Top 10 First-Time Disney Cruise Line Tips
Planning to set sail in 2020 or beyond? These first-time Disney Cruise Line tips will help you with things you might not know about the Magic, Fantasy, Dream, and Wonder DCL ships. Most are mistakes we made–and learned from–on our first DCL vacation, but we’ve also updated and tweaked this list with new info, ideas & changes. (Updated October 31, 2019.)
If you’re a Castaway Club member or a seasoned Disney Cruise Line veteran, some of these may seem obvious. However, based on our conversations with our guests aboard the Disney Magic, things aren’t always quite as obvious as they might seem. If you’re planning to set sail aboard Disney Cruise Line, these updated tips should come in handy.
Fortunately, setting sail on the Disney Cruise Line is a far less complicated experience than visiting Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or other theme parks, so there’s not a ton you need to know to “do it right.” These 10 tips should at the very least set you on the right course…
Note that these tips all cover the experiences aboard the Disney Cruise Line ships themselves. If you’re looking for Disney’s Castaway Cay Tips, read this post. If you want something more comprehensive or less aimed at first timers, check out our 101 Great Disney Cruise Line Tips. That’s more of a deep dive and covers a range of things–including stuff you might not know even if you’re a Platinum Castaway Club Member!
Let’s take a look at the tips for having a great time your first time setting sail aboard the Disney Cruise Line…
Every Restaurant is All You Can Eat
One of the selling points of Disney Cruise Line is that soda is all-you-can-drink and there are places to grab food throughout the day without a surcharge. (As a point of clarification since we’ve met many people who call this “free,” it’s not free–it’s built into the cost of Disney Cruise Line, which costs more than other cruise ships in its class.) However, many people don’t know that meals at rotational restaurants are all-you-can-eat, in a way.
At these restaurants, you can order as many appetizers, entrees, and desserts as you want, make substitutions, etc. If you really like a particular appetizer or entree, order another! We did this at every meal, and always found the servers happy to oblige. Just remember, with great power comes great responsibility.
We don’t recommend ordering so much food that you only eat half of what’s on each plate. Ordering a half dozen lobster entrees for yourself might seem like a good idea, but it’s wasteful and probably won’t endear you to your server.
Tipping is Different
We read that tipping was different prior to our trip, and everything we read made it sound super complicated. It’s not. Basically, your onboard stateroom account is automatically charged a set amount towards the end of your cruise for housekeeping, your server, your assistant server, and the dining room manager, with envelopes also provided for the same so you can leave additional cash should you believe they deserve more. You can find out what the exact default amounts will be for your cruise with the Disney Cruise Line Blog Tip Calculator.
Should you want to tip less, you can go to Guest Services to change the amounts. We noticed fairly long lines at Guest Services the last night of our cruise, and assume this was why. We’re not going to get into the controversial area of recommended tips here, but our general advice is “don’t be an ass.” In the cruise industry, these tips are customary, and these positions in the crew depend upon them. If you vehemently disagree with the concept of tipping these positions, maybe you shouldn’t take a cruise.
I know I wouldn’t take a cruise if I hated being on a boat, and this type of tipping is as much a standard of cruising as cruises taking place aboard boats. Personally, I’m not a fan of the social construct of tipping (I feel that what’s now “standard” gratuity should be built into certain wages, as they are in most of the civilized world) for a variety of reasons, but until I can convince the rest of society to agree with me, I uphold my social obligation to tip.
Nightlife is Tame, But Fun
This one varies widely depending upon the Disney Cruise Line ship you’re sailing, and how full your cruise is, I think. On our cruise, “After Hours” was pretty much a ghost town every night after 11 p.m. This is partly to be understood. Unlike other ships, Disney Cruise Line caters to families, precluding many parents from participating in the night life scene.
Still, we highly recommend checking out the night life. We found that, while sparsely attended, it can be highly entertaining. Perhaps not in the way you’re thinking, though. While it can be fun in itself, what we found more fun was people watching. (Yes, we were those people in the corner, creepin’ on the people in da club!) Some of the guests who have the most fun in the clubs presumably haven’t been on the party scene in a while.
Pour copious amounts of alcohol on that, and you the fuel for an awesome fire. We had a blast just watching the partying, and we are 100% certain the partiers had fun doing the party. Regardless of whether you want to be a party animal or a creepy lurker like us, we bet you’ll have a good time.
Don’t Miss the Fireworks
If you’re comparing them to the fireworks at Walt Disney World, the fireworks on the Disney Cruise Line are going to disappoint you. They are relatively short by comparison, and not as large in scale.
But take a step back for a second. Walt Disney World fireworks are launched from the land. On Disney Cruise Line, you’re floating in the middle of the ocean, with a private fireworks show over the water. That’s pretty impressive, and watching them explode over the water as other ships blast their horns in the distance is a pretty cool experience.
Research Rooms
Frequent cruisers are very particular about their room, and for good reason: not all of the rooms in the same class are the same! At first blush, choosing a room seems pretty easy, since there’s inside, oceanview, and verandah. However, there are actually several “secret” verandah and porthole staterooms, as well as mini-suites and oversized rooms, all of which are priced in a lower tier.
In our case, we didn’t have the ability to pick a room, as we booked a last-minute, restricted fare “verandah or better” (VGT–there are also IGT and OGT restricted) room. The benefit of this was saving money during the off-season (since the ship wasn’t full, last minute deals were offered) and guaranteeing ourselves a verandah view room. As a side note, you also should give serious thought to which class of room to you want, and whether it’s worth the money to splurge and upgrade.
While a verandah is probably nice on longer cruises, we learned that it was an unnecessary luxury on a short cruise. By contrast, we’ve heard that a verandah is pretty much a must-do on an Alaskan cruise, due to the view of whales it might offer.
Palo is a Must Do
Some guests are likely to balk at the cost of Palo, wondering why they should pay extra for a meal when their normal rotational dining is “free.” Well, again, those meals aren’t free, they’re built into the cost of the cruise. Instead of looking at those as free and Palo as $25 per person, look at Palo as costing about 2% the total of your cruise (give or take depending upon the cruise’s actual cost). For a 2% increase in cost, does it not make sense to upgrade to a superb fine dining experience?!
We have a full Palo Dinner Review you can read if you need further convincing, but suffice to say, we fully believe that Palo is well worth the additional cost and highly recommend it for any couple looking for a romantic meal or foodies wanting a fine dining experience. The incredible service, atmosphere, and cuisine are all virtually unparalleled, and we now cannot imagine doing Disney Cruise Line without a meal at Palo.
Don’t Skip the Nightly Shows
If you look at reviews of the nightly shows, they vary widely. We’ve now seen nearly a dozen different productions aboard Disney Cruise Line, some multiple times. Our enjoyment of these shows has been all over the place–sometimes a show we don’t normally love can be elevated by a stellar cast. Other times, the reverse is true. (About the only show we’ve consistently disliked is Villains Tonight!)
The point is, it seems that no one can agree on which of these shows is awful, good, or great, and the only one who can determine whether you will like the shows is you. That requires you going to see the shows. Besides, if you’re going on a Disney cruise, you really ought to see the Disney entertainment on that cruise. The good news is that, regardless of what you think of the story of the show, production values and acting are top notch in all of the shows.
Use the Personal Navigator
If you’re like me and think your main option for entertainment on a cruise is lying around reading a book (more like falling asleep with a book on your face), boy, are you wrong! There are multiple, simultaneous options pretty much all day long. Granted, not everything is going to appeal to everyone, but you’ll probably never be wanting for anything to do while you’re on the cruise.
You’re provided a Personal Navigator each day with the schedule of events on it, but we recommend downloading the Personal Navigator App and using that. Even though we couldn’t use our phones on the cruise, we still carried them for the clock (who wears watches these days?!) and other apps. Of course, if you’re going to be in the pools a lot, maybe carrying around your phone isn’t such a good idea.
The Ship is Beautiful
The Disney Cruise Line ships are seriously beautiful. Seriously. Each of the ships has its own distinct features and design, but they’re all basically modern luxury ocean liners in the style of Art Deco or Art Nouveau. The details are stunning, from gorgeous chandeliers to handrails, the design of these ships is very thoughtful and meticulous.
If you’re a fan of these styles of architecture or themed design, take some time to explore the ship. Go in the movie theater when it’s not in use, wander around the main lobby, stare at that handmade chandelier. A big draw of Disney is in the parks’ highly immersive environments, and while Disney Cruise Line doesn’t isn’t necessarily thematically transportive (although it is literally transportive), the ship itself does make you feel a bit like you’re aboard a ship during the golden age of cruise ships.
People Sleep In
This is one of those seemingly obvious ones, but it’s clearly not that obvious given that the ship is particularly deserted in the early morning hours. I know I often harp on being up for the sunrise, and I realize people take cruises on vacation, but get up for the sunrise at least one morning!
There are very few people around, and seeing the sunrise on the open water is really a sight to behold. You can see and do a lot without worrying about other people in the early morning, so why not get up early during your day at sea, and go back to your stateroom in the middle of the day to take a nap?
Okay, that covers the first-time lessons for setting sail aboard Disney Cruise Line. As I’ve said before, I didn’t think I was a cruise person before, but the Disney Magic sold me on the Disney Cruise Line. Since that first cruise, we’ve done all of the ships, and eagerly await our next journey. It’s a totally different type of Disney experience than the theme parks, but the change of pace, relaxing, and service-oriented nature of Disney Cruise Line has us hooked!
Planning to set sail aboard one of the Disney Cruise Line ships? Read our comprehensive Disney Cruise Line Guide to prepare for your trip, plan entertainment and other activities, and learn what to expect from your Disney cruise! For info on specific ships, see our Disney Dream Ship Guide.
If you want personalized recommendations for Disney Cruise Line itineraries, ships, and more, click here to get a cruise quote from a no-fee Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. They can find you all of the current discounts, and help you plan the details of your cruise!
Your Thoughts
If you’ve cruised with Disney Cruise Line before, what first time “lessons” would you add so that people avoid common mistakes? Any other tips? Any questions? Do you agree or disagree with our first-time DCL tips? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Great article and right on the money with the suggestions. Here are some of my suggestions:
– Fully research your excursions because my family had a horrible time with the Atlantis excursion because it was very minimal and not much details about what was included. Get on the phone and talk to someone if you have to.
– If you are susceptible to sea sickness, make sure you are fully medicated because I was sick literally every night of the cruise because the stabilizers are not effective.
– Don’t miss out on Castaway Cay! That was literally the best part of the trip because it had everything the ship had but on land. The biking is awesome too. No traffic, no problem.
– Check your pictures frequently because we had many people who were not part of our party pop up under our account.
– My group didn’t really like the live shows unless we were watching it in our room because we could determine if we wanted to watch it or not with the first 10 minutes, so I suggest if you have a critical group, watch the shows from your room to determine if you want to see it or not.
Those are my suggestions. My mother said that was the roughest cruise ships she has ever been on, so be wary of booking the Disney Magic if you get motion sickness.
We ordered the Mickey ice cream bars from room service every day. We always tipped $5 and wrapped it around a snack size Hershey bar, Kit Kat, etc. They really seemed to appreciate the chocolate as well as the tip.
Look for the cream cheese pretzels at the outside counter service. They are so good!
It may be common knowledge, but you can take your own alcohol on board. Just pour some in a glass and then go upstairs and get the free soda available 24 hours a day when you want a cocktail in your room.
We sailed on the Disney Fantasy last year for the first time. We decorated our door with magnets — very popular thing to do.
Castaway Cay has a 5K run that is free of charge. You can buy a 5K run T-shirt in one of the shops right there close to the race.
Hope these interest someone.
Haven’t heard about this 5K run before. That is fantastic! Thanks for the heads up!
Just a note about the 5 K run. Sign up for that early. We didn’t and found out they only let a certain number participate. We were too late unfortunately and it’s one of the things we really wanted to do, oh well, next time! Once you’ve cruised with Disney, there will always be a next time!, lol
I really liked your suggestion to make sure to get up and see the sunrise. I have been on many Disney Cruises and have yet to do this. My husband and I will be going on a 14 day Disney Panama Canal Cruise later this year (without the kids) and I am putting this on my list.
Thanks for the tips that even a seasoned cruiser can glean from.
Thanks for the tips. My wife and I took a cruise on another cruise line for our honeymoon. She loves it and I hated it. She wants to go on a Disney Cruise with our daughter, but I’m not sure I could take it. Disney, to me, is rides and attractions. I don’t like to relax on vacation; I can do that at home for free.
Your tips reminded me of what I did like (all you can eat) and what I didn’t like (shows, beaches,few morning activities (I’m a morning person)).
Tim – On a Disney cruise there are lots of activities at all times of the day. You can pick and choose those you want to participate in or not. There are move things to do than most people have time for. I hope you will give it a try.
If you cannot make it to a show, it also shows on the Television in your stateroom. Some, have matinees, so check your Navigator.
These are all great tips! My family and I are going to be taking our second Disney cruise this summer to Alaska and we are already getting excited!
A tip for picky eaters out there…adults can order off the kids menu and kids can order off the adults menu. There were many dinners on our cruise last year that I ordered a hamburger and fries off the kids menu while my sons (7 and 10 years old) ordered something more exotic off the adult menu.
Tom & Sarah – Love your blog and photos! 🙂
Great tip! Also don’t forget Disney works to make magic happen for you. The serving staff actually encourages guests to order more than one meal. When I was on my most recent cruise in January of 2015, Atleast one person in our group ordered two entrees every night and I ordered at least two desserts a night. It’s truly wonderful to be able to try all the different options. And if you find something that you fall in love with (for my dad it was the lambchops) you can ask your server and they will go to the other restaraunt and have it made for you! My father had lambchops everyday for 3 days and enjoyed them with great service too! Hope this helps!!
This is very useful insight! Thanks!
Great tips, Tom, and wonderful photos, too!
I was not at all a cruise fan either until my first Disney cruise…just a couple of additional tips we like to share with folks: even if you tend to be an early eater, consider the second dinner seating. You can catch the early shows, have a leisurely drink at Meridian (Dream & Fantasy) before your meal, and if you’re traveling with kids 3-12, you can take advantage of the Dine and Play program. The kids will be served first and Disney’s youth counselors will whisk them away to the Oceaneer Club leaving the adults to dine in relative calm.
Also, make sure to hit Castaway Cay first thing in the morning. You’ll have the beach to yourself for several hours!
Tom, Sarah…y’all have one of the best Disney blogs out there…thanks! Keep up the good work!!
Thanks for the feedback, and for the kind words! 🙂
Did you have any specific recommendations for Castaway Cay? Last time we were in a Cabana – perfect for family with Grandma and a 19 month old, but now the kids are going to be 4 and 5 on our next visit, and wondering what tips people have about maximizing the time and fun on the island.
Love your blog Tom and Sarah!!! Keep up the great work!
Hello– I have been on 3 Disney cruises (wonderx2 and Fantasyx1) I cruise on nothing less than disney and its standards!;)
Castaway Cay is the best part of the cruise for me and I have some great tips and tricks!
Definitely plan on leaving the boat as early as possible. For some, who may be slower at getting out of the cabin, it’s best to order room service breakfast (fruit, muffins, milk, etc.) and eat that while packing for the day. Otherwise, you have to deal with the hassle of Cabanas (the Buffett restaraunt) with all of the million other people trying to get an “early start” too! Once off the boat head towards the farther side of the beach. Close to the Cabanas, but more importantly… Close to the food! It’s quite a long walk, but the easy access to the bathrooms and food area pay off when the kids can run from the ocean water right to a snack. Also, don’t forget to stop and take your time at all of the shops, because some of the merchandise in those stores can not be found on the ship. I got a really great shirt on Castaway Cay that was definitley my favorite buy.
I hope this helps!! Happy Sailing:)
Loving these DCL tips. I’ve been on 2 myself, but my husband hasn’t been on any. I’m slowly converting him into a Disney-nut like myself, so this article (and the additional tips in the comments) will help my argument for a Disney cruise next year instead of Carnival (again).
My first cruise (Disney Wonder 1999) was without my husband. I came home gushing about it – the next Disney cruise was a wedding cruise of our favorite niece and he loved it. Lets just say he was hooked! 7 Disney cruises later he would not even consider another cruise line. We are late 50’s and early sixties and we go on Disney cruises with or without our kids and grandkids. We love it. I hope you can convince him – he will not be sorry!
Wendy – I could not agree more with MJ. My husband and I had never been on a cruise with any line (we are 63 and 64) and last year my husband surprised us all when he suggested we treat our daughter, son-in-law and two grandkids to a Disney cruise together. We were on the Fantasy for the September 26, 2015 sailing to the Eastern Caribbean. It was phenomenal and even my husband, who is afraid of heights, and me, being afraid of water, felt completely comfortable and were constantly amazed during the entire week. Disney knows how to take care of its guests and after one cruise, I would not even consider another line and am planning an Alaskan cruise with our daughter. Even with just the two of us going, we are Disney Cruise Line fans and can’t wait to sail with them again. Disney cruises may be a little pricier, but you get what you pay for and we were pampered and appreciated from the minute we boarded the ship. Our sailing was one that the itinerary had to be changed because of Hurricane Joaquin, but even being in rough seas while in the outer bands, I felt completely safe and slept like a baby even during the worst night. Disney does it right and I am now a cruise convert.
I have always loved all things Disney(raised and still living near Disneyland,passholder and great uncle who was an artist on many original full length movies and cartoons)our family has visited Disneyworld 10 times in the last 20 years,but nothing compares to our family Disney cruises! I think the Disney cruise line is the best of DISNEY. We have traveled to the Bahamas,Alaska and Mexico.Each one was the perfect trip,a beautiful combination of Disney magic,natural beauty and a glorious ship to explore.After just getting back from a Disneyworld trip fighting crowds and spending more money then planned, I think the cruise line offers much better value and definately more relaxing. As our family gets older the cruise becomes a much better vacation. Teens can have more freedom and adults can enjoy the magic without the stess. We cant wait to book our next cruise hopefully to northern Europe!
Another great tip….room service is FREE (or as you say, included in the price)! So feel free to order coffee and pastries as your morning wakeup call or Mickey ice cream bars as a late night snack!
That’s a great one! We didn’t test this out (by the time I got in the room at the end of the night after taking photos, I was just ready to collapse), but we plan on doing it next time!
I totally agree about the room service. Breakfast in bed was wonderful!
Oh yeah- two other ones. Book your next cruise on board! You get a discount on the fare, a reduced deposit, and a decent on board credit.
Trust me, when you get home, you’ll end up booking another one anyways, so research your next cruise before you sail and book the next one on board. You can always move the date later and keep the benefits.
If you have a Disney Visa, DCL is a good place to use it. You will automatically get 6 months same as cash for any cruise purchase- fare deposit, fare balance, even on board account purchases. Anything charged through as “DCL” will automatically qualify- a good way to stretch the high cost of the cruise out!
Excellent tip on the Disney Visa. Same with the booking on board. Although, if you don’t mind cruising during the off-season, I think you can do better with last minute deals. However, those deals aren’t available during prime seasons!
Great post and good advice! Here’s a few other thoughts to echo your tips:
– There’s always at least one main dining room open for each meal and at least one is full service. They are rarely crowded, and we find the food and ambiance way better than Cabanas. It’s slower than buffet, but we find it relaxing and worth it. It’s also included with the cruise fare, so why not go at least once?! The Personal Navigator lists hours and locations.
– I agree about waking up early. For adults, the Quiet Cove pool opens at 6am, and you might be the only one there until 9am. On sea days, this is a good way to get in a swim without feeling overcrowded, as this pool fills up by midday and is uncomfortable.
– For the shows, on some cruises, they also offer a matinee show at 3pm. If they do, it’s worth it to see the show midafternoon, then enjoy the ship (and less lines at the Aquaduck) while everyone else is at the evening show/dinner.
– I agree with you on tipping- “don’t be an ass” is great advice. Your serving team works very hard- 80-90 hours a week, usually with no day off for 3-4 months! They also aren’t subject to US labor laws, so they aren’t paid minimum wage- in fact most of their salary is tip based. We always go to Guest Services and add to the base tips. The service is always stellar at sea, and your staff should be rewarded for their hard work! (Though I agree with you that tips should just be factored into base wages, but until then, we must tip well!)
Love the DCL posts- keep ’em coming!!
” There’s always at least one main dining room open for each meal and at least one is full service. ”
We took advantage of this. We would ask our wait staff each evening where they would be working in the morning so we could go there and ‘request’ to be seated in their section. This has a few benefits.
1. Your morning breakfasts are now as attentive as your dinners. Remember how each night the staff has your Sprite with 5 ice cubes? Well now they know that you want coffee, 2 sugars, a single egg, and the muffin.
2. Creates a better bond, so in the morning they can ask you what you had planed for the day, or offer advice, and then in the evening they can ask you all about your great day!
Good tip! I didn’t even think to ask for the same servers in the am, but makes total sense. I could see this being especially important and nice on longer cruises, where you really get to know your serving team.
This is a really great tip. Great points all around, Mike and Heath!
This is such a great idea! I didn’t know this was even a possibility. But is this something that they do on the shorter Cruise to? Will be going on our first cruise on the Disney Wonder, for 4 nights. I’ve heard good things about the buffet, but Is there a sit down breakfast available there?
This post is really good. Have to try this some time soon.
Great post. I agree with all your tips. We did our first Disney cruise on the Fantasy last August and it far surpassed previous cruises on other lines.
What advice do you have specifically for those cruising on the Fantasy? We are going in January 2016. Thanks!
Hello, i Am planning to go at The fantasy alone with my daughter of 5, do you have some special tips??
I have The second time dinner do they give a table just for The 2 of us?
If i want to go to The pool or Aqua lab, it is safe to leave your things alone in a chair like your camera, phone and key room?
We are also going on the Fantasy in January 2016. We set sail on the 23rd. So excited! This is our second Disney cruise (Wonder was the first). If this is your first time, one suggestion I have if you have kids is to get the second seating dining. This is helpful for days you’re ashore and not feel like you have to rush back. Don’t worry about the time – the first time I was worried it was too late, but the kids were not starving since there’s always food around. Also with second seating is that the kids clubs staff will come and pick your kids up 45 minutes into dinner so the adults can finish dinner at leisure. Make sure to request this. On check in day, try to be in the first group of check ins, have your kids already wearing their swim gear, and as soon as you get on board, head to the water slides/pools. Not many people will be there. That was advice we got and it worked well for us. If your kids are different ages that cause them to put into different kids clubs, you can request the younger one be placed with the older one. You just have to sign a waiver. That worked for us. My kids are older now, so one will get to hit the teen scene, and the younger one…I think we can get him into the teen scene since he’s almost 11 (I can’t remember the age breakdowns). Can’t wait since they’re also doing a Star Wars day at sea! We just bought our costumes – I’m going as Han Solo-ette :-).
These are great tips, we are taking our first Disney cruise soon.
How about a podcast episode on DCL photography?
Good idea–I’ll keep that in mind! 🙂
Hi! Just a few tips I’d add:
1. As far as excursions go, don’t feel like you need to book through disney. Other companies have much lower prices and can be just as good. Also, consider planning something yourself. Even an outing as simple as renting a car and taking a scenic drive can be very fun and memorable. On our Alaska cruise, we saw two bears and numerous beautiful landscapes up-close by doing this!
2. If you have kids, don’t procrastinate taking them to the kids clubs. If you wait until day 2, everyone else will already be situated and your child may feel like a wallflower, especially if they are shy. (This happened to my son.) Chances are they’ll get over it quickly, but if you take them on the first day of the cruise, they’ll feel more comfortable immediately.
Great article, as always!
Excellent tips. The second makes a lot of sense, and something I wouldn’t have otherwise given any thought.
I became a first timer last year on the Disney Wonder. It was quite a remarkable cruise. It is light years better than Carnival, which I enjoyed very much, but Disney was well worth it. Despite the higher prices, you get much more.
I highly recommend Palo. For the first timer, reserve at least 2 visits or you’ll regret it. At least one dinner and one brunch. Palo is significantly better than the regular dinner meal. You get one free champagne. Additional drinks cost more. You can order as much as you like from the chef for the entrees. There is plenty of self-serve appetizer, salad, and dessert buffet stations. Take advantage of the kids club. Leave your kid for at least 3 hours.
As for the kids service, it is amazingly distractive for kids. They love it, but my kid was 4 years old and the first visit didn’t work so well. We had to remove her early. So stick with it. The second time was much better and that’s when we went to Palo.
Again the food was great. You’ll have full belly. Swimming will make you hungry. Between meals, try the pool side food stations. The hamburger and chicken tenders were terrific and you can get as much as you like.
The pool was fine, but the slide was off-limits to adults. I hope the Wonder will be remodeled to be like the Magic. It seems like the new slides are open to adults.
The entertainment was great, but I spent more time at the character meet and greets. If you have a princess, there are two opportunities to take photos with 4 princesses… Snow White, Belle, Ariel, and Tiana. Adults will like Captain Sparrow on Pirate Night. You MUST get there early or you’ll pay by waiting much longer. I was there at least one hour earlier. You should carefully decide if it is worth it to get the $350 photo package. I didn’t buy it. You can certainly use your camera.
The room was pretty good for an interior cabin. It was much larger than the comparable inside cabin at Carnival. They have an included sofa bed that serves as an extra cot if you need the room. Sleeps 3 people comfortably. You might want a larger room for 4 people.
I didn’t care much for the movie theater, but they showed the latest Disney animated movie. “Planes” and “The Lone Ranger” was offered.
My only complaint about the live shows was “Under The Sea”. Overplayed. We didn’t see all the shows, but we tried. Again, get there one hour early. Dinner service was much too long for my kid. Clocking at 1.5 hours. We had to give our regrets to the server. Skipped some desserts.
Pirate night was the highlight. I saw the whole thing… meaning just me. My wife and kid was too tired and slept early. The show started at 9:30pm and included a midnight snack. Amazingly good. Disco dancing on the deck. The DJ played lots of “Gangnam Style” if you can stand it.
Have a great time. I intend to try it again in the future when my kid is perhaps 11 years old.
Thanks for all the tips–many aren’t applicable to us, but they all sound great.
I especially agree on doing Palo for dinner and brunch. Both are excellent and we highly (HIGHLY!!!) recommend doing them both.
Thank you! We will be going on our first Disney Wonder cruise. These are great tips, very excited to put them in to use.