Five things I’d wish I’d known ahead of my Disney cruise

What to know before booking a Disney cruise in NZ and Australia. Photo / Matt Stroshane
It’s almost been a year since Disney Wonder graced NZ shores for its inaugural cruise Downunder. It was such a success, the cruise ship is returning for a second season this October. Here’s everything I wish I’d known before booking, writes Anna Sarjeant.
My approach to any holiday, even as a mother, has always been a little nonchalant. I like to fly by the seat of my pants. Some would call it lazy, but I find it – for the most part – liberating.
A Disney cruise is not the time to play it cool. Not if you want to make the most of every dollar you’ve spent to be aboard. This is a ship with back-to-back daily activities and a comprehensive app to keep on top of them all. Activities such as adult-exclusive dining, nursery bookings and beverage tasting seminars should be locked in well in advance. In fact, first-time guests have 75 days prior to sailing to book their preferred activities, something I was vaguely aware of but didn’t think was urgent.
People, it is urgent.
Disney cruise-goers are the epitome of efficient. More so if this is your first Disney cruise, because repeat guests get anything between 90 and 123 days to secure their wish list of activities. What’s more, guests who book “Concierge” can book on-board activities up to 130 days prior to their sail date. This mostly depends on your Castaway Club membership. If you’ve ever been on a Disney cruise, you’re already a member; the more you sail, the more benefits your membership grants you.
Key takeaway: Never has it been more true that if you snooze, you lose.
READ MORE: Inside a Disney Cruise: Is it worth going on a Disney cruise?
In a similar vein, don’t leave it too late to book your preferred slots for the on-board nursery and kids’ clubs – also bookable prior to sailing. As soon as you can, sit down with your family and make a plan for each day, including when you’d like (as adults) to escape your parental duties. These are the times you’ll want to secure the kids’ clubs, and “hot dog” – to quote Mickey himself – do these book up fast. I neglected to do any of this and ended up with random slots at the “it’s a small world” nursery for our then-18-month-old. None of which suited anyone. I’d then have to cancel them. One day, in a desperate attempt to take advantage of the on-board creche, we stuck to the original booking and the poor thing went to daycare after dinner until 9pm (one of the few remaining times I could find due to my own tardiness) and we ended up with a sleep-deprived demon and an awful night’s sleep.
Key takeaway: Make kids’ clubs your first priority.
Albeit young, my son really loved the Disney cruise – his face would light up when he saw the characters parading the corridors and he had a small plush Mickey toy that he took an instant liking to. However, he didn’t have an inkling who Mickey Mouse was. Prior to sailing, he’d watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse a handful of times but didn’t recognise any of the Disney characters.
Fast-forward 10 months and he’s obsessed. Ask him what he’d like to do on a Saturday morning and he’ll promptly find the TV remote and demand “Minnie”. He finds Donald positively side-splitting hilarious and lists Spin (of Spidey and Friends fame) as a personal acquaintance. If we were on this year’s cruise, he’d be beside himself to see any of the characters and I can only imagine how delirious he’d be to discover Spider-Man catapulting off the ship’s funnel. I certainly don’t regret experiencing a Disney cruise before my son became a Disney fanatic, but it’d sure be fun to see him relive it now he is.
Key takeaway: Booking a Disney cruise? Time to subscribe to Disney+.
Don’t worry, this is Disney. The biggest rule is to have fun. However, someone in our family turned up for a four-day cruise having only packed his trainers – which you’d describe as “battered” at best.
Spoiler: the culprit was neither I nor the toddler.
Palo is Disney’s elegant adult-only Italian restaurant and the dress code reflects as such. We somehow managed to get the offending footwear in unaware for dinner but it was a definite no-no when we attempted to enter a day later for breakfast – the same someone now wearing shorts. To be clear, I did suggest packing some “nice clothes” but upon deaf ears my recommendations fell.
We also had a problem with some distasteful bathroom habits. Not by the same perpetrator as above, you’ll be pleased to hear. My son wasn’t potty-trained at the time so he wasn’t allowed in the main swimming pools. There’s an entertaining splash zone that he enjoyed immensely, but on a few occasions he made a dash for the big pool. To avoid a serious code-brown, nappy-wearers aren’t permitted. Tantrums ensued.
Key takeaway: Potty training starts now.
Without fail, when someone asks about my Disney cruise experience, they enquire about where we went. They want ports. They want me to say we got off. They look perplexed, if not a little disappointed, when I say we spent four days at sea. Worse, when I repeat the Disney ethos that “the ship is the destination”, they look at me like I’ve fallen victim to a cult mantra.
While certain voyages on this year’s Disney Magic at Sea season in Australasia include port stops, many itineraries see guests spend every minute aboard – and this isn’t a bad thing. There is so much to do and see, once aboard, it didn’t cross my mind to want to get off. It’s a little bit like being at a theme park and assuming you’d want to visit the local dairy outside the main gates. You don’t. This isn’t a sightseeing type of cruise, it’s a get up close and personal while dancing with Pluto to Baby Shark kind of cruise.
Key takeaway: You’ll be too busy to want to get off the ship.
Disney Magic returns to Australia and New Zealand from October 2024 through to February 2025.
disneycruise.disney.go.com/cruises-destinations/list/#new-zealand-and-australia-cruises.