Sarah Bretz, ContributorWhen many people think of a family cruise, they automatically think of Disney. After all, the company is known for providing some of the best family vacation experiences in the world. Just like in the parks, this dedication to excellence is apparent on Disney Cruise Line ships. From the entertainment to the food, lounges, kids’ clubs, and beyond, Disney is a great cruise line option for both kids and kids at heart. However, that doesn’t mean that the experience isn’t without any faults at all. Here, we’re going over the Disney cruise pros and cons to help you decide if these magical ships are the right choice for your next vacation.
Disney Cruise Pros
1. Fireworks at sea
One of the hallmarks of a Disney vacation is fireworks, and that’s true even on the cruise ships! Each cruise includes a Pirates in the Caribbean deck party, which culminates in a beautiful fireworks display off the side of the vessel. Occasionally, special sailings may include the fireworks show within another show, or offer TWO nights of fireworks.
For example, on Marvel Day at Sea voyages, the deck show Marvel Heroes Unite includes fireworks. In the past, the line has also set off fireworks during its Christmas spectacular show on holiday sailings. Don’t miss the fireworks on a Disney cruise!
2. Included soda and room service
Unlike most mainstream cruise lines, soft drinks and room service are included in the cruise fare on Disney. However, there is a caveat to the free soda — it’s not free at bars, lounges, and through room service. However, it is included at all restaurants, at self-service beverage stations, and in the Vibe teen club.
As well, nearly all room service items are free, and there’s not even a delivery fee! You’ll only have to pay extra for alcohol, soda, bottled beverages, and packaged snacks. This is a great option for families!
3. Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay
Disney’s two private destinations in the Bahamas create the perfect beach day for visitors. Castaway Cay, an island located near Great Abaco Island, has been named the best cruise line private island multiple times. Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is Disney’s newest destination, located at the southern end of the island of Eleuthera.
Both destinations feature family and adult beaches, kids’ water play areas, themed bars, and included barbecue lunch buffets. At Castaway Cay, guests can participate in a free 5k and receive a participation medal. Lookout Cay has a nature trail that leads to a historic lighthouse for which the destination is named. Disney’s private destinations are a highlight for many travelers’ cruises and are well-worth visiting.
4. No casino
In terms of Disney cruise pros and cons, the lack of a casino on board could go either way depending on who you ask. But for me, it’s definitely a pro. No casino means that you don’t have to worry about walking through a loud, flashy casino to get to the theater or the other half of the ship. It also means that you don’t have to worry about cigarette smoke wafting out of the casino into nearby public areas that aren’t open to the outdoors.
I’ve sailed multiple ships from multiple cruise lines (including Disney) without a casino and I thought the experience was better because of it.
5. Character meet-and-greets
Just like in the parks, Disney Cruise Line provides lots of opportunities for guests of all ages to meet and interact with their favorite Disney characters. And unlike the parks, these opportunities are much easier to come by. Throughout the sailing, there are lots of scheduled times where different characters hold meet and greet times. This is a very popular activity and there will probably be lines, but they tend to move much quicker than the lines at the parks. Some main restaurants also have character interactions that fit in with the theme of the dining room.
However, the real magic comes into play with unexpected character appearances. You may happen upon Captain Minnie on the jogging track, Belle browsing an onboard shop, or Joy dropping in on the Inside Out game show.
6. Adults-only sundeck
Though Disney cruises are, of course, packed with amenities and activities for kids and families, there’s quite a bit just for adults too. Notably, all ships feature the Quiet Cove sundeck which includes a pool, hot tubs, and a bar. On Disney Wish and Treasure, this space is located aft and the pool is infinity-style, making Quiet Cove an ideal space for unmatched views.
Adjacent to the sundeck is Cove Café, an adults-only lounge that serves up specialty coffees, teas, spirits, wine, and (on some ships) pastries.
7. Exceptional entertainment
When you sit down for a show aboard a Disney ship, you’re not in for a normal run-of-the-mill cruise ship production. Disney is consistently touted as having some of the best entertainment at sea. From stage adaptations of favorite animated movies (think Frozen, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast) to original productions that include nostalgic and familiar twists, no one does entertainment like Disney.
The theater productions are rounded out by live music around the ship, deck parties including the Pirates in the Caribbean show with fireworks, and a movie theater. Some main dining rooms also feature their own entertainment with character appearances that play out throughout the meal, such as Plaza de Coco, Tiana’s Place, and Worlds of Marvel.
8. Split bathroom concept
Nearly every stateroom on Disney Cruise Line’s ships features a split-bathroom layout to make getting ready easier for families. Instead of one bathroom that has a shower/tub (yes, most cabins have a bathtub!), sink, and toilet, Disney splits these amenities up — and adds another sink. On one side of the stateroom entryway is a toilet and sink with a door. On the other side, the shower/tub combo and another sink, also with its own door.
A signature feature of Disney’s ships, this innovative split design means that families can get more done simultaneously — allowing everyone to get out the door and to the fun faster!
9. Immersive kids’ clubs
With a reputation like Disney’s, you can bet that the line’s ships will have some of the best kids’ clubs in the world. And you’d be right. The Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab are filled with highly-themed and immersive spaces akin to rides and experiences you’d find at the Disney parks. The littlest cruisers can be immersed in the world of Toy Story with favorite characters that are larger-than-life or join the resistance in an immersive Star Wars-themed space. Other themed spaces include the Tinkerbell-themed Pixie Hollow, the Marvel Super Hero Academy, and Fairytale Hall filled with everyone’s favorite princesses.
10. Rotational main dining rooms
Disney Cruise Line does main dining dinner a bit differently than other lines. Instead of being assigned to one restaurant for the entire cruise, all guests rotate through three throughout the sailing. And the best part? Your serving team comes with you. This means that your servers who got to know your food allergies and your favorite drink? They’ll be at the next restaurant with you tomorrow night, too.
Getting to experience multiple themed restaurants throughout a cruise is just another reason to look forward to dinner aboard Disney.
Disney Cruise Cons
1. Pricey
It’s no secret that Disney vacations are expensive — and that’s true whether by land or sea. When you compare the cost of a Disney cruise to a comparable sailing on a mainstream line, you can easily pay $100+ more dollars per person, per night. And some of the cost is justified. Disney is a premium product, offering Broadway-quality entertainment, some of the best food at sea, immersive kids’ clubs, and included extras like room service and soda. Plus, one of the biggest moneymakers for a cruise ship is the casino, so Disney offsets the lack of one with higher fares as well.
With that being said, the leap from cruise fares on most popular lines to Disney is often a big one. The cost — especially for an entire family — can just be too much for many people. Being priced out of a Disney vacation, especially if you’ve got big Disney fans in your family, can be a big disappointment.
2. No drink package
When many people think of a cruise, they automatically think of drinking cocktails by the pool, beers at the sports bar, and wine at dinner all voyage long. And while that’s certainly possible on Disney, you have to pay for those drinks a la carte.
That’s right, on Disney you don’t have the option of an inclusive package to help offset the cost of alcoholic or specialty beverages. The line does offer beer buckets and discounts on multiple bottles of wine. But if you want cocktails, spirits, or other specialty drinks, you’re going to be paying for each beverage individually on Disney.
3. Limited itinerary options
Because Disney only has six ships in its fleet (with two more debuting later this year), it can’t offer the same kind of robust cruise schedule that other lines with 20+ ships can. Generally speaking, you can find at least half of the fleet sailing in the Bahamas/Caribbean from Florida.
In the late spring and summer, the line positions one ship each in Europe and Alaska. Disney does offer voyages in other regions including the Mexican Riviera, Hawaii, and Australia. However, those sailings are limited to short time periods and don’t lend themselves to much flexibility when it comes to the ship or scheduling.
4. No observation lounge
One of the best public spaces on a cruise ship is the forward observation lounge. It’s a bummer to see that Disney doesn’t offer a space like this for guests. Observation lounges are the perfect way to view the scenery ahead while staying cozy indoors and protected from the elements. They’re especially nice in cooler weather destinations like Alaska or northern Europe where there’s a lot of scenic cruising.
The closest space Disney Cruise Line offers to a traditional observation lounge is the Concierge Lounge on its newest class of ships, including Disney Wish and Treasure. While this forward lounge does look out over the Concierge sundeck, it does have forward-facing floor-to-ceiling windows that are a great place to relax with a cup of coffee and good conversation.
5. Tables can be close together in main restaurants
Because Disney Cruise Line guests rotate through the dinner restaurants throughout the cruise, that means that all three venues have to accommodate the same amount of people. And — unless they skip the MDR for an alternative dining option — all guests are dining in these rotational venues for two seatings each evening.
To accommodate that many passengers dining at once, the tables can be a bit more… cozy than you might be used to. While many tables are well spaced out, other areas — and especially certain restaurants — can make you feel a bit like you’re packed into a crowded concert venue. Similarly, most venues don’t offer a lot of tables for two. So, if you’re a couple, you’ll likely be dining with others during your sailing.
6. Difficulty Securing Reservations
Getting reservations for special experiences on Disney cruises can be challenging due to high demand. Booking windows open exactly 75-120 days before sailing (depending on your Castaway Club status), and popular experiences like adult-exclusive dining at Palo, Remy, or Enchante, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique makeovers, and certain port adventures can sell out within minutes.
First-time Disney cruisers are often surprised by how quickly these reservations disappear, leaving them frustrated and without access to these exclusive experiences.
7. Lots of lines
If you know the Disney vacation experience, it should come as no surprise that you will encounter some lines on the cruise ships. HOWEVER, don’t worry too much — they still aren’t as bad as you might have experienced in the Disney parks. With that being said, you will have to wait in line for various things while at sea.
Passengers often line up early prior to their main dining room opening for dinner. You’ll also encounter lines for meet-and-greets with popular characters. The same goes for theater shows which are first-come, first-served and fill up quickly. It’s also not uncommon to encounter quite a long line to ride the AquaDuck water coaster on sunny days at sea.
8. Limited Dinner Options
While Disney’s rotational dining concept is innovative, it does create limitations for guests who prefer more flexibility. Unlike other cruise lines that offer some form of “anytime dining”, Disney essentially locks you into your assigned restaurant rotation and dining time.
If you don’t want a sit-down dinner or don’t like one of the three main dining rooms’ menu offerings, your only alternatives are to pay extra for specialty dining, order room service, or grab some poolside fare. Even the buffet on Disney Cruise Line ships is closed during dinner hours.
9. Paper cups on the pool deck
This may not seem like a big deal to many passengers, but to me it’s disappointing that Disney uses disposable paper cups on the pool deck instead of reusable plastic like other lines. The line may be doing it for sanitary reasons, but other lines don’t seem to have a problem with washing the plastic cups used in the buffet and on the pool deck.
Disney Cruise Line is consistently recognized for its environmental stewardship and sustainability initiatives, so it’s surprising to see that so much waste was being created on board in a way that is not common on cruise ships.
10. Too Much Disney for Some
While all the Disney theming and experiences are what draw many to Disney Cruise Line, it might be overwhelming for some casual fans. From the moment you step onboard, you’re immersed in Disney music, characters, and imagery. While many love this total immersion, others might prefer a more subdued cruise experience with options to escape the constant Disney presence.
Unlike other cruise lines that offer a variety of entertainment styles and atmospheres, Disney’s entertainment is predominantly focused on Disney properties, characters, and stories even in the adult-only spaces.
Comments
Do you agree with these Disney Cruise pros and cons? Do you have anything else to add to this list? Drop us an anchor below to share your experiences sailing with Disney Cruise Line.
