Cruise · Disney Cruise Line
No queues, no park maps and no six o'clock alarm — but no rides either. It is a genuinely different holiday from a Disney park, and the families who love it are usually the ones who were told that before they booked.
The short version
It is a different holiday that happens to share the characters. People who expect one and book the other are usually disappointed.
What you get: no queues, no park maps, no six o'clock alarm. Children's clubs that genuinely free up your day, meals included, and rotational dining where your waiters move with you. Character meets are scheduled and calm rather than a scrum.
What you do not get: rides. There is a water slide and a cinema and a great deal of deck space, but nobody sails with Disney for the attractions. If your family's idea of a Disney holiday is roller coasters, book a park.
Sailing from the UK
Most Disney sailings leave Florida. A handful leave Europe, and for a lot of British families that changes the entire calculation.
From Southampton — Disney has sailed from the UK in recent European seasons, usually a short run of Northern European or British Isles itineraries in summer. No flights, no transfers, no jet lag, and you can take as much luggage as you can carry. These sell out early and the dates change year to year, so ask us what is actually loaded before you plan around it.
From Barcelona or Civitavecchia — Mediterranean sailings, a short flight away, and often better value than the same week in Florida once you count the airfare.
From Port Canaveral — the main fleet base, an hour from Orlando. This is where the cruise-and-stay combination makes sense: a week in the parks, then a week at sea, one long-haul flight covering both.
What is included
The fare covers most of what you will actually use, which makes budgeting easier than a park trip.
Which ship
Fleet placement changes each season, so treat this as the shape of it rather than a timetable.
Wish, Treasure and Destiny are among the newest and largest, with the newer themed spaces and the AquaMouse. Best for first-timers and for families who want the most on board.
Dream and Fantasy sit in the middle — large, well-proven, and usually running Caribbean and Bahamian itineraries from Florida.
Magic and Wonder are the originals and considerably smaller. Quieter, easier to navigate with small children, and the ones most often sent to Europe and further afield.
Cruise fare, flights and transfers as one booking. We will tell you what the gratuities and excursions add before you commit, not after.
Guide prices, per person, based on two adults sharing, including return flights, accommodation and park tickets or cruise fare as stated. They indicate what a holiday of this type has typically cost and are not an offer or a quotation. Your price depends on dates, party, ticket type and availability, and is confirmed in writing before any payment is taken.
The ones that come up before every Disney booking.
No, and it is not the same holiday. It is no queues, no park maps and no six o'clock alarm, with meals and children's clubs included — but no rides. Families who book one expecting the other are the ones who come back disappointed.
Disney has sailed from Southampton in recent European seasons, usually a short run of Northern European or British Isles itineraries in summer. No flights, no transfers, no jet lag, and as much luggage as you can carry. They sell out early and the dates move year to year, so ask us what is actually loaded before you plan around it.
All main meals and casual dining, room service, soft drinks at meals and from the deck stations, the children's clubs, all entertainment and stage shows, and the pools and slides. Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay, Disney's private island stops, are included too — and they are the best days on most Caribbean itineraries.
Alcohol, speciality coffee, bottled water, the adults-only restaurants, spa treatments, shore excursions and wi-fi — and gratuities, which are added per person per night and are the charge people most often forget when comparing a cruise fare with a hotel price.
Wish, Treasure and Destiny are among the newest and largest, with the newer themed spaces and the AquaMouse — best for first-timers who want the most on board. Dream and Fantasy sit in the middle. Magic and Wonder are the originals and considerably smaller: quieter, easier with small children, and the ones most often sent to Europe. Fleet placement changes each season, so ask before you plan around a particular ship.
More than at most resorts, yes. It is the main reason adults describe a Disney cruise as a holiday rather than a trip — the clubs genuinely free up your day rather than existing as a line on a brochure.
We'll tell you what is actually loaded for your dates, what the gratuities add, and whether a Southampton sailing beats flying to Florida.