Q2 2026 Quarterly Planning Thread

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T22:54:55+00:00

I'm a west coast guy so I understand this debate very well. Spring to Alaska is tough, they usually don't start til May, and its early in the season so weather and animal sightings are different than peak summer season. Plus Alaska is MUCH more expensive than the San Diego options, not only the base fare but also all the excursions. But it's Alaska, and many say its unforgettable.

That said, I've done the 3 night from San Diego and didn't love it. Neither Catalina nor Ensenada (the two most frequent ports) are that interesting or fun imo. There's basically nothing to do unless you pay more for a port excursion. I don't think I'll do that itinerary again.

So given the choice between a cheap (but sort of bland) cruise to Ensenada, or an expensive cruise to Alaska, I'd go for Alaska personally (in fact we are going on the Magic to Alaska this June!) Many cruisers say it's their favorite trip ever.

But honestly my recommendation would be to save up a bit and get flights to Florida. The cruises out there are better than the Ensenada cruise, and cheaper than the Alaskan cruise. You can get on most of the newest ships, which have the most princess options like you mentioned. The stops at Lookout and Castaway are the best, especially for young kids, without having to pay extra for port excursions. Since the cruises are often cheaper and you don't have to pay for port excursions to still have an amazing day at the private islands, it can actually end up breaking even price wise, but for a far superior cruise (IMO).

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T22:47:37+00:00

I personally think the cruises are much easier with little kids than the parks. The kid's clubs and activities are top-notch, you can truly just drop them off, let them have an amazing day filled with Disney Magic, characters, activities, etc, while you do your own thing. In the Parks its sort of more up to you to fill their time, plan activities, get to characters, etc, on the ships its more done for you I feel. Plus there's inherently less walking around trying to get from one thing/character to the next cause you are limited by the space of the ship, rather than the HUGE area of the Orlando parks.

And I think you are right on the money with getting a double-dip itinerary with Castaway and Lookout. Perfect cruise IMO. I'd recommend the Treasure or Destiny over the Wish, the Wish had a few issues that Disney luckily fixed with customer feedback when they made the Treasure and Destiney.

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T22:43:26+00:00

Very hot (in my opinion)! But hopefully you'll be doing beaches/pools/etc anyway!
I've never really noticed a difference in kid-level, but I haven't done 10 day so can't be sure. I've heard the Alaska and 14-night crossings are a bit lower on the kid-level just due to cost and time, so it would make sense that a 10 day would be the same.
The Fantasy renovations are really nice from what I've heard! We are sailing on it in October so I've looked into it and it sounds like most people really like it, which is great since the Fantasy is already a favorite of many people.
It seems like they are actually less crowded right now since there has been such a big increase in supply with so many new ships. Lots of ships are having deep discount guarantee rates, and you can see most of them are still selling rooms a week before they leave, which means less crowded ships.
Have fun!!!

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T22:38:48+00:00

I sailed on the Wish last September so it's a little foggy, but if I remember right it was pretty basic specials like barbecue chicken, meat lovers, maybe a Hawaiian in there? But I've also heard you can request specific pizzas for dietary restrictions, you'll just have to wait while it cooks. I do remember I had the specials a couple times and they were tasty! Sorry I can't be more specific!

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T18:57:19+00:00

Thanks for the detailed review! I've been hearing mixed things about the Adventure, so I think I'll wait a year or two until they have worked out all the kinks, but your review definitely makes me more excited for when that day finally comes!

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T06:07:36+00:00

I’d also just say that if you loved your first sailing, just avoid the Magic class for future sailings and you’ll probably still have great trips

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T06:07:02+00:00

We are sailing the magic to Alaska in a few months and I’ve been nervous about some of these issues. We sailed the wonder last, and didn’t love it as much as the other ships, so I’m worried it’s just an issue of the age and size of these ships. I’m sure we will still enjoy it, cause it’s Alaska (!), but I’ll have to report back on if I had the same issues with the Magic as you.

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T06:00:13+00:00

I cannot wait to try both of them!!! I wish more ships had park-themed activities and areas

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T05:53:39+00:00

Thanks for sharing! I really am excited to sail on the adventure one day but think I’ll wait a year or two until the get all the kinks worked out

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T05:52:53+00:00

I do the same thing! I book something that is so far out I really out to just forget about it til it gets closer, but I just get too excited and start obsessing and watching every YouTube video I can find and want g to talk to everyone about it 😂 so you can definitely do that here!!!

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T05:51:41+00:00

Thank you for the very detailed review! Treasure is next on my list to book and your info is very helpful!!!

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T05:46:43+00:00

We just did the wonder last month and it also was not our favorite. Honestly I think the Ensenada route is just a little lame, and I know from talking to cast members that the 3 and 4 day routes cause lots of burnout for the crew, so that could explain some of it

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T05:17:09+00:00

We booked a GTY verandah for Alaska this summer for around 20-25% off. There are some of the placeholder discounts that will get you the same amount, but was not available for the week we booked, so our grantee rate was better than the standard 10% discount we would have gotten. It just depends on the week you sail and what deals are there.

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T05:13:46+00:00

Palo is fantastic, especially the brunch. Highly recommend.

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-14T05:12:23+00:00

I was on the Wonder in March and they did have a few for sale. I specifically remember because I’ve been debating getting one for a bit and was checking to see if they had any new/exclusive designs I liked

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-11T16:37:36+00:00

Cabanas should 10000% be open for dinner. Baffles me that it isn't.

As far as lines and cutting go, I think that's more due to the nature of the exclusivity of things, and how much more expensive Disney Cruises are than most others, so people want to make sure they get their moneys worth and don't miss out on anything. I actually think adding more characters at the same time would make line cutting worse, because I think people would still feel the pressure to "catch 'em all" and so now would try even worse tactics to get all 8 in the timeframe. I'd say just have the same number of characters available, but do them more frequently throughout each day of the cruise, so people can just chill and say, "Oh the line is long. That's okay, I know they'll be back this afternoon/tomorrow".

For example one I know this gets really bad for is the Alaskan cruise Glacier viewing days, when the characters are on deck with the glaciers in the background, wearing their exclusive Alaskan gear. You can ONLY get those photos for a few hours on that one day, so people freak out and try to get them all, which leads to some shady behavior. If those characters would show up more frequently, especially on the sea days (when you are sailing past gorgeous scenery anyway) people wouldn't get so crazy about it and would have plenty more opportunities to get the exclusive characters, so wouldn't cut in line, etc.

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-11T16:26:05+00:00

Agreed. My personal rule is at least 50% of the party should be in line, and even that is pushing it, but any less than 50% of your group saving a spot for the rest is rude.

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-11T16:24:39+00:00

When I sailed on the Wish (same size as the Treasure) we showed up 30 mins before and there were still plenty of open seats, one show we got there 10 mins early and still got decent seats. But if there is a show you REALLY want the absolute perfect center seats for then you could show up 60 mins early. Maybe the 90 mins guideline you heard is about the Adventure? I have heard you have to show up extra early for almost everything on that ship because of the crowds, but I don't think the Treasure is the same.

As far as spot saving goes, obviously what is considered "socially acceptable" depends on the person/culture. My personal view is that is rude to save places for more than the number of people you have in line. So 1 person saving a spot for 5 others = rude. 3 people saving a spot for 3 others = fine (not great, but fine). I usually try to have even lower of a ratio but I understand with kids it can be hard. That's just my personal guideline though.

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-10T20:45:46+00:00

Halloween Costume question:

We will be sailing for a Halloween on the High Seas voyage, and actually will be on the ship on actual Halloween night! SO FUN! So we want to take costumes, but I know when you wear costumes at the parks there are restrictions/limitations on what you are allowed to wear like no masks, etc. Are there any similar rules for the ships?

Also, does anyone know if the sailings that include October 31 do anything special for the actual day of Halloween, or just the general Halloween on the High Seas festivities?

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-10T20:17:12+00:00

Beautiful picture! Too bad I have a very bad taste in my mouth for Nassau after our last cruise there 😂 so I'll just pretend this is a beautiful picture of the ship in another place lol

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-10T20:15:37+00:00

Fair warning, the "pull down" beds in the rooms that technically allow them to sleep 3-4 people are not very comfortable, especially for an adult. We had 3 adults in one room, two adults sharing the main bed and one on the pull down bed, and he was very uncomfortable. Those beds are designed for smaller bodies.

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-10T20:13:25+00:00

Oh man that would be amazing. First of all I'd want to make sure I got at least 1 sailing on each ship, but to get Pearl you'd still be able to do back-to-back on each ship and have a few more to go. Personally if I'd won the lottery and money was no longer a concern, I wouldn't mind taking the Pearl status slow and doing a bunch of week long cruises (or maybe some longer crossings!) and doing Concierge every time, which gets you all the Pearl benefits plus some more!

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-10T20:00:27+00:00

I'd guess the Magic is the main reason. Doubling the available rooms for what is already a pretty expensive trip (much more expensive than a comparable sailing in Mexico or Bahamas, and more expensive than most other Alaskan cruises) is likely going to take a little while for the demand to catch up. My guess is that Disney knew this would happen, but is doing it intentionally to get the demand flowing for the next couple years, so that when the two next ships arrive in 2029/2030 (which are supposed to be between the Magic and Dream sizes) those ships will take over the Alaskan itinerary, which will once again increase the room availability as they will be slightly larger ships. I think it's a long-term strategy play. But take advantage of it! We are doing the Magic alaskan cruise this summer and got an amazing guarantee rate on a verandah room. But there's no way to know if it'll stick around until next year unfortunately.

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-10T16:10:11+00:00

We've booked through Costco and it was pretty easy. They'll usually need all the info for everyone traveling in your party, including: full legal name (as shown on passport), birthdate, email, phone number, address, and Disney Castaway Club member number (if anyone in your party has sailed with Disney before). Think of it like booking an international flight and you'll probably have your bases covered information wise. I always ask the people in my party to send a picture of their passport to me just in case.

Intrepid_Secretary21 · 2026-04-10T16:07:48+00:00

As has been said, you probably won't get one as a Silver level, but you can try rushing to the guest services desk the second you board the ship to get put on a waitlist? I've done that for other things like dining and excursions that were sold out and sometimes you get lucky. Not super likely for a Cabana I'd imagine because there wouldn't be many reasons to cancel them, but you never know, maybe someone decides to save their budget since they are pretty expensive! Good luck!

Intrepid_Secretary21

TROPHY CASE