12 Things You Really Need To Do The First Day Of A Disney Cruise
If first impressions are everything, then the first day of a Disney Cruise might give you chaotic vibes instead of relaxation.
After 12 Disney Cruises under our belt, we’ve mastered the embarkation day routine that helps us skip the busiest moments, claim the things that sell out quickly, and start the cruise relaxed and ready.
Here’s everything we do on the first day of a Disney Cruise. Number 11 is our pro-level tip.
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1. Start off with something fun.
When you board a Disney Cruise Line ship, they’ll ask your family name and welcome your family aboard with an announcement. You’re the star!
If you’re new to Disney Cruise Line, using your name is a fun experience in its own right. Be sure to pull the camera out and catch it!
If you’ve been on a few, or you’re with a group with different names, you can jazz your welcome aboard up a bit.
We’ve started a tradition of giving a fake name. Either the name is something that sounds funny, or better yet, an inside joke. The surprise will start your day off fun! 🤭
2. Skip the buffet and find the sit down lunch.
You’ll be directed to go straight to lunch when you board to keep the entry clear for the rest of the passengers. Instead of following the crowd to the buffet (or market), there is ALWAYS a sit down lunch in one of the main dining restaurants. Check the Disney Cruise Line app to see which one!
It’s much quieter, you get to spend some time meeting cast members, and it’s less chaotic. The cats out of the bag on this tip because it certainly gets full now (the good ol’ days there were only a handful of people in there!) but it’s still a quieter atmosphere.
It’s nice to decompress over lunch after the boarding process.
3. Head to the spa and get a Rainforest Room pass.
On the newer ships (Wish, Treasure, & Destiny), the Rainforest Room is where we literally spend every afternoon. We buy the length of cruise pass on these ships.
If we’re on the older ship, it isn’t quite as large and doesn’t have the nice outdoor space, so we only buy a timed pass. Getting there early let’s you get your pick of the time slots. They book up fast!
4. Marvel at your stateroom, and open some gifts!
Your room should be ready at 1:30 pm. We go straight there to drop off our carry on items, make sure the room is to our liking and expectations, and open our Castaway Club gifts.
Castaway Club is Disney Cruise Line’s loyalty program and you’ll start getting surprises left in your stateroom on your second cruise.
We are Platinum, so we get the gifts for Silver, Gold, and Platinum. They’re always really good, useful items.
5. Sanitize EVERYTHING!
These rooms are not dirty, and the stateroom hosts do a great job of cleaning, but we always bring spray disinfectant and disinfectant wipes. (For hotels and cruises alike.)
We sanitize all surfaces, especially the high touch areas like door handles, light switches, phone, and remote.
Disney Cruise Line routinely gets the highest ratings for cleanliness in the industry, but they can’t spray disinfectant on every corner of the ship, so this allows for extra germ security.
6. Muster Drill.
It’s mandatory, so get it done!
7. Luggage delivered! Now unpack!
Your luggage gets delivered usually between 2:00 and 5:00 pm. The staterooms have excellent storage options and plenty of hangers, so get unpacked during this time.
We also go to the laundry facility and get everything ironed. That way we can store our empty luggage under the bed, have all of our outfits ready to put on. No living out of a suitcase!
8. Skip the sail-away party.
Gasp!
We actually like to enjoy the sail away from our verandah. We can hear the ship’s horn and it’s a little slice of quiet time. Depending on your port, you might have some pretty great views, too. Alternatively, you can go to one of the quiet cove (adult only) areas, or a lower deck.
If you like the excitement of a sail away party- head up to that deck and have fun! But if that feels like a little too much chaos on an already chaotic day, a quiet spot is nice too.
9. Get some photos.
Even though we skip the sail away party, once the party is over, its usually pretty quiet up there on the top decks. We go during this time to get the good photos of the funnels.
10. Never miss the first night’s show.
Not only do you get to meet the cruise director who gives you information about what you can expect from the cruise, but you’ll also get to see a really good broadway-style show.
Their shows are really great productions.
We also use this opportunity to buy reusable popcorn buckets because popcorn is our favorite snack and we get some before every show.
11. Scout the entertainment. (Pro level tip!!)
The great news is that you’re on the best cruise line for entertainment in the world. Highest quality, most interesting, on theme, and TALENTED!
We pop around and check out bits and pieces of different entertainment performances and shows. In the lounges, on the various stages, etc. We find the performers that we love and we find them on the schedule for the rest of the cruise duration. They typically have varying shows and different performances throughout the cruise. (Talk to them, too!)
We love when we find someone really great and we get to see them perform multiple times in various scenarios. It’s one of the best parts of a Disney Cruise.
12. Eat in main dining on the first night.
You may not eat in the main dining restaurants every night (hello Palo,) but we like to always eat there on night one so that we meet our servers and get to know them. They’ll be with you throughout the whole cruise!
We’ve perfected this routine to set the tone for the entire cruise. We’re more relaxed throughout, never feel like we’ve missed anything, plus maximized our time.
What have we missed? Do you have anything else you do on the first day? We’d love to chat on socials about it! Here’s our Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Come say hi!
