A vacation on the Disney Cruise Line is boatloads of fun, but that doesn’t always mean it’s smooth sailing.

The Disney Treasure is scheduled to set sail in December 2024, and we can hardly contain our excitement! While we’re eager to book a vacation aboard Disney’s newest cruise ship, there are a few uncomfortable problems associated with sailing aboard the Disney Treasure that we need to come to terms with first.

When considering sailing aboard the Disney Treasure, or any Disney Crusie Line ship, you’re in for a wildly different experience than one you’d get at the Disney Parks. You’re also in for a different set of problems. We’ve come up with eight problems you might run into while sailing with Disney. Let’s take a look!

Seasickness

This one is super obvious — if you’re prone to seasickness, sailing on a cruise ship may be a slight problem.

While seasickness can make a trip aboard the Disney Treasure unpleasant, it isn’t the end of the world. Some remedies include watching the horizon, anti-motion sickness medicine, ginger, fresh air, special bands, patches, and staying hydrated.

We recommend packing Bonine (a 24-hour non-drowsy motion sickness medicine), Dramamine, or over-the-counter motion sickness patches for not only Disney Cruise Line vacations but also if you suffer from motion sickness at the Disney Parks!

Too Many Disney Characters

For many, seeing Disney characters all over the ship is a fantastic bonus! For others, it’s simply too much.

We get that a cruise is supposed to feel different from a typical theme park experience. For the most part, it definitely is! But remember — this is a Disney cruise and, as with any Disney-themed vacation, characters will be involved. Being confined to a limited space just makes bumping into these characters much more frequent. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it is something to be aware of before you sail.

If meeting characters is near the top of your itinerary, you’re in luck! Over the years we’ve sailed with Disney, compiling information on all the characters you can meet, where you can meet them, special character appearances, and which ship to find unique characters. 

We have everything you need to know about Disney cruise character meet-and-greets for the rest of the Disney Cruise Line fleet and you can read all about them in our guide below!

The Ultimate Guide to the Best Character Meet and Greets on Disney Cruise Line

Complicated Dining Rotations

When you sail aboard a Disney cruise, you’ll have to deal with dining rotations.

These rotation schedules are assigned to you and can be found in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator App, but you can also bypass the rotational dining schedule with separate dining reservations.

The Disney Treasure will also have rotational dining that will include the following restaurants:

• 1923: An elegant dining experience inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood that offers a Californian culinary fusion. A fun feature of this restaurant is that you’ll be surrounded by classic and contemporary artwork and animation inspired by Walt Disney’s love of adventure while you dine!
• Worlds of Marvel: This dining adventure has you called upon as backup by Spider-Man to defeat an unexpected villain as they invade the ship in search of powerful quantum technology.
• Plaza de Coco: The newest addition to rotational dining, Plaza de Coco will serve traditional Mexican cuisine with a modern twist while featuring music from Coco performed by a Mariachi band. The restaurant is decorated with a foliage-covered ceiling and Coco-themed art on the walls, and will also be a character restaurant where you can meet Miguel and his family.

You’ll also be able to make dining reservations at Palo Steakhouse and Enchanté.  Dining at these specialty restaurants requires advanced dining reservations and an extra fee. You should also be mindful that these restaurants have a dress code and age minimum.

Working in reservations to your dining rotation can be tricky, as well as the entire pre-cruise process. We’ve got you covered with everything you need to know about cruise dining in our cruise guide below!

Ultimate Guide To Disney Cruise Line 2024

Crowds

New Disney-anything will inevitably draw crowds, as will some of the more Disney-fied areas of the Disney Treasure.

This is the first ship that’s bringing a bunch of Disney Parks-themed additions, so areas like the Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion lounges will likely be extremely popular. Remember when the Disney Wish first sailed with Hyperspace Lounge and it was so popular that many cruisers didn’t even get to see inside? Yeah — Haunted Mansion Parlor is absolutely going to be like that.

If you’re sailing on some of the Treasure’s initial voyages, be prepared for large crowds, longer waits, and some standing-room-only types of situations. As we saw with the Hyperspace Lounge, the Haunted Mansion Parlor might actually require reservations.

If you’re sailing on an early voyage, head to Haunted Mansion Parlor when you first arrive on the ship and see if you can book a spot at some point during the sailing — or check to see if you can book reservations via your Disney Cruise Line Navigator app. Usually, spots will be for 30-45 minutes only, so take a peek at the menu on your Disney Cruise Line Navigator app before you get there so you know exactly what you want to try!

If you want to ride the AquaMouse, you’ll definitely see long lines start to form as soon as it opens each day. Check opening hours for the attraction (warning: these will change daily) and make sure you’re there first thing. One of our best tips is to plan to ride the water attraction during the evening hours — when everyone else is at dinner and the show. Sure, you have to sacrifice one for the other, but hey, if you want to be the record-holder for the number of AquaMouse rides on one cruise like AJ and her son racked up, that’s the key!

One other great tip for avoiding super crowded spaces is to arrive at dinner about 5 minutes late. Have you ever seen those miles-long lines outside the rotational dining restaurants on the Disney Cruise Line? Those are only there for about 10 minutes right before the meal begins. Trust us — you do NOT have to wait in those lines. Your table is guaranteed and assigned. And you don’t have to arrive before the restaurant opens.

Get a drink at one of the atrium bars and stroll over to your meal about 5 minutes late. Everyone else will already be inside, and you’ll be able to breeze right in without a care in the world…and definitely no line.

Knowing What Essentials To Carry With You

What should go on your carry-on and what should you put in your luggage?

That’s something you should consider before boarding the Disney Treasure. We recommend carrying an extra change of clothes, swimsuit, and MagicBand when you arrive on the ship, as sometimes your luggage may not make it to your room before you. That can be super inconvenient if you intend to use the pools ASAP to take advantage of lower crowds on embarkation day.

Packing for a Disney cruise can be tricky, but we’ve done it so often that we’re here to help! If you’re curious about the essentials you absolutely need to bring, check out our recommendations below!

You Won’t Catch Us On a Disney Cruise Without These 14 Things

Oceaneer Club

Disney’s Oceaneer Club is a youth activity space for small children and provides a play place for kids when parents want to venture off alone.

A form of child care, the Oceaneer Club is exclusively for children ages 3 to 12 and features rooms themed to different Disney IP such as Toy Story, Star Wars, Marvel, Pixie Hollow, Disney Infinity, Disney Junior, Frozen, and more.

When kids are checked into the Oceaneer Club, they enter a common hub area from which the themed rooms are split off. At the centerpiece of the Club is a stage that allows kids to perform and Disney characters to say “hi”. There are also large-screen TVs showing Disney movies that may feature a surprise Disney character interaction from time to time!

Other youth spaces include the following:

• “it’s a small world” Nursery (Ages 6 months to 3 years)
• Disney’s Oceaneer Lab (Ages 3 to 12)
• Edge (Ages 11-14)
• Vibe (Ages 14-17)

Warming up to the Oceaneer Club may take time for your kids. It’s undoubtedly a ton of fun, but your kids might not feel comfortable with you leaving them right away. This is not always the case, but something to be mindful of if you’re traveling with kids. To learn more about Disney Cruise Line child care and kids clubs, check out our guide!

Ultimate Guide To Disney Cruise Child Care and Kids Clubs

Overindulgence

Cruises come with A TON of unlimited food, but we recommend resisting temptation a bit.

We get it — you want to get your money’s worth and eat everything until your heart’s content. However, mix in a stomach that’s too full, the constant motion, and the change in dietary habits, and you’re just asking for trouble. Indulge, but know your limits. We want you to spend your entire vacation happy and healthy after all!

A big part of avoiding overindulgence is having a game plan before you board the ship. We can help with that — check out our ultimate guide to cruise restaurants below!

An Overview of EVERY Disney Cruise Line Restaurant

Fear of Sailing

Another obvious problem you could come across is the fear of sailing.

The ocean is big, navigating the ship can be a chore, and inclement weather can cause justifiable anxiety. While we can’t fix these issues, we do recommend doing your homework before your trip to ease worries and understand that Disney takes its responsibility seriously.  You are in professional hands and your cruise experience is tailored towards fun, relaxation, and total safety.

Knowing as much as you can about the Disney Treasure and the Disney Cruise Line before you go is a great way to ease anxiety. Our guide below has everything you’d ever want to know and more!

Setting Sail With Disney Cruise Line

There you have it! Despite these problems, we CAN’T WAIT to sail aboard the Disney Treasure! In the meantime, stay tuned here at DFB for the latest Disney Cruise Line news!

Will the Disney Treasure Sail to Disney’s Newest Island Destination? Here’s What You Need to Know!

What are some issues you’ve encountered while sailing on the Disney Cruise Line? Let us know how you conquered them in the comments below!