WorldofLauraJane

If you are about to start reading this post then its for one of two reasons you’ve booked a Disney cruise for the first time or your looking to book your first Disney cruise. 

When you first read any information online about Disney cruises it can be overwhelming regardless of whether you have cruised before or not. Cruising with Disney is very different to cruising with any other cruise line for a number of reasons such as rotational dining but keeping the same serving team within the restaurant. Rotational dining is a good thing that Disney offer as it means your waiters get to know you throughout your holiday. If one evening you don’t wish to dine in the restaurants there is the option of room service which there isn’t an extra charge for but make sure you tip the crew member who brings the food to your cabin. Whilst talking food its important to be aware that onboard Disney cruise ships the buffet restaurant doesn’t open during the evening.

Something that Disney does different to other cruise lines which I did think is a good thing that other cruise lines should take onboard is that they offer free soft drinks in the main dining room with evening meal. They also have soft drink machines to help yourself near the pool area for throughout the day. 

When it comes to cruises there can often be the confusion and pressure of what to pack for of an evening. Evening time onboard Disney is a lot more casual compared to other cruise lines. They do have theme nights onboard as they will have pirates night which is something I would recommend taking part in even if you choose to wear a pirate t-shirt with some bottoms. 

Something to be prepared for on a short cruise is long queues for meeting characters. There is also the chance that the queue may start for one character but will then change to another character as this happened to me on the cruise. For short cruises there is likely to be queues for the shop opening as it will only be open for a limited time. If you are travelling with children who are going to want to meet princesses whilst onboard then they will be able to by booking Royal Gathering a few weeks before embarkation. Royal Gathering is the chance to meet up to four princesses in the lobby area, onboard my cruise the princesses were Cinderella, Snow White, Mulan and Tiana. If you are travelling with children who would like a prince or princess makeover there is a bibbidi bobbidi boutique onboard the Disney ships which can be booked a few weeks in advance which I would recommend. 

Tipping is automatically charged to your account each day at $16 but you are able to pre pay gratuities before boarding. 

Onboard Disney cruises your cruise card is known as your key to the world this is used to access your cabin or to make any purchases onboard. If you have been to the Disney parks and have a magicband+ these can be connected to your account so that you can use it to access your cabin as well as make purchases. 

If you have joined any Facebook groups you may have seen people mentioning door magnets. On Disney cruises decorating the cabin door is very popular. I chose to buy a few online from Etsy, I’m glad that I chose to do this as you will see people along the corridors with cabin doors decorated. Onboard some guests will participate in fish extender exchange which is something I chose not to participate in this is where guests will have something hanging outside the cabin that fellow guests can leave a small gift in. 

The main tip for your first Disney cruise is take it all in and don’t feel pressured to take part in everything as well as making sure you enjoy your time onboard.