Disney Cruise Line has announced the itineraries for the rest of 2023! This includes all of the Halloween and Christmas themed sailings!
Some notable changes include the Dream doing sailings out of New York now and the Magic going over to do sailings out of San Diego. The itineraries show sailings for all 5 DCL ships, including the newest Wish ship.
Bookings start next week! It’s always cheapest to book when they’re first released because prices will increase as they fill up and certain cabin categories or popular sailings will sell out quick! Deposits are fully refundable if you need to cancel before your paid in full date, usually 90-120 days before sailing, so you still have over a year to save up if you book now.
Here are the opening dates for bookings according to your Castaway Club or other affinity group status, starting at 8am ET. You’re automatically a Silver member after you complete your first DCL cruise, and will progress to Gold and Platinum after 5 and 10 cruises, respectively. If you’ve never sailed DCL before, you would have to wait until the General Public date.
- Monday, July 25, 2022 – Platinum and Golden Oak members
- Tuesday, July 26, 2022 – Gold members
- Wednesday, July 27, 2022 – Silver, DVC, and Adventure Insider members
- Thursday, July 28, 2022 – General Public
View the full list of new itineraries on the DCL site:
We love sailing on the Disney ships! They’re all gorgeous and immaculately clean. All of the itineraries provide so many fun activities in a family friendly environment. The service on the ships is always top notch! There are so many other features that we love about Disney cruises. Yes, they do cost more than most other cruise lines, but for us, it’s worth it. You’d have to weigh what you’re looking for in a cruise experience. For us, this is a case of “you get what you pay for”.
I often hear folks asking which cruise is best or which ship is best. I say you can’t go wrong with any of them. The big deciding factors are how many days you can spend, what locations you want to go to or sail out of, what are some key favorite Disney characters (different themed shows and restaurants), or which ships you haven’t been on yet.
Perhaps if this is your very first cruise ever, start with the smaller ships, the Magic and Wonder, just because they’re easier to figure out and find your way around on board. However, the larger ships aren’t all that confusing, just a tad more walking to get around. The shorter 3 night sailings are good for “dipping your toes in the water”, no pun intended, if you want to try out a cruise, but on the flip side, it’s impossible to do everything on a short cruise and if it’s your first time, by the time you figure things out, it’s time to sadly leave, so I think you’re not getting a good taste of how great the cruises can be. 4 nights are slightly better in that case. Yes, that one additional day makes a noticeable difference. Our favorite are the 7 nights since it gives you a few days to figure out the ship, get settled, and then also relax more. However, any cruise is better than no cruise!
It almost doesn’t matter where the ship is going. The ports are almost just a bonus for us. We sail DCL because of the ships, and usually just stay on the ships. There’s so much to do, even on the port days. Each one offers a slightly different experience with different Broadway quality stage shows and different themed restaurants. We’ve done all four of the classic ships and loved them all, and will be experiencing the newest Wish ship soon! We can’t wait! I have cruise info and trip recaps (click on the Menu above) on my site and will post info about the Wish asap.
If you’re going to book any sailings, try to do so as soon as your booking window opens. If you want me to help do your booking or just chat about Disney or any other cruises, feel free to contact me below. Bon voyage!