How to Choose a Disney Cruise Itinerary

You’re ready to set sail on a Disney Cruise! But how do you choose an itinerary? What are the best places to travel with Disney Cruise Line? There are a lot of things to consider when selecting a Disney Cruise and we are here to help you with that. Here’s our tips for choosing a Disney Cruise itinerary.

A Disney Cruise vacation can be a big investment, but it can also be one of the best vacations you’ve ever taken! Choosing a Disney Cruise should be fun, not stressful! The first things to consider are your budget, where you want to go and how long you’d like to be gone. Once you decide these things, it’s a little easier to start narrowing down your options.  If you feel overwhelmed by the process of choosing a cruise, feel free to contact a Disney Travel agent who can help you book and plan everything to make your life easier.

1. Decide your Budget.
2. Choose your Destination
3. And Length of Trip 

Decide on a Budget for your Disney Cruise 

First decide on a budget for your Disney Cruise. This will likely be one of the biggest determining factors when choosing your Disney Cruise.

A Disney Cruise can range the gamut of cost. Typically between $700- $3000 per person per night there are a lot of factors that determine cost. Everything from a 2-person inside room for 3-days at about $1400, to $7000 for a 10 night trip to Europe, to $30,000 for a concierge level suite. That said, head to the Disney Cruise website, to plug in potential dates, location and number of people to see the potential costs of a Disney Cruise. Also be aware of what is and isn’t included a Disney Cruise.

Keep in mind when setting a budget that there are other costs included that are outside of your cruise fare. Travel insurance, cruise ship gratuities, transportation to and from the port, excursions, alcohol, WiFi and other expenses should all be taken into consideration when deciding on a budget. 

Choose a Disney Cruise Destination

Next is the fun part! Decide where you’d like to go! This may seem like a more difficult question than it is. But we recommend asking yourself, why a cruise? Are you more interested in staying on the boat? Or are you more of an adventurer who wants to explore? Are you a bit of both? If you’re mostly intrigued by staying on the boat, then sometimes a simple Bahamas cruise may be your best bet. You can usually find a good deal on these cruises and many people don’t spend a ton of time at the Bahamas port.  Or if you’re able to cruise out of New York City, there is a Bermuda itinerary a couple times of year that sails to and from Bermuda, with mostly sea days and only one or two days at port on a 5–6-night cruise. 

Which Ports does Disney Cruise Sail From?

If you’re looking for a way to sail on a Disney Cruise at a port close to home, there are several ports that are home to Disney Cruise Line. Check out all the departure ports for Disney Cruise Line ships.

• Auckland, New Zealand
• Barcelona, Spain
• Brisbane, Australia
• Civitavecchia, Italy
• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Galveston, Texas
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Melbourne, Australia
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• New York, New York
• Port Canaveral, Florida
• San Diego, California
• San Juan, Puerto Rico
• Singapore
• Southampton, England
• Sydney, Australia
• Vancouver, Canada

There are plenty of destinations to choose from. And a good place to start is to figure out what you want to do on your cruise. Some itineraries are best for relaxing and others for exploring and adventure. We have taken cruises to Canada, Alaska, Europe and the Caribbean, and all have been different and exciting experiences.

Decide how long you want your Disney Cruise to be

Along with deciding a destination, choosing a length of your trip goes hand in hand. Some itineraries are only offered for specific lengths of time. For example, it takes a long time to get to the Virgin Islands, so if you want to cruise there, be ready for about a weeklong cruise. Other destinations like Baja Mexico from San Diego or the Bahamas from either Port Canaveral or Miami, are both shorter trips so you can easily find shorter cruises for these. A transatlantic cruise with Disney Cruise Line will almost always be close to 2 weeks, and Alaska cruises are never shorter than 5 nights. You get the point. 

• 11- Night Cruise to Europe
• 7- Night Cruise to Alaska
• 4- Night Cruise to the Bahamas

The length of the trip may determine the destination. Or it may be the other way around. We personally love the longer cruises; but we know some people may not have that much time off of work or school, or just don’t want to be gone that long. 

Choose Which Ship to Sail with Disney Cruise Line

If your main goal is just to sail, then you’re in luck! You can choose from pretty much any ship you want to sail on.  If you’re sailing so that you can go somewhere and experience a destination, then you will be bound to whatever ship is taking you there. Sometimes there are a few different ships to choose from for each itinerary. But many of them have specific routes that they take, and that may be your only choice.  Check out the features of each ship on our Disney Cruise Ships page. Each has something different and certain ones only go to certain locations.

• Want to go to Alaska or Australia? You’ll be sailing on the Disney Wonder.
• Heading to Europe? You’ll probably sail on the Disney Dream.
• Want to dine at the the Rapunzel Restaurant? Sail on the Disney Magic.
• Or eat in Arendelle at the Frozen Restaurant? On the Disney Wish.
• The Aristocats Lounge is on the Disney Treasure.
• And almost all the best Disney Cruise experiences are on the Disney Fantasy.

Hopefully this post has helped you decide how to choose a Disney Cruise itinerary. It can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve never sailed with Disney Cruise Line before, but it’s well worth it!