Are Disney Cruises All-Inclusive?

All-inclusive is a tourism term that the industry frankly uses to hide behind.

Low-rent tourist destinations and cruise lines pretend their packages are all-inclusive.

As soon as you arrive, you’ll quickly learn that your credit card is about to do a LOT of heavy lifting.

So, friends of mine have understandably expressed plenty of disbelief about my wife and my recent decision to become cruise people.

They keep asking me a simple, pointed question, one I’ll just go ahead and answer once and for all.

Are Disney cruises all-inclusive? I suspect the answer will surprise you.

What Is All-Inclusive?

I’m going to do something I rarely do here. At the start, I’m going to cite someone who is arguably a competitor of Disney.

Technically, anybody else in the tourism industry is fighting Disney for the same vacation dollars and disposable income.

While I would argue that this company doesn’t share the same target demographic as Disney, I’ll still use them to make a point.

The company is Sandals, a Jamaican company that owns and operates 18 different resorts.

So, this isn’t a cruise line and, as such, isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison.

Still, I’m using Sandals as an example because it’s a big name in the exotic island vacation game.

According to Sandals, their All-Inclusive vacations include deluxe accommodations, several restaurants, and the “Whenever, Wherever” option.

That last thing basically means you can eat whatever you whenever you want. Also, Sandals includes booze, but let’s be honest.

The company does this because an adult all-inclusive hotel vacation involves drunken revelries. A Disney trip obviously won’t do that.

Thus, I’m focusing on the broad strokes here and ignoring the precise specifics of a slightly different industry.

I’ll throw in this description from Beaches, a similar All-Inclusive resort business that Sandals owns.

“Besides accommodation, you can expect food, drinks, activities, and entertainment to be included, without having to pay extra for it.”

Basically, All-Inclusive should mean that you get your room and your food free of charge. Preferably, you receive other amenities as well.

I would add that in this day and age, people need internet access as well.

Notably, Sandals and Beaches do include WiFi in hotel rooms as part of their All-Inclusive packages.

What Do Disney Cruises Provide?

Here’s an open-ended question that I cannot answer fully unless I write an entire book’s worth of content.

The short answer is, “A LOT!” I know that you want specifics, though. So, let’s talk shop.

Here’s a description of included amenities from a recent Disney Cruise Line email:

• Wonder at Broadway-style shows
• Delight in fireworks at sea
• Feast your eyes and your taste buds with imaginative dining
• Rest in spacious staterooms designed with families in mind
• Indulge in complimentary 24-hour room service
• Relax in adult-exclusive spaces
• Play in enchanting kids’ club
• Unwind on a tropical island paradise complete with delicious barbecue

This article will focus much more on what’s NOT included for the sake of transparency.

I’m doing it this way because many people are asking me, and I believe that Disney cruises effectively sell themselves anyway.

Still, let’s emphasize a few points. On a Disney cruise, every meal is included with your purchase…and you can pick the times to eat.

As I recently joked, if I order pizza and an ice cream sundae at 5 a.m., it’ll arrive at my cabin soon afterward.

Children dream of that sort of thing. It’s the type of thing you’d expect as a billionaire, not a tourist taking an affordable vacation.

Also, the email, if anything, undersells the quality of Disney Cruise Line stage productions. Here’s an example:

You can watch one of those EVERY NIGHT of your trip…and it’s included with the price.

Virtually every amenity on the cruise ship also comes with the package. This premise extends to Disney’s private islands, too.

You can order barbecue at Lookout Cay or Castaway Cay for free, even though you’re not on the ship.

In short, Disney cruises come with room and board, entertainment, and all the food you could ever desire.

What Is NOT Included on a Disney Cruise

Okay, here’s the million-dollar question. Okay, not literally, but it may feel that way at times.

When you set your budget for an exotic tourist vacation, you should always add a buffer.

That’s because we all end up buying a fair bit of merchandise. Then, there are the sundries that inevitably arise during a trip.

As an example, during my last Disney cruise, I spent $75 on new phone cases that were waterproof (and sand-proof) to protect our devices.

We also purchased a metric ton of sunscreen as an overreaction to the fact that we didn’t wear enough on the first day.

Your specifics will be different, but the reality remains. Surprise expenses always crop up during a multi-day vacation. It’s inevitable.

That’s not really the conversation here, though. What you want to know is what you’ll have to pay for on a Disney cruise.

Merchandise obviously isn’t a part of the package, but my friends seem more focused on the “hidden charges.”

The first one you should know is that Wi-Fi comes with that package…sort of. You can use Wi-Fi for the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app.

However, you cannot use it for your own devices, which means you’ll likely need to pay for WiFi, presuming you’re attached to your device.

According to Disney, the two options are the Internet Package at $26 per day or the  Internet + Streaming Package, which costs $42 per day.

Note that these prices are subject to change, and there’s a device limit of two.

Someone must disconnect from Wi-Fi before a third device can access it.  

What Else Is NOT Included on a Disney Cruise

You’re on vacation, so you may not need Wi-Fi. Also, several cellular services offer connections at Disney cruise destinations.

Anecdotally, we didn’t have much luck with this aspect, but I’m told by MANY people that we’re the exception to the rule.

As an FYI, we use T-Mobile for our devices. Other T-Mobile users assured me that it was just a Me Problem. Your mileage may vary.

Beverages comprise the other primary exclusions on a Disney cruise. Specifically, you’ll find some really good coffee bars.

I warmly encourage you to sample them. Coffee isn’t really for me, but friends we made on the cruise assured us that this was world-class java.

As such, you probably won’t mind paying for a good cup of Joe. You were probably gonna do that at home anyway.

Also – and here’s where the cruise industry varies wildly from All-Inclusive resorts – alcohol is NOT included.

Believe it or not, BYOB is allowed on Disney cruises. I’m not sure you want to go to that trouble, though.

So, you should probably include an alcohol budget. Note that this isn’t just a Disney thing.

Here’s a hilarious article on a Margaritaville cruise. The author describes this cruise as “basic economy at sea.”

I can assure you that Disney cruises are the polar opposite of that, and I say so as someone who once owned a Jimmy Buffett license plate (1HARBOR). 

Even More Things Not Included

Something else to know is that every ship features one or more upscale restaurants.

They aren’t included in the package. You’ll pay extra for them. On our cruise, we dined at Palo.

While Disney comped our meal, Palo costs $55 per person, which is honestly less than the best steakhouse here in town.

And I can assure you that the food at Palo is night and day better. Note that Palo is not the most expensive restaurant.

On my cruise, that was Remy’s, but other ships offer Enchanté. You’ll get what you pay for, but these meals aren’t All-Inclusive.

Another thing to know is that you can use your smart devices to take all the pictures you want.

However, many guests prefer to let Disney photographers do their thing. This system works just like at the theme parks, as it’s a kind of PhotoPass.

You’ll purchase a photo package, and the rates vary wildly depending on the length of your cruise.

There’s a division of opinion about the value of these packages.

What I’ll say is that we looooove all our official Disney pictures. The Cast Members take MUCH better pictures than I do.

Finally, please be aware that some onboard entertainment options come with a surcharge.

For example, I’m making it my personal mission in life to build a buzz for DCL bingo, which I can’t believe is a thing.

To play bingo, you’ll need to buy cards. However, that’s a risk/reward deal, as you can win real money…and I’m talking hundreds, possibly even thousands of dollars.

So, that’s the kind of stuff that’s not part of your All-Inclusive package.

Final Thoughts

Holistically, a Disney cruise works similarly to a Disney theme park visit.

Some things come as part of the package, while Disney has priced others in a way that you must make budgetary decisions.

Still, I would argue that Disney cruises ARE primarily All-Inclusive. The only upsell that I view as an absolute must is Wi-Fi.

Keep in mind that I don’t drink coffee or alcohol, even when they’re offered for free. So, my vacation choices differ from yours.

In terms of potential purchases, the only other maybe is the photo package, and it’s a “probably” for me from now on.

Similarly, I’ll likely sample all the fine-dining restaurants over my next few cruises.

However, for the average person, a Disney cruise includes literally everything you need: unlimited food, non-alcoholic beverages, and a cozy cabin.

Frankly, as a value proposition, Disney cruises are hard to beat.

We vote with our wallets on this, and my family is going to take a lot more cruises. 

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Feature Photo: Disney