One of the things travelers love about Disney Cruise Line is that it requires less effort than Disney theme parks. You don’t have to worry about dinner reservations or plotting out your FastPass+ strategy. As a Disney Cruise Line guest, you can easily access food and entertainment just steps away from your cabin with minimal walking.
Despite the ease of access on DCL, things can be stressful if you don’t read and prepare just a tiny bit before your cruise. Most DCL cruises cost a small fortune, and who wants hiccups when you’re paying that much for a vacation?
My family is sailing on our 7th Disney Cruise next year. I still read DCL message boards and social media groups, and I’ve seen my share of disgruntled travelers hit rough patches that could have been prevented. Before you embark on a Disney Cruise, consider these tips for a smoother vacation. (Many of these tips apply to non-Disney cruises as well.)
Arrive at Least One Day Early
Please, this one is important! Don’t fly in on the same day as your cruise. I can’t tell you how many people have ended up missing their cruise because of this. You may think the risk isn’t high, since you’re on the first direct flight to Orlando during a non-winter month. Of if you’re driving just a few hours, you may think traffic won’t be bad. But stuff happens. Rainstorms, delays in connecting cities, crew maximum hours, mechanical issues, pilot strikes, flat tires, highway accidents…anything is possible.
I would argue that even when you fly or drive in the day before, schedule it for earlier in the day. On my family’s first 7-night cruise, we thought we would arrive in plenty of time. We had a connecting flight from DFW to MCO in the afternoon with a late afternoon arrival. We planned to have a leisurely dinner and get to bed early that night to relax before boarding the ship.
However, the night before, DFW had major rain storms. The airport got backed up, and even flights the next afternoon were delayed or canceled. Our flight was delayed and we ended up missing our connection, and I was a complete wreck. I thought we were actually going to miss the cruise!
Luckily, we were re-routed and arrived at MCO at 1:00 a.m. the morning of our cruise. The kids were cranky and my daughter cried the entire first afternoon on the ship because she was so tired. Not a great way to start a vacation!
On future cruises, we always plan to arrive more than one day in advance, or at least on a morning flight the day before.
Buy Travel Insurance
Don’t skimp on buying travel insurance! You don’t have to buy it through the cruise line, as it tends to be more expensive with less coverage. Ask your travel agent to help you get an outside policy, or go through tripsinsurancestore.com or insuremytrip.com.
Having travel insurance will make your trip go much more smoothly if there are any hiccups, like a lost suitcase, a canceled flight, or a doctor’s visit on-board or in a port.
For my family of five, I’ve found policies in the low $100 range. Totally worth it for peace of mind!
Use the On-board Medical Clinic
Don’t avoid the on-board medical clinic because you think it’s too expensive or you might get quarantined in your room. There’s nothing worse than being sick and uncomfortable on your vacation. If you’ve purchased travel insurance, your clinic visit will be reimbursed.
On our first longer cruise, I got a terrible sore throat and cough. I was determined to tough it out and was convinced that I would feel better any day now. I didn’t, so I suffered the whole week.
On our next cruise, I went to the clinic the minute I felt a sore throat coming on. I was able to get some antibiotics and other medicine to relieve my symptoms quickly. It made a huge difference!
One of my kids also got a mouth canker sore on a cruise and was miserable eating. I stopped by the on-board clinic and was able to get medicine for just a few dollars. The clinic has a pharmacy stocked with just about everything you could possibly need.
Book Activities Ahead of Time
It’s true that you don’t really have to pre-plan too much for a Disney Cruise. However, if you pre-book a few things, you’ll save yourself from waiting in a long line or missing out on your favorite activity.
The princess gatherings and Star Wars character meet-ups are bookable online. You can also book the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, adult specialty dining, spa treatments and excursions.
Most things are also available to book after you board, but you may not get your preferred time slot. For example, the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique books up quickly in the hours before formal dinner night and the princess gatherings. If you don’t book ahead, you may be stuck with an early morning time slot, which isn’t ideal when your daughter wants to go in the pool 30 minutes later and ruin her new hair-do.
Arrive On-time for Stuff
On my last Disney Cruise to Alaska, another mom was venting her displeasure to me in the atrium. She had been trying to take her kid to a character photo op, but she was turned away, twice. “I paid over $10,000 dollars for this cruise, and I can’t even see the characters!” I felt badly for her, really.
The problem? She arrived late to each character meeting. A cast member usually closes the line for the character 15 minutes after the start time or sooner if there is high demand. Many characters will appear later in the day or on another day in the cruise, but some more obscure characters only make one appearance. I recommend arriving 5-10 minutes before the scheduled start time.
If you arrive late for a theater show or comedian, you may not find any available seats. Just get there on time.
Avoid Peak Times at Pool and Buffet
The pool deck is insanely crowded in the late mornings and afternoons on a sea day. That’s when everyone tries to swim. If you don’t want to be miserable and packed in a big bowl of people soup, avoid those busy times.
The pool isn’t too crowded for the first 1-2 hours on a sea day. It’s also deserted in the evenings while people are at dinner and shows, and on most port days. There’s no reason you should wait in a long line for the Aqua Duck if you go at an off-peak time.
The breakfast and lunch buffet is similar. Go early for your pick of tables and short lines.
Make Requests (Within Reason)
Don’t be afraid to ask crew members for things within reason to make your family more comfortable. When my daughter was a baby on our first cruise, our cabin steward brought a pack ‘n play and diaper genie. On our last cruise when we had connecting cabins, we asked for a door-stopper to keep the doors open between our cabins.
I’ve seen people make special requests in the dining room to suit their tastes. A table next to us always received a special ethnic dish at every meal, and another table always ordered an appetizer of chicken wings. Neither were on the menu. My daughter was able to get a room-service item in the dining room for lunch that wasn’t on that restaurant’s menu.
Want two desserts? Just ask. Want something from another restaurant on the ship? Sometimes it’s possible. Just be sure to tip accordingly.
Read Pre-Cruise Info and the Daily Navigators
A few weeks ago, I read a trip report from a new cruiser. Her main complaint? She spent so much money on paying for the cruise that she didn’t have any extra money to spend on character meetings. She tried to go to the princess gathering but was told she needed a ticket. Her child had to miss out on photos with the princesses and other beloved characters.
I almost cried upon reading this. The character meetings on Disney Cruise Line are included/free. For the more popular character greetings, you need a ticket for crowd control and to avoid long lines. But the tickets are FREE! You can either sign up for a time online before your cruise (and your tickets will be waiting in your room), or you can go to guest services to get tickets.
All of this information is included in pre-cruise information that each guest receives in the mail and printed on the daily navigators that you receive in your stateroom each night. If you don’t read these things, you might miss out on fun, free activities.
Bottom Line
There’s no way to completely guarantee a smooth cruise with no hiccups. But by knowing a few things in advance, you can save yourself some headaches and avoid the crowds.
What are your tips for a smooth cruise?
Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
I’ve always wanted to take a Disney cruise. We’re probably going to plan one either next year or 2020. Thanks for all of the great tips!
@Niki DCL is my family’s favorite vacation. We all can’t wait to get back on board.The first part of 2020 cruises should be available to book sometime in October.
Yes yes yes to all of this!! We have sailed 3 times with Disney and they have always been the best vacations, and it’s because my husband found out the hard way about these things on previous ones with his family.
@Leigh I’m glad to hear your family has enjoyed Disney Cruises!
This looks like such fun trip. Thanks for the tips!
@Stephanie Those are great tips you added! We use the app on board, but I still like to look at the paper navigators. It’s easier to see everything laid out all at once. The app is great for free texting to keep in touch with our family on board.
Nancy, you’re spot on like usual about these tips. Didn’t know about the onboard medical clinic…good to know. I heard they now have a Disney Cruise App; we can’t wait to try it out. My tips: room service is free (just add a tip when they deliver food) – because my kids are always hungry when all of the food places are closed. We bring our bathing suits with us while we’re boarding so we can go swimming right after lunch – pools are empty because no one has their luggage yet (and don’t fill up on lunch because then you won’t eat dinner). Also, if you do some research, you can ask your Travel Agent to request a certain Dining Rotation if you know which restaurant you want to end up at for the Fancy night, etc.
Decorate your door with personalized Disney magnets so it’s easy to find. If you can’t afford a balcony, then don’t worry. There are decks with really shaded lounge chairs that have beautiful views.
I’m planning on booking a Disney cruise in a few years once my baby is a little older. Thanks for these tips! It will be helpful to know some insider information before wee book.
@Emily I recommend you book as early as possible, as itineraries are available up to 18 months in advance. Check out this post for advice for first-timers on DCL: https://milesforfamily.com/2016/10/14/10-tips-for-first-timers-on-disney-cruise-line/
What fantastic tips! I did not know that DCL went to Alaska!!! I have always wanted to go on a Disney Cruise and when I do I’ll definitely take all of your fantastic tips in mind!
@srenker16 I highly recommend Alaska as a cruise destination. Fabulous scenery!
I’d like to do a DCL cruise for Feb 2020, and have my friend/Disney TA ready to alert me when sailings post. Probably going to put deposit on my CSR for their extra travel coverage, and perhaps pay the balance with Disney GC obtained from places wben I can get them for more than 5% off.
In addition, can you point me to your posts talking about how you have used points to defray?
Will likely use hotel points ahead of the trip and for flights.
@Kacie Early 2020 DCL cruises should be available to book within the next 2-3 months, hopefully! For our past cruises, we’ve used Hyatt points to stay at MCO before the cruise and Southwest flights to get there (we’ve transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards to both Hyatt and Southwest). Since DCL is so expensive, it definitely helps to get free flights and hotel.
Many of the cool tricks for getting discounted Disney gift cards have gone away, unfortunately. See this post for a few methods that remain: https://milesforfamily.com/2017/01/11/using-discounted-disney-gift-cards-disney-vacation/