Our Family’s Transatlantic Disney Cruise: Was It Worth It?

LA CORUÑA, SPAIN

Our first few days crossing the Bay of Biscay were plagued by some very rough seas. Fortunately, none of my family suffer with seasickness at all, and we were completely unaffected by this. In fact, we all found it quite fun! I have never experienced being quite so dramatically rocked to sleep at night, and I have to say it definitely helped my insomnia!

The majority of other passengers, however, were not so fortunate, and for the first few days most people were confined to their cabins suffering with bad cases of seasickness. This meant that lines for characters were absolutely minimal for us, and we spent our first day playing with princesses in the lobby who had almost nobody else to entertain!

We finally docked in Spain on day three of our sailing, on a drizzly November day in the port town of La Coruña. We donned our waterproof jackets and had a walk around the town. We kept it low-key, grabbed a matcha and had a stroll taking in some of the sights, before retreating into good old McDonald’s for some not-so-traditional Spanish fare! The rain got the better of us after lunch and we hopped back on board.

We had been scheduled to stop the following day in the nearby port of Vigo, but our Captain made an announcement advising us that the sea conditions that evening looked to be extremely poor, and for our own safety he had decided we would stay put in La Coruña overnight and skip Vigo the following day.

This meant we had the opportunity to see La Coruña at night if we wished, and we also had the following day there too. As we’d already seen what we wanted to, we made the most of a quiet ship instead.

FUNCHAL, MADEIRA

Our final port of call was the Portuguese island of Madeira. Here we were blessed with much more pleasant weather, and so we spent our day exploring in the sunshine before settling down on the rocky island shores with some delicious pastel de nata while the children paddled in the sea.

One of my favourite memories of this trip was watching as our ship sailed out of Madeira in the evening. The island looked so beautiful all lit up as we sailed away, and it was strange but also exciting to think that this was our last glimpse of dry land for a week as we headed out into the Atlantic on our way to the USA.

A SURPRISE STOP IN THE BAHAMAS

Probably the most magical moment of our cruise came on day ten, when the Captain announced that — as an apology for our missed port of Vigo — they had arranged some pixie dust for us by way of a surprise stop at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, in the Bahamas.

I will never forget the squeals of delight that came in unison from the passengers on board as Daisy and Donald Duck ran around in excitement, high-fiving everyone!

My kids were so excited for the opportunity to experience the Bahamas — something none of us ever thought we would get to do.

Our day there was wonderful. We spent time floating in the crystal-clear ocean waters, watching as thousands of tiny silver fish swam all around us and stingrays brushed past our feet. We lay in hammocks on the white sandy beaches. We ate a delicious lunch provided by the ship’s staff in the island barbecue restaurants, included free of charge along with help-yourself drinks, soft-serve ice cream and fruit. My son and partner also enjoyed a snorkelling with stingrays experience as an extra-charge activity.

The day felt as though it was over far too quickly, of course, but I will forever be thankful that we got to spend some time there. It was truly a dream come true.

LIFE ONBOARD DURING SEA DAYS

This was the part I’d been most unsure about — how we would fill so many sea days, keep the children entertained and not end up going stir-crazy in an enclosed space with the same people for almost an entire week.

But I needn’t have worried.

The sea days gave us the opportunity to really relax into the cruise experience in a way I’ve never experienced on any other sailing before. We settled into a daily rhythm of late, relaxed mornings — often opting for a buffet brunch rather than an early-riser breakfast (lots of people on board headed to the buffet in their pyjamas, such was the relaxed, easy-going vibe). We usually followed this with an afternoon mix of scheduled activities like quizzes, craft sessions or character meet and greets, alongside some R&R time at the pools taking in the movies on Funnel Vision or relaxing in the hot tubs.

Our evenings were spent enjoying dinner in the onboard restaurants, where our dining team were so friendly and personable that by the end of our sailing they had really begun to feel like part of the family. After dinner we would see a show in the theatres, catch a movie in the onboard cinemas or out on deck, or head to one of the dance parties or karaoke sessions.

My younger two kids didn’t spend as much time in the kids’ club as they have done on previous cruises, which I think was more down to them being at very in-between ages — probably feeling more ready for the teen club but not quite there age-wise. This wasn’t an issue, though; they enjoyed the evening activities on board and were perfectly content to hang out playing family games of Uno in communal spaces with us.

My eldest, at 12 years old, loved the teen club and wanted to spend every evening there after making friends with kids from Australia, Finland and lots of other countries.

I felt the extended number of sea days on this sailing gave us the perfect mix of family time and independent time for the kids to have fun in their own ways too.

WHAT DISNEY DOES DIFFERENTLY ON A LONG CRUISE

My favourite thing about this sailing was the number of special character experiences we had on board. We had chosen this sailing in the hopes of having time with the characters without enormous queues, and it certainly delivered that for us.

There were numerous character meet and greets available every single day, including lots of special opportunities to meet rarer characters or see old favourites in outfits you don’t usually get to see — such as Mickey and the gang in their formal attire or European outfits. We also had the chance to take photos with the entire gang all at once — something that is reserved only for these special sailings and felt very exclusive.

As well as those scheduled meet and greets listed in the app, we were fortunate enough to stumble across characters roaming around the ship on many occasions. We would bump into Snow White and Belle taking evening strolls around the deck, my kids were taken for a walk hand-in-hand with Goofy one evening when we bumped into him getting out of the lift, and we even experienced a dance party that hadn’t been advertised anywhere and therefore had only minimal guests taking part.

One night I even found myself kept company by Goofy as I sat waiting outside the kids’ club for my children to finish playing — just the two of us hanging out in the armchairs! My kids said that by the end of the sailing, the characters had started to feel like old friends, which I think will make for an incredibly precious memory.

As well as the character interactions, Disney also laid on some amazing entertainment as part of the transatlantic crossing. From cooking classes with the onboard chefs to special performances in the theatres, there was so much to see and do that we were absolutely spoiled for choice.

My favourite experiences had to be the audience with renowned Disney animator Don “Duckie” Williams, who gave a talk about his time with the Walt Disney Animation Company while showcasing and auctioning off his drawings (we didn’t win one, but as mentioned earlier our very kind waiter asked him to draw a personalised sketch for our kids on our last evening, which we will treasure forever), and the Crew Talent Show — a showcase of talent by crew members you don’t usually see taking centre stage. We had a rock band made up of cabin stewards and a keyboard demonstration by one of the waiters. The show was the perfect mix of hilarious and incredibly moving.

I also have to mention the afternoon game of Crew Hide and Seek. We almost skipped this as it clashed with something else, but I’m so glad we didn’t — it was such good fun. Do not skip it!

The crew on board were excellent and incredibly friendly throughout our sailing, and we also loved getting to know other passengers over the duration of the cruise. Rotational dining kept things interesting too; rather than eating in the same restaurant every night as you might on a traditional cruise line, you rotate between the three restaurants on board, each with new and interesting menus.

THE HARD PARTS

Of course, it wouldn’t be an honest family review if I didn’t talk about the difficult parts of the trip too. We’re a family of neurodivergent people, so it’s not realistic to expect there not to be any hiccups.

Some of my children struggled at times with the busier areas of the ship and found the more crowded dance parties overwhelming and overstimulating. There were also occasions when we couldn’t agree on which activity or meet and greet to prioritise when several were available at the same time. These are issues that crop up on most trips we take, and there’s little we can do other than ride those moments out.

One issue I wish I’d been more aware of was disembarkation delays. We were initially allocated an 8am disembarkation time, which was very early for our kids and also around an hour before our scheduled breakfast slot. We asked at Guest Services if this could be changed and were advised to disembark at 9am instead.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make it to breakfast on time and missed our slot entirely. We said a quick goodbye to our waiters and attempted to disembark the ship, only to find ourselves stuck in the longest queue I think I have ever waited in. We were in line for almost two hours waiting to leave the ship, followed by a further hour in the port collecting our luggage and passing through passport control.

Had I known it would take this long, I would have kept our original breakfast slot, as we would have had plenty of time.

Waiting in such long lines without water was incredibly difficult for all of us, particularly for our kids, and they struggled to stay regulated. I later found out that I could have alerted Guest Services to their disabilities and been accommodated to leave earlier, which I really wish had been communicated more clearly to us. This is something I will absolutely enquire about next time.

WAS IT WORTH IT FOR OUR FAMILY?

Is a transatlantic Disney cruise worth it? Yes, yes, yes!

This was one of the most incredible holidays we have ever taken together, and we all enjoyed it far more than I ever thought we would. I cannot wait to plan another transatlantic Disney cruise in the very near future.

This type of sailing is fantastic for adult Disney fans and families alike, and works particularly well for neurodivergent people who benefit from longer periods of time to acclimatise, repeated opportunities to meet favourite characters, and special experiences designed for true Disney superfans.

However, if you or your family struggle with seasickness, I would strongly recommend bringing medication that works well for you and carefully considering whether this is the right sailing, as this did impact many people on our ship.

For our family of two adults and three tweens, it was the perfect mix of fun and relaxation — and we all agreed that we can’t wait to sail again.

TIPS FOR SAILING WITH DISNEY CRUISE LINE

If you’re planning on sailing with Disney Cruise Line, whether you’re considering a transatlantic crossing or a shorter sailing, here are some tips that will help.

• Pack reusable mugs or cups (and a mug carrier if you’re a family). The drinks stations are on the pool deck, and bringing larger refillable mugs saves you from multiple trips back and forth as the provided paper cups are tiny!

• Take part in Fish Extender swaps. These are unofficial and usually organised via Facebook groups. Search for your ship name and sailing date to find out if swaps are happening. My kids loved this and it added an extra special element to our trip.

• Pack a small day bag for onboard life. Even on sea days, it helps to have a lightweight bag with sunscreen, swimwear, dry clothes, books and autograph supplies. It saves trips back to the cabin and makes spontaneous plans easier.

• Don’t skip the kids’ club open house. These sessions let parents explore the spaces with their children, making later drop-offs much smoother. You can also sometimes spot unscheduled character appearances, such as Toy Story characters in Andy’s Room.

• Expect surprises at the kids’ club. Don’t let your kids skip sessions just because the app description doesn’t sound exciting. Often there’s much more to it — for example, “Boot Camp” often includes the Green Army Men from Toy Story training new recruits! Characters also appear regularly, including in the It’s a Small World nursery.

Looking back, this sailing gave us something we don’t always get from holidays — the space to slow down, reconnect and truly enjoy being together, without feeling rushed or overstimulated. Crossing an ocean as a family felt quietly profound, and the memories we made along the way are ones I know we’ll carry with us for years to come. If you’re considering a transatlantic Disney cruise and wondering whether it’s worth it, I hope our experience helps you decide — and maybe even inspires you to take the leap yourselves.