Since 2013 I have sailed on five Disney cruises (and have another booked) and all four Disney Cruise Line ships. Even though I am far from a Disney Cruise Line expert as there is still so much I have yet to do or experience, I have picked up a lot of helpful tips, tricks and advice that might help you if you are planning to sail with Disney Cruise Line for the first time. Some of what is in this blog is the opposite to what others might say but I think it’s important to post a different opinion so you can make your own decisions.

So here are my Disney Cruise Line tips, tricks and advice.

Pick the Right Cruise and the Right Stateroom for You

When booking a Disney Cruise, the most important thing you have to do is to make sure that the itinerary, ship and the stateroom is exactly what you want. Disney Cruise Line sail to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Alaska, Canada, Europe, Mexico, the Panama Canal as well as Transatlantic and to Hawaii. There are also sailings with different themes throughout the year such as Star Wars Day at Sea, Marvel Day at Sea, Halloween on the High Seas and Very Merrytime Cruises which could influence when you want to sail.

It is always best to check what the normal weather forecast is for when and where you sail. There will always be exceptions to the rule but at least this will give you a good idea of what to expect. Remember hurricane season and thunderstorms when sailing from Florida and cold weather and fog when sailing from Galveston in Winter.

Also ask yourself how many days you want to be onboard as whilst shorter cruises are good to see if you like cruising or not, you might find the experience rushed as you will be disembarking before you know it without having had a lot of time to see or do everything you want to do. After doing a seven night, eleven night, four night, seven night and another seven night cruise, I can definitely say that longer cruises are much more relaxed in every way.

Pick a stateroom and location which suits you and make sure to check the deck plans to see what is located next to, above or below your stateroom as this could make it noisy when you’re not expecting it. If you like to have natural daylight and fresh air, pick a verandah cabin or you might find your stateroom very claustophobic. Some people say “you only sleep in the cabin so get the cheapest one” but I could not disagree more. We sailed in a verandah cabin for our first two cruises before booking an oceanview cabin for our four night cruise on the Disney Dream – a decision we regretted once onboard and have never made again as we truly love being able to have fresh air and natural light in our cabin and to be able to sit on the verandah and enjoy the views (especially in Alaska) whenever we want day or night.

Book Direct With Disney Cruise Line

Unless you’re comfortable with not having control over any part of your cruise booking, then always book direct with Disney Cruise Line. As I have always booked direct, I like that I am able to make any changes to my booking myself as and when I want to. For example on our last cruise on the Disney Fantasy and our next cruise to Hawaii on the Disney Wonder, we originally had different staterooms booked but I was able to change them to the actual staterooms that we wanted when I saw they had become available on the Disney Cruise Line website both times in the middle of the night. As we had booked direct, I was able to change our booking on the website there and then whereas if I’d booked through a travel agent, I would have had to wait until the following morning to contact them to make the change and the rooms would have probably disappeared by that time.

Despite travel agents offering onboard credit if making or transferring a booking to them, this is not a good enough incentive in my book to lose control over your booking so my advice is and will always be to book direct.

Check Your Travel Documents are Up to Date and Correct

Before sailing, make sure that your passport and any other travel documents are in date and that you have any necessary visas for the ports that you will be visiting. If travelling with a US ESTA, make sure to bring a print out of it as I have seen them ask for a copy before when checking in at the port.

Book Free Disney Character Calls Before You Cruise

In the “My Cruise Reservations” section of the Disney Cruise Line website, residents of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom can book two free character calls up to one year ahead of your sail date. The characters you can choose from to call you are Mickey, Goofy or Mickey and Minnie together.

Download the Disney Cruise Line App

The Disney Cruise Line Navigator App can be downloaded from the Apple App Store as well as Google Play. Before your sailing, you will be able to see a countdown to your cruise date, make payments, add special requests, book activities and dining as well as complete your online check in. Once onboard, the app will connect to the ship’s wifi network free of charge and you will be able to look up daily activities, menus, entertainment schedules and character meeting times, check your stateroom account as well as keep in touch with friends and family onboard using the chat feature.

Know When Your Pay In Full Date Is

After booking your cruise, you will receive a confirmation with all the details about your cruise booking as well as the final date that you must pay your cruise in full. Make sure to pay by this date as your cruise will otherwise be automatically cancelled. Paying off your cruise with a few days or weeks to spare is always a good idea in case there are any issues that arise.

Know When Your Online Booking Window Opens

Your online booking window to complete online check in and select your port arrival time will open depending on what Castaway Club status you have:

Concierge Guests – 130 days before sailing
Pearl Castaway Club – 123 days before sailing
Platinum Castaway Club – 120 days before sailing
Gold Castaway Club – 105 days before sailing
Silver Castaway Club – 90 days before sailing
First time cruisers – 75 days before sailing

At this time, you are also able to book any adult dining, Port Adventures as well as certain character experiences such as the Frozen Meet and Greet, Princess Gathering as well as a character breakfast on some longer cruises. As part of the online check-in process, you can also set up charging privileges (or not) for everyone in your stateroom.

If you are unable to book anything that you want to online, do not panic as a certain amount of reservations are held back for booking onboard.

Do Not Overpack

When it comes to cruising, you will need a lot less than what you think you will. You can also do laundry onboard which will help in bringing less clothes and to keep packing to a minimum. Mix and match your clothes to create outfits whilst remembering the various dress codes and don’t overpack on the shoes as you will not wear that many pairs – I usually have one pair of flip flops with me, one pair of sandals and one pair of heels which is more than enough. Whilst the dress code onboard is not strict (except for Remy on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy and to a lesser extent Palo on all ships), it is always nice to put a little effort in to what you are wearing – you do not want to stand out for the wrong reasons or be that person that they have to turn away for dressing inappropriately.

You do not need to bring a hairdryer as there is a good one in the desk drawer in each room or spare clothes hangers (I seriously have seen so many posts online from people asking if they need to pack them) as there are plenty in the wardrobe and you can ask for more if needed. Make sure to pack any essential medications that you might need as they are expensive onboard as well as any toiletries you use if you do not like the shampoo, conditioner and other items that Disney Cruise Line provide for you in your stateroom. You also do not need to bring any heavy or warm clothing unless you are sailing on an Alaskan, Northern Europe or other cold weather itinerary – a jumper or hoody will do in case it gets chilly. Do not bring beach towels as these are provided for you on deck at the swimming pools as well as for you to take off the ship at various ports.

Before you cruise, read the Prohibited Items list on the Disney Cruise Line website and make sure to leave all these items at home.

And this is my opinion (and blog) so I will say it – contrary to other blogs, forums or Facebook groups you might read, in order to have an amazing cruise you definitely do not need to bring door magnets, “Fish Extender” gifts or pirate outfits for Pirate Night. I see a lot of comments online from people worrying about the possible expense involved with going on a Disney Cruise as they think you have to do all these things and spend all of this money to have a good time which is absolutely not true. I’ve never done and never will do a single one of these things and I’ve had five amazing cruises so far.

Just remember if you pack it, you have to carry it.

Do Not Travel on the Day of the Cruise

After spending a lot of money on your cruise, do not cheap out at the last minute by flying in on the day of your cruise to avoid paying for a night at a hotel. Ideally try to arrive and be within easy travelling distance of the port at least the night before you sail if not even earlier.

The worst example of this was before our Transatlantic cruise on the Disney Magic, I saw someone on an online forum telling everyone that there was no problem with flying in the day of the cruise as they had always done it and it had always been fine and people followed her stupid advice. Well fast forward to the day of the cruise and several flights to Barcelona were cancelled that morning that those people were booked on – I’m not even sure if they made it to the ship in time or missed the cruise completely.

Delays and flight cancellations do happen at all times of the year and the stress of possibly missing the cruise you’ve been looking forward to for so long is not what you want on your trip so plan accordingly – it just isn’t worth the risk.

Arriving at the Port and Checking In for Your Disney Cruise

If driving to the port, I would always recommend using the official parking at the port terminal itself. This is especially true at Port Canaveral as the parking structure is connected to the terminal building and makes life so much easier especially when arriving back into the port as you can be in your car within minutes of leaving the ship.

When you drop your cases off with the porters outside the terminal, remember to keep anything with you that you might need for your first day onboard (including your swimwear if you want to use the pools straight away) as it could be several hours before your bags are delivered to your stateroom. It is a good idea to use a wheelie bag to take onto the ship with you so you do not have to carry a heavy bag around the ship whilst waiting for your stateroom – you can usually access these at 1:30pm but it could also be later if there are any delays.

After going through security, you will need to complete a health declaration before arriving at the check in desk where your photo will be taken and your Key to the World will be issued. Your Key to the World is not only your stateroom key but is also used for charging all purchases to your onboard account. You will also be given a boarding group number which is tied to your Port Arrival Time – once your number is called, you are able to board the ship. And yes it’s a ship – not a boat.

Carrying Your Own Alcohol on Disney Cruise Line

If you are 21 or older, you are able to carry on two bottles of wine or champagne (no larger than 750ml) or six beers (no larger than 12 ounces) onboard at the start of the cruise and at each port of call. You must carry these drinks onto the ship with you and they must not be in bags that you check in with the porters. Any other alcohol including spirits will be stored for you until the end of the cruise. Any alcohol that you bring onboard with you must be consumed in your stateroom and not in any public area and any wine brought to the dining room will be subject to a $25 corking fee per bottle.

The full alcohol policy can be found on the Disney Cruise Line website here.

Eating and Dining Onboard Disney Cruise Line

All food with the exception of adult dining at Palo and Remy, pre-packaged popcorn and snacks at the theatre/cinema or from room service, certain snacks from the bars and lounges and speciality ice cream at Vanellope’s Sweets and Treats and Sweet on You (on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy) is included with your Disney Cruise Line fare.

Disney Cruise Line offer “Rotational Dining” meaning that each night of your cruise, you will dine in a different restaurant and your servers will move with you to each one and each time you repeat a restaurant, there will be a different menu and experience. When booking your cruise, you are able to select Main Seating which usually starts between 5:30-6:15pm depending on itinerary or Second Seating which is normally between 8:00-8:30pm. One of my biggest tips would be is unless you want to dine with strangers every night (my personal idea of hell), contact Disney before your cruise and request your own table. We have always done this and our request has always been granted but it helps that we always have Second Seating (the early seating is always very busy) and we do not make any other dining requests.

You will find out your dining rotation once you check in at the port – you will see a series of letters on your Key to the World card and they stand for:

Disney Magic – Animator’s Palate (A), Rapunzel’s Royal Table (R), Lumiere’s (L)
Disney Wonder – Animator’s Palate (AP), Tiana’s Place (TP), Triton’s (TR)
Disney Dream – Animator’s Palate (A), Enchanted Garden (E), Royal Palace (R)
Disney Fantasy – Animator’s Palate (A), Enchanted Garden (E), Royal Court (R)

In the dining rooms, you are free to order as many appetisers, main courses and desserts as you like so if there is several things you want to try, go ahead and get them.

Drinking Onboard Disney Cruise Line

Once onboard, soft drinks at the restaurants are included with your cruise fare as is the soda, tea, coffee and hot chocolate available at the drink stations located on the pool deck.

Drinks that are chargeable onboard include all alcohol (with the exception of the complimentary cocktails available at the Captain’s Welcome Reception on Formal Night on certain cruises), smoothies, bottled water, speciality teas and coffees from Cove Cafe and Vista Cafe as well as cans of soda bought from one of the bars or from room service.

My top tip is to bring your own reusable bottle and coffee cup with you which you can fill at the self service drink stations (to save constantly using the small paper cups there) so you always have a drink with you or to take back to your stateroom.

Meeting Characters on Disney Cruise Line

Apart from the ticketed Frozen Meet and Greet and Princess Gathering, characters are available to meet throughout the cruise. Each day the Personal Navigator and the Disney Cruise Line app will list where and when each character will be that day but you might also bump into them unannounced all around the ship – I’ve met Goofy waiting for an elevator as well as doing his morning exercise outside on Deck 4! The characters will also be out in different outfits throughout the cruise so it is always fun to see what they are wearing each day. The characters that you will always see each cruise include Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy and Chip and Dale. You might also see other characters but they can vary from cruise to cruise and even ship to ship.

If you do not want to wait too long to meet each character, make sure to get to each meet and greet a few minutes early to ensure you’re close to the start of the line. One thing that is noticeable is that the longer the cruise, the saner the meet and greets become – on a three or four night cruise the lines never go down whereas on a seven night cruise you will notice that there are hardly any waits after the first few nights. Also the meet and greets are much quieter later in the evening once all the families with small children have gone to bed.

If you want a good spot for one of the various deck or atrium parties, make sure to grab your space early. I always do this and I never mind having to wait as I prefer knowing I have a good view rather than turning up at last minute and not be able to see anything.

Pirate Night on Disney Cruise Line

Most Disney Cruises (with the exception of Northern Europe and Alaska sailings) have a Pirate Night which include the characters in pirate costumes including Captain Hook, Smee and Captain Jack Sparrow, a pirate-themed dinner menu (except on cruises of three nights which offer the standard rotational menu instead) as well as a deck party, fireworks at sea and a late night pirate buffet.

As already mentioned some people do bring pirate costumes to wear on this day but you do not have to dress up – many people do not bother. If you do want to wear something pirate themed onboard, a pirate bandana will be left in your stateroom during that day.

Taking Photos on Disney Cruise Line

If I can give anyone some good advice it would be to take a decent camera on your cruise and to save money and not buy the expensive and overpriced photo package that they sell onboard. At each character meet, one of the character handlers will take any photos for you with your camera and I have never had a bad photo taken by any of them. Out of curiosity I always look at the photos that are taken by the Shutters photographers onboard and the quality of the photography can be shocking – I’ve seen heads and even Mickey cut out of photos! In five cruises, I’ve never bought a single photo – every cruise photo I’ve ever posted on this blog has either been taken by myself or my boyfriend with our own cameras.

Save Money by Doing Your Own Thing in Each Port

Another huge expense of a cruise is doing any excursions organised by the cruise line in each port and this is the case for all companies and not just Disney. Do not be afraid to do your own thing in port or book any excursions independently as you can save huge amounts of money and see just as much, if not more by doing so. All it takes is a little research online before you go – in the past I have used Google Maps, Trip Advisor, Cruise Critic and various blogs online to plan days out in the ports we have visited.

Another thing to avoid onboard is the “Shopping Talks” as you do not want to waste your precious time on your cruise being told by people who earn commission from various stores where to go to buy overpriced rubbish in each port.

No matter what you do in each port, you need to know what time All Aboard is as the ship can and will leave without you if you are not back in time.

Staying Onboard the Ship in Each Port

If you have no plans in a port then there is nothing more relaxing than staying onboard and enjoying an empty ship especially when the pools are nice and quiet. You can even ride the Aquaduck or Aquadunk whilst the lines are shorter or non-existent. In certain ports such as Nassau, you will find that a lot of people will stay onboard so it will seem a little busier than expected. We stayed onboard in Cozumel on our Very Merrytime Cruise on the Disney Wonder and had the whole ship to ourselves – it really was a wonderful way to spend a day.

Shopping Onboard Disney Cruise Line

If there are any Disney Cruise Line souvenirs you want to purchase onboard, it is best to buy anything you want earlier in the cruise as there is only a limited stock onboard so some items may sell out – that does not mean that you have to stand and wait for the shops to open on the first evening though. The shops are not open when the ships are in port and you will find a list of opening and closing times outside each store.

On some cruises, there is exclusive merchandise for that sailing or season and if visiting Castaway Cay, there are items that you can only buy once on the island so if there is something you really want, get it when you see it. Just make sure to leave some room in your bags for any shopping that you get.

Make Sure to Book a Placeholder or Your Next Cruise Onboard

If you are planning or are thinking about taking another Disney Cruise, make sure to book onboard the ship to take advantage of the onboard booking benefits. When booking a future cruise onboard, you will get 10% off the cruise fare and a reduced deposit of 10% deposit for cruises that are seven nights or longer.

Even if you are not sure which cruise you want to do, you can make a “Placeholder” booking for $250 which you can later transfer to an actual cruise when you decide which one you want to book and you will receive the same onboard booking benefits.

You can opt to pay for your deposit or placeholder in your own currency which fixes your price so you do not need to worry about exchange rates and any cruise or placeholder booked onboard must be taken within two years. The onboard booking desk can get very busy towards the end of the cruise so visit at the start of the cruise when it is usually quiet.

Using the Internet on Disney Cruise Line

If you cannot bear to be disconnected from the outside world, there is wifi available on each ship but it is expensive and is charged by the MB and there are several different packages available. On most cruises, you can usually get 50MB free internet as long as you sign up by midnight on the first day but this will not last long.

To make sure your internet package lasts as long as possible, make sure to turn off all automatic updates and backups – if you visit the Connect at Sea desk onboard, they can tell you exactly what needs to be turned off. Another tip is if you own an Apple device, do not use the internet whilst it is charging as it will download and install any software updates in the background even if regular automatic updates have been turned off – I found this one out the hard way.

Also make sure to put your phone into airplane mode and turn off data roaming as you will otherwise connect to the Cellular at Sea network once underway which is not included in most regular data plans.

I have recently read that you can now use iMessage free of charge using the ship wifi but it will only send text messages and not photos or attachments – I have yet to experience this for myself though.

Gratuities on Disney Cruise Line

For each night of your cruise, your onboard account will be automatically charged $13.50 per guest (including children and infants) to cover gratuities for your Server, Assistant Server, Head Server and Stateroom Host and if you wish, you can call Disney Cruise Line and pre-pay the gratuities in advance.

You can increase or decrease the gratuity amounts by visiting Guest Services onboard but please do not think about removing them completely as the crew work incredibly hard for them. If you have a problem with paying these gratuities then maybe a cruise is not for you.

Paying Your Onboard Account

As no cash is used onboard, it’s very easy to sign purchases to your room but remember that you will have to pay the bill at the end of the cruise so be aware what you are signing for each time. You can check your stateroom account at any time onboard on the Disney Cruise Line app.

If you have a credit card registered to your stateroom, your card will automatically be charged at the end of the cruise. If you wish to pay your account with cash, you will need to visit Guest Services however try to do this before the end of the cruise as there will usually be a long line on the last afternoon and evening.

Carry Your Own Bags Off the Ship

If you want to be first off the ship on the day you arrive back into port, you can opt to do Express Walk-Off where you can disembark as soon as the ship is cleared by Customs as long as you carry your own luggage off the ship. We have done this on every cruise so far and will continue to do the same on our next cruise as we can be off the ship and on our way to our next destination in minutes.

If you want your bags to be taken off the ship for you, then you will need to attach coloured character luggage tags that will be left in your stateroom on your last full day and then place them outside your stateroom by a certain time the last night of your cruise. After having breakfast, you will have to wait for your luggage tag character to be called before you can disembark.

You will need to vacate your stateroom by 8:00am on debarkation day and everyone will need to be off the ship by 9:00am at the latest.

Other Random Tips and Advice

When outside on the ship and at Castaway Cay or in port, remember to use plenty of sunscreen with a high SPF to avoid getting sunburnt. I always include this advice after seeing so many people on my Transatlantic cruise resembling lobsters on day two of an eleven night cruise and they got redder every single day. It was not a good look.

Sea days are the best thing about cruising – I prefer them to being in port. Just being able to look out across the ocean without a care in the world on a beautiful cruise ship is a perfect day in my eyes. Also on most cruises, make sure to head out onto the open decks on a day at sea at 12:00pm to hear the “When You Wish Upon a Star” horn on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder or the eight different horns on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.

Copies of the daily Personal Navigators are available from Guest Services but you can also ask your stateroom host to leave one for you in your stateroom each day. Make sure to read it as it will tell you everything you need to know including character meeting times, show times, different activities being offered as well as the “All Ashore” and “All Aboard” times if you are in port. This information is also available on the Disney Cruise Line app.

If you want to enjoy as much of the delicious food on offer during your cruise as you want without putting on any weight, make sure to stay active and use the stairs rather than the elevators onboard as well as walk around the open decks – every little helps.

There are many hidden details onboard to help you find your way around each ship. The carpets in the stateroom corridors have stars which all point towards the front of the ship. The nautical flags in the carpet also spell out the name of the ship that you are on. Also on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, you will find metal fish outside rooms on the port side of the ship and metal seahorses outside staterooms located starboard. The free adult-only “Art of the Theme Show” tour is a fantastic way to learn about the design of the ship.

Disney Cruises are not just for families with children – they are for everybody so go and have fun no matter what your age.

However after all of what I’ve written, the most important advice I can give is just to enjoy your cruise, do not overplan and know that you will not be able to see and do everything whilst onboard as there just is not the time. Cruises (especially shorter ones) can be full on and days can be long and tiring so make sure to take a few minutes time out for yourself in peace and quiet each day – this is when a verandah cabin comes in handy though the chairs outside on Deck 4 are also good. And if you do not have time to do everything you want to do, then you have a perfect excuse to book another cruise!

Since this blog post was written back in 2019, some of the information may no longer be accurate or up to date. Be sure to do your own research and check official websites for the latest details before making any of your own travel plans.

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