Are Disney Cruise Line Very Merrytime Cruises Worth It?

I recently went on one of Disney Cruise Line’s Very Merrytime Cruises. These are seasonal cruises that claim to have special offerings and really help you get into the holiday season. But they also often come with a higher price tag.

So is the Very Merrytime Cruise worth it? Let’s discuss before you pay the price tag.

Now it’s no secret that Disney is the creme de la creme when it comes to cruise lines. On a normal day, Disney Cruise comes with a much higher price tag. But you also are going to get a higher quality experience; you won’t see drunk people everywhere, there is no gambling, no twerking competitions, etc. It isn’t a stereotypical cruise line by any means. And I am a big fan of Disney Cruise Line as a whole – you can read more about what Disney Cruise ship is best for your family here.

Let’s discuss Disney’s “themed” cruises. When you’re booking you may see a banner across your cruise dates that looks something like the image below. This means your cruise has some additional offerings during it that makes it themed. Some of these things include special food, decor, events, etc. Some of these themes could be Halloween on the High Seas or even Marvel Day at Sea.

During the holiday season all of Disney’s fleet becomes holiday-themed with Very Merrytime Cruises. This means your ship will be ready to celebrate the holiday season! Now if you’ve been to a Disney Park during Christmastime, you know they do it BIG. It’s personally one of my favorite times of year to visit. However, I can confidently say over the year’s Disney Cruise Line’s holiday offerings have become a bit more lackluster.

Over the years I’ve probably been on three Very Merrytime Cruises; 2024, 2016, and ~2002. And if you’re a Disney-lover, you’re aware Disney has certainly changed over that span of time in so many ways. The Cruise Line is included in that, though I do think the Cruise Line is a leg above the Parks overall.

One of my first cruises as a kid was a Very Merrytime Cruise. I have vivid memories of eating milk and cookies while Mrs. Claus read us a story – and even building our own gingerbread house, which my Dad did sit on his lap the whole plane ride home. In 2016 my sister got married on Castaway Cay during a Very Merrytime Cruise. The island was decked out! And there was a massive life-size gingerbread house in the atrium lobby. Pure Christmas magic!

Very Merrytime Cruise Offerings

Fast forward to my trip just a month ago, I was excited to see the decor and the offerings on board the Disney Wish for the holidays. However, I thought it was pretty lackluster. While there was a giant tree in the lobby, a smaller gingerbread display, and some garland in each restaurant – that was about the extent of the decor.

As for extra activities gone are the days of cookie decorating, story time with Mrs. Claus, and building a gingerbread house. They offered some crafts (ornament making) – but we were only provided printer paper making it nearly impossible to take anything home with us. There was some holiday trivia which was fun, but not great for the whole family. In the evenings, they did offer some holiday picture backdrops as well, which was nice if you wanted photos taken.

Disney does quite a few holiday themed shows; like a deck party show, a tree lighting in the atrium, etc. However, they do these only once during the entire cruise. Making each one PACKED to the point where it was unenjoyable. I even got purposefully shoved in the face by a family behind us… I think if they were able to do these events more than once it would certainly help with the crowds.

One of the holiday highlights was getting to see the characters in their Christmas best! However, with the way the Disney Wish specifically is, lines for these characters were longgggg. And it was nearly impossible to see multiple characters in a night. But also, is simply characters in special costume a reason to book a more expensive specialty cruise?

As for food and merchandise, it was pretty disappointing. Any special holiday treats you had to pay extra for at the coffee shops or at the sweets shop. Almost every piece of the holiday merch was the same as the Disney World holiday merch, just with DCL on it. Another disappointing part was there were almost zero holiday decorations on Castaway Cay. While they normally have a huge tree, sandmen display (instead of snowmen), and even characters in tropical Christmas looks, they had only a few pieces of garland at the front of the Island.

I also noticed only about two days of our cruise they played Christmas music in the halls and in public areas. It was weird that it changed back to normal Disney music. While it’s common for Disney to change the play list for Pirates Night or something of that nature, it was weird that only the first two days they played holiday tunes. While the music is not a big deal, it was something noticeable and strange since it is a Christmas cruise.

So, is it worth it?

In my opinion, no. I personally think Disney Cruises are more fun when they don’t have the special theming with them. While you may be able to get a cruise last minute at a better deal, they typically cost more for very little reward. Save the money and do a longer Disney Cruise at another time.

If you’ve gone on one of these sailings, let me know your thoughts! While I am a huge Christmas fanatic, this cruise just missed the mark for me. Disney could make it extra magical, but unfortunately it is not what should be expected. Unless specific dates are needed for a cruise, pass on the themed ones!