If You're Planning A Disney Cruise, These Are The Hits And Misses I Learned From My Trip

Seriously, you should just go ahead and do yourself a favor by getting the unlimited photo package.

I have always wanted to go on a Disney Cruise and this year I finally raised enough money to take my husband and child. We went on a three-night cruise on the Disney Dream from Miami with stops in Nassau, Bahamas, and Castaway Cay. There are loads of Disney blogs out there with explaining what to expect on a cruise, and they’re still worth checking out, but this is a list of what really worked for me, and what just…didn’t.

1. What I did right: booked activities in advance.

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Based on when you fully pay for your cruise, you can start booking activities months in advance. First-time cruisers can try to reserve things like the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique 75 days before the sail date, or the Princess Gathering 30 days before the sail date. This opens up at midnight and staying up (yes, midnight is staying up for me) is absolutely worth it. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique reservations were all snatched up by, like, 12:10 a.m., so you have got to be quick. Have a few options in your head concerning the days and times you would like to do these activities and how it fits in to the rest of your cruise, because once you select a time, you can no longer see what options are available without releasing your reservation.

2. What I did right: packed additional Disney character outfits.

My child loves to dress up and a Disney Cruise has opportunities to do so in droves. We bought her a nice Cinderella dress for Halloween 2022, and packed it for the Princess Gathering photo opportunity on the cruise. Great, great, great decision — and we were not the only ones. I’d say more kids than not were dressed up in costumes for photo opportunities, especially on Pirate Night.

3. What I did right: bought the photo package before the cruise.

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If you buy any photo package before the cruise starts, you get it at a cheaper price than if you wait to buy it on the boat. By the last night of the cruise, the area for photo purchase is literally teeming with people trying to review photos and decide what to buy. In my opinion, if you can afford it, just get the unlimited photo package. It makes it so much easier to be present in the moment during character meets and there’s no awkward ask-a-stranger moments for family shots because there are Disney photographers everywhere on the ship to take group or solo shots for you! It was so nice, I turned off my phone and just left it in the room, because I didn’t need it for photos, but I do wish I still had it on me for other reasons...

4. What I did wrong: I Turned Off My Phone and Left it in My Room.

Ok so this seems like a no brainer, but let me explain! Internet to check emails, social media, etc. is an extra cost. I wasn’t interested in accidentally spending money, so I thought I’d be safe and just…turn it off. My husband downloaded the Navigator app, which is how you see the day’s schedule, menus, map of the boat and (I didn’t know this) send messages to other passengers on the boat.

Which means, if I had downloaded the Navigator app and kept my phone on and WITH ME, I could’ve texted my husband when he went to get in line for the buffet and I found a great table. But unfortunately, it was on the other side of the buffet from where we split ways and…well, let’s just say I lost the table when I went to go find him.

Download the Navigator app and keep your phone on airplane mode. Trust me.

5. What I did right: used the check-in available before boarding for the entire family.

Every time there was a chance to check-in or fill out extra paperwork on the app before the cruise, take that advantage. The biggest time saver was filling out the Oceaneer Club (kid’s club) info for my child ahead of time. This means we walked up to the front desk and just had to connect a wristband to the info they had saved from our check-in info.

6. What I did right: asked Oceaneer Club employees about hiring practices.

This was for my peace of mind. The employees assured me that everyone had at least two years experience in working with children, a background check, and at least one employee within eyesight of each play area. I also asked some more specific questions about conflict resolution between children, medical emergencies, and taking turns. If you’re even the slightest bit worried about handing your kids off to strangers, I think you’ll feel better after speaking up.

7. What I did wrong: I opened a door marked “exit.”

So right after I finished giving myself peace of mind and practically interviewing the employees, I decided to explore the space. I walked past the bathrooms and saw a hallway with a door at the end. Dear reader, yes, it said “exit,” but my literal pea-sized brain thought “oh, does this loop back to the other half of the kids club?” Answer: no. No, it did not lead back to the other side of the club. It sounds a hella loud alarm that had employees RUNNING in my direction. I apologized profusely, the employees were gracious, but let’s just all agree in the future we won’t open any doors marked “exit."

But c’mon, can we all sorta agree a sign that says “alarm will sound” would’ve been helpful here? Or like, a large "X" on the door…or like, maybe a key pad? Kids were probably tripping that alarm all the time. At least, that’s what I tell myself so I can sleep at night.

8. What I did right and wrong: souvenir planning.

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In preparing for the cruise, I saw a great souvenir idea of bringing a blank photo matte and having it signed by all the characters. I stopped by my local craft store and decided on an 11x14 matte to fit an 8x10 photo. Big Mistake. Huge.

I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love it NOW, but I realized the night before my flight that I might want to keep this photo matte from bending by putting it in a book. I’ve got loads and loads and loads of books in my house, but not one could fit this matte all the way in. I ended up using a massive Disney advent calendar to protect it. I mean, I got a compliment from a cast member that I was smart enough to bring something to keep it from bending, but I had to carry a really large book with me to all the character signings. Hindsight is 20/20 and all that, so if you like the photo matte idea like me, my advice would be to get a smaller size that can fit in a book that could fit in a knapsack.

9. What I did wrong: I didn’t pack an autograph book!

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I was so wrapped up in getting the photo matte situation situated, I forgot to pack the autograph book for my child. Lucky for me, they had one for sale in the gift shop and we snagged that thing the first night of the cruise and didn’t miss any characters!

10. What I did wrong: Pirate Night.

I’m mentally preparing to catch heat for this one, but I was just not a fan of the show and fireworks. It would have been better for my family to just get to bed early for Castaway Cay the next day. On longer cruises, the Pirate Night is the last night of the cruise, but I would STILL skip this. The show before the fireworks is way way way too long. I like singing “A Pirate’s Life For Me” as much as the next guy, but 15-25 minutes of pirate-themed song and dance is just too much for me. Furthermore, the pay off was not worth it. I didn’t time it, but I feel like it was maybe three to five minutes of fireworks? The best thing about this night was that we managed to sit so close to the stairs, we made a quick getaway as soon as the fireworks ended and didn’t have to fight the crowds to get back to our room.

11. What I did wrong: crowds...

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Expect crowds! All those shiny Disney bloggers and influencers are straight up deceitful about this one! They must be walking the ship super early for those uninhibited boat walks. Elevators will have lines after shows, before dinner times, on port of call times, etc. Character meetings will take at least 20 minutes per line, depending on the character. I feel like it was especially egregious for us on day one, because legend has it, someone opened a fire escape door and it forced everyone to exit the security/check-in line at the terminal. I mean, I have sympathy for whoever opened the door. Maybe it wasn’t marked “alarm will sound,” or maybe this person couldn’t read. Given that I set off an alarm myself, I have no choice but to make excuses for whoever opened that fire door. BUT that whole fiasco meant a 40 minute wait in the hot sun before check-in with all the people who should’ve already been on the boat and people who decided to show up early — it was truly awful. But if I had been in the mindset to expect Disneyland-level crowds, maybe it would’ve helped. IDK, do with this information what you will.

12. What I did right: Castaway Cay!

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Far and away the BEST part of the cruise, Castaway Cay is Disney’s private island in the Bahamas. Everything about the island is incredible, it looks like the wallpaper you put on your computer during the sad winter months where you haven’t seen the sun in 40 days.

We did so many things right on our Castaway Cay day that I’m going to make a mini-list within my list. Here we go:

A) We got off the boat early. The port opened at 8:30 a.m., but because I was over the crowds and lines we waited until 8:50 a.m to walk down. We caught a tram just before it took off for the beach and ended up on white sands a little after 9:00 a.m. There were easily less than 100 passengers on the beach with us.

B) We walked past the beach closest to the boat until we were at the last lifeguard tower for the family beaches. This was the best decision of the day. We shared about 100 yards of beach with three other families for an hour before more people showed up. It was so peaceful that we had schools of fish swimming past us in the shallow water.

C) The bike ride! If you know how to ride a bike, this is a really great add-on activity. It’s a flat, easy, there-and-back ride that allows you to see more of the island. It cost $13 per bike for an hour, but they’re not timing you from what I can tell. We rented two bikes and put my child on the toddler seat behind us (my child can’t ride a bike yet, and weighs less than 40 pounds, but they do have bikes with training wheels for children over 40 pounds).

D) We washed off the sand before getting lunch. Near the bathrooms closest to the lunch area there are a few shower heads and knee-high spigots you can use to rinse off and clean your shoes. It was a little thing, but I just really liked getting the sand out of my water shoes before lunch.

E) Lunch is served buffet-style on the island with picnic tables on concrete and some picnic tables on sand. We had just gotten the sand out of our shoes ,so I asked a family if they were willing to split a long table on concrete with us and they said sure. I waited at the table while my husband and child went to get food. In fact, retroactively I’m gonna tell you to always have someone sit at a table while the other gets food; it’s just the best option, so you’re not walking around with a full plate and trying to find a seat while the mass of humanity orbits around you.

The bike ride view.

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This is the view when you ride out on the there-and-back bike route.

There are signs everywhere!

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If you’re not sure where something is you can always ask a cast member, but there are signs everywhere directing you.

13. What I did right: get in line for shows early.

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We already discussed crowds and such, but if you want to see the nightly shows in the Walt Disney Theater, you should be prepared to start waiting in line 20-30 minutes before the show starts. If you’re waiting in line 30 minutes before, you might be the person starting the line. If you show up 20 minutes before, a line will have already formed but you’ll probably still get good seats.

Speaking of which, my tip is to get a seat on the lower level as close to the middle as you possibly can. It seems like a no-brainer, but there are some show effects that just don’t look as good from the wings or balcony (believe me, I tried all three spots).

14. What I did right: took naps.

I know, I know, you’re probably thinking “the lady who can’t stay awake until midnight is gonna preach to me about napping?” But there WILL be down time during your cruise where you’re not really missing out on anything and if you have little ones on the cruise with you, a nap is really the only way they’re going to make it through the shows late at night.

We had to go back to our room to get the photo matte anyway one day and I got my child to lie down while dad was looking for the book. She fell asleep within five minutes.

15. What I did wrong: brought large bills.

Maybe “large bills” is an exaggeration, but I’m just not at a place in my financial journey where I can tip people $20 at a time. I grabbed cash from an ATM a few days before the cruise but never got around to breaking it into smaller bills. I figured I’d just buy a Disney branded chapstick and break the $20 that way. Except, the souvenir shops do NOT TAKE CASH. The only way, that I know of, to break larger bills on the ship is to stand in line (ugh, again with the lines??) at customer service and ask them to break it for you. But guess what? Sometimes they don’t have any smaller bills anymore and you’re just screwed! So break the $20 before you get on the boat so you can tip the cast member who brings you your room service.

16. What I did right: room service!

Room service food is included on the Disney Cruise and I would say the perfect time to use it is when your little one has already gone to sleep, but you’re hungry, lazy, and you don’t want to leave the room.

There is a wait on the phone (grr, telephone crowds!) and then a wait for the food to be prepared and brought down. The whole process took over an hour. I was on hold for about 15 minutes the first night and then waited another 50 for the food. But still worth it in my opinion.

Have a tip in cash for the person who comes and leaves the food.

17. What I did right: choosing what time to ride the Aquaduck.

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The Aquaduck is the big water slide on the ship (I definitely need to qualify this one). We had an appointment at the BB Boutique on our Castaway Cay day before dinner, so we got back to the ship around 2 p.m. and it was the shortest the lines for the Aquaduck had been the entire trip. I watched my child while my husband rode the Aquaduck and then we switched for me to ride it. We both waited about 10 minutes and that was halfway up the metal stairs before the ride. I can’t imagine how long people who were in line on the deck waited to ride it, but I can say it’s not worth more than a 15 minute wait.

If this is something you want to do, do it on the Castaway Cay day.

18. And what I did right: went on a Disney Cruise!

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All in all I am beyond thrilled with my experience on the Disney Cruise! I fulfilled a childhood dream with my two favorite people on earth and had the time of my life. I would definitely go again.

Have you been on a Disney Cruise before? What are you tips and tricks for your next voyages and others?