Our Tips for the Disney Cruise Line

We have personally experienced the Disney Cruise Line a number of times. What follows is our review of DCL and some tips to make your magical journey even more enjoyable. If something is missing, or you would like to see any additional information posted, please drop us an e-mail !!

The Disney Cruise Line sails form its own art-deco style terminal in Port Canaveral Florida. This terminal services only the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder. The terminal itself is very spacious and is frequented by those lovable Disney characters during the check-in period. While the specific boarding time can vary from sailing to sailing, typically guests are allowed on board between 12:00 and 12:30. Most guests, especially on the 7-night voyages, are arriving that day and most by air into Orlando International Airport. Busiest check-in times tend to be about 1:30 – 2:30PM. Since September 11, 2001, security at the terminal has been heightened. While it can take a little longer to check-in and get on board, the process still goes rather smoothly. KEY TIP : Have all of your documents filled out before you arrive at the terminal. This can speed the check-in process.

© Disney

There are a couple of things you may wish to take care of as soon as you get on board. If dining at the adults-only restaurant, Palo, is something you wish to do (and we whole-heartedly recommend it !!), you should make those reservations as soon as you get on board. KEY TIP : Be aware of which days the ship will be in a port of call, and what your shore plans may be for that day before you choose your day at Palo’s. KEY TIP : It is also important to know your specific dining rotation!!! This is discussed a little more later, but you may wish to dine at Palo’s on a formal night or non-formal night, or on a night when you are scheduled to dine in a restaurant you may have already eaten at. Currently, Palo reservations are made at Rockin' Bar D (Magic), Deck 3.

If you have not booked your shore excursions, it is a good idea to book those now. You should have gotten a list of the excursions, and a pre-booking form and instructions, from whoever you booked your cruise through approximately 75 days prior to your sailing date. If you have not received anything, call the person or company you booked with .

Was your dining time OK? If not, and you wish to change from early dining (Main) to late or vice versa, you can try to change it when you first arrive. Check the daily navigator (ship daily activity guide and schedule) for the specific location. Often times it is possible to change, but it depends on availability, party size and a host of other factors.

One of the unique features of the Disney Cruise Line is the rotational dining. There are three main dining rooms on each of the Disney ships. Instead of being assigned to one and eating all of your dinners in the one dining room, you rotate through all three dining rooms on every cruise. In addition, your waiter and assistant waiter rotate with you! Your assigned table number does not change. For the seven night cruise (aboard the Disney Magic), there are three possible rotations. Remember the three dining rooms : the Animator’s Palate, Parrot Cay, and Lumiere’s. The rotations are often abbreviated using the first letter of the specific dining room. APLAPLA would specify a dining rotation that starts the first night in the Animator’s Palate, rotates to Lumiere’s the second night, Parrot Cay the third night, and then returns to the Animator’s Palate the forth night, and so on. PLAPLAP begins in Parrot Cay then proceeds to Lumiere’s and then the Animator’s Palate. The third rotation is LAPLAPL..By now, you can figure out where it starts!!!! Why do you care??? For a couple of reasons. KEY TIP : The Animator’s Palate has a wonderful "show" during your first night through it. While it is difficult to explain in words, we recommend you DO NOT MISS IT ! Therefore, if you are making Palo reservations, be aware of which night of the cruise is your first stop in the Animator’s Palate. Some people prefer one rotation over the other so they are in a specific restaurant for a specific night, such as the formal night. We have had two of the three rotations in our trips and truthfully do not prefer one over the other, but everyone is different. Confused ???  See the charts below for all of the information on the dining rotations, shows, ports, and special theme nights. Of course, shows, times and themes can change, so check your daily Navigator for the latest info.

If you do not want to eat "formally" every night, there are several options. The Topsider Buffet (or Beach Blanket Buffet on the Wonder) serve three meals a day and are a good casual option. Also, Pluto’s Dog House on Deck 9 by the Mickey Pool (kid’s pool) and Pinocchio’s Pizzeria on Deck 9 have the usual hot dogs, burgers, chicken, etc. options. For a real treat, room service is available 24 hours a day. This is, however, one area where we have found Disney to trail some other cruise lines, such as Carnival or Royal Caribbean. The breadth of options, and especially availability, is not as great as on the other cruise lines. But, it is still unlikely that you will go hungry for very long!!

The staterooms aboard the Disney ships are some of the largest and best designed in the industry, especially for families. Most staterooms, except categories 11 & 12, have a bath and a half… a unique option in the cruise industry. This is very useful when 3 or 4 are sharing a stateroom. The staterooms are also roomier than any other comparable cruise lines’ rooms. Category 8, 9, and 10 , the most common are over 210 square feet.