Disney Cruise Line in a Jiffy: What is a Closed-Loop Cruise?

If you’re researching Disney Cruise Line itineraries, you might see mentions of a “closed-loop” cruise. This term isn’t specific to Disney Cruise Line, and it simply means a cruise that begins and ends at the same port. If passengers board at Port Canaveral to begin the sailing and disembark at Port Canaveral at the end of the voyage, then that’s a closed-loop cruise. You can think of closed-loop as being a maritime synonym for a round-trip itinerary.

For the most part, all Disney Cruise Line sailings are closed-loop cruises. There are a few repositioning cruises, but most of the time you’ll get off the boat in the same city that you got on it. Closed-loop itineraries that depart from Port Canaveral or Fort Lauderdale will usually make a stop at one of Disney’s private ports – or sometimes at both!

Why do you care whether you’re on a closed-loop or a repositioning cruise? There are two reasons: transportation and documentation. On both fronts, closed-loop sailings are more friendly to families – which make up a goodly portion of Disney Cruise Line customers.

If your cruise begins and ends in different ports, your travel arrangements will need to match it. “Open jaw” airline tickets that you need to get to and from a cruise that isn’t closed-loop typically cost more than round-trip tickets. And the more kids you’re bringing along, the more that price difference adds up. Most families will prefer to avoid this extra expense if possible.

For documentation, the rules for required ID may vary with your sailing. For closed-loop cruises that begin and end in the United States, a passport is not needed for US citizens: an original birth certificate can be used instead. For many parents, this is preferable to the hassle and expense of getting a passport for a child who may not use it again before it expires.

Disney Cruise Line in a Jiffy is for first-time Disney cruisers looking to learn about the DCL experience. Got a Disney Cruise Line term that you want to see explained? Suggest it in the comments below!

Thanks to Erin Foster for an earlier version of this post.