Disney Cruise Line was incorporated into the Disney company in 1996 and currently operates four ships; Disney Magic, Disney Wonder, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. DCL also owns their very own private island, Castaway Cay and the main cruise terminal is located in Port Canaveral, Florida which is only about an hour away from Walt Disney World. So, in this post I’m gonna go over what makes DCL different from the other major cruise lines, like Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean and what Itineraries DCL offers. Also, I’m gonna go over what kind of on-board activities that you can take part in on the four different ships and some frequently asked questions about cruising and DCL itself.
I want to start off with telling you about the major announcement that was made at D23 this year about Disney Cruise Line! DCL is adding three new ships to the fleet in 2021, 2022 and 2023; making DCL a seven-fleet cruise line! At this time the ships names, design plans and itineraries are still in the works but the plans are for them to be the same size as the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy which hold 1,250 guest staterooms. When more information about these new ships becomes available, I’ll have a video posted with all the new details. So, stay tuned for that!
So, what makes a Disney Cruise different from any of the other major cruise lines. Well, to be honest not much really. Each and every cruise line has the unique way of catering to their guests and with Disney there is no exception. If you have ever been on a Disney vacation then you’ll understand where I’m coming from. The guest relations and hospitality is always above average. With Disney, you will experience immersive storytelling, something that you experience whenever you stay on-site at one of the resorts. But, with a cruise you are immersed in the Disney bubble 24/7. All four ships are designed with an Art Deco theme with subtle nods to the Disney characters all throughout the ship. A Disney cruise is best described to that of a Disney Vacation staying at one of the Deluxe On-Site resorts.
The kid’s areas onboard are highly themed as well as the three dining rooms. The kid’s areas are split up by age groups and vary in themes depending on the ship. Kids ages 3 through 12 can learn and play in the children’s activity spaces that are themed to things like Andy’s room, Pixie Hallow, Star Wars and Marvel’s Avengers Academy. They can also take part in on-board activities like scavenger hunts that are hosted by the Disney counselors. Tweens ages 11 through 14 have their own youth club area, the Edge and Vibe, where they can interact with videogames, music and movies. All of the kids’ activities are included with your cruise and DCL also offers extra hours and kids club dining during lunch and dinner so if the adults want a special night out on the cruise they can with no extra charge for the longer hours.
Just like there are kids only areas onboard, there are adult only areas on each one of the four ships, so yes Disney Cruises aren’t just for kids and families. There is a pool only for adults, lounge areas, dining options and nightclubs that are adult only areas. There are also on-board activities just for adults that include some shows. Now, I do want to note that the dining rooms that are adult only are upcharge restaurants, there is not a complimentary dining option for adult only onboard the ships. Also, there is a unique feature that allows guests to keep in touch with their fellow passengers onboard the ship that it is only available on DCL. They are called Wave Phones and with them you will be able to call and text the other passengers in your cabin onboard the ship and on Disney’s Private Island Castaway Cay. This is a great way to keep in touch with the kids while everyone is enjoying time away from each other on the ship.
Dining with DCL is a little bit different than the other cruise lines. It is a set seating time for dinner but what is different about DCL is they have what is called “rotational dining”. What this means is you will select your desired dinner time and throughout your cruise you will rotate through all three dining rooms, but you will keep the same wait staff throughout each room so that you will get the maximum of personal service. Other cruise lines do this as well, keeping the same wait staff throughout the cruise but you’ll stay in the same dining room and sit at the same table. With DCL, you change dining rooms.
Your seating time is probably the second most important thing that you choose when booking a Disney cruise. That is because if you chose the early dinner time you will see the later show the same goes for choosing the late dinner, you will see the early show. You have to pick your seating time for dinner and your show so that everyone on board can have a place to sit and enjoy themselves.
The shows on a Disney cruise are worth the cruise itself. Well for me they would be, besides the view of the ocean of course. The shows onboard in the theater are Broadway caliber and themed to various Disney movies. There are two different shows during each cruise and when each show is playing they will take place twice every night during the cruise. So, it doesn’t matter whether you have the early or late show, everyone will be seeing the same show both times. There are two deck parties during each cruise, the Sail Away Party and the Pirates of the Caribbean Night Party. And depending on what itinerary your specific cruise is on there may be more than just the two.
The staterooms onboard Disney Cruise ships are designed with the family in mind. There is extra storage under the beds for luggage, the bathrooms are split meaning that the toilet is separate from the shower and there are privacy curtains in the rooms to make getting ready and sleeping easier for everyone. Also, in the rooms there is the option of sofa beds and pull-down beds from the ceiling of your stateroom to accommodate for larger families. You can also request adjoining rooms that allow for even more space in the staterooms and on the balconies for larger party guests. Also in each stateroom, you can enjoy in-room Disney movies if you feel like having a night-in.
There are 12 departure ports throughout the world and 5 are in the United States alone. The main Cruise Terminal being in Port Canaveral, Florida that is like I said earlier about an hour’s drive away from Walt Disney World. There are 16 different cruise destinations that are offered by DCL. Those include the Bahamas, Eastern and Western Caribbean, Southern Caribbean, Northern Europe, the Norwegian Fjords, the Mediterranean, the British Isles, Bermuda, Alaska, the Canadian Coast, the Mexican Riviera, Baja, the Panama Canal, the California Coast, Transatlantic Cruises and Specialty Themed Cruises. Now I’m not going to go into detail about each itinerary so if you would like to read up on each destination you can go to disneycruise.disney.go.com and explore what all they have to offer.
Now I will say that just about all cruise itineraries that leave from the Florida cruise ports make a stop at Castaway Cay. Castaway Cay is DCL’s private island and is reserved exclusively to DCL guests. Now, the other major cruise lines have their own private islands as well so this is not a Disney exclusive thing but there are some different features that are available. For one, all purchases that need to be made on the island can be done by your stateroom cards that are issued to each guest onboard. Everything that you will need for a perfect beach day is available. Anything from lounge chairs, umbrellas and food. For your meal for the day there is a complimentary BBQ lunch served on the island. And just like the cruise ship there are family beaches and adult only areas as well as a snorkeling lagoon on the island. There are so many things to do on Castaway Cay that you are for sure going to spend all day there and I will go over all of island’s activities in a future blog post.
Now about the ships. There are currently only four ships operating with the additional three coming in 2021, 2022 and 2023. Each of the ships offers a very unique design and entertainment offering. The first Disney Cruise Ship was the Disney Magic followed by the Disney Wonder. These are the smaller ships in the fleet with a 2,400-passenger capacity. The Magic features the AquaDunk water slide, the Tangled musical show, the Animator’s Palate restaurant and Marvel day at Sea. The Wonder features Frozen a Musical Spectacular, Marvel Super Hero Academy and Tiana’s Place restaurant.
The next ships added to the fleet are the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. These are the larger ships with a 4,000-passenger capacity. The Dream features the Animator’s Palate and Royal Palace Restaurants, the AquaDuck water coaster, the Star Wars Millennium Falcon kids club and Disney’s believe stage show. The Fantasy features the Animator’s Palate and Enchanted Garden restaurants, the AquaDuck water coaster and Disney’s Aladdin-A Musical Spectacular.
Now the three new ships that are being designed will be the same size as the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. And like I had mentioned earlier they have not been named yet and none of their unique features have been announced, so we’ll have to wait and see what the imaginers come up with.
Now, I’m going to end the video with some frequently asked questions about booking and the cruise line itself.
1. What do you need to know about booking and getting started? At the time of booking you will select your stateroom, your dining time which then sets your show time. You will also select your method of transportation to and from the cruise port, if needed. You’ll also select your excursions. Just like a Disney Vacation everything will be planned out for you so that you and your family can relax. There is a lot to the booking process of a Disney Cruise just like there is a Disney Vacation.
2. What documentation do you need to have? All U.S. and Canadian citizens MUST have proof of citizenship; which could be anything from a passport or birth certificate and picture I.D. If you do not have this type of identification you will not be allowed on-board and no refund will be awarded. So please make sure you have your I.D.
3. What should you pack? The essential items you should pack are your I.D. of course, any valuables and medication that you will need during your trip. As far as clothes it depends on your destination. You could be going on a cruise in Alaska that will require you to wear pants and jackets or you could be going on a cruise to the Caribbean where you’ll want to wear next to nothing and enjoy the sun! Just remember to not pack essential items that you will need at embarkation in your checked luggage.
If you have any other additional questions about Disney Cruise Line or a Disney Cruise please feel free to comment down below. As a reminder, there is a lot of good information on the Disney Cruise Line website that can answer all of your questions.