The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line 2026

by Tammy Whiting, Len Testa, Erin Foster

Overview

Save time and money with in-depth reviews, ratings, and details from the trusted source for a successful Disney Cruise Line vacation.

Planning a Disney Cruise Line (DCL) trip is a big deal. It’s too important to be left to chance, so put the best-selling independent guidebook to DCL in your hands and take control of your vacation. Make every minute and every dollar count with this no-nonsense, consumer-oriented guide to the best (and worst) of Disney’s ships and itineraries.

The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line 2026 explains how DCL works and how to use that knowledge to stay ahead of the crowd. Tammy Whiting, Len Testa, and Erin Foster know that you want your vacation to be anything but average, so they employ an expert team of researchers to find the secrets, the shortcuts, and the bargains that are sure to make your vacation exceptional! Find out what’s available in every category, ranked from best to worst, and get detailed plans to make the most of your time on and off your cruise ship. Choose the right stateroom, eat at the best restaurants, find top-notch children’s activities, and experience all the can’t-miss excursions—including those offered at Castaway Cay, one of the best vacation islands in the Caribbean.

Stay in the know on the latest updates and changes on DCL. Here’s what’s NEW in the 2026 book:

• Take in advice for first-time cruisers: money-saving strategies, packing tips and other pre-trip preparation, preferred ships and itineraries, and how to hit the deck running your first day onboard
• Utilize suggestions for deciding whether a Disney cruise or a Walt Disney World vacation is the better choice for your family
• Examine in-depth comparisons between Disney Cruise Line and its competitors
• Find out the scoop on different stateroom types and how to choose the best room for your needs, with updated stateroom floor plans and links to stateroom tours
• Read detailed descriptions of Disney’s two private islands: Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point
• Uncover first-hand reviews and experiences from the newest ships: Disney Adventure and Disney Destiny
• Enjoy expanded coverage and unbiased opinions about what to expect onboard every DCL ship and what to do in Disney’s ports of call
• Get reports on what’s coming next for DCL in 2027 and beyond
• Utilize the planning timeline for your Disney cruise, with advice on the best time to book it

Make the right choices to give your family a vacation they’ll never forget. The Unofficial Guide to Disney Cruise Line 2026 is your key to planning a perfect stay. Whether you’re putting together your annual trip or preparing for your first cruise, this book gives you the insider scoop on staterooms, dining, children’s activities, shopping, entertainment, and more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781628091649
Publisher:	Unofficial Guides
Publication date:	12/02/2025
Series:	Unofficial Guides Series
Pages:	424
Product dimensions:	5.13(w) x 8.00(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Tammy Whiting is an avid cruiser who has sailed all over the world on over 75 cruises, more than 50 of those on Disney Cruise Line. She’s worked in the travel industry for over 17 years and owns Storybook Destinations. While Tammy’s favorite way to travel is on a cruise ship, she’s never turned her nose up at a vacation. She has enjoyed amazing trips to Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, Antarctica, the Galapagos, European river cruises, and guided tours with Adventures by Disney. Tammy lived in Europe for five years as a military brat and has been a military spouse for over 30 years, living in almost every corner of the United States. When she isn’t traveling, you can find her enjoying her family, buying camera equipment, and planning her next trip.

Len Testa is coauthor of the Unofficial Guides series, covering Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Las Vegas, Universal Orlando, and Washington, D.C. While Len has published works in travel, computer science, and endocrinology, it’s widely acknowledged that he’s just the pretty face for a group of people way more talented than he is (and “pretty face” is a stretch at best). Len sends love to his daughter, Hannah.

Erin Foster was a charter member of the Disney Parks Moms Panel (now the planDisney panel). She has been on many sailings of the Magic, Wonder, Dream, Fantasy, and Wish, including the Wish’s maiden voyage in 2022. Erin is a regular contributor to the blog at TouringPlans.

Read an Excerpt

Glass Bottom Boat Scenic Voyage

• Minimum age: none
• Price per person: $59 (age 10 and up), $39 (age 9 and under)
• Duration: 1 hour
• Activity level: mild

Comments: Board a small watercraft that holds about 25 people and ventures about 15 minutes out into the ocean. You can observe sea life below through several “windows” in the floor of the boat. During the trip, you’re accompanied by a local guide who discusses the fish and other natural elements you’ll encounter.

The highlight of the tour is the feeding portion, which takes place at approximately the midpoint of the journey. Guests are each given a cup filled with about 1 ounce of oatmeal, and when they toss the food overboard, several hundred tropical fish of various species surround the boat. The guide points out the characteristics of as many fish as possible. The feeding lasts about 5 minutes, after which the fish disappear quickly. Sightings of fish at other points of the tour are sporadic.

Touring Tips: Guests must be able to climb five steps to board and debark, and they must stand for the duration of the excursion.

Parasailing

• Minimum age: 8
• Price per person: $140
• Duration: 1 hour
• Activity level: athlethic

Comments: The bird’s-eye views of the island are the reason to take this excursion. Floating hundreds of feet in the air, you’re the master of all you survey, or at least it seems that way for several minutes.

You board a speedboat and travel several hundred yards away from land. Then, in singles or pairs, you stand at the back of the boat and are harnessed to a line-bound parachute that is slowly let out until you and the parachute are 600–1,000 feet above the water, where you will enjoy panoramic views of your ship, Castaway Cay, and beyond.

Touring Tips: Each excursion takes about 10 people onto the boat. There are no ride-alongs—every guest on the boat must pay. Your actual parasail event will last about 5–7 minutes. Parasailers must weigh between 90 and 375 pounds; those who weigh less than 90 pounds may be able to fly if they fly in tandem with another guest, but their combined weight may not exceed 375 pounds. Whether you fly solo or tandem is at the discretion of the staff.

Kids under age 13 must be accompanied by a paying adult age 18 or older. Guests ages 13–17 may go on the excursion unaccompanied but must be escorted to the Marge’s Barges meeting area by an adult age 18 or older. All guests must sign a safety waiver.

You must leave your shoes on the dock and are strongly discouraged from wearing a hat or glasses during your sail; a storage area is provided on the boat for your personal belongings. Wheelchairs and other wheeled mobility devices cannot be accommodated.

No photography service is provided during the excursion. You’re welcome to bring your phone or a camera along, but you assume all liability if you lose it in the ocean.

Snorkel Lagoon Equipment Rentals

• Minimum age: 5
• Price per person: $38 (age 10 and up), $22 (ages 5–9)
• Duration: all day
• Activity level: moderate–athletic

Comments: This is one of the least expensive, most rewarding shore excursions offered on a Disney cruise. We recommend it for every family. Fish species in the lagoon include yellowtail snapper, sergeant major, banded butterfly fish, blue tang, and barracuda.

Touring Tips: Pick up your snorkeling gear at Gil’s Fins and Boats, a short walk from Scuttle’s Cove (the first tram stop), or Flippers and Floats at the second tram stop. You’ll be given a mask, a snorkel, flippers, and an inflatable vest to make swimming easier. Also pick up a mesh gear bag, which makes it easier to haul your stuff back to your beach chairs.

Put on your vest before you get in the water, but don’t inflate it just yet; wait until you’re in hip-high water, which is also when you should put on your flippers because it’s impossible to walk in them onshore (and they’ll get sandy). Wait until you’re in the water to put your mask on too.

If you’re snorkeling with younger children, plan on spending 10–15 minutes adjusting the fit of masks and vests. Inflate a kid’s vest by blowing into the vertical tube on the left side, adding just enough air to keep the top of the child’s head above water. (If you overinflate it, they will have trouble getting their mask below the surface.) Also, practice using the flippers, which work best with slow, deliberate leg movements.

Once everyone’s gear is working, take one last look at the lagoon to get your bearings. Disney has placed orange-and-white buoys above the underwater sites, so head for those. There usually aren’t a lot of fish in the first 30–40 yards nearest the shore, though it’s possible to see almost anything once you’re in the water.

Walking and Kayak Nature Adventure

• Minimum age: 10
• Price per person: $79
• Duration: 3–3.5 hours
• Activity level: athletic

Comments: This adventure begins at Marge’s Barges, where everyone boards a tram to Serenity Bay. Next you walk behind the cabanas to a nature trail that leads to another beach. Your guide will point out interesting plants and animals and talk about the history of the Bahamas.

Upon reaching the beach, participants don their life jackets and head out in their kayaks. This is the part where you’re at Mother Nature’s whim. We took this tour after a friend raved about it. She headed out in the morning and was able to kayak to more places than we were later in the afternoon, when the tide was going out.

Touring Tips: We wouldn’t book this adventure in the afternoon again, even if it were the only time available. Even if you’re able to book it in the morning, note that the tour is 3–3.5 hours long, so you’ll have much less time for snorkeling, biking, or lazing on the beach. Ideally, you would book this excursion on the morning of the second stop of a double-dip cruise.

Bring walking shoes, sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, and a waterproof or water-resistant smartphone or camera; consider gloves for paddling to avoid blisters. Wear a swimsuit under your clothes for swimming. You must stow your belongings on the beach for the kayaking, so leave any valuables in your stateroom. Water is provided.

Table of Contents

List of Diagrams and Maps

About the Authors

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part 1: Dollars and Sense

Part 2: The Ships at a Glance

Part 3: Choosing an Itinerary

Part 4: Choosing a Stateroom

Part 5: The Booking Process

Part 6: Preparing for Life on Board

Part 7: Inside Scoop for Different Groups

Part 8: Getting to and from Your Cruise

Part 9: Arrival and Departure Days

Part 10: Dining

Part 11: Nursery and Kids’ Clubs

Part 12: Activities, Recreation, and Shopping

Part 13: Entertainment and Nightlife

Part 14: Castaway Cay and Lookout Cay

Part 15: Ports and Adventures

Part 16: Other Ways to Cruise

Part 17: What’s Next for Disney Cruise Line?

DCL Glossary

Index

Editorial Reviews

If you’re looking for a reliable guidebook, the leader is the Unofficial series.”
—The Mail (London)

“A Tourist’s Best Friend!”
—Chicago Sun-Times

“Indispensable”
—The New York Times

“The Unofficial Guide is, without question, one of the best Disney travel guides available.”
—MouseChat.net

From the Publisher