Sharing my top 10 Disney cruise tips and tips if it’s your first cruise!
Hi hi friends! How are you? I hope that you’re having an amazing morning. We’re in part 1 of Harneys take Europe for the summer, and we’re starting the party with our 6th Disney cruise. I’ll share all of the details when we’re back, but for today’s post, I wanted to share some of my all-time best Disney cruise tips, especially if you’re a first-timer.
My top 10 Disney cruise tips and tricks
So this is Disney cruise #6 for a reason; the entire family loooooooves them. TBH, I was always a little meh about the idea of cruising. Something about a bunch of party college kids on spring break and casino vibes didn’t sound like an ideal family vacation, especially when the girls were really young. I’m also a little freaked out about being out in the ocean.
Our friends told us how much they loved Disney, especially because of the cleanliness, food, and entertainment, so we decided to give it a try. Needless to say, we were blown away, and have done at least one Disney cruise per year since then.
Now that we have some experience under our belt, I feel confident sharing some tips that were helpful to us as newbies, or that we’ve learned along the way. I feel like I could write an entire series at this point, but here are my top tips!
Pack a separate pool bag with a change of clothes when you check in.
They take your luggage upon arrival, and it magically appears in your room within a few hours. In the meantime, take your pool bag with you and head to the pool! It’s the least crowded it will be the entire trip, and all of the casual pool deck eats are open, too. It’s so much fun to watch the kids do the slide and hang out in the pool while enjoying a buffet lunch or some tacos + drink of the day.
Order your coffe the night before
If you like to have coffee in the morning, order it through room service at night. It arrives in a carafe and stays warm all night. They also have a little fridge where you can store creamer. Room service is inlcuded — you simply have to tip. I’ll usually bring some cash for room service tips.
Dining rotation
Each ship has about three main restaurants and you’ll rotate each night. You’ll be assigned early dining (usually 5:45) or late dining (8:15) and you’ll have the same server and assistant each night. If you’re not dining in the main restaurants, there’s a Broadway-quality show that you can attend during the opposite time (for example, late diners attend the early show and then head to dinner). OR, you can skip the show, skip the main dining, order room service or grab a quick bite, and head to the pool to watch a movie and swim. One night we skipped the main dining and the show, and the kids rode the water slide like 19 times.
At the dining room, you can order whatever you’d like from the menu. Want a meal that’s all appetizers? Want to try every single dessert? Want two lobster tails? Live your best life. They are also incredible with allergies and dietary requirements. When I told them I was gluten-free (something I avoid for health reasons, not an allergy), they had gluten-free rolls waiting for me each night.
Room service secrets
With how many cruises we’ve done, I’ve never seen an official room service menu. I know they have things like Mickey ice cream bars, milk and cookies, mac and cheese, pizza, chicken tenders, etc. I called and asked for a salmon salad once and the attendant laughed lol. But there are a few secrets: they have a cake or pie of the day (ask them what flavor is available), and cheese boards (you can ask for gluten-free crackers).
The app is your friend
The Disney cruise app is actually pretty amazing. You can track all of your plans and excursions, message friends and family members through the app, and check out the daily navigator, which has the schedule and location for the day’s activities. They have SO MANY things going on each day on the ship: movies, character greetings, dance parties, trivia, karaoke, Bingo, towel folding lessons, etc. You can also book extra things like wine tasting, whiskey tasting, spa services, and adults-only dining.
Bring a pop-up hamper and take a few laundry pods with you
(if you plan on doing laundry)
I always do laundy on the last day on the ship. It’s way less depressing to take home a suitcase full of clean clothes than dirty clothes. The laundry room is amazing (especially on the Wish; it’s HUGE) and the app will alert you when it’s time to swap out your machine.
Decorate your door
I didn’t know how big of a thing this was, but so many families decorate their doors. It’s super fun to customize them. Etsy has a lot of great magnets and while you don’t have to go over-the-top (some families totally do, and I love to see it), the kids enjoy it.
Get a popcorn bucket if you like popcorn
We buy a popcorn bucket on the first day (it’s around $13) and while you’re on the ship, you can refill your popcorn for about $3.00. The kids love taking it to the shows with us and Disney popcorn is just A+++++.
Tips / gratuities for a Disney cruise
The only time you need to tip during the cruise is when you order room service, and at the end of the cruise. On the last full day, they provide little envelopes for your server, assistant server, stateroom host, etc. The amount that they estimate for each person who has helped during your stay varies depends on how many people in your party. The exact amount has changed, but for us, it’s usually a couple hundred dollars total for everyone, which is charged to your account at the end of your trip.
If you’d like to tip an additional amount, you can place the little slip that has Disney’s total calculated amount + any cash you’d like to add into the small envelope and deliver it personally to them. You can also ask guest services to add to your tips for you. I find that our servers and stateroom hosts usually go above and beyond.
Book a placeholder for a future cruise 🙂
When you’re on the ship and on the app, you have the opportunity to book a placeholder to use towards a future cruise fro $250. It will save you 10% on an upcoming cruise and the $250 is considered a down payment towards the cost, which can be a pretty sweet deal. You can book two placeholders per account. If you don’t use it, you receive a refund after the two year period, but I think you’ll probably use it 😉
If you guys have any specific Disney cruise questions I can answer, please send them my way!
Have an amazing day and I’ll see ya soon!
xoxo
Gina
More:
Disney Magic Bahamas and Castaway Cay
Disney Dream Italy and Greece Mediterranean cruise
Disney Wish Castaway Cay and Bahamas cruise
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