How to Skip the Crowds | Disney Cruise Line 101

One of the biggest advantages of a Disney Cruise Line vacation is that you can meet the princesses, enjoy water slides and soak up the Disney magic almost without waiting in lines.
Almost.
What if you wanted to avoid almost every crowd or line on your fantasy vacation?



Wow!
Can I get my other two wishes, too?

That dream can come true too!


1.) Timing is Key

This is a simple tip of being where everyone wants to be (on the Aquaduck, visiting Mickey Mouse and boarding the ship) when all the other people are doing something else.

Embarkation
For boarding day, you select a port arrival time somewhere between 10 AM and 3:30 PM. If you show up with the crowds before boarding the ship begins (between 11 AM and noon) there can be a bit of a back up at the check-in desks and at the very least crowds.

Show up before your selected port arrival time?
I wouldn't recommend it.

While Galveston enjoys plentiful seating, the terminal itself is bare bones. At Port Canaveral, you lounge in beautiful surroundings but with relatively sparse seating. Both can get fairly crowded before boarding begins. If you arrive around 12:30 or 1PM, most of the crowds have worked their way through boarding.
Another tip, once you begin boarding bypassing the boarding photo (with backdrop and ship's photographer) is allowed. They use these photos to assist the facial recognition software and gather your stateroom's photots for the remainder of the vacation. It's your choice whether waiting for a photo is worth it for you.

Morning People
Nobody wants to wake up early on vacation.


Sunrise on deck is usually a beautiful and fairly solitary experience.

Unless, of course, you want an empty deck for your pre-dawn jog, uninterrupted view of sunrise, an almost empty breakfast buffet and multiple rides on the Aquaduck or Mickey slide with next to zero waiting. Then it might be worth it to wake up early and indulge in a mid-afternoon snooze rather than sleeping in.

Be a Manatee Lover
Isn't it lovely to enjoy a nice relaxing afternoon bobbing along and letting amusement come as it may? Embrace the life of the manatee. Grab your popcorn and snacks and hit the theatre. Finding a front row seat at the stage shows can be far easier at two than at eight. Similarly, the characters at the goodnight kiss edition of "'Til We Meet Again!" enjoy the lines commonly seen during mid-summer  at Walt Disney World.
The mid-afternoon show?
Not so much.
Check out your Personal Navigator or the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App on your phone to see if there will be manatees aboard your cruise.
Matinee?
Yes. That's right. Matinees.

Disembarkation
Everyone is asked to be at the same restaurant for breakfast on disembarkation morning as they ate the previous evening, but if you'd prefer the road less traveled Cove Café offers coffee and the buffet offers breakfast as well (though that can get zoo-y). If you head down to the atrium around the beginning of second seating it tends to empty out and eases some of the debarkation congestion.

2.) Be Flexible

Many of our favorite memories with the characters are totally unplanned. Belle plops down in the hallway to read to kids midafternoon, just another unannounced character interaction.

Six little girls gather around as Belle reads a story on the floor near the atrium.

Stitch sneaks up behind some kids club counselors and startles the living daylights out of them. Donald does a little dance with my daughter as we head to the restroom. Peter Pan dashes by in search of his shadow. None of these involve lines or pre-planning if you leave some flexibility to enjoy the unexpected moments.
Just another day on the cruise.

3.) Be Unique in Port

All Aboard
As soon as "All Ashore" is called, the ship empties out pretty quickly. It is pretty easy to take empty or nearly empty daytime ship photos, but there's more to do than take pictures.

Mid-morning on a port day and the atrium is almost empty.

Spa specials abound on port days and the pool deck becomes a ghost town. Character meet and greets, though few and far between on port days are generally short on the lines. All of the restaurants will be long on space and short on waiting.

All Ashore
If you want to explore the port without a tour group, you can sleep in and eat after most of your ship mates have made their way to the shore.



Castillo de San Felipe in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Touring where you want and at your own speed  makes for a personal vacation experience. Finding hidden pockets of magic on your own timetable. No hurrying, no waiting, no groups.

4.) Upgrade

Concierge involves many perks. On the Dream-class ship, there is a concierge lounge and a private sundeck for their exclusive use. Neither of them crowded and neither is on the classic ships.

Upgrade?
Don't mind if I do!

Enjoying a little extra private space your speed?
Have you seen the verandahs on the larger suites?



Triple Wide Verandah from the Walt Disney Suite on the Disney Wonder

Plenty of space for lounging, watching the sea and enjoying a coffee, afternoon snack or fruity drink.
Still not enough space?

Private hot tub, no waiting.

The Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy offer more space on their verandahs than the square footage in my first apartment.
And four loungers.
And a breakfast nook that seeks six.
And a private hot tub.

If upgrading for the entire cruise is out of budget, maybe set aside a bit of your port adventure for a cabana on Castaway Cay.

Cabanas on Castaway Cay offer more privacy and less crowding.

A cabana is a little slice of heaven.
Sand and surf with nary a crowd in sight.
"It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

5.) That's the Ticket!

If you're planning to meet the Frozen sisters, wouldn't it be nice to know that you are guaranteed to encounter a very short line if any?
Just remember that all of these are ticketed events.
Thankfully, they are included in your cruise!

RSVP for the princesses!

A number of free events take place on every cruise, but some require tickets. Currently, cruisers who wish to meet the royalty of Arendelle, need to pick up tickets the first afternoon for a meet and greet with Anna and Elsa later in their voyage. Much like FastPass+, these cut down on that whole pesky "waiting in line" and gets you straight into the "meeting the princesses" part of the experience. Check your Personal Navigator for when (usually the first afternoon upon boarding) and where (often the Port Adventures or Guest Services desk) to obtain your tickets.

Other events that require ticketing can include gingerbread house making (seasonally), the princess gathering, meeting the characters from Playhouse Disney, Tea Parties (character vary) and occasionally galley tours. Check your navigator to see what is being offered on your cruise!

Take time for tea!

Sometimes tickets for these events will be available on the day of the event. Many times they are gone well in advance. If you find you can't use your tickets, please return them to Guest Services and pass the pixie dust on to another guest!
With only a few of these tips, you can spend less time in line and more time enjoying a magical vacation.
Happy sails!
How do you avoid crowds on your vacation?