest Room
Whether you just take the free tour on embarkation day, book it for a session, or you purchase the cruise pass, you MUST try the Rainforest Room in Senses Spa. This is especially true if you are sailing on the Disney Wish, Dream, or Fantasy! These ships include a dry sauna, two steam rooms, aromatherapy showers, and those cozy heated hot stone loungers and whirlpools with ocean views.
The Rainforest Room on the Disney Wish will have all of these offerings, but with an added ice lounge with cold therapy, and an outdoor space for further relaxation.
Pro Tip: Cruise Passes allow you to be able to use the Rainforest Room as many times as you’d like throughout the duration of your sailing. You can purchase these on Embarkation Day. Do note that they sell out quickly!
2. Use Your Disney Cruise Navigator App
I am incredibly embarrassed to admit that we went the entire duration of our first cruise without knowing that there was a Disney Cruise Line Navigator App! If you will be booking, or have already booked your Disney Cruise- download the app. It is your one-stop-shop for all the important scheduling and information you will need from the moment you receive your confirmation number to the moment you step foot back on Port Canaveral.
Before you leave, use it to plan your trip, book special dining and activities, character meet and greets, make special requests and check in online. Once on board, it can be used to view your cruise schedule, reserve activities, communicate with onboard family, friends and crew, get important information about ship locations and ports of call, access virtual queues, receive digital receipts and add any additional gratuity for your crew.
A Travel Agent can help you set this up and will use it to book those special activities, excursions, and dinner reservations for you.
1. Drinks on A Disney Cruise
There are always so many questions around drink packages, and what drinks are included when it comes to Disney Cruises. So here is what I wish I had known before sailing:
Soda, coffee, tap water, tea, juice, and milk are available for free on the pool deck and in the dining rooms.
All alcoholic beverages, cocktails, non-alcoholic specialty drinks, specialty coffee drinks (beyond black drip), and bottled beverages will cost extra.
However, Disney has a very different and incredibly generous alcohol policy onboard. Every passenger, 21 years or older, is allowed to carry on 2 unopened bottles of wine or champagne, or 6 cans of unopened beer.
If you pack alcohol of any kind in your checked luggage, they will remove them and hold them until the end of your vacation. You must carry them on with you for inspection. If you buy them onboard, you are looking at an added cost of $34-150.
Disney does not offer a traditional “Drink Package,” but they do offer a Beer Mug Savings Package or a Wine Bottle Package.
The Beer Mug Savings Package can be purchased ahead of time or while onboard. For $16 you are given a 21 oz. beer mug to be refilled as many time as you’d like for the price of a 16 oz. size. If you find the mug too inconvenient to carry around, they will also give you a beer mug token, which entitles you to all the benefits of the mug.
The Wine Bottle Package entitles you to a vintage bottle of wine for every night of your voyage. They come in packages of 3, 4, 5, and 7 depending upon how many nights you are sailing. Each port has their own list of available wine offerings, so make sure you check that with your travel agent before you purchase.
Finally, you can also purchase a Coffee Card. If you are like me, and black coffee doesn’t always do it for you in the mornings, I highly recommend requesting one of these at the onboard cafe. Once you purchase 5 specialty coffees…you are given the 6th for free!
All Aboard
There you have it! My Top 10 Tips for Disney Cruise First Timers. If I’ve missed anything, I’d love it if you would add to the comments below to help your fellow cruisers out!
If you would like help booking your next Disney Cruise, or are just looking for more information, you can contact me here for more information. I am a concierge Travel Agent and I love to plan Disney vacations.