100 Best Disney Cruise Line Tips

Disney Cruise Line tips? Tammy’s got a few! But she’ll keep the list to 100 for now.

Booking

1. Book opening day for the best prices.
2. Book restricted fares if you’re booking late.
3. Rebook while on board to save on a future sailing.
4. Discounted upgrades at the port are possible but far from guaranteed. Book a
   stateroom in a category you’ll be happy in.
5. Purchase travel protection.
6. Request your preferred dining rotation if you have one.
7. Waitlist 5:45 p.m. dining if you wanted it and didn’t get it.
8. Link all of your party’s staterooms together for dining.
9. Note any food allergies or special medical needs on the booking.

Planning

10. Long before you sail, confirm that your proof of citizenship/residency
    documents are valid.
11. Download the DCL Navigator app and link your cruise.
12. Join the Facebook group for your cruise if you want to share the planning and
    excitement with other cruisers.
13. Fish extender groups within the Facebook groups can be overwhelming for first-
    timers, so proceed with caution.
14. Book your activities like excursions, tastings, adults-only dining, etc., when your
    booking window opens.
15. Check in online as soon as your check-in window opens for the earliest port
    arrival times.
16. Order any stateroom gifts you would like at Disneycruise.com.
17. Order Disneyband+ if you would like to use them on board.
18. The onboard photo package is slightly discounted if you purchase it
    before sailing.
19. Before you sail, you can request the private rooms in the adults-only restaurants if
    you have the right number of people.
20. Plan to arrive at your departure port at least one day before you sail.
21. You can check what movies will be playing by calling DCL a week or two before
    you sail.
    
    Packing
22. Staterooms are small. Plan accordingly.
23. Don’t overpack!
24. Lanyards are handy to carry your Key to the World cards in. If you’re a first-time
    cruiser, bring one.
25. Your luggage will be delivered between 1 and 5 p.m., so put any medications you
    need in your carry-on.
26. Pack swimsuits in your carry-ons, so you can swim while waiting for your luggage
    to arrive.
27. Towels are available on board and at Disney’s islands, so there is no need to
    bring any.
28. Towels are also available for excursions; just make sure to return them.
29. Life jackets are available at the pools and on Disney’s islands.
30. Magnets are a fun way to decorate your stateroom door.
31. Baby powder works wonders to get stubborn sand off your feet.
32. Heavy-duty magnet hooks stick to the stateroom walls for more storage hooks.
33. A sound machine or white noise app may come in handy if you have noisy
    neighbors.
34. USB multipliers are handy for families with lots of devices to charge.
35. Don’t forget pirate attire if you want to dress up!
36. Bring a light jacket for the theater and restaurants if you get cold easily.
37. The adults-only restaurants on board have a dress code.
38. Each adult can bring on six bottles of beer or two bottles of wine or Champagne at
    embarkation and at each port.
    
    Boarding Day
39. If you arrive before your port arrival time, you may have to wait outside the terminal.
40. Port arrival times are not the same as boarding times.
41. Log in to the app while waiting to board to start seeing activities for your sailing.
42. Exchange chat numbers with friends not in your stateroom.
43. Once on board, check about switching to 5:45 p.m. dining if your waitlist didn’t clear.
44. Once on board, check for openings for bookings you didn’t get beforehand, such
    as Palo, tastings, etc.
45. Tour the spa if you are interested in seeing it or booking anything.
46. Tour the kids’ clubs if you are interested in seeing them or letting your kids see them.
47. The Sail Away Party is a fun way to kick off your cruise!
48. Ask your stateroom host for more hangers if you need any.
    Food On Board
49. Except for some clearly marked prepackaged food and drinks, and a gratuity for
    the crew member who brings it, room service is free!
50. Room service is open 24 hours a day until around 1 a.m. on the last morning of
    your cruise.
51. The room service menu is on the app.
52. You can order breakfast the night before by filling out a room service order card,
    which is found in your desk, and hanging it outside your door.
53. Room service coffee is delivered in a carafe that will keep it warm for hours.
54. Mickey Bars are always available from room service and the Main Dining Rooms.
55. French fries are an excellent appetizer in the Main Dining Rooms.
56. Adults can order off the kids’ menu.
57. You can order multiples of anything you would like to try on the menus.
58. You can see the menus for any restaurants in the app.
59. If another Main Dining Room is serving something you would like, you may be
    able to order it to your table.
60. Popcorn bucket refills are very inexpensive if you want hot popcorn throughout
    the week.
61. You will pay a corking fee if you bring your own bottle of alcohol to the Main
    Dining Room.
62. Shirley Temples in the Main Dining Rooms are free!
63. The coffee shops on board have loyalty cards.
64. Palo is delicious and worth the upcharge.
65. Remy and Enchante are wonderful upscale restaurants if you’re a foodie or love
    French food.
66. There is a Main Dining Room open at breakfast and lunch if you would like to sit
    down and order off a menu.
67. If you are on late dining, someone from the kids’ clubs will come and pick up the
    kids if you would like to send them while you finish your meal.
68. If you want more soft serve ice cream on deck but don’t want a cone, grab a
    paper cup to put it in.
69. You can purchase toppings for your free soft serve in the ice-cream shops
    on board.
70. The buffets are not open at dinner, and some of the pool deck food closes early.
    Check the hours in the app if that’s your dinner plan.
71. Take two cookies on Castaway Cay and put soft serve between them to make
    your own ice-cream sandwich.
    
    Activities On Board
72. Go see the nightly shows! They’re great! The casts are so talented.
73. There’s no seat saving at the shows, so gather your whole party and go early for
    the most popular ones!
74. There are booster seats in the back of the theater for the kiddos.
75. The shows are often reshown on your stateroom TV if you want to watch them again!
76. Major sporting events are shown in the pub on board, as well as Funnel Vision,
    and sometimes in one of the theaters.
77. Speaking of Funnel Vision, watch a movie at night under the stars!
78. The game shows and variety acts in the adults-only lounges late at night are
    usually a lot of fun and worth staying up for.
79. Don’t miss Silent DJ! It’s one of my favorite things to do on board.
80. In that same vein, don’t miss Jack Jack’s Diaper Dash. You never know what’s
    going to happen!
81. Trivia is always a fun 30 minutes, even if you don’t know much about the topic.
82. The pools on board are very quiet during dinner and the nightly shows.
    
    Extra Costs On Board
83. Standard gratuities will be added to your onboard account if you didn’t prepay them.
84. Gratuities at bars and in the spa are automatically added at the time of service.
85. Excursions are optional but well worth it at times.
86. Cabanas on Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay are wonderful add-ons, if you can
    get them.
87. The Rainforest Room and spa treatments are worth the cost to spa lovers.
88. Dry cleaning and pressing on board is relatively reasonably priced.
89. Self-service laundry on board is available for a modest fee.
90. Internet on board is not cheap! But the ships have Starlink, and the Wi-Fi works
    fairly well.
91. You can use messaging apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and
    Messages without having to purchase an internet package.
92. The chat feature in the app works for messaging friends on board.
93. The Disney photographers will take some great shots for you, and you can ask
    another guest to take a photo for you as well.
    
    Disembarkation Preparation
94. Put your luggage outside your door by the listed time so you don’t have to deal
    with it the next morning.
95. Don’t pack your Key to the World card; you will need it to disembark.
96. Don’t forget to leave out clothes to disembark in!
97. Fill out the end-of-cruise survey, and mention any crew members by name who
    were especially helpful or kind.
98. Breakfast on the last morning will be in the same Main Dining Room where you
    dined the night before.
99. If you don’t want to eat in the Main Dining Room on the last morning, the buffet
    will be open.
100. Don’t forget to rebook on board! You can do it right in the app!

So, what did I miss? What tips do you have?

Tammy Whiting is our expert author for the Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line. A blogger, Space Force wife, and mother of two, Tammy has been involved in the travel industry for over 15 years. Though she certainly enjoys vacations of all kinds, her favorite adventures around the globe have been on cruise ships, and she has been on over 50 Disney Cruises. Follow her on Instagram and TikTok.