What Is Included on a Disney Cruise in Australia?
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Disney Cruise Line has just finished it’s inaugural season of sailings in Australia and New Zealand. While the Disney Wonder makes its way back to the USA, many Australian’s are already preparing for it’s second season down under, kicking off in October 2024. If you’re looking to book a 2024/25 sailing but want to make sure you will get your money’s worth, here is a guide on exactly what you can expect to be included in the cost of your cruise!
We were pretty excited to be going on our FIRST EVER Disney Cruise during the 2023/24 sailings!
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While cruises in general can be on the pricier side, there is a good reason for that. The novelty of a cruise is that (almost) everything is included, meaning once you’re on board, you can put your credit card away and just enjoy yourselves. Now what is included on a cruise will depend on the cruise line and while Disney Cruise Line has a somewhat higher price tag compared to some other popular cruise lines, it is justified by the many inclusions on offer. The Australian sailings are no different, with a plethora of amazing inclusions that make your cruise worth every penny.
If you’re looking to book an Australian Disney Cruise, check out our ULTIMATE guide on Disney Cruises Down Under!
While everything you need to have an enjoyable cruise is included, there are plenty of extras that come at an additional cost so you can further tailor your cruise to suit your needs. How much you spend onboard the ship is discretionary, with there being different activity, food and beverage options on offer. However, even without opting in to any of these, you will not run out of included things to enjoy. Without further ado, let’s get into what will be included on your next Disney cruise in Australia!
Use code ‘GOFORLAUNCH’ on your first booking with Klook to get a discount on your Disney Cruise!
INCLUSIONS
ACCOMMODATION
The first, and most obvious inclusion, is accommodation. The price of your cruise will include a stateroom for the duration of the cruise, and the type and location of the stateroom will depend on the category of room you have booked. The Disney Wonder has four main categories, which in turn encompass ten different room types. The most luxurious category is Concierge, and then you have Verandah, Oceanview and Inside.
Inside the stateroom you will generally find a bed, a couch (that can also turn into a pull out bed), a small desk, a fridge, some hanging space, and a bathroom, but obviously higher categories will have a larger space, and more inside the room.
We opted for an interior room on our 2023/24 sailing and it was perfectly fine for us. While it didn’t have a balcony or a verandah, we found that we spent very little time in our stateroom so it didn’t bother us too much. Also, can we talk about the beds? It had to be one of the most comfortable beds we’ve ever slept on and we’ve never slept better.
On Disney Cruises, you are also assigned a room attendant. On your Embarkation Day, your room attendant will try to track you down and introduce themselves, a nice touch which we really liked. Plus, every time we ran into each other we were greeted by name which made the whole experience feel more personal.
TRANSPORT
The second inclusion is also somewhat obvious, and that is transport. Your time on board the cruise as it sails through the sea is included, and depending on the itinerary you have booked, you will also be transported to any ports of call. While the smoothness of the journey will largely depend on the weather, a lot of the time you may not even notice the ship is moving.
Waving to people who turned out to watch the Disney Wonder depart on its inaugural sailing in Australia!
Not a bad view as the Disney Wonder departs Circular Quay in Sydney!
TIP: If you are prone to motion sickness, or are concerned you may be, we’d definitely recommend bringing along some travel sickness medication. If you do happen to fall quite sick on the ship, the first aid centre has plenty of travel sickness medication and can help you out.
FOOD & DRINK
Make sure you check out the novelty coffees at Cove Café, these are subject to an additional cost, but well worth it for the snaps! Note, Cove Café is an adults only venue.
Next up is food. Having been on a Royal Caribbean cruise in the past, we were interested to see how this compared, and found the food and drink inclusions on Disney Cruise Line to be of much better value. While other cruise lines will make you pay for a drinks package if you want unlimited enjoyment of soft drinks, tea and coffee, these are all complimentary on a Disney Cruise. Obviously, and what tends to be common across all cruise lines, alcoholic or speciality coffee drinks are not included, meaning if you’re wanting to snap a picture of some Mickey Mouse coffee art, you will have to pay for your speciality coffee from Cove Café. If you are an Australian coffee-snob like most Australians, the included coffee probably won’t be up to your standard, but if you aren’t too picky, it is a great way to save some extra cash.
In terms of dining options, the inclusions were fairly similar to other cruises. There is a buffet option (Cabanas), many quick service options, and then sit-down restaurants. While we can only compare our experience to that on Royal Caribbean, we found that experience on Disney Cruise Line to be superior. On Harmony of the Seas, there was one, big main dining room that spanned several floors and this is where you could have your slightly fancier sit-down dinners, with an entree, main and dessert.
On the Disney Wonder, instead of one, big main dining room, there are three sit-down restaurants, each themed differently, making the experience more interactive and exciting. Disney Cruise Line are also famous for their rotational dining system, whereby you and your server move restaurants each night, to ensure everyone gets to try all options. Between the food, the theming and the meal-time entertainment, we found the dining options to be of greater value than our previous cruise.
Enjoy some live music and meet Tiana and Louis at Tiana’s Place!
The famous Black Truffle Pasta from Animator’s Palate
If you would like to eat more flexibly throughout the day, the quick service venues provide a variety of options, ranging from healthy salads and sandwiches, to American classics like hotdogs and chicken strips, and even unlimited soft serve ice-cream.
Similar to other cruises, the included food is somewhat “unlimited”. At Cabanas, you can go back for as many plates as you’d like. In the restaurants, if you want to try every dessert, you can try every dessert. If you want a soft service ice-cream five times a day, go for it. Our servers in the restaurants liked to note that if we ordered something and didn’t like it, to let them know, and we could order something else. While we opted to not waste food, they are determined to ensure you get your value out of the cruise!
ENTERTAINMENT
Given it is a Disney Cruise, all the entertainment centres around, well, Disney! If you’re a Disney lover, this will be a dream, and you’ll find it hard to ever go on a different cruise again. If you’re not a Disney lover, don’t rule yourself out just yet, because the quality of the shows is right up there with the best.
Frozen, A Musical Spectacular is a broadway-style show offered during the 2023/24 sailings on the Disney Wonder
Heroes Unite was a stunt-style show on the 2023/24 sailings of the Disney Wonder
Meet Captain Mickey on the Disney Wonder!
While the exact entertainment on offer may change prior to the 2024/25 sailings, on a Disney Cruise sailing in Australia, you can expect the find the following included entertainment options:
Broadway-style shows
Nighttime spectaculars, including fireworks
Character meet and greets
Movie showings in the Buena Vista Theatre - and if you’re lucky, there may even be movies playing that have only just released in the cinemas!
Water activities (e.g. pools, waterslide and splash pads)
Recreational activities (e.g. basketball)
Fitness centre
Character dance parties
Onboard activities (e.g. trivia, drawing workshops and more)
KIDS CLUBS
Have you seen photos of Disney’s incredible kids clubs and thought, gee I wonder how much that costs? Well, you’re in luck. Kids clubs are included in the price of a Disney Cruise. This includes Disney’s Oceaneer Club and Lab, Edge which is designed for tweens, and the ultimate teen hangout Vibe.
One of the incredible four themed areas inside Disney’s Oceaneer Club
NOTE: The “it’s a Small World” Nursery is not included in the cost of your cruise and if you wish to utilise this will come at an additional cost.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?
Despite there being so many wonderful things included in the price of your cruise, there are always things that aren’t included. Some of these will be necessary expenses, like gratuities, whilst others are optional extras to allow you to tailor your cruise to your needs.
Without getting in to too many specifics, not included in the price of your cruise will be:
Some of the exclusive AU/NZ merchandise on the inaugural season of the Disney Wonder in Australia and New Zealand
Airfares and ground transfers
Gratuities
Speciality dining options (Palo, Royal Court Royal Tea Party)
Alcoholic beverages and speciality coffees
Shore excursions
Senses Spa & Salon
Certain onboard activities, such as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, bingo and mixology classes
Merchandise
Internet
Professional photography
“it’s a Small World” nursery
Relaxing on the Disney Wonder as it cruises through Australia!
We hope that provides you some further guidance when looking to plan your next Disney Cruise in Australia! If you’d like to see a more detailed breakdown of EVERYTHING you should know, check out our Ultimate Guide to Disney Cruises in Australia! You can also check out our YouTube video of our full experience on the FIRST EVER Disney Cruise in Australia!
If you’re looking to book your next Disney Cruise in Australia, you can use the code ‘GOFORLAUNCH’ for your first booking on Klook to get a small discount!
We hope you enjoy your cruise!
