How To Pick a Disney Cruise Stateroom

  • Your stateroom will be your home for the length of the cruise and based on the category or kind of room it will affect the overall cost of your cruise.

  • DCL staterooms have been planned with the family in mind

    • Most of the staterooms have a split bath layout with 1 room having a toilet and sink and the other having a shower/tub and sink

    • These staterooms are about 25% larger than other cruise line rooms

  • Disney Cruise Line has 4 types of staterooms

    • Inside

    • Oceanview

    • Verandah

    • Concierge

    • Besides the 4 types of staterooms, they will also have a category which indicates the difference within the types of staterooms, for example a standard or deluxe, a type of verandah or the location of the room on the ship (forward, midship, aft)

  • How to explain the category numbers

    • The higher the number of the category the less expensive the room

      • 11 is an inside room descending to category 4 a stateroom with verandah

      • It is helpful to know this especially when comparing staterooms with similar categories say a 5 and 6

    • The letter symbolizes the location on the ship

      • B location could be midship and C could be forward

      • Of note the range in letters is from A thru D with the A being a more expensive room because of the desirable location versus D

        • The desirability of the location is what DCL thinks and could be different for you

  • The number of guests in your stateroom

    • Most rooms will sleep 3 – 4 guests with a queen bed and then a sofa bed, bed from the ceiling or a murphy bed

    • A handful of rooms will sleep 5 guests

    • Some concierge staterooms can sleep up to 7 but not every ship has them

  • What typically comes in a stateroom

    • Queen size bed

    • Desk area with chair that has a mirror and special lighting

    • Storage areas include:

      • 2 full closets with shelves with wooden hangers, under bed storage space (perfect for your luggage), dresser drawers (perfect for kid’s clothes)

    • A mini refrigerator

    • Thermostat

    • A hairdryer (do not bring one from home)

    • Television

    • A safe in the closet

    • Telephone

    • Electrical outlets (USB, European)

    • Life jackets for each person

    • Blackout curtains on windows

    • Privacy curtains that separate sleeping and seating areas

    • Split bathrooms (in most staterooms)

    • Shower/tub combo (in most staterooms)

  • Special consideration when picking a room

    • Are you traveling to Castaway Cay

      • Pick a starboard (right side) room to face the island

      • Most of the time the captains back the ship in

      • Otherwise, you will have a view of the deck and tram stop

    • Will you use a verandah

      • Great for sightseeing in Alaska, or Mediterranean itineraries

      • The verandah offers extra visibility when at port or sailing through a scenic area

      • I really enjoy my morning coffee out on the verandah

      • If you have a napping child, it is a great place to escape to while they nap

    • Avoid extra noise from outside your stateroom

      • Avoid booking a cabin below the pool deck

      • Avoid booking a cabin around the kid’s club locations

      • Book a room surrounding other rooms

      • Bring a white noise machine or have an app on your phone to play

      • Avoid being to close to the laundry room

      • Avoid booking close to the restaurants or theaters

    • Will you need 2 rooms what are my options

      • Connecting staterooms

        • Are two rooms that have a door between the adjoining walls

        • It will feel like you have a 2-room suite

        • Great for a napping child also

        • Might be cheaper to book two rooms than a suite

        • The Dream/Fantasy have over 500 and Magic/Wonder have 137

        • When looking at the deck plans look for the little doors that open in between the cabins. If there are doors on the adjoining wall that means, it’s a connecting room

  • Final review overview

    • Decide the type of room you want and evaluate the cost of stateroom type

      • Inside

      • Oceanview

      • Verandah

      • Concierge

    • Next research the category options available while looking at the location on the ship and which deck options

    • Lastly pick the location on the ship

      • Forward, Midship, Aft