Even though I had years to research our very first cruise, I still felt unprepared when it finally happened. I don’t think I would’ve had as big of a shock had I been better prepared so I thought I’d share my experience for anyone considering cruising for the first time. Keep in mind that I am not an expert cruiser and that my experience is based on one 7 night sailing on the Disney Fantasy.

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We originally booked a Disney Cruise in early 2019 for a sailing date of late 2020. As you probably already know, cruises weren’t sailing at that point so we decided to keep our credits with Disney for a future trip. Fast forward to early 2022, almost 3 years exactly from the first time we booked, when we finally have a spring sailing date.

For planning, I relied heavily on the following resources:

• The Unofficial Guide to the Disney Cruise Line. I have the 2019 copy, but I always try to get the most updated copy for any trip.
• Mousesavers.com. They have great insights into planning Disney trips and I love their tips and tricks section.
• Disney Tourist Blog. I look to these reviews often for Disney trips. They don’t have a ton of info for cruises, but I appreciate what they do have.
• Unofficial Disney Cruising Facebook group. There are many groups to look at, often full of veteran Disney Cruisers to gain insight from.

Packing List

I read every packing list I could find and realize now that was overkill. I didn’t need to pack too differently than I normally would except for several noteworthy exceptions. Keep in mind that we’re super minimal packers and usually only need 1-2 medium sized packing cubes each.

For a family of 4, with 2 adults and two teens, we were able to pack everything we needed for a 7 night cruise in 4 carry-on luggage and 4 personal backpacks. This takes into account a one night stay in a hotel before embarkation and one small load of laundry onboard. We packed a duffel that we ended up checking on the way home to accommodate souvenirs, but that was more due to what we bought and not necessarily lack of space. (A couple of big popcorn buckets and a full size shampoo bottle were our biggest problems.)

Things we would bring again:

• Cruise Lanyards/Card Holder. You don’t need anything fancy, but I would recommend splurging on something with a clip and retractable badge to hold your room card. I read that you’d use your room card countless times a day, but we didn’t need to that often. By the end of the trip, the kids only used the clips and I just put mine in my bag which I carried all the time.
• Magnetic door decorations. Aside from cuteness, these are practical to help differentiate your door from the nearly identical others. Other door decorations were also incredibly helpful as we learned to navigate the hallways. I made ours by printing off images from Disney Cruise Line, laminating them, and applying magnetic tape.
• Reusable water bottles. We had a smaller one we used in our room and a couple of larger insulated ones for excursions.
• An extra swimsuit. This was really only useful for those of us with a swimsuit that doesn’t dry quickly, which was me. Everyone else had boardshorts which dry super fast so they could’ve done with one swimsuit, especially since we didn’t do a lot of pool activities onboard.
• Light jacket. We always pack one anyway, but I was surprised how often I wore mine. Even though we did a Caribbean cruise out of Port Canaveral in Florida, keep in mind that it’s air conditioned inside and that weather can be variable on deck. When we were at sea, I almost always wore my denim jacket over my tank tops and I was glad I packed at least one pair of pants.
• Pirate attire. Disney’s Caribbean itineraries often include a pirate themed night and any accessory adds to the fun. It was super easy to pack a couple of striped shirts and these pirate hats (especially if you just ordered them and leave them factory sealed). I’m very much a costume person so it was worth it to me, but you can totally skip this and get into the spirit with the bandanas provided at dinner.
• Hats. Isabelle and I used packable sun hats on our excursions while Andrew preferred his baseball cap. Jadon was good with sunglasses most of the time.
• Pop up hamper. This has been part of our travel gear for years, but it’s always noteworthy to list. The staterooms are TINY and every bit of organization makes a huge difference. It also helps if you plan on doing any laundry on board.
• Disney trading pins. At the time of sailing (April 2022), pin trading was not officially available onboard, but we added a lanyard of pins to our door once we saw another door with a pin board. We ended up purchasing a pack of pins to supplement the small amount of pins I’d packed just in case.
• LED candle lights. I bought a pack just in case we needed nightlights. Although they aren’t essential, I could see them being very useful if your room has no natural light.
• Bug spray. We forgot to pack it in our day bag and ended up with bug bites during our excursions.
• Neck wallet. This is a new travel addition for us and we’ll likely always travel with it now. It easily held all our passports and documents while also being convenient to have on us at all times during excursions.
• Waterproof phone case. If you’re doing any snorkeling or water activities, this is an easy way to get pictures.
• Beach bag. The foldable one we normally use for swimming was perfect for towels on our excursions. Disney provides beach towels at the port so we just grabbed some on the way out and returned then when we got back on board.

Things we brought but didn’t need:

• USB power strip. We found plenty of plugs in our room and didn’t need to charge our devices much.
• Reusable tumblers. We found the cups onboard more than sufficient for us.
• Towel clips for loungers. We never carried them with us and didn’t lounge long enough to want them.
• Straws. We drank more coffee than anything else and any specialty drinks came with paper straws.
• Rain jackets. The weather was nice most of the time and our excursions were water activities anyway.
• Magnetic hooks. We used these some, but not enough to justify bringing them again.
• Dinner jacket/formal wear. The only places that require a formal dress code are the additional fee adult-only restaurants and we didn’t feel the need to go to them. We did dress up as best we could for the formal and semi-formal nights, but I wouldn’t put too much thought into it if I was low on luggage space.

Why choose a Disney Cruise?

We’re Disney fanatics and huge fans of the parks so it was natural for us to dream of cruising with Disney. We were aware that our kids were getting older and starting to age out of the prime Disney demographic (even prior to the pandemic when we first scheduled our trip), but we knew it was a better late than never situation. The cost was the hardest to justify, since Disney is basically twice the cost of any other cruise line, and I know we aren’t the only ones wondering if it’s worth the price difference.

Here are the pros and cons of why I would recommend a Disney Cruise.

Pros:

• Character interactions are everywhere. If anyone in our family loves meeting characters at the parks, then you’re in luck, because opportunities are abundant and lines are so much shorter/non-existent.
• Disney magic. As with the parks, Disney’s attention to detail is unmatched and you’ll find magical touches all over the ship. (This could alternatively be a con depending on the person since you will be listening to Disney music, watching Disney content, and seeing Disney stuff everywhere.)
• Unmatched customer service. Impeccable service has always been one of the biggest reasons Disney experiences are so memorable. It is above and beyond on a cruise, from your stateroom host to your serving staff to any staff member you cross paths with. You truly become attached to the people you have the most contact with.
• Broadway quality entertainment. The nightly shows are amazing and worth seeing. On our trip, we had 3 musicals (Aladdin, Frozen, and Believe) along with other performing acts (a ventriloquist, acapella group, and magician).

Cons:

• Days at sea can be boring. This is obviously personal preference, but I think it would apply across most cruise lines. We had 3 back to back days at sea (when you include embarkation day) and that was a lot. We much would’ve preferred to have them interspersed with port days if possible. There are activities to do on board, but our kids have aged out of Oceaneer’s Club (3-12 youth club) and weren’t that interested in the other programming. Our kids would’ve gladly stayed at the youth clubs most of the day (Edge is for 11-14. Vibe is for 14-17.), but we wanted to spend time together as a family and had to clearly state expectations for the trip.
• Older kids have limited things to do. The pools onboard the Disney Fantasy are geared toward younger kids so it didn’t hold our kids’ interest for long and I was reminded how much our kids would’ve loved them when they were younger. Andrew and I hung out on deck to watch bits of movies playing on Funnel Vision (the screen above the pools) more often than the kids, but we also found ourselves not doing much when they kids were at the youth clubs.
• Above and beyond service. I realize this is a weird thing to list as a con, but it was very apparent to us early in the trip that we aren’t used to, nor do we love, getting this level of service for a full week.

Why choose another cruise line?

I don’t have experience with other cruise lines, but this is what I’ve surmised from personal experience. Keep in mind that this is my personal opinion and that everyone has a different perspective.

Choose another cruise line if you’re considering:

• Cost. Disney is at least 2x as much as other cruise lines. Royal Caribbean, for example, has comparable itineraries at half the cost. Disney is unique because everything is included, like unlimited sodas and ice cream, but that might not be worth it for you especially if you want the ability to choose what you want to spend your money on.
• Kids activities. Disney’s activities seem to be geared more toward younger kids. If you have a child in the 3-12 range, then there’s a lot to do in the Oceaneer club and on deck, with most of the pool activities made for them. On the other end, teens aged 14-17 have a great space in the Vibe club with secret entrance and private pool space, but the other scheduled activities are hit or miss. From our experience, a tween (who’s on the older range of Oceaneer and too young for Vibe) will have the least amount of options in the Edge club while an older teen will have the least amount of interest in the programming. If activities on board are important to you and you have older kids, I’d look at other cruise lines.
• Disney park vs cruise. Cruising is nothing like a park experience. When you visit a park, you have a lot of flexibility and options with each day. Cruising, on the other hand, has its limits and is a lot more casual all around. If you’re looking for a low-key trip with Disney magic, consider a Disney cruise. If you just want to experience cruising, I’d weigh all the options and then plan a separate park visit for my dose of Disney.

Things to Keep in Mind

If a Disney Cruise is on your agenda, here are some things I wish I’d known as a first-timer.

• Be ready to be treated like royalty. I would’ve appreciated more emphasis about this during my research. I knew the service was spectacular, but I wasn’t prepared for the full scope of it. The stateroom host tends to your room twice a day (bunk beds are put away at lunch and come back out at dinner. wires are neatly tidied. clothes are folded. bathrooms returned to pristine condition.) and each rotational dinner is a multi-course event with two servers tending to you for over an hour. It’s a lot to take in if you’re someone that prefers to do things yourself or if you’re uncomfortable with others doing things for you. Personally, we would’ve been perfectly content with less, though we appreciated everything our stateroom host (Mario) and servers (Jose and Noel) did.
• Download the Disney Cruise Navigator App before boarding. Everyone in your party with access to a device will want it. No need to create a different account for each person, because it works differently once you’re onboard. This is where you’ll find the daily schedules and stay connected with the chat feature.
• Photo opportunities are everywhere. If you like pictures, consider purchasing the digital photo package ahead of time to save some money. You’ll have photo opportunities in the evenings, during character interactions all day, during dinner, at Castaway Cay as you arrive, etc. They all have different backdrops or have an added frame to make them more than you just a pic from your camera. I didn’t think I’d want a package, but having someone else get our kids into a picture was worth it even though we didn’t take advantage of many of the photo opportunities. Alternatively, you can ask a guest to take a photo for you.
• There’s almost always something going on in the lobby area. I don’t know why it took me days to realize this, but there are character interactions scheduled throughout the day and entertainment in the evening. If you have extra time between the nightly show and dinner, you can head to the lobby early for people watching, musical performances, or photos.
• Internet isn’t free. Be prepared to pay for internet or to go completely without it onboard. You will be off the grid so plan accordingly. Exceptions:
  • On your first day, be sure to claim your free 50MB of internet. I missed it due to an error (and didn’t miss being unconnected), but it’s a freebie that really should just be a given.
  • The onboard WiFi (which is used to connect to the Navigator app) somehow lets iPhones text message one another through iMessage. I don’t use an iPhone so I’m not entirely sure how that works, but my son was able to text his friends throughout the trip.
  • You’re back in data range if you’re visiting the US Virgin Islands. It should’ve been obvious since they are the United States Virgin Islands, but alas, it never occurred to me until I was there.
  • At Castaway Cay in the Bahamas, our T-Mobile plan offered unlimited data at 2G speeds and free texting too.

Biggest Takeaways

• Cruising isn’t for everyone. In hindsight, I should’ve known we’d get a little stir crazy by the end of the trip since we’re not big loungers. Our kids absolutely loved it and would cruise again, but I’m not sure we’d do another 7 night cruise. The extravagance of service was a bit too much for so long and I think we’d prefer more days at port than at sea. If we were to go on another, we’d opt for a shorter cruise, regardless of cruise line.
• This was just like any other trip with its ups and downs. Yes, we are incredibly grateful and privileged to do it, but it wasn’t the most amazing trip ever (like I always hear). I think I went into the trip with unrealistic expectations and I know it’s silly to be so critical of such an extravagance, but my time on board weighed on me. We had great experiences, but we also had hard times. (In part to growing pains with older kids and to not setting clear expectations beforehand.) It really just goes to show that even a trip like this isn’t going to be magical 24/7.
• The biggest lasting impressions are from the amazing staff and crew. Many of them are international which I didn’t expect and I can’t imagine what it would be like to work such long hours while being away from family for so long. It was something I was completely unprepared for and the reality of our privilege made my heart ache. There aren’t enough ways to show our appreciation for all the hard work they do. They truly make the trip worthwhile. (If you’re able to, consider increasing the suggested gratuity amount through Guest Services.)

Final Thoughts

With one Disney Cruise under our belt, we’re officially Silver Castaway Club Members (which gets very minimal perks). We were definitely thrown off guard by the extravagance and don’t know if we’d pick a cruise over other trips in the future, but the kids enjoyed their time onboard even though the activities weren’t for everyone. I’m glad we finally experienced a Disney Cruise, which was vastly different from visiting a park, but time will tell if we ever cruise again.

I’m not an expert when it comes to cruising, but I hope the summary of my experience as a first-time cruiser helps you in your planning. I’ll share more specifics from the trip soon. Have you cruised before? I’d love to hear your thoughts!