What to do on Your Disney Cruise Day at Sea

By Jennifer Stuart

Worried that there won't be anything to do on a sea day?  We were before our first cruise.  Find out why they are now our favourite days on our Disney Cruise and what we recommend for an amazing day at sea.

Enjoy Breakfast in Bed

A sea day is the perfect excuse for a leisurely start to the day.  There is no need to be up early for an excursion or so that you don't miss any time on Castaway Cay.  The day is yours to enjoy at a slower pace.  Room service for breakfast or even just a coffee in bed is a great and relaxing way to start a sea day.  Look for our post all about room service on your Disney Cruise, coming soon!

Meet Characters

Character meets are always a fun part of a Disney Cruise and although there are a variety scheduled daily, we find that there are more opportunities to meet characters on sea days.  We love a good character meet and greet and love a chance to meet characters in different outfits. Depending on your cruise, you may meet them in their Alaskan outfits, cruise wear, pirate outfits or beach gear.  On holiday cruises like Merry Christmastime  Cruises or Halloween on the High Seas Cruises, characters can be found in holiday outfits and Halloween costumes.  Some character meets like the Princess Gathering, where you can meet several princesses at one time, need to be booked in advance, and are best booked when you complete your online check in.  Other, individual meets, are available without pre-booking.

Hit the Pools

Sea days are great days to spend some quality time lounging by the pool. Sit and watch the kids play in the pool, soak up some sun or enjoy a refreshing drink.  Some pool areas have waiters who will bring drinks right to your lounger.  If this sounds like your idea of fun you may be interested in reading our post on How to Save Money on Drinks on Your Disney Cruise.

If you enjoy more activity and are looking for water fun there are a couple of splash areas aimed at different ages.  All Disney Cruise ships have a water slide and some have more adventurous options.  The Disney Magic has the AuqaDunk which is a drop style water slide, and Both the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy have the AquaDuck water coaster.
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Pick Your Activity

There are lots of different activities to keep you busy. Check out your personal navigator info sheet or the DCL app to see what is on offer for your sea day.  Some fun options we have seen or participated in are cooking classes, crafts, kids club open houses, movies, ship tours and trivia contests. We particularly enjoy the different trivia contests (everything from general trivia to music, and of course Disney trivia).

Have a Table Service Lunch

We highly recommend taking the time for a table service lunch on at least one day of your cruise.  One restaurant on each ship will be open daily for lunch service (check your personal navigator for opening times). There is something that feels so luxurious about a fancy sit-down lunch.  Because it is Disney there are great kids' options at every meal too.  Or enjoy an adult lunch while the kids have fun in the kids' clubs.

Niçoise Salad

Lentil Soup and mini Baguette

Hazelnut Chocolate Molten Cake

Calamari

Watch a Movie

You can enjoy a movie while sitting out on a lounger on deck, on the TV in your stateroom or in the Buena Vista Theater.  For information about what movies are playing on the Funnelvision on deck consult your personal navigator or the Disney Cruise Line App.  In your stateroom, on the Disney Wonder or the Disney Magic, Disney movies are playing on a loop on several Channels.  On the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy the movies are on demand (similar to Disney +).  The Buena Vista Theater is a full sized movie theater.  It shows the most current Disney movies and if a Disney Movie premieres while you are onboard, it will also premiere at sea.  

Shopping!

Shopping is a natural sea day activity as the onboard shops are only open when the ship is not in port.  This is a great time to check out the merchandise and see if there is a souvenir that just has to come home with you (we are suckers for collecting pins).  Each ship has several shops that carry a variety of items from stuffed characters and pins to clothing and jewelry.   

Spa Day

If you are someone who enjoys spa treatments a day at sea is the perfect opportunity to pamper yourself.  If you are interested in spa services make sure that you book these in advance as they are very popular, particularly on sea days. Services and prices can be found on the Disney Cruise Line website. If you are unable to book in advance make sure to go to the spa when you first board the ship to check for any last minute availability. Another option is to pay for access to the spa's Rainforest Room for the day.  On the Dream and the Fantasy the Chill Spa is available for bookings for teens aged 13-17. For little princesses, the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique is  similar to the salon at Disneyland or Magic Kingdom.  Again these princess makeovers are incredibly popular so book as soon as possible if this is something that you are interested in.

Relax

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A sea day is a perfect day to enjoy a little relaxation. You can relax on deck ,  around the pool or in several lounges. We love both the vintage loungers on Deck 4 and quiet time in the Cove Cafe.  The Cove Cafe is a particularly great place to relax with a book while enjoying a specialty coffee and some delicious nibbles. Read our post for more about theCove Cafe on the Disney Wonder.

Feel like relaxing on your own balcony?  Sounds like another great excuse to order room service.  We suggest checking out the cheese platter or the cake of the day!

Book Your Next Cruise

There is a cruise planning desk on board every Disney ship where you can talk to a crew member about booking another cruise.  Chances are you will have loved this one so much that you will already be dreaming about the next one.  There is one big advantage to booking your next cruise while on board -- it will save you money.  You can even book a placeholder spot if you can't decide what cruise to do next and still get the on board booking savings.

If you enjoyed this post, you may be interested in some of our other Disney Cruise Line posts.

All photos by Jennifer Stuart

Comments? Questions?  We would love to hear from you.  Do you have a favourite sea day activity?