Tips for Your First Disney Cruise

Embarking on your first Disney Cruise Line sailing is nothing short of magical. From the moment you step aboard, you’ll be immersed in Disney’s signature hospitality, world-class entertainment, and family-friendly activities. But to make the most of your voyage, it helps to be prepared. Here are some essential tips to ensure your first Disney cruise is smooth sailing.

Choose the Right Ship and Itinerary

At time of writing, Disney Cruise Line has six ships sailing and two more set to make their maiden voyages in 2025. The soon to be fleet of eight is varied in offerings both on board and in terms of where they sail, giving families a myriad of options to choose from. It can be a bit overwhelming to determine which ship you’d like to sail on, so let’s breakdown the main differences.

• Disney Magic & Disney Wonder: The Magic and Wonder were the first two Disney ships to set sail in 1998 and 1999 and are the smallest ships with a capacity of 2,700. Due to the smaller nature of the ship, families enjoy a more intimate experience.
• Disney Dream & Disney Fantasy: The Dream and the Fantasy are slightly larger than the original two ships with a capacity of 4,000 guests. Setting sail in 2011 and 2012, the Dream and Fantasy offer additional themed spaces for guests of all ages.
• Disney Wish, Disney Treasure, & Disney Destiny: As the newest ships to join the Disney Cruise Line Fleet, the Wish, Treasure, and Destiny offer the height of Disney immersion at sea. They can accommodate 4,000 guests but the ships are much larger than the Dream and Fantasy, allowing Disney to offer even more themed spaces for guests to enjoy.
• Disney Adventure: The Adventure is a standout amongst the rest of the fleet, as it is Disney’s first ship to call Singapore home and is a completely different design. The ship was purchased from a company after construction began and adapted to embody the magic of Disney.

The ship you sail on will likely be determined by the itinerary you’d like to experience. Disney Cruise Line offers sailings in the following destinations:

• Bahamas
  • Disney Wish
  • Disney Magic
  • Disney Dream
  • Disney Fantasy
  • Disney Destiny
• Western Caribbean
  • Disney Magic
  • Disney Dream
  • Disney Treasure
  • Disney Fantasy
• Eastern Caribbean
  • Disney Magic
  • Disney Treasure
  • Disney Fantasy
• Southern Caribbean
  • Disney Magic
• Northern Europe
  • Disney Fantasy
• Norwegian Fjords
  • Disney Fantasy
• Mediterranean
  • Disney Fantasy
• British Isles
  • Disney Fantasy
• Alaska
  • Disney Wonder
• Mexican Riviera
  • Disney Wonder
• Baja
  • Disney Wonder
• Panama Canal
  • Disney Magic
• Pacific Coast
  • Disney Wonder
• Transatlantic
  • Disney Fantasy
• Hawai’i
  • Disney Wonder
• South Pacific
  • Disney Wonder
• New Zealand and Australia
  • Disney Wonder
• Singapore
  • Disney Adventure

Research the destinations, ports of call, and onboard features to find the itinerary that best suits your family’s interests. Need help determining which itinerary or ship is right for your family? Reach out to KMV Travel for vacation planning assistance!

Check Your Passport

Before booking your cruise, be sure you’ve checked that all guests’ passports are valid for at least six months beyond your intended travel dates. Renewing or applying for a passport can take weeks or months. Checking ahead gives you ample time to ensure it’s ready before your cruise.

To determine if you will need a passport for your sailing, you can view Disney Cruise Line’s Passports, Visas & Citizenship Documentation Requirements.

Book Early

Disney cruises are incredibly popular and pricing is dynamic, meaning that as availability decreases, cruise fares increase. The least expensive time to book your cruise will be when sailings are released, which typically is about 15-18 months prior to the sail date.

While many cruise lines will offer “last minute” deals, Disney does not reduce pricing as it gets closer to the date of a cruise. They do sometimes offer promotions which you can view here.

Download the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App

The Disney Cruise Line Navigator App is an essential tool for making the most of your Disney cruise vacation. This free app allows you to link your reservation and view your daily itinerary, explore onboard activities, check dining menus, and even communicate with your travel party through the app’s messaging feature. It also provides important ship announcements and updates, ensuring you never miss a moment of magic.

Be sure to download the app before arriving at the port, as you’ll save time and avoid potential Wi-Fi connectivity issues during embarkation. This is also where you can easily make reservations for onboard activities, specialty dining, and excursions when your booking window opens prior to your sailing.

Download a Free Guide to the Disney Navigator App

Plan Your Port Excursions & Onboard Activities

Disney Cruise Line offers a wide variety of onboard activities and port excursions that are highly popular. From beverage tastings, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and dinner at adult-only restaurants like PALO, to excursions at your ports of call, you’ll want to be sure you’re prepared when your booking window opens up.

First-time Disney Cruisers will be able to make reservations beginning 75 days before the sail date at midnight EST. If you have an onboard activity or excursion that you’re hoping to get, be sure to be on right when the clock strikes midnight, as availability is highly limited.

After your first cruise, you will become a member of the Castaway Club, Disney Cruise Line’s frequent cruiser program. One of the best perks of the Castaway Club is advanced booking dates, see below.

• First-time guests:  75 days before the sail date
• Silver Castaway Club members: 90 days before the sail date
• Gold Castaway Club members: 105 days before the sail date
• Platinum Castaway Club members: 120 days before the sail date
• Pearl Castaway Club members: 123 days before the sail date
• Concierge guests: 130 days before the sail date

When you book your cruise with a KMV Travel Advisor, we’ll take care of booking your onboard activities and excursions so you can relax.

Don’t Forget Online Check-In

Online check-in is required prior to your Disney Cruise and will open 30 days before sailing at midnight EST. The online check-in process can be accessed via the Navigator App or at disneycruise.com and helps streamline embarkation. It will include uploading required documents (like passports or IDs), setting up a payment method for onboard expenses, and choosing a port arrival time.

If you want to get an early port arrival time, be sure to log on right at midnight EST and have all of your documents uploaded to your phone/computer for easy access.

Pack a Carry-On Bag

When you arrive at the port, a porter will take your luggage for you and it will be dropped off at the door to your stateroom in the late afternoon. Staterooms will open to guests around 1 PM/2 PM depending on the ship you’re sailing on. During this time, most spaces, including the pools, are open on the ship. We recommend bringing a carry-on bag with you that you can carry a bathing suit and important items like medication and travel documents in. This way you don’t have to wait for your luggage to be delivered to start enjoying everything on the ship!

Understand Rotational Dining

One of Disney Cruise Line’s unique features is rotational dining. You’ll experience a different restaurant each night, complete with themed menus and entertaining decor, while your waitstaff follows you to provide personalized service.

When you board the ship and access your Navigator App, you will be able to view your dining rotation schedule. Unfortunately, you are not able to view the schedule prior to boarding. However, if you have a requested rotation (i.e. you want to eat at Worlds of Marvel on the second night), you can request this by calling Disney Cruise Line or speaking with your Travel Advisor.

Don’t Miss the Entertainment

Aboard all Disney Cruise Line ships, you will be treated to several Broadway-style shows in the Walt Disney Theater. These shows are performed on one night each sailing at two times each evening that will correspond with your dining time. If you’re unable to leave your room that evening (because who doesn’t love a good room service dinner – it’s available at no additional cost!), the shows are played on the TVs in the rooms at select times.

The current shows aboard each ship are noted below.

• Beauty & the Beast
  • Disney Dream
  • Disney Treasure
• Disney Seas the Adventure
  • Disney Wish
  • Disney Treasure
• Disney The Tale of Moana
  • Disney Treasure
• The Little Mermaid
  • Disney Wish
• Frozen, A Musical Spectacular
  • Disney Wonder
  • Disney Fantasy
• Tangled: The Musical
  • Disney Magic
• Disney Dreams – An Enchanted Classic
  • Disney Magic
  • Disney Wonder
• The Golden Mickeys
  • Disney Wonder
  • Disney Dream
• Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular
  • Disney Fantasy
  • Disney Wish
• Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story
  • Disney Magic

If you want to ensure you get a good seat, we recommend arriving about 30 minutes prior to show time.

Take Time to Explore

There’s something going on most times throughout the day, including trivia, arts-and-crafts, game shows, movies, musical performances, and more, making it easy for you to spend your whole sailing at an activity. However, we recommend spending some time exploring the ship on your own. Grab a coffee/tea from the pool deck (tea, coffee, and soft drinks are included in the cost of your cruise and are available 24 hours per day on the pool deck beverage stations) and take some time just to walk around the ship. You’ll come across some great art, friendly crew members, and might even find your new favorite spot to relax and unwind!

Don’t Forget to Book Your Placeholder

Once onboard, you’ll be able to book a “placeholder booking,” which is a way for guests to reserve a future Disney cruise at a discounted rate while on your current cruise. By booking a placeholder, you lock in benefits like a 10% discount on the cruise fare (excluding taxes, fees, and port expenses) for most sailings. It’s a flexible option that doesn’t require you to select specific travel dates right away, giving you up to two years to decide on your next adventure. A $250 deposit is due at time of booking and is refundable for the two year time.

To book your placeholder, simply go to the Navigator App while onboard your Disney Cruise.

Book Through a Travel Advisor

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the benefits of booking through a Travel Advisor especially for your first sailing. Many Travel Advisors offer complimentary service and provide their expert guidance and advice learned from years of sailing with Disney. If you’d like to learn more about working with a KMV Travel Advisor, reach out today.