Eating as much soft-serve ice cream as your body can handle. Spending all day lounging around in the pool. Devouring unlimited chicken tenders, pizza, and other meals included. And (of course) hanging out with Disney characters and watching world-class shows. Being on a Disney Cruise might sound like a true dream come true, but (like most things in life) it comes at a COST.

For so many reasons, Disney cruises are incredibly unique — from their family-focused atmosphere to the food, entertainment, and more that only Disney can deliver. You might be thinking “Yes! Sign me up for the next sailing! Let’s go on a cruise with Mickey!” But you’ll have to hold up for just one second. What will this cruise cost you? What options do you have when it comes to cheaper cruises or more expensive trips? How much should you prepare to spend on this special trip? Today, we’re breaking it down!

What Affects Cruise Line Costs?

Before we go through exactly what your cruise might cost, we have to first break down what could impact the price of your trip. Prices can vary (a LOT) based on different factors, including things like travel dates, room type, destination, and more. Changing up these factors can make a HUGE difference in the price of your vacation!

First, let’s discuss room type. When booking a Disney Cruise, you’ll notice that there’s a stark contrast in price between the various stateroom types. Inside staterooms are the cheapest, followed by Oceanview. Oceanview rooms will have a porthole but not a balcony. If you want something a bit fancier than that, then you can go for an Oceanview Room with a Verandah — these rooms have their own balconies. The most expensive room category is Concierge, which offers the highest quality rooms with the best amenities, including access to the Concierge Lounge.

You also may be able to save some money by traveling on the older ships. Disney Cruise Line has 4 ships currently sailing — the Disney Wonder and Disney Magic are the oldest ships. The Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream are newer. And soon the brand NEW Disney Wish will be setting sail.

You may find that some 4-night cruises on the Disney Wonder are cheaper than 4-night cruises on the much newer Disney Dream. Both of these ships also tend to be cheaper than sailing on the brand new Disney Wish, which sets sail in July 2022. For example, you’ll see that a 4-night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Magic starts at around $,2074 for 2 guests…

…while a 4-night cruise from a different port but with the same stops starts at $2,267 for 2 guests.

It’s also important to note that certain ports of call and destinations are typically more expensive than others. Traveling to ports like Alaska or Europe will generally cost you a pretty penny compared to a visit to the Caribbean or the Bahamas. The Alaskan and European trips are also typically much longer, which adds to the total price.

Your travel dates can also make a big impact on the price. Taking a cruise in December right at the peak of the holiday season could cost you thousands more than the same voyage in September. Cruise rates will typically go up during holiday seasons and long weekends when students are out of school, while they’ll be cheaper during hurricane season or during “slower” periods when children are in school.

Specialty sailings like the Very Merrytime Cruises, Halloween on the High Seas, or Pixar Day at Sea, can also make your sailing more expensive.

There are several other factors that you shouldn’t forget about when pricing your vacation. Disney Cruises offer an inclusive feel and they do in fact include a LOT of things, but there are some things you’ll have to budget extra pocket money for, like airline fares, travel expenses, spa treatments, alcoholic beverages, upgraded dining experiences (like Palo and Remy), tips and gratuities, and port adventures. Make sure to keep those in mind while budgeting!

So, what is included in the cruise cost? For your baseline cruise expense, you can expect: your stateroom (of course) tons of dining options and room service (get that soft serve and stock up on chicken tenders), Broadway-caliber shows, a fireworks spectacular on select sailings, access to youth/teen clubs and child services (though note that some things like the nursery are an additional cost), night clubs and lounges, pools, and recreation areas, a movie theatre, games and oodles of family activities, and (when the cruise includes a stop there) access to Disney private island, Castaway Cay.

Click Here to Learn More About Disney Cruising During the Holidays!

Alright, now that we’ve talked about general pricing factors, let’s break down some sample pricing for those sticking to a tight budget, those in the medium realm, and those looking to go ALL OUT on their Disney Cruise budget.

The Budget Route

If you’re looking to cruise on a tighter budget, then an Inside Stateroom is likely your best option. You might be able to upgrade to an Oceanview or Verandah if you choose to travel during the off-season, like the early fall or the late winter.

We searched for a Disney Cruise Line sailing for any destination, on any ship, and departing from any port within the next few months for a party of 4 — 2 adults and 2 kids (ages 7 and 6). During our search, these are some of the cheapest prices we saw within each category:

1-3 night cruises: $2,056 (total) for a 3-night Baja Cruise (Inside Stateroom)

4-night cruises: $2,299 (total) for a 4-night Baja Cruise (Inside Stateroom)

5-6 night cruises: $2,804 (total) for a 5-night Baja Cruise (Inside Stateroom)

7-night cruises: $3,979 (total) for a 7-night Mexican Riviera Cruise (Inside Stateroom)

8-13 night cruises: $6,709 (total) for a 8-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise (Inside Stateroom)

That, of course, is just based on the cruises we saw as available during our search. Availability and pricing can vary. But hopefully, this gives you a better idea of the general range in pricing on the cheaper side of Disney Cruise Line (around $2,050-$6,700).

Note also that these prices are totals for the entire trip for the entire family. You can see how one of these prices would break down in the summary below.

Remember that these are just starting prices on the cheaper side of the price ranges. The dates for these trips are likely mainly during “slower” times like early January or other times when you might not otherwise have expected vacation time.

You may not get those same cheap prices during the holidays or during the summer. However, you may be able to sail during March or April and still get relatively inexpensive rates depending on the situation. You’ve just got to do some digging around and see what your budget will allow!

Click here to get a sneak peek at the Little Mermaid show coming to the Disney Wish cruise ship!

The Moderate Price

If you can stretch and afford a little bit more, you could potentially go for a balcony, more expensive destinations, or other “splurges.” Let’s take a look at some cruising options that are a bit more expensive than our cheaper selections.

For these examples, we looked at cruises more in the middle of the listings when it comes to starting price, and we then looked at rooms in the Oceanview or Verandah Category for the price (again, trying to stay in sort-of the middle range when possible).

1-3 night cruises: $2,983 (total) (Oceanview) or $3,401 (total) (Verandah) for a 3-night Bahamian Cruise

4-night cruises: $3,858 (total) (Oceanview) or $5,626 (total) (Verandah) for a 4-night Bahamian Cruise

5-6 night cruises: $4,518 (total) (Oceanview) or $5,330 (total) (Verandah) for a 6-night Western Caribbean Cruise

7-night cruises: $6,242 (total) (Oceanview) or $6,676 (total) (Verandah) for a 7-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise

8-13 night cruises: $11,770 (total) (Oceanview) or $16,162 (total) (Verandah) for an 11-night Norway, Iceland, and Scotland Cruise (maybe this should fall into the FANCY vacation pricing though at those costs!)

As you can see, a moderately priced sailing could cost anywhere between close to $3,000 on the cheaper side to up to $7,000 or so for longer cruises (excluding those 11k and 16k figures for that pricier cruise!). If you stick to a budget of around $4,000-7,000, you’ll generally be able to have your choice of the stateroom on 4, 5, or 6-night cruises to places in the Caribbean, Bahamas, or even the Pacific Coast.

Push the budget up to the $7,000-$8,000 range, you could do a nice 7-night trip to the Eastern Caribbean or some other spots. With an Oceanview or Verandah stateroom, you’ll have a great view of the amazing sights you’ll pass along the way!

With this kind of budget, you’ll be able to travel for more of the week. And if you stay on the lower end of the budget, you’ll have extra cash to spend on port adventures and other upgrades!

Click Here For What to Know Before Cruising With Disney!

The Fancy Vacation

But, let’s say you want to be extra fancy. We’re talking ALL THE BIG BUCKS. Concierge, long cruises to fabulous places, the WORKS. How much could you spend then? Well, if you got the maximum level of luxury, you could easily spend tens of thousands of dollars!

For this exercise, we took a look at the most expensive starting price for the cruise in each of the sets of days and then looked at what concierge would cost for each one. For some others though, we hopped around to find those REALLY pricey trips. If you’re gonna go all out, you go ALL OUT, am I right?!

1-3 night cruises: $10,791 for a 3-night Bahamian Cruise (Very Merrytime) (December 23-26th, 2022)

4-night cruises: $27,460 for a 4-night Bahamian Cruise (Very Merrytime) (November 14-18th, 2022) (Though note that other dates had concierge for around $9,500)

5-6 night cruises: $20,573 for a 5-night Mediterranean Cruise

7-night cruises: $26,592 for a 7-night Western European Cruise

8-13 night cruises: $70,249 (total) for a 12-night Mediterranean with Greek Isles Cruise (TALK ABOUT FANCY!)

Booking a concierge stateroom alone can get super expensive (more than $10K for a family of four!) but upgrading that room to a fancier suite can make it even more costly.

For the epitome of fancy, check out the Wish Tower Suite onboard the Disney Wish or some kind of concierge suite with more than 1 room.

Thankfully, not every Disney Cruise Line package will cost you as much as a new car! And there are often discounts or deals available that could help you lower those costs.

However, even you “budget” shoppers will want to keep a few things in mind. Disney definitely doesn’t have the cheapest cruises out there. You can go on a trip on some other cruise lines for a similar length of time for significantly LESS. But you’re paying the higher price for the Disney Cruise for a number of things — the fact that sodas are included (small, but still a useful feature), the split bathrooms that appear in many rooms, the Disney feel, the special entertainment you’ll get on board, and all of the extra touches of Disney “magic.” They may be pricey, but Disney Cruises are a one-of-a-kind vacation!

Also, even though most of your costs are included, you’ll still probably want to bring some extra cash. Little things around the ship will add up, like drinks for the adults, bonus snacks, souvenirs, photos, or other add-ons. Budget for it just in case — better to be safe than sorry!

So there you have it — a breakdown of the costs to go on a Disney Cruise! Just keep in mind that these cruise prices can vary and can be affected by a number of things including the COVID-19 pandemic and more.

Want some help on your cruise planning? Consider using a certified travel agent! We highly recommend our friends over at Small World Vacations. They’ve got a wealth of knowledge planning all kinds of Disney trips (including cruises) and their services are totally FREE!

Also, keep in mind that travel restrictions and COVID-19 related rules are constantly changing, some of which can impact the cruise industry so make sure you stay up to date before your cruise sails!

If you want more tips on Disney travel and all the latest Disney Cruise Line news, stay tuned to DFB!

Click Here to Learn More About the Disney Wish!

Have you ever been on a Disney Cruise? Let us know in the comments!

The post What It Costs to Take a Disney Cruise first appeared on the disney food blog.