Biggest Disney Cruise Stories of 2025

Disney Cruise Line has grown into an integral part of the Disney empire.

With the Disney Cruise Line fleet growing to 13 ships by 2031, it’s an expansion era, too.

At the start of 2022, there were only four ships in the fleet, but that total will have doubled by mid-March.

As a byproduct of this growth, Disney cruise stories have become essential to cover, especially this year.

Here are the biggest cruise stories of 2025.

The Destiny Debuts

Frankly, two stories on this list tower above the rest: the first one and the last.

In case you didn’t know, Disney Cruise Line debuted in 1998 and had a total of six ships as of 2025.

So, the company’s adding a seventh ship is obviously a huge story anytime it happens.

Mathematically, it only happens about once every four years on average.

Even by those standards, this one’s a big deal, though, as the Destiny has redefined what’s possible on a cruise.

Disney has leaned hard into immersive encounters on this ship, even making it essential to the theme.

On the Destiny, you’ll experience Heroes and Villains, and they come in all forms.

Spider-Man and his Spider-bots decorate the ship’s hull, while a statue of Black Panther welcomes guests.

The Wakanda-inspired Grand Hall is a visual wonder and one that performs lighting tricks to boot.

Every area of the Destiny provides more surprises, with some highlights being interactive shows.

Guests can sing a song with Cruella de Vil or watch Dr. Facilier perform a few magic tricks.

Those are two of the most popular experiences thus far, along with another Haunted Mansion Parlor.

Oh, and you can savor a drink at the Sanctum, which pays tribute to Doctor Strange.

You can even enjoy dinner and a show inspired by The Lion King during your visit.

Long story short, the Destiny has leaned heavily on all the popular aspects of Disney cruises.

Then, to elevate the experience, Disney has thrown in an unprecedented level of immersion.

The Destiny has only been sailing for a few weeks now, yet it’s already the anchor ship in the fleet.

Disney Delays the Adventure

Here’s the flip side of the coin. While the Destiny has already set sail on several voyages, the Disney Adventure remains docked.

Initially, plans called for the Adventure to embark on its maiden voyage less than a month after the Destiny had.

Alas, those plans fell asunder when Disney experienced “unexpected delays in the shipbuilding process.”

Now, the Adventure will debut on March 10^th, 2026, which isn’t a big deal in the greater scheme.

Still, the people who had booked early sailings in December 2025 and the first ten weeks of January were a bit disrupted.

On the bright side, anybody interested in sailing on this magnificent new ship’s maiden voyage is in luck.

Several cruise cabins are still available at the time of publication.

You still have a chance to say that you were on the first sailing of Disney’s biggest ship ever.

A New Character Debuts…and It’s Bluey!

In January 2025, Disney enriched several of its cruises around Australia and New Zealand.

Fittingly, that’s where Bluey and her sister, Bingo, appeared for the first time as a part of the Disney family.

While Disney doesn’t own these characters, it has signed a comprehensive licensing deal.

As part of that agreement, Bluey started interacting with Disney cruise guests early this year.

However, that’s just the tip of the iceberg compared to what’s coming next.

Disney has already confirmed that Bluey characters will entertain DCL fans with a variety of experiences.

People on Disney cruises can participate in the Pyjama Bash, the Wakey Wakey morning celebration, or dance at Who’s Behind the Curtain.

So, 2025 marked the beginning of Bluey at sea with Disney, but it barely scratched the surface.

From now on, Disney cruises will be the place to go to hang out with Bluey and her family!

Recommended Gratuities Increase

This story isn’t as big as, say, Bluey or the one I’ll discuss in the final section.

Still, we all know how hard Cast Members work, so I view this one as a huge positive.

In early 2025, Disney increased the recommended gratuity for cruise guests to $16 per night.

Meanwhile, the recommended rate for concierge guests increased to $27.25 per night.

Given that these crew members often work more than half the day (literally), that’s a bargain!

They earn every penny of that money, and I’m glad that Disney is encouraging guests to tip a bit more.

Reduced Deposit Fees

Cast Members aren’t the only ones who Disney gave a financial boost this year.

As of June 18^th, 2025, Disney Cruise Line lowered its longstanding deposit fee.

For a loooong time, would-be cruisers paid 20 percent for new cruise bookings.

Since most cruises cost $3,000 or more, that’s a significant amount of upfront money.

Disney didn’t need to lower this amount, as half of its 2026 itineraries are already booked.

Despite this fact, the company thoughtfully lowered the deposit fee by half.

Now, Disney cruise guests only pay ten percent as the deposit fee for future sailings.

A Rescue Mission Saves a Child and Her Father

Hoo boy. This story still doesn’t feel real after all this time, yet it happened.

Here’s the quote from the Associated Press:

“Crew members from a Disney cruise ship saved a girl who fell overboard and her father who jumped in after her.”

If you somehow missed this story, I’m sure you have questions. So, let’s work our way backward.

The mother of the child later revealed that she had asked the child to pose for a photo.

Momma inexplicably instructed her five-year-old daughter to stand by an open porthole.

The kid lost her footing and plummeted into the ocean, leading to a Person Overboard siren.

Disney officials jumped into action…but not before the father.

Once he realized what had happened, he jumped into the water to rescue his daughter.

The whole thing could and probably should have ended in tragedy.

As the father later recounted, there was one desperate moment where he lost sight of his daughter.

Friends, it’s a miracle that this girl is still alive, and I hope she’s having the merriest of Christmases right now.

Law enforcement officials investigated the situation and ultimately chose not to press charges.

From their perspective, the parents had suffered enough, which is fair.

 

Thankfully, the father found the daughter in the water, and Disney’s rescue crew did its thing.

There is some video of these noble Cast Members saving the day by retrieving the duo in the ocean.

This story garnered more headlines than any Disney cruise update I can ever recall, and I’m thrilled to report it ended happily.

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Feature Photo: Disney