DISNEY CRUISE

Let’s talk DISNEY CRUISE! Would you believe me if I told you this was my FIFTH Disney Cruise? Yes, 5th. I went three times as a kid and twice as an adult. But this was my first time with my own kids so it was extra special! We are obviously big fans over here so I am going to tell you everything I know! I am obviously not an expert by any means but I’ll tell you what I know from my experience.

Links from the trip!

Commonly asked questions from the Disney Cruise:

What ship did you do? How many nights? Out of where?

We did the Disney Dream. Five nights. Out of Miami.

What is the price like? How much should we budget to go?

A lot of variables factor into the price. Time of year, which ship, age of your kids, how many in a room, how many nights, etc. For example, for our cruise in February 2023 out of Miami on the Dream ship for 5 nights: Will and I were each $1,812, my daughter was $875, my son was $561, and my littlest was $561 for just the cruise portion. I know that seems weird to share prices but I hope it’s helpful?

What stops did you have on your cruise?

One stop was at Disney’s Castaway Cay (private island) and one day was in Cozumel, Mexico.

What was included and what did you pay extra for?

The food, Kids Club, character meet and greets, and parties were all included. You pay extra for excursions (we did a banana boat ride and swimming with dolphins), the nursery (ages 0-3), Bibbidi Boppity Boutique, dinner at the adults-only restaurants, and other events on the ship like a royal tea party, whiskey tasting, etc. I am not sure if alcohol is included! We ordered a pina colada and paid for it though so I’m assuming alcohol is extra maybe? Sorry, we don’t drink alcohol so we aren’t helpful on that front!

Dress is old from Banjanan

What were the sleeping arrangements like?

We had a room with a queen bed, a pull-out bed from the couch, a pull-out bed from the ceiling, and a pull-out bed from the wall. We used the queen bed for Will and me, the pull-out bed from the ceiling for our daughter, and our two youngest slept in pack-and-plays that were provided by the ship so we didn’t have to bring our own. We of course brought our Slumberpods too. The bed is also raised a bit so you can store your luggage, strollers, etc under the bed which helps with space!

(oliviabeth$20 gives you $20 off on Slumberpod)

How does the kids club/nursery work?

For kids younger than 3, they can go to the It’s a Small World Nursery where you pay ~$9/hr and, if I remember right, they cap you at around 10 hours per week. For kids 3-12, they can go to the Kids Oceaneer’s Club which is free. I wish my son could’ve gone to the Oceaneer’s Club but they would NOT budge even though he was 3 weeks away from being 3 so keep that in mind if you have any kids around that age! But honestly, he loved the nursery and still had so much fun.

Links from the trip!

How do the kids contact you when they’re ready to get picked up from the kids club?

When you download the Disney Cruise Line App and are connected to the ship’s WiFi, the Kids Club messages you when the kids are ready to be picked up! For the nursery, you just set the time. (i.e. 1-3 PM and come back at 3 PM). Kids also have a wristband that can track them inside of the Kids Club.

Were you worried about your kids falling off the ship?

YES. Leading up to the trip I totally would get stressed. Even on our way to the airport, I told Will I wished I would’ve brought something to help with my anxiety but once onboard, I never felt like I needed anything while on the ship. The kids were with us the majority of the time, the railings are all super high, and we kept the deck off of our room locked the entire time.

What reservations do you make in advance?

Depending on your seniority within Disney (yes, apparently that’s a thing) is when you’re able to book things. There were hardly any times left to book Bibbidi by the time it was our turn so definitely book quickly once they e-mail you to do so! I want to say everything was booked 2 months in advance?

I heard the kids can’t swim in the pools. True or false?

In order to swim in the pools, kids HAVE to be potty-trained. Absolutely no swim diapers are allowed in the pools. We potty-trained George for this reason alone but he ended up just wanting to play in Nemo’s (the baby splash area) anyways! You don’t have to be potty-trained to go in there and my two youngest absolutely loved it.

Links from the trip!

Do you think the cruise is good for teens/young adults?

Yes! I did the Disney cruise in my teenage years and absolutely LOVED it. I thought the teen hang-out rooms were so much fun. It’s also fun to go with cousins or friends for your kids to hang with too if you decide to go with more people.

How was the food?

The food is obviously mass-produced, so it’s not incredible but not horrible! I stuck with the seafood and pasta at dinner time and it was fine. Unlimited Diet Cokes and soft serve ice cream made up for it 😉 Breakfast is served in Cabana’s which has muffins, waffles, bacon, sausage, omelets, cereal… so many options! However, the adults-only restaurant PALO was SO incredible. Honestly some of the best food I’ve ever had. That has to be booked separately, and you can send your kids to the Oceaneer’s Club or nursery during that time.

Was it super crowded?

Yes! I would say that is my only complaint about the cruise. I told Will I probably would’ve paid double to have half as many people on the ship (okay maybe not double but you get the idea). Felt like too many people at times! I also wish we would’ve just stayed on the boat in Cozumel and not gotten off to enjoy the boat with fewer people.

Did anyone get seasick?

No one in our entire party got seasick! I saw a lot of people with patches under their ear though so I know it happens. The boat definitely rocks but none of us ever got sick from it.

Did kids need passports?

No! Kids do not need passports. Only adults. Kids do need hard copies of their birth certificates though.

Vaccination/COVID protocols?

Nothing in our process or trip involved any COVID testing, proof, or protocols.

Anything you wish you would’ve done differently?

I wish we would’ve stayed on the boat in Cozumel. I got mastitis on the trip so it was nice for Will to hop off and get some antibiotics but I would’ve been fine if we just stayed on the ship and enjoyed the kid’s pool without so many kids in it.

Is there anything you wish you would’ve brought?

The only thing I forgot and wish I had was the Mommy Hook to clip our water bottles to our bag, etc. That’s the only thing I can think of that I forgot!

Is there anything you brought that you didn’t use?

We didn’t use our life jackets. They have ones for the kids to use on the boat! Didn’t use the baby seat we brought for our youngest. They had high-chairs at all the restaurants and we just held her otherwise.

How would you compare your cruise experience to another cruise line?

Soo, this is my 5th Disney Cruise and all of them have been through Disney so I am not much help here! But we have loved our experience with Disney and feel like the attention to detail is there, the staff is extremely friendly, the ship is clean, and the magic is THERE. Highly suggest!

Links from the trip!

That’s all for now! If I didn’t answer a question you still have, comment below and I’ll respond!

-Liv