Disney Cruise Line in a Jiffy: What is a Deck Plan?

Just like there are floor plans for buildings, there are deck plans for ships. These are essentially maps of where everything is on each level (deck) of a vessel.

Having access to a ship’s deck plan can be useful while you’re on that ship. Here it essentially functions as a map, helping you navigate your way around. The deck plan can also be helpful prior to your sailing, particularly when you’re in the process of selecting a stateroom. The deck plan can help you determine the stateroom’s proximity to features like elevators, restaurants, lounges, and the like. Depending on your preferences, you might want to be closer or further away from any of those items – and the deck plan can help you choose a cabin that suits these needs.

On Disney Cruise Line, there are two main forms of the deck plan. The interactive deck plan can be found on the Disney Cruise Line website when you’re on land or on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app when you’re at sea. To use these deck plans, be sure that you’ve selected the correct ship and the correct deck. On the photo below, you’re looking at the Disney Magic, deck five. Use the menus to choose other variations. Move up or down the deck plan using the slider inside the small ship icon.

There are also one-sheet versions of the deck plans for the DCL ships. A great place to find these is via the Disney Cruiseline Blog website. These have the advantage of color-coding for different stateroom categories, making it easier to see the distribution of staterooms at each price point.

Also note that the two versions of the deck plans use slightly different symbols to indicate whether you’re looking at connecting staterooms. Depending on how you process information, one or the other might be easier for you to understand. The images below show the same information (rooms 5022 and 5024 connecting on the Magic) with different presentation.

Whichever version you choose, if you’re looking at deck plan to help you decide on a stateroom, be sure to look at the plan for the decks above and below your intended cabin. A room might look great, but if, for example, it’s directly above a theater or directly below the basketball court and you’re a light sleeper, you might want to choose a location with less potential for noise.

“Disney Cruise Line in a Jiffy” is an offshoot of our “Disney in a Minute” series. Both are bite-sized nuggets of information that can better help you understand a Disney term or planning topic. Have a question about a DCL term that is unfamiliar to you? Suggest it here for an upcoming segment.