Disney Cruise Royal Gathering Princesses Meet and Greet

Hoping to meet some Disney Princesses on your Disney Cruise? DCL is known for its excellent food, excellent service and Broadway caliber shows. But they’re also known for their Disney characters! From Mickey and Friends to Dr. Strange, there are loads of character interactions you can have on a Disney Cruise. But none compare to The Royal Gathering.

Previously known as the Princess Gathering, this is one of the most coveted characters meet and greets on a Disney Cruise! Read on to find out all about this fun event and how you can attend!

Disney Cruise Royal Gathering Details

The Royal Gathering on a Disney Cruise is basically just like it sounds. It’s a gathering of Disney Cruise Princesses!  While you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet Disney Princesses during your cruise, this is the only chance you’ll have to meet them all at once. Each with their own space in the Grand Hall you can simply make your way around the room to each of them.

Disney Cruise Royal Gathering Location

The Disney Cruise Royal Gathering takes place inside the main atrium, or Grand Hall, on Deck 3 of all of the ships.

Disney Cruise Royal Gathering Reservations

The Disney Cruise Royal Gathering requires a reservation to attend. While this event is FREE, you will still need to book a reservation so that you can grab a space in line.

When can you book the Royal Gathering?

Currently, all guests regardless of Castaway Club status can book the Royal Gathering at 12 AM EST, 30 days before your sail date.

These tickets go fast. So you’ll want to plan to be on the website right at midnight. And if you’ve booked your Disney Cruise through a travel agent, they can likely do this for you!

To reserve it yourself, it’s similar to booking port excursions. Just head to the website, or the app, and choose “onboard fun” and The Royal Gathering will pop up as an option. As long as you’re 30 days out, the times will populate and you can select what works for you.

Does the Disney Cruise Royal Gathering Cost Extra?

No, the Disney Cruise Royal Gathering event is FREE. A reservation is needed because they limit the number of guests since it’s such a popular experience, so a “ticket” is required. They don’t actually hand out real tickets like they used to. But you’ll show the Cast Member tending to the line your QR code on the app, and that will secure your spot. 

Disney Cruise Royal Gathering Time

The day and time of the Princess Gathering will vary on each cruise. On 4-night cruises, it’s usually on your Day at Sea. On shorter cruises where there is no day at sea, it’ll be scheduled on one or both of your Port Days. And you’ll have to schedule it around your excursions. Typically, the Royal Gathering of the Princesses on a Disney Cruise only happens once. But, on longer cruises, there are sometimes more than just one event offered.

When is the Royal Disney Princess Gathering held?

The time of this event can change for each cruise itinerary. So your best bet is to check on the Disney Experience App and see which day, or days, it’s been scheduled for. Generally, the Princess Gathering is held in the morning and can start as early as 8 AM.

How Long is the Princess Meet and Greet?

The time to get through all the princesses is generally between 35 – 50 minutes. Though it really depends on how crowded your ship is. But with cruise ships hitting capacity at almost every sailing this is typically how long you’ll want to plan for. Keep in mind, that depending on what time your reservation is, it could conflict with breakfast. As such, be sure to plan ahead. You can also order room service the night before, or plan an earlier booking time.

Keep in mind that the sit down restaurants typically close for breakfast at 10:30 AM. You can find out who is serving breakfast each day, along with what times, in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app. 

Disney Cruise Royal Gathering Princesses

The Princesses that can be met sometimes change with each itinerary. But you’re likely to see 4 or 5 princesses. Cinderella, Belle, and Tiana are almost always included. We also met Ariel, Rapunzel, Moana, Jasmine, and Aurora during our cruise. If you’re planning to do the Princess Gathering, just be aware that the Princesses available may change at any time. 

And you’ll also get some quality time chatting with the Princesses as well. You won’t have to worry about finding them each individually later. So, if for some reason you realize a picture didn’t turn out, or you want more face time with them, you’ll generally have more opportunities for individual meet and greets later on.

Disney Cruise Royal Gathering Promenade

The Royal Gathering event begins with the Princesses all being announced. And then led to their respective meeting spots. If you happen to be around for this, it’s a fun little show that is best seen from deck 4 overlooking the atrium. 

Disney Cruise Royal Gathering Photos

Overall, the Royal Gathering is a super fun event if you love meeting characters. If you plan to purchase photos onboard or have booked the photo package, you’ll get high-quality, professional photos of you, your family, or whoever is traveling with you.

Cast Members are also willing to take photos on their phone, so you are welcome to do that as well if you want to save a little money on your Disney Cruise.

Disney Cruise Royal Gathering Review

If you’re sailing with little princesses or just want some great photos, meeting the Disney Princesses is definitely worth the time. If for no other reason that it means you don’t have to worry about scheduling in 4 or 5 princess visits later. And since it’s free, you kind of can’t go wrong! It is important to note that this can get a little crowded. It’s not an issue since everyone has a reservation and you have to wait in a line regardless, so we’re just sharing for awareness. 

The Royal Gathering is a great way to meet all of your favorite princesses onboard a Disney Cruise in a short amount of time. So, if princess visits were going to be part of your cruise anyway, make it easy on yourself and book this event.