Sailing aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Wish feels like stepping into a floating fantasy, with its intricate design, immersive entertainment, and Disney’s signature attention to detail. But beyond the spectacle, how does it stack up as a cruise experience? In this Disney Cruise review, I’ll break down what Disney Cruise Line gets right, where it falls short, and what you need to know—whether you’re sailing this ship or another in the fleet. From onboard activities to additional costs, these insights will help you make the most of your voyage.
Table of Contents
Overall Disney Cruise Line Review Ratings
Cleanliness: 4.75/5.0 On initially entering the room, we did find a few hairs on the bathroom floor and in the tub. However, when we returned after dinner, our stateroom attendant had discovered the oversight and cleaned it up.
Service: 4.5/5.0 Nearly every cast member we have encountered onboard a Disney cruise is pleasant and efficient. We’ve even had some standout service that well exceeded our expectations. Overall, we encountered only a few less than Disney-like cast members.
Staterooms and Comfort: 4.75/5.0 Decorated in soothing hues, spacious family deluxe staterooms and concierge categories offer very comfortable accommodations, but passengers abiding in interior staterooms may lack some of the grandeur.
Pools & Recreation: 4.0/5.0 The main pool deck is small when compared to megaships, but with multiple pools to enjoy and so many activities onboard, these areas can feel uncrowded throughout a large portion of the day.
Adult Spaces: 4.5/5.0 Adult-exclusive onboard spaces are plentiful and well-themed. Best of all, cast members aren’t afraid to keep these areas adult exclusive.
Onboard Activities: 3.85/5.0 We would have liked to see greater variety in the onboard activities geared for adults, but activities for children and families can’t be beat, particularly inside the immersive Oceaneer club and Lab or Vibe and Edge spaces.
What We Loved About Disney Cruise Line
The simple fact is, when you’re sailing Disney, there isn’t much to dislike. Superior service, ultra clean accommodations and enough onboard information to keep you in the loop, almost ensures you’ll have a great sailing from start to finish. Here is our Disney cruise review on the things we loved about sailing with Disney.
Disney Cruise Ship Review: Welcome to the Port
Disney makes your cruise a magical experience from the first moment you enter the port until the last, thanks to superior efficiency.
We arrived portside via the Disney Cruise shuttle. Despite the number of people boarding simultaneously, there was no wait. Cast members were at the ready, manning multiple lines to scan our boarding passes.
From there, we headed immediately into security. Again, the wait was minimal as crew directed passengers to the bag scanning checkpoints, ensuring passengers got into the line with the lowest wait.
Checking into the cruise was fast and ultra efficient as well. We were called up within a minute, and a very friendly gentleman scanned our boarding passes, connected our Disney World MagicBand+ to our reservation (more on this later) and gave us some great tips for once we were onboard.
Within 5 minutes, we were walking onto the ship.
Disney Cruise Review: Arriving at the Port
Disney cast and crew know how to keep lines moving, and will readily direct you to the shortest line. As a result, you’ll clear security and bag screening in little time. Checkin and boarding are equally as efficient.
Disney Cruise Review: Welcome Aboard
When boarding the Disney Cruise line ship, the crew wants you to feel like a welcomed and honored guest, and they let you know this from the first moment you step off the gangway. Your family name is announced as you walk in as a line of cast members cheers your arrival.
Disney characters wait to greet you as well. On the Disney Wish, Belle waved down from a balcony. On other ships, Mickey and Minnie are there to greet you with a dance or a wave.
While most of us enjoyed the elevation to royalty status, one member of our traveling party did not enjoy the attention. If you feel similarly, just ask the cast member if you can walk on without being announced.
Disney Cruise Review: The Magical DisneyBand+
If you’ve ever found it frustrating to constantly dig for your cruise card when sailing or disliked the hassle of wearing it on a lanyard, DisneyBand+ is for you. DisneyBand+ is a wrist-worn device that holds all of the same information you’d find on a cruise card. You may use it to unlock your stateroom door, pay for purchases, check in from shore excursions and more.
We loved DisneyBand+. It’s convenient, and if you’re used to wearing a watch, you probably won’t notice it until you need it. Best of all, if you’ve been to Disney World or Disneyland recently and still have your MagicBand+ (not older MagicBands), you may use this on your Disney cruise instead of purchasing an all new DisneyBand+.
Disney Cruise Review: DisneyBand+ Simplicity Is a Must
DisneyBand+ makes it easy to manage your onboard experience. Tap your way across the ship with tap-to-pay and tap-lock features on your stateroom. No more carrying around a lanyard or digging your cruise card out of a wallet, pocket or bag.
Disney Cruise Navigator App Review
Cruise line apps certainly aren’t exclusive to a Disney cruise, but we did find the Disney Navigator app exceptionally easy to use. Providing convenient functionality while onboard, the app connected easily to onboard wifi, and provided a simplified view into activities and deck plans. Information relevant to our cruise, such as room number, dining time and location was also readily available.
Disney Cruise Review: Amazing Spaces Reserved Just for Kids
There is no better place to be a kid, tween or teen than onboard a Disney cruise ship. Though we were traveling as a group of 4 adults, we were amazed by the staggering array of innovative activities offered through the Oceaneer Club and Lab for younger kids or the Edge and Vibe for older kids. Several times, when viewing the Navigator app, we got excited about an activity only to find we had to be a bit younger to participate.
This doesn’t mean that activities aren’t age appropriate. Disney’s Oceaneer Club and Oceaneer Lab offer an immersive world of adventure for kids ages 3-12. Children are divided into smaller groups based on age, ensuring they can participate in activities tailored to their interests and abilities.
Disney’s cast members lead hands-on crafts, interactive storytelling, high-energy games, and even themed science experiments. Younger kids might spend their time in imaginative play areas inspired by Disney stories, while older ones can take on creative challenges, trivia games, or themed scavenger hunts.
The setup makes a big difference—it keeps the little ones from getting overwhelmed and gives older kids a chance to do things that feel more exciting and age-appropriate. Kids may even receive visits from Disney characters when taking part in one of the kids clubs aboard a Disney Ship.
If you aren’t sure the kids clubs will suite your family, you can always stop by on departure day for a complimentary tour. Each ship holds an open house where guests can view the facility and learn more about the offerings.
Disney Cruise Review: Adult Spaces
If you just read about the incredible kid spaces onboard Disney Cruise Line and are feeling a little left out, rest assured, we found the adult exclusive areas aboard a Disney cruise ship to be equally as amazing. We loved the Quiet Cove Pool area both for the comfortable seating and for the fact that it was easy to find a place to sit on the days and times we visited. And having the Cove Café on hand for specialty coffees and cocktails was the perfect touch.
We also enjoyed having an exclusive pool shared by only adults. On the Disney Wish, a glass infinity edge pool overlooked the sea. The only drawback was the size of the pool. As the sole adult exclusive pool area, it could have been much larger. This isn’t as much of an issue on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, since each ship also offers a wading pool with small waterfall, in addition to a slightly larger main pool.
For more information on adult offerings on a Disney cruise, be sure to read our article on cruising as an adult with Disney.
Disney Cruise Review: The Wow Factor In Disney Cruise Line Adult Only Spaces
With so many adults sailing with children onboard a Disney cruise, we found adult-only spaces to be less crowded than many other lines.
Disney Cruise Review: Spacious Staterooms
Guests looking to spread out during their cruise will enjoy a family verandah stateroom on any of Disney ships. Coming in 2 varieties, the Family Verandah Stateroom and the Deluxe Family Stateroom, both provide a split bath and enough room for a family of four. Some Family Verandah staterooms will even sleep 5.
Each room provides a queen size bed, a twin sofa bed and a pull down bed. Rooms that accommodate 5 will also have a twin bed that pulls down from the wall. During our time on the Wish, we booked a Family deluxe stateroom without the 5th bed and never felt cramped, even with 4 adults in the room.
The split bath is another marvel more cruise lines should adopt. By placing the toilet, sink and mirror in a separate room from the shower and vanity, families or adults traveling together have more space to get ready in the morning or when heading out to dinner after spending all day on shore or at the pool.
Disney Cruise Line Review: Taking the Disney Cruise Line Shuttle
When sailing from Port Canaveral in Florida, cruisers on Disney’s line have the option to take the Disney shuttle from their hotel to the port. There is one caveat, however. You do need to be staying at Disney World Resort Hotel or the Hyatt Orlando Airport Hotel to schedule a ride.
On our last trip, we booked a night at the Beach Club, since it is one of our favorite resorts on Disney property. We were notified a couple of days in advance that our shuttle would pick us up around 9:30 am and were told where to assemble.
Two cast members were waiting for us in the Solarium near the Beach Club Marketplace store the next morning. Check in with them was super quick and easy.
The shuttle, in the form of a coach bus, arrived about 10 minutes behind schedule after having picked up passengers from the Riviera Resort. We had about 20 people boarding with us at the Beach Club, and we all got onto the bus very quickly. Seating was ample, and the ride out to the port took a little over an hour.
The nice thing about riding the Disney Cruise Line shuttle is that you don’t have to vie for the perfect boarding time. You are automatically scheduled for check-in at the port for whenever your shuttle arrives. On the other hand, if you book a boarding time and arrive early, you may be asked to wait before entering for check-in.
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Disney Cruise Line Review: Lunch on Embarkation Day
As we checked in at the port, we were offered several tips. One was to head up to the buffet for lunch once we boarded the ship. On the Disney Wish, the buffet is served on deck 11 at Marceline Market. The location will vary on other ships, but a buffet will always be available for guests to have lunch on embarkation day.
Since we were told that Marceline Market was serving up a seafood feast, we headed in that direction as soon as we’d been welcomed aboard. One thing we appreciated was the dedication to cleanliness. Cast members greeted us cordially but did lead us to the hand washing stations with a fair no-nonsense approach. We also appreciated that cast members served the food, since that kept plates and edibles behind glass and less likely to pick up germs as hundreds of passengers passed by or served themselves.
In addition to the buffet restaurant, you’ll have some variety when it comes to lunching on embarkation day. Select grab and go locations open around noon, and one restaurant will offer table service dining during this time period. While we enjoyed the buffet and the vast variety of food, in hindsight, we wished we’d visited 1923, the table service restaurant serving embarkation lunch onboard the Disney Wish. We felt this type of restaurant would have been a little less crowded and more relaxing, but it was nice to explore the ship on our way to Marceline Market.
Disney Cruise Review: Castaway Cay
Disney operates 2 private islands for itineraries sailing to The Bahamas and the Caribbean. Castaway Cay was a stop on our cruise aboard the Wish, and we couldn’t be happier to visit this ultimate stop for beach lounging. We found Serenity Cove, the adult only beach, a quiet and uncrowded bit of paradise. Crew members served drinks directly to our Surfside loungers, and we enjoyed a barbecue lunch away from the crowds.
For families or those interested in more active pursuits, Castaway Cay also delivers. A secluded family beach means little ones can splash in the calm shallows without fear of being swept away. Waterslides and a water play area provide additional family friendly options.
When it’s time to leave the beach, you’ll find sports such as basketball, pool and ping pong available in the In Da Shade Game Pavilion, and a 22-acre snorkeling lagoon offers a treasure hunt as well as sightings of aquatic marine life. We found so much to do on Castaway Cay, there simply wasn’t time to take it all in within a day. We opted for renting bikes to peddle the cycle/walking path over to Serenity Bay. Here, we lounged in the surf, thanks to thoughtfully provided beach chairs, and enjoyed a quiet lunch at Serenity Bay BBQ.
For a complete list of activities and options, you can view the Castaway Cay Planning Guide.
Disney Cruise Review: What We Didn’t Love
In truth, there wasn’t much we didn’t love about a Disney Cruise, but there were a few areas where minor improvements could have made the experience more enjoyable. The first was the muster drill.
On a Disney cruise, you’re still required to take part in a physical muster drill once everyone is onboard the ship. If you aren’t familiar with a muster drill, think of it as a fire drill, like the ones we all had in school. The big difference is, you’re given advanced notice. You’re alerted to the muster drill time and your reporting station via shipboard announcements and the Navigator app.
Once everyone has assembled at their proper location, your DisneyBand+ or Key to the World Card is scanned, and you’re given important safety instructions. The information provided is vital for the unlikely event that you should need to abandon ship at sea.
For the purpose of our Disney cruise review, we were of mixed feelings about the muster drill on a Disney cruise. Many other lines have digitized the process, allowing you to watch the safety briefing in your stateroom before briefly checking in at your muster station.
While Disney’s physical muster drill ensures that each person onboard actually receives the procedures for leaving the ship (instead of trusting that everyone has watched the video), we did stand for a bit of time waiting for people to assemble. Your experience will vary, depending on how willing other passengers are to comply with shipboard instructions and how long it takes them to find their muster station.
Our second area of quiet discontent was the Spa. As with many other cruise lines, Disney’s Senses Spa is operated by a third party company. The company’s intent is obviously to make money. Since businesses don’t stay operational if they don’t, we didn’t have a problem with paying extra for spa services. However, we did find some practices slightly disingenuous.
We were first lured into this area of the ship by the promise of a raffle for $500 worth of spa services. As soon as we approached the hall in front of the spa, we were offered a tour and promised that we would be entered into the raffle at the conclusion of the experience. However, by the time the tour was over, and we had made our appointments for a facial and massage, we were told the raffle had already taken place. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of the spa and the opportunity to see parts of the ship we might otherwise have missed but felt we’d been misled on the raffle score.
We also enjoyed the spa experiences but found one element a little unsettling. No, it wasn’t the fact that products were suggested for purchase at the conclusion of the service. We had expected this and were pleasantly surprised when the subject was immediately dropped after we declined once.
What dimmed the enjoyment in our view was the “included” 15-minute consultation scheduled prior to a facial appointment. This is rapidly glossed over as you make your appointment, so we assumed we were consulting with the person providing the service. It’s a common practice in med-spas, allowing your provider to get a feeling for your medical history and possible sensitivities.
Instead, the appointment was with the spa’s doctor. While a light medical history was taken, there wasn’t much attention given to the issues reported. The main intent was to upsell expensive cosmetic procedures, such as Restylane fillers and Thermage skin tightening. Having to sit through an unsolicited consultation did dim the enjoyment of the experience quite a bit, when we had no intention of having these types of services performed onboard a cruise ship. In the future, we would insist on declining this consultation.
Since these drawbacks were relatively minor, they did little to diminish our overall experience. Our Disney Cruise was packed with exceptional service, immersive entertainment, and thoughtful details that made our time at sea memorable. In fact, we enjoyed it so much that we’ve already decided to set sail again with Disney next year. Whether you’re a first-time cruiser or a Disney veteran, there’s something undeniably magical about a voyage with Disney Cruise Line—and for us, the adventure is far from over.
