5 Things I Learned the Hard Way After Spending $6,000 on a Disney Cruise

It’s no secret that a voyage on a Disney Cruise is pretty expensive, but the ship’s amenities as well as Disney’s private islands make up for that… as long as you know what you’re getting into!

Disney Magic

We averaged out the costs for a family of three (two adults, 10 year-old child) for a Disney Caribbean cruise from July 20th – 24th, 2026 (a Monday – Friday),and the costs were certainly nothing to sneeze at. The five-night cruise for three would cost $5,410 for an Inside room, $5,690 for an Oceanview room, $6,082 for a Verandah room, and $9,611 for a Concierge level room. Now, we have to stress that prices do fluctuate a great deal based on the length of voyage, destination, and time of year, and this is simply an average baseline.

©Disney

“I Wish I’d Known How to Schedule Palo Meals Around Rotational Dining”

Let’s begin with a lesson I personally learned the hard way on my first Disney Cruise. For those who may be unfamiliar, the DCL uses a rotational dining system where passengers move to different included themed restaurants along with their waiter each night during their designated dining period. However, there are also other upcharge dining establishments on the ship, including the popular Palo installations.

Palo Steakhouse

So, on my first cruise, my wife and I scored a Palo reservation during our dining period, and while the meal was LOVELY, we didn’t get to see the Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure show. In retrospect, we wish we would have booked an earlier Palo reservation, then experienced the Frozen show while only ordering dessert or a drink.

Olaf!

“Ride Evacuations Happen on the Ship Too”

During a cruise, a member of our team was evacuated from the Aquamouse water coaster when the ride’s water suddenly stopped flowing. Turned out a child had gotten stuck, and the whole ride needed to be evacuated. According to the, “the side of our slide just zipped down – like it was a tent – and a guy came in to evacuate us. “

Aquamouse

“I Could Have Packed Lighter and Done Laundry”

It can be tempting to overpack for a cruise. However, if you want to limit yourself to a carry-on bag — which can make the embarking and disembarkation process easier — you can simply do your laundry during your voyage! The ship’s 24-hour self-service laundry rooms feature washers and dryers and cost about about $3 per wash and $3 per dry, with any laundry detergent packets that you need on top of THAT will be an extra $1, but you can bring your own if you so choose.

Luandry!

Much like the Disney World hotels, you can be updated about the status of your laundry. Just check your Disney Cruise Line Navigator app so you can make your way back to the laundry room when it’s ready for ya to switch over OR pick up. But unlike the Disney hotels, we found it WAY easier to find time to get laundry done during those out-at-sea days without it feeling like it was interrupting the flow of the vacation.

Plenty of machines

“The Newer Vessels Don’t Have Continuous Running/Jogging/Walking Tracks”

The newer ships in the fleet, like the Wish and the Treasure, don’t feature the same tracks that earlier ships did. Instead of having a continuous track like the other four ships have, the Wish and Treasure’s track is broken up, so you have to go up various stairs and cross-overs to actually complete a full lap of the vessel.

Disney Treasure

“Gift Shops Aren’t Open Until the Ship is At Sea”

Finally, if you were planning to knock out all your shopping as soon as you get on board or wanted to grab some last-minute souvenirs before getting off, you’re unfortunately out of luck, as the ship’s stores are only open when it’s out of port and in the open sea.

Treasures Untold

Next time you’re preparing to set sail on a Disney Cruise, make SURE to keep these things in mind! Stay tuned to DFB for more vacation tips!

3 Things I Wish I Knew Before Leaving a Disney Cruise

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