/r/dcl

Photograph via //r/dcl

A subreddit for those who love sailing the seven seas with Mickey Mouse and friends. Share stories, pictures, personal navigators and tips for those new to the Disney Cruise Line.

Welcome to /r/dcl ! Home to Reddit fans of Disney Cruise Line!

If you have ever dreamed of what it would be like to sail aboard a Disney cruise ship, or wonder what new upgrades are available on each ship, then this is the subreddit for you! Share your stories from aboard the Disney Magic, Wonder, Dream, or Fantasy here.


Our wiki is always a work in progress, but is a good starting point for learning about Cruising with Mickey and Friends!


Disclaimer:

/r/dcl is not authorized or endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with, The Walt Disney Company, Disney Enterprises, Inc., or any of their affiliates. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are proprietary to Disney Enterprises, Inc., its subsidiary, affiliated and related companies, as the case may be. For official Disney information, visit http://www.disney.com


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/r/dcl

31,347 Subscribers

2

Bikes on Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point

Has anyone rented bikes at Lookout Cay recently? I read that they weren’t available when it first opened, but can’t seem to find recent updates about it.

If anyone has rented them; is there much to see? Can you go explore past the Disney area? Any other tips?

1 Comment
2025/01/10
13:15 UTC

2

Sailing on the Disney Magic in September! Any suggestions?

Me and my wife loved our first DCL voyage on the Wish so much we are dedicated DCL cruisers. We now want to try out the Magic as we wanna see what the OG Disney ship is like. Any suggestions for onboard activities? Thank you in advanced!

7 Comments
2025/01/10
05:39 UTC

5

Anything I need to know for my first Disney cruise as a teen?

27 Comments
2025/01/09
22:40 UTC

5

Carrot Cake on the Treasure

My wife and I are on the 2/22 sailing of the Treasure and splurged on a concierge room. I emailed the concierge to see about getting her a cake on her birthday and they just referred me to the standard onboard gifts website. They're cute cakes, but only come in chocolate or yellow and I was really hoping to get her a carrot cake - even just a slice. I was surprised the concierge team wasn't more helpful because they were AMAZING on our Alaskan cruise.

Any suggestions on how I can surprise her with some carrot cake on her birthday?

20 Comments
2025/01/09
21:35 UTC

0

Wish Easter sailing

My wife and I ( and now two of our best friends) are sailing out April 18th over Easter and then spending a few days in the parks. We have cruises before, but this will be our first DC

Couple questions:

  1. How is the Marvel dining experience
  2. Thoughts on the Hyperspace lounge
  3. I know there are a lot of activities all around, what are some that you found were the best for an adult centered group
  4. Theme nights - thoughts on dressing up / bounding (we have done DapperDays and also fortunate enough for Star Cruiser)

Thanks in advance.

9 Comments
2025/01/09
20:48 UTC

8

Departure day on board gifts?

I'm solo sailing on the Treasure next month (my 2nd cruise ever) and decided to treat myself to to the Luxury at Sea package; mostly for the robe but also kind of for the bottle of sparkling wine. I have two questions as a someone who is still a relative newbie at cruising.

  1. What time are the departure day gifts typically delivered to staterooms? Are the ones with alcohol subject to any special rules (other than the guest needing to be in the room for delivery)?

  2. While I could drink and entire bottle in one go I plan on bringing a wine stopper to portion it out across departure day. Are the stateroom fridges large enough to get the bottle in? I'm staying in a non-concierge verandah room.

7 Comments
2025/01/09
19:03 UTC

0

Rooms that sleep 5

Are there any pictures of time that sleep 5?

I can't find pictures that show all 3 of the single beds down.

Thanks!

4 Comments
2025/01/09
18:55 UTC

2

Ft Lauderdale Or Miami Hotels with DCL Shuttles

My family and I will be traveling a couple of days ahead of time and I was wondering what hotels I can get picked up from on the DCL bus? We got a later port arrival time and I heard of you get there on a bus they let you in right away. It’s our first cruise and we’re very excited to get on the ship early with our little ones to explore.

3 Comments
2025/01/09
18:36 UTC

0

Good Veranda Rooms Disney Wish?

I booked an upcoming Disney Wish cruise and chose the deluxe oceanview veranda stateroom option. Haven't been on a cruise in many years and don't know too much about the disney ones. I picked a level 7 category 5c room in the aftship that's one away from the mid-ship. Is this an okay room in terms of motion sickness and noise? What should I be looking for in finding a room that's quiet and doesn't have too much motion?

9 Comments
2025/01/09
17:30 UTC

0

Purchasing Onboard gifts and Marvel Days At Sea

First time cruiser here, I see they released onboard gifts and some have sold out… a couple questions. Hope this makes sense. Thanks in advance.

  1. do they release more onboard gifts for the cruise or once they are sold out? They are done.
  2. do they add different items to purchase closer to the cruise date? Currently see 77 items and we are about 50 days out.
  3. I am attending Marvels Day at Sea… I read on some posts they have in-room decor related to Marvels Day at Sea… is this something they add later on the site? Or does every room get decorated for Marvels day free of charge… slightly confused here…
2 Comments
2025/01/09
17:24 UTC

0

Car seats for dcl shuttle?

We’re staying at the MCO Hyatt airport the night before our cruise and then using DCL transportation from the hotel to the port the morning of the cruise. Our kids will be 6, 3 and 9 months old. Is it true they don’t allow car seats? I’m most concerned for the 9 month old since he’s rear facing. Anyone have any insights?

5 Comments
2025/01/09
17:08 UTC

0

Concierge out of Terminal 10 at Port Canaveral?

Like the title says, I'm curious to know whether the concierge experience (embarkation and debarkation) is any different compared to Terminal 8? Going on the Wish in April :)

3 Comments
2025/01/09
16:47 UTC

0

Disney Wish Internet Speed

Does Disney Wish have starlink now, or the most expensive internet plan still has abysmal speed?

12 Comments
2025/01/09
14:33 UTC

0

Wish concierge (are expectations realistic?)

My wife is not a fan of crowds or waiting in lines. Its for that purpose (and my own curiosity) that we booked concierge on an upcoming WISH sailing. Is it fair to expect some form of exclusivity or higher level of service? We're not divas but certainly prefer to be catered too. Is there also bar service (I understand its a cost) available throughout the day? We have a four year old who will also be with us and I want to make sure (as a Dad) I'm keeping everyone happy. Will there be stuff for him to do in the lounge without it being a bother to other guests? Being on a cruise...I don't want him to be on an iPad the whole time.

16 Comments
2025/01/09
14:32 UTC

3

Going on 1st cruise Wednesday to Nassau & lookout cay .

This will be my kids and I first cruise. I was looking at the weather and it’s going to be in the high 60s and cloudy. Which seems to cold for port activities, (we had snorkeling at lookout, and blue lagoon at Nassau). Has anyone been on Bahamas cruise and it was to cold to do anything, what did you do?

I’m guessing I should cancel these activists, or should I wait until we get on the ship?

5 Comments
2025/01/09
14:11 UTC

9

Favorite Ship

We recently did our first DCL cruise on the Wish and loved it! Besides it being a 4 night cruise and feeling like we didn’t have enough time 😅 We definitely will cruise again but I’m curious what ship everyone likes the most.

I know there are Wish haters and Magic lovers but I’m not sure if our family would necessarily like downsizing. But my toddler keeps seeing videos of maybe the Wonder? That has the Toy Story play area in the Oceaneer club and says she wants to go on that boat. Just curious to hear everyone’s opinions!

27 Comments
2025/01/09
14:10 UTC

0

Question about credit card recommendations for paying cruise fare balance

I am booked (with family) on DCL Mediterranean cruise in the spring. My fare is coming due- decent chunk of money- $10K ish. Deposit (around $2K) has already been paid. I am wondering how best to pay the balance to get maximum points. Payment is due Jan 31 and I am hesitant to apply for a new card unless there is overwhelming reason to do so. I already have Capital One Venture (standard version I think). I have a Costco executive membership with their Citibank Visa. The trip was not booked through Costco though, so I am not sure using their card helps at this point. I have two Southwest CCs (one Performance business and one Priority personal). Anyone have experience with this and can give advice on how to maximize savings or points from purchase? Also on separate note, what is best travel insurance option? Buy through Disney or elsewhere? Thanks in advance

26 Comments
2025/01/09
13:31 UTC

11

Toddler bed setup on the Dream

We booked the family verandah stateroom and I’m a little confused by what the bed setup would be for a child. Is it the sofa bed that gets pulled out on the floor? Or is it a Murphy bed from the wall / ceiling? I requested bedrails but at home we are still in a crib so I’m nervous about rolling around and falling off. He’ll be just under 2.5 when we go. Does the curtain also work pretty well in terms of blocking light from the adult bed/door area?

Separately, how easy/fast is it to get milk at different hours? My kid drinks it first thing in the morning, before nap, and at bedtime. I’m debating bringing those shelf stable single serving ones but would love to save room in luggage if it’s pretty quick to get milk at different hours.

Any other packing tips you would recommend for a young child? I saw magnetic hooks, collapsible hamper, pre-packaged snacks, white noise machine.

Lastly, I’m thinking of doing just an umbrella stroller instead of an actual stroller - is that a bad idea?

TIA for all the advice!

27 Comments
2025/01/09
11:56 UTC

0

Need advice, ways to use a cruise to cheer someone up

So I've noted several times we are leaving soon to board the Treasure (1/18). However, my father inlaw passed away two days shy of Christmas, and my wife having a hell of a time grieving, and not getting over it easily.

I'm hoping to find fun little magical experiences to lift her spirits, as cheesy as it is.

But does anyone have any particular recommendations of things to consider?

Anything I should inquire with DCL about? Something i could do myself?

I've already surprised her with a gift card to use at the spa. But I'm struggling to think of something really cool.

I'm admittedly not the best at creating special little moments, so I'd really like to try and do anything possible to brighten her mood a bit.

I appreciate any ideas, or even just fun stories. Honestly. Thank you!

Edit: never actually noted it's my wife I'm trying to cheer up. Updated!

10 Comments
2025/01/09
04:56 UTC

0

Ventilation

This is a serious question but feel free to laugh 😆 my son has the worst farts. Especially, when he eats something he’s sensitive too. At home, he politely farts in another room and when he’s asleep, his bedroom fart accumulation is unreal! I’m super worried about getting smoked out of our ocean view room by his farts or a lingering smell. Anyone has advice or experience with this?

Edit: thank you for the ideas. Travel friendly and airplane approved solutions please. ❤️

25 Comments
2025/01/09
03:47 UTC

0

What’s the best incentive you’ve received from a travel agent?

Looking at a spring 2026 cruise and I have time to look around for someone who’ll have the best incentive.

This would be my second DCL trip. For my first, we got $100 stateroom credit.

I know there’s not a lot of leeway these agents have to splurge on you so I have expectations in check, but I’m curious if that’s about as good as I can hope for

22 Comments
2025/01/09
03:23 UTC

0

Learnings from my first DCL cruise - you might be screwed by two Castaway Club IDs

Got lots of help from this subreddit so wanna give back something from my first cruise trip couple weeks ago on 4 night Wish to Bahamas.

  1. As the title includes, we ended up with two IDs after returning home. This is the biggest issue right now since my onboard photos are missing and it will justify if my $200+ onboard photo package purchase will go to the drain pipe or Disney can fix the issue timely before 45-day expiration or delete every photos. They only respond within 21 days after I sent them emails (I cannot call them. Only email). Now I only have 30 days. I'll explain why this might happen later from my analysis - nobody on DCL side can tell me how this happened so far.

  2. Be prepared to be on the phone for 2+ hours if you call Customer Service. If you don't want to wait, call them at 8am Eastern Time, that might shorten it to 15-30 minutes.

  3. Not sure how the IT system is designed/operated for other Disney subsidiaries, the DCL's web/backend system works in a weird way which put users into a rabbit hole without any clue when there are problems like #1. In such scenarios, the only way is to call them - you need not only wait for 2+ hours but also need the back-and-force conversation with the right person - though the people that I talked to are mostly friendly and patient.

  4. For the first timers, online check-in is very important. Without online check-in, you cannot do anything and cannot plan anything. We didn't know this and thought it's like a hotel check-in that we can do at the scene, but it's not. I learned this just couple days before the embark day from this subreddit.

  5. If anything is wrong in the online check-in and you cannot fix on your end, call them. We need to change the nationality but it was greyed. Called in the early morning and the lady on the other end helped quickly.

  6. Common topics about the trip itself:

6.1 Water is kind of code in Bahamas during Christmas, not many people went to the water. But it's actually good for parasailing and jet ski in Castaway Cay. They had spots for people to book on the island and gone after noon time. Guess most people did not book it before the sail due to the cold water and changed the mind on the day like us.

6.2 Not worth spending too much time in Nassau. Not much there and once is enough. Guess that's why only few people left Wish on that day compared to other ships - there were 6 or 7 ships docked on that day.

Now I'll explain how #1 issue happened from my understanding.

We booked the trip with Costco in Sep. Then our family changed the nationalities between Oct/Dec. My daughters got their passports very late - just 4 days before our flight to Orlando (5 days before embark). I did the online check-in with my Disney ID and password in both the app and website probably 3 days before the flight. I didn't know I actually had a club ID with my account at that time - since we hadn't cruised yet so the ID was hidden.

On the embark day, Key to The World cards were placed on our stateroom door which had a new different Club ID. On the ship, I showed this card with new ID to the photographers and purchased the photo package in the app (with the old ID, I guess).

Because this mess up of two IDs, after returning home, my Castaway Club page is empty without any cruise history, folio or photos, and it constantly asked me to link my Club ID (which is on the card) or the reservation number, then showed a weird error message. The cruise history and folio were recovered after the customer service removed the new ID from my account, but the photos are still missing.

Now I'm silently waiting for Disney's resolution for my photos - finger crossed.

=======================================

Btw, for the cruise experience, itself is great overall. Though unprepared and missed lots of activities, we still feel the good quality of service, food, facilities etc. Staff are super friendly and helpful. We haven't been to any other cruise ships, so cannot compare anything, but Wish itself shows pretty good signals of almost everything. Disney has so many IPs and it's so easy to make the journey much fun - especially the pirate parties and the Karaoke/parade party during Arendelle dining.

However, the cost of the trip is obviously high. My family income is much higher than the national average, but still hesitated to book the next trip due to its cost. Guess need to re-evaluate it carefully.

19 Comments
2025/01/09
03:03 UTC

3

Dole Whip on The Wish

As the title states my family is going on our first Disney cruise and my wife wanted to know if there will be Dole Whip on the wish or Castaway Cay.

Thanks, JW

10 Comments
2025/01/08
23:48 UTC

0

Fire & Ice Manicure and Gel Nails

I’m planning on getting a Fire & Ice manicure at the spa while on the Treasure. Does anyone know if they would remove gel nails as part of the manicure or if I should do that ahead of time?

1 Comment
2025/01/08
23:24 UTC

0

Disney Transportation to ship

Hi! If taking the Disney shuttle bus from MCO Hyatt to the ship at PC what is the usual time of arrival to the ship? Would we be close to first for boarding?

Thank you!

8 Comments
2025/01/08
22:10 UTC

0

Express check out on Dream

How does express checkout work on debarkation day? My parents were told by someone from the DCL help line that you cannot do express checkout unless you go to guest services after boarding and request an exception because you have an early flight. Is this true? I thought you just opted to walk off with your luggage.

We are traveling on the Disney Dream in July and just trying to make sure we have flights late enough out of FLL.

Is a 12:15 flight out of FLL feasible? What about 11:15 am?

8 Comments
2025/01/08
22:04 UTC

0

Treasure Internet

Can anyone on the Treasure share what speeds they are getting on the internet? Planning to go next month and as much as I would like to disconnect I have family at home I need to stay in touch with. Want to be able to zoom/etc.

7 Comments
2025/01/08
20:17 UTC

0

Can anyone tell me who has used the rainforest room on the Wish or Treasure tell me how their rainforest rooms are different than the ones on the Dream & Fantasy?

I have an upcoming cruise on the Treasure and I am considering doing the rainforest room. However I have only ever used the rainforest room on the Dream and Fantasy.

I am also physically disabled/mobility impaired and use walker so I would appreciate knowing how accessible this rainforest is for someone who can’t climb steps.

3 Comments
2025/01/08
19:58 UTC

6

After Disembarkation in Port Canaveral, Flying Home

Hi everyone! I’m a first time cruise-goer in a few months. We already booked our second cruise, however, as we were past cancellation time and my parents had to back out due to medical reasons. Consequently, I get to go on the Wish next December for Merrytime and I’m VERY excited! (Our first cruise we are driving into Galveston, so different situation all around).
This will be our first time in Orlando (since I was ten, anyway), and we’ve decided to fly in a couple days before embarkation (Saturday, spend Sunday at Art of Animation and Disney Springs), then take Disney transport to the cruise on Monday. My question is after the cruise.

I don’t really feel like we need to go back to a Disney resort after we disembark, and I don’t have our flights booked yet (too early, really), but what do you all usually do for flying out? I understand we should expect to disembark early when we arrive back into port. Do you fly out the same day, or do you stay somewhere overnight and fly out the next day? If so, what do you suggest?

22 Comments
2025/01/08
17:41 UTC

10

Deck Chair Saving

How big of an issue is this on DCL? Will we have to get down to the pools super early to get a spot? Are the crews good about removing peoples stuff who clearly aren't around?

39 Comments
2025/01/08
16:51 UTC

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