If I had to pick a “hot new thing” in the Disney travel world, it’d be Disney Cruise Line. Of course, DCL isn’t actually new (first sailing in 1998), but from 2022 to 2031 it’s expected their fleet will more than triple from four ships to 13, with even bigger capacity increases since these are bigger ships. This means that the basics of booking a Disney Cruise are more complicated than ever.

So to get you started on your next Disney Cruise Line voyage, we’re presenting How To Pick The Best Disney Cruise. In this post we’ll talk through the different factors—including destinations, ships, themed days—and how they can impact your decision. Read out to learn all about picking your next Disney cruise!

About This Post and Related Posts

This post walks you through the process of picking a Disney Cruise, with a focus on 2025-2026 itineraries. As you might guess, there’s no single “best” cruise option—your personal preferences are going to matter a lot. We’re here to help you navigate the challenge of prioritizing those preferences. (Don’t worry—we also provide a quick list of upcoming cruises we’ve got our eyes on.)

For example, if “meeting a lot of characters” is at the top of your list—you can pick any cruise (but the longer the better). They all have plenty of characters. If a specific destination or specific ship is really on your mind, then you’ll have fewer options (provided your reasons for that destination or ship actually make sense).

We’ve written reviews of our two most recent Disney Cruise. They’re just about as different experiences as you can get in terms of length, ship, and destination:

Some of our other Disney Cruise Line content is linked to in this post, but you can also find it on this handy page.

Finally, if you catch yourself looking at the length of this post and thinking “oh boy…this is…a lot…” then now might be a good time to reach out to a travel advisor who can work with you personally on planning your trip.

This Post’s Contents

My Disney Cruise Line 2025-2026 Bucket List
Using the Disney Cruise Line Website
Things Every Disney Cruise Has
Budgeting for a Disney Cruise
Picking Your Destination
- Ports of Call and Days at Sea
- Disney’s Private Ports
Picking from Disney’s Ships
Themed Cruises
Itinerary Length
Booking Your Cruise

My Disney Cruise Line 2025-2026 Bucket List

As you can see from the above contents, this post is pretty long. I’ve tried to make it as helpful as possible for planning what might be one of the biggest, best trips of your life. But I also think when you’re looking for information on the “best” cruises, you might want some of the bottom line first. You know “best” is subjective, so I’m happy to give you the five 2025-2026 Disney Cruise Line itineraries I’d be most excited to book.

Singapore Cruises on the Disney Adventure

The Disney Adventure debuts in December 2025. The initial idea behind this ship is that the ship itself is the attraction. Thus, the initial itineraries do not have any ports of call other than Singapore.

This trip is the top of my list for a few reasons. First, I love Singapore. Second, it’s really easy to fly to Singapore from the United States, and it’s really easy to book Business or First Class to Singapore using points. Third, the itineraries themselves are very reasonably priced, starting under $1000 for a couple of adults.

The Disney Adventure is going to be unlike any other Disney ship. It was purchased partially completed, having originally been intended for another cruise line. While there’s pros and cons to every class of Disney ship, I’m pretty excited about this ship’s unique status and what has been advertised about it so far. The Disney Adventure will feature seven themed areas and will have the longest roller coaster (that’s right—a real roller coasrer) at sea.

Alaska OR Hawai’i Cruises on the Disney Wonder

We loved our 7-Night Alaskan cruise aboard the Disney Wonder. The entire trip, including our time in Vancouver beforehand, has me itching to just do the exact same thing again. The Disney Wonder also goes to Hawai’i (on separate itineraries), which is another beautiful destination.

The Disney Wonder is one of the smaller ships, but we very much enjoyed it. As I’ve noted several times, a younger Zoe thrived a lot more in the kids’ clubs on the smaller Disney Wonder than older Zoe did on the more…complex…Disney Wish.

Bahamas Cruises on the Disney Destiny

The Disney Destiny is the second newest Disney ship (the Adventure will debut later) available for booking right now. It will debut on itineraries to the Bahamas and the Caribbean. It’s hard to keep track of which cruise ships will have which bars and restaurants and statues and water slides and all that, but the Disney Destiny will prominently feature Marvel characters. That won’t be every family’s jam, but I’ve got a 4-year-old who reports their favorite thing every day as “playing Spidey with Charlie,” so I assume I’ll be booking this one sooner rather than later.

Honorable Mention: Before we move on, I want to note that another new ship, the Disney Treasure, will be making longer trips around the Caribbean in 2025. Right now I’m thinking as the Disney Treasure as “the one with the Haunted Mansion bar and the Moana show.” The ship itself is probably the one I’m most excited about, but 7-night itineraries are a bit beyond me right now.

Lookout Cay + Castaway Cay Combo Cruises

Disney debuted its new private port, Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, in 2024. Disney also has a private island, Castaway Cay. Some itineraries stop at both private ports. The Disney Dream and Disney Destiny are set to do a bunch of these in the coming years.

Mediterranean Cruises

While I haven’t been on a Mediterranean cruise, I’ve spent my fair share of time in many of the destinations that the Disney cruises in the area go to (including three visits to Italy). Cruising is partly meant to reduce the “friction” associated with planning trips, and there’s really not many places where that help is more valuable than the Mediterranean.

As someone who spent weeks researching sellout patterns for various Colosseum and Vatican Museum ticket options (along with all the train options to get around Italy…I mean, I love trains…and Walt loved trains, too, but anyways…), I can definitely see the value in just booking a tour through a cruise line.

So, those are the five itineraries on the top of my list for the coming seasons. But if you want to know the ins and outs of digging more into Disney Cruise Line’s options….well I’ve got plenty for you…

Reminder: Use the Disney Cruise Line Website

The Disney Cruise Line website is an incredibly helpful resource. Its search functionality is powerful, with basic filters for date, destination, and departure port. If you click “More Filters”, you’ll also see the option to filter by themed cruises, ship, and length:

Things Every Disney Cruise HAs

This post isn’t meant to be a Disney Cruise Line pitch, but since we’re going to be talking about how to distinguish the different options, it makes sense to first establish what you can expect from every cruise.

Characters. Every Disney cruise has character greetings. The exact characters and outfits can vary, but you’ll always have an opportunity to meet some familiar friends.

Rotational Dining. The main (but not only) option for dining on Disney Cruise Line is rotational dining. They have three themed restaurants, and you’ll “rotate” through them night by night while your waitstaff moves with you (i.e. you’ll always have the same server). On longer cruises, you’ll dine at some restaurants multiple times.

Entertainment. Disney Cruise Line offers some of the best entertainment you’ll find on a cruise ship. There are usually three feature shows, comparable to or exceeding the quality of the shows you’d find in the theme parks.

Kids Clubs. All the ships have clubs for kids as young as 3, plus a nursery for younger kids (the nursery is not free, the clubs are).

Zero casinos. None of the Disney Cruise Line ships have casinos.

With those things filed away as “no need to worry…”, let’s talk about some of the ways to distinguish the different Disney cruise options…

Budgeting for a Disney Cruise

I’m starting with budgeting because, honestly, it’s sort of a “rip the bandaid off” situation. Disney Cruises are significantly more expensive than the competition (more than double, oftentimes). I have some example prices below, but you’re basically looking at a minimum of $2000 for a family of three, with prices quickly creeping up to $4000 just for decent dates. Personally, if you’re actually excited about planning a Disney Cruise, I’d say just skip this section for now and hop down to “Picking Your Destination.” You’ll see the prices as you plan, and reality can wait until tomorrow.

Budgeting for your cruise is a tricky endeavor. The price you see when you look at a cruise line website is basically the very beginning of your planning. Of course, if you can drive to Florida’s Port Canaveral and plan to just relax for three days without buying any alcohol or merchandise and without going on any excursions because the pool and beach are what you’re there for…okay the advertised price is pretty close to what you’re going to to pay.

But if you’re planning a once-in-a-lifetime Mediterranean cruise that requires you to fly roundtrip to Barcelona and probably spend a few days in that city on either end of your trip, plus you’ll want to pay for a few excursions to get the most out of each port…well then the $4,728 for two people price that I see right this second is really, really just a starting point.

I have a Complete Budget for Our 3-Day Bahamas Cruise on the Disney Wish. The “sticker price” for that cruise (the number I saw on the Disney Cruise Line website) was $4,218. The total cost for the entire trip wound up being $8,003.

I didn’t outline the full budget for our 7-night Alaska cruise, but, for example, we wound up spending $1,991 for three days of excursions for the three of us. (The sticker price for the verandah room on that cruise was $12,152.66.) That trip also included a visit to Vancouver before the cruise and Toronto after it.

Some Disney Cruise Example Prices

Here are some example prices for Disney cruises. These are results from the official website the day I’m writing this post. You’re encouraged to do your own analysis. I’ve tried to choose a handful that, basically, just show you how much variance there can be. I’m using 2 adults and 1 eight-year-old child for this analysis. Prices are for inside staterooms (the cheapest rooms) unless otherwise noted.

The lowest price I find for any cruise is $1,276 for a 3-night cruise from Singapore on the Disney Adventure. This itinerary has no ports of call other than Singapore (the ship is the destination).

The lowest price for a Caribbean cruise is $2,035 for 4-nights on the Disney Magic out of Galveston, with one port of call—Progreso, Mexico. For $2,176 you can be on a 3-Night Bahamas Cruise aboard the Disney Magic with a stop at one of Disney’s islands, Castaway Cay. If you’d like to be on a newer ship from a US port, you’ll be starting at $2,445 for 3 nights in the Bahamas aboard the Disney Wish (including a stop at Castaway Cay).

For some more extensive options, look to Europe, Alaska, and Hawaii. A 7-Night Europe cruise $4,582 aboard the Disney Fantasy, and 7 nights in Alaska starts at $4,974 aboard the Disney Wonder.

Room upgrade costs vary a lot by itinerary. People love their verandahs on those long Alaska cruises, so that exact same itinerary I mentioned above costs $8,278 for a verandah room—a $3,304 upgrade. But for shorter Bahamas/Caribbean itineraries, you’ll regularly see verandah upgrades for under $1000.

Picking Your Destination

Budget aside (because budget basically has to be aside if you want to have any fun in this process) destination seems like the most natural place to start because it’s the most straightforward. If you want to book, for example, a 2025 Alaskan cruise with Disney, it’s going to be:

on the Disney Wonder cruise ship
in the summer
for 5 to 9 nights
departing from Vancouver.

There are different specific itineraries within those parameters, but you’re not going to get on the Disney Treasure for 3 nights to Alaska from San Diego. It’s just not an option at this moment. Use the website’s “Sailing to…” option to narrow down your choices.

Conversely, if you want to go “to the Caribbean”, you’ve got a ton of options. As for ships, the Magic, Dream, Wish, Treasure, Fantasy, and Destiny all have itineraries scheduled in the Caribbean. You can find 3-night to 10-night itineraries. You can find itineraries that stop at either of, or both of, Disney’s private ports (discussed more below).

Ports of Call and Days at Sea

Each itinerary has an embarkation day—when you board the ship and it leaves—and a debarkation / disembarkation day, when you get off the ship for the last time. These are usually at the same port (i.e. it’s a round trip), but there are itineraries that depart from one port and finish at another.

You might put some consideration into your embarkation / debarkation ports. We spent a few days in Vancouver before our Alaskan cruise and loved it. Conversely, I’d probably only book a one night hotel stay before a cruise departing Fort Lauderdale (no offense to Fort Lauderdale, but I can easily visit it whenever I please, independent of cruising).

In between embarkation and debarkation there are basically two types of days. Port days are days when the ship docks at a port where you can get off the boat and sightsee or take part in (paid) excursions. These vary widely…

In Liverpool, for example, you can easily walk from the port into the city and spend the day sightseeing on your own. From Zeebrugge, Belgium, you’re about an hour from Brussels. The Skitine Ice Cap (Alaska) is often listed as a “port” but is really just a single excursion, getting on some smaller boats and see the glaciers up close. And then there are Disney’s private ports in the Caribbean, discussed more below.

Then there are days at sea. These are exactly what they sound like—days you’re on the boat without a stop at a port. The number of days at sea will vary by itinerary. Some don’t have any days at sea, though the embarkation day usually feels close to a day at sea if you’re on the boat early enough.

When seeking the balance that fits your trip, keep in mind that port excursions cost money. If you have a party of 3, and the itinerary has 5 ports, and you do a $200 excursion at each port, you’ve spent an additional $3000. Depending on the port, simply exploring the area for free might be an option. Or you might decide to just stay on the boat, which is sort of like an extra day at sea.

Disney’s Private Ports

Disney has two private ports. Castaway Cay is a full private island. There’s plenty of beach, along with bars, dining, water slides, and a mix of paid and free activities (snorkeling, bike rides, etc). Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is a new private peninsula that opened to guests in June 2024, following much the same concept as Castaway Cay.

I don’t personally feel like the private ports are a “must do” on their own. They aren’t theme parks or even water parks. I’d prefer a cruise that stopped at one, sure, but when we went on the Wonder in Alaska I didn’t feel like we were “missing out” on Castaway Cay. Moreover, with the new ships like the Wish, Treasure, and Destiny based in the Caribbean / Bahamas region, you very well might feel you’d rather be onboard than on the private island at least some of the day (you’re welcome to stay on the ship during any port day, of course).

Picking From Disney’s Ships

Once you’ve narrowed down (or not) your destinations, you’ll need to consider which ship you want to be on. So far we’ve only been on three of the ships—the Dream, the Wish, and the Wonder. You can find plenty of expert content comparing all the ships, but we’ll highlight the major differences here. But one thing before we go on…

These are all great ships, and you might be surprised by which you prefer. When I first wrote this post, I definitely preferred the newer Disney Dream to the older Disney Wonder. Then we sailed on the even newer Disney Wish and I was struck by how much a better time I’d had aboard the Wonder. More surprisingly, our toddler also had a better time aboard the Wonder even though the Wish’s kids’ clubs were so hyped.

The Disney Magic and Disney Wonder were the first two Disney Cruise Line ships. They debuted in 1998 and 1999, respectively. They have capacities of 2,700 each, making them significantly smaller than the other ships. I wouldn’t hesitate to travel on either of these ships. We traveled to Alaska on the Wonder and had an awesome time.

The Disney Dream and and Disney Fantasy are the two second-generation ships. They debuted in 2011 and 2012 with capacities of 4,000 each. We’ve done several short cruises onboard the Disney Dream and loved it each time.

The Disney Wish is the newest ship, the first of the third generation. It debuted in 2022 with a capacity of 4,000. We reviewed the Disney Wish here. The Disney Wish has the Star Wars bar.

The Disney Treasure, part of the same class as the Wish, debuts in December 2024. This is the ship with the Haunted Mansion bar, the Jungle Cruise bar, and the Moana show.

The Disney Destiny, also the same class, debuts in November 2025. This is the ship that will be heavily focused on Marvel characters.

A fourth ship in this line is expected in 2028 as part of a partnership between Disney and Oriental Land Co. (who operate Tokyo Disney Resort), but it’s unclear how directly this ship will be related to Disney Cruise Line.

Additionally, the Disney Adventure is expected to debut in December 2025. This ship is unique in that it was bought partially completed as part of a bankruptcy sale. Set to operate out of Singapore initially, the Disney Adventure is being billed as a ship that is the destination. This is the ship that will have a roller coaster.

As noted above different ships travel on different itineraries, so you won’t always have your choice of ship. That said, if you have flexibility, here are some things to think about.

Itinerary Length, Days at Sea, and Ship Choice. When we were on the Dream and Wish, we did 3-night Bahamas cruises. With Nassau one day and Castaway Cay the next, there were no full days at sea to just enjoy the ship. Probably the toughest thing about how Disney allocates its ships is that the longer itineraries (Alaska, Europe) tend to get the older, smaller ships. Of course if I have to spend a day on a boat, I’d usually prefer it be newer and bigger, but that’s just not always an option.

Newer isn’t always better. Read reviews of the ships you’re considering, particularly when they’re brand new. Some of the staff on the Disney Wonder have been working that ship and those itineraries for years. When a ship first debuts, there are going to be growing pains.

Bigger vs. More Intimate. Some people prefer the older, smaller ships because they feel “more intimate.” Personally I can’t tell the difference between 2,700 people and 4,000 people, but I understand some people can.

Bars, Restaurants, Pools, Water Slides, Activities. This is sort of a catchall, but…the different ships have different things. So if you saw the Star Wars bar and just have to visit it, don’t book a cruise on the Fantasy. It’s on the Wish. The Haunted Mansion Bar? That’ll be on the Treasure, not the superhero-heavy Destiny. Olaf’s Royal Picnic is (as of this update) only on the Disney Wish. And so on.

Staterooms. The ships have different combinations of stateroom configurations and themed suites. I can’t imagine I’d pick an itinerary based just on getting some specific themed suite or room, but you’re not me, so maybe you will.

Themed Cruises

Disney Cruise Line currently offers four special “themed” options, available on select itineraries. Pixar Day at Sea takes one of the days at sea from the cruise and transforms it into a Pixar celebration. Marvel Day at Sea does the same thing, but with Marvel. Touring Plans has a relatively recent report on Marvel Day at Sea.

The Halloween on the High Seas and Very Merrytime Cruises, by contrast, transform the experience for the entirety of the cruise. You’ll have characters in special outfits, holiday themed activities, and unique entertainment. We’ve done both of these and enjoyed them a lot, but again you’ll have to account for how much time you’ll actually be on the ship when considering whether the premium pricing is worth it.

Itinerary Length

Disney Cruise Line itineraries are measured by number of nights from embarkation to debarkation. So, a 7 night cruise will have an embarkation day, a debarkation day, and six full days in between.

For planning purposes, you should know debarkation day is basically only for getting off the ship. You’ll have breakfast, but basically nothing else on the ship is going to be open, and you’ll usually be off by around 9AM.

Beyond that, much of what we had to say about itinerary length has been said above. I had a great time aboard the Disney Wonder, but I don’t know that I’d need a longer trip than the 7-night trip we took. Conversely, I imagine a lot of kids get off the Wish feeling like they had no time in the kids’ clubs because their parents kept taking them off the boat to play with sand and stuff. (For what it’s worth, Zoe preferred the kids’ clubs on the Wonder to those of the Wish.)

If you’re departing from Port Canaveral, about an hour from Walt Disney World, you might consider whether you want to visit Disney World before or after your cruise. Maybe instead of a 7-night cruise, you can do a 3-night cruise with a 4-night Disney World stay, for example.

Finally, some people book back-to-back cruises on the same ship, with debarkation on the first itinerary immediately followed (the same day) by embarkation on the second itinerary. In this case, you’ll still have to get off the ship and then back on.

Booking Your Cruise

I’ve written before about why I book my Disney trips with a travel advisor. Now, it’s no secret I’d do mostly just fine booking my Disney World trips on my own. But I can’t imagine booking a Disney Cruise Line trip without a travel advisor anymore. There are so many dates, deadlines, and options that it’s just so much easier to have an expert you’re working with. So when it comes time to book your Disney Cruise I highly recommend you reach out to Lauren Quirk at Travel With Character LLC.