Disney Cruise Line in a Jiffy: What is the Royal Gathering?

If you’re sailing on Disney Cruise line and you’ve got a princess-obsessed kid, you will definitely want to know about the Royal Gathering. A little bit of midnight oil in advance of your trip can turn into major time savings on board. And as for the money? Well, the Royal Gathering is free!

Meet & Greets are a key feature of Disney Cruise Line voyages. Every day, you’ll find a variety of Disney characters on the activities schedule. Show up at the listed time (or a bit beforehand, especially if they’re popular), and wait your turn for a short interaction and photo. Depending on who your kids (or you) want to meet, you can spend a lot of your cruise time working around the characters.

Here’s where the Royal Gathering wins. You’ll reserve a time in advance, and you can meet several characters – usually princesses – in one go. Since you have an assigned time, your wait will be relatively short. For efficiency, it can’t be beat.

How to Get Tickets for the Royal Gathering

The Royal Gathering is open to all ages and genders. But it isn’t offered every day, and it needs to be booked in advance of your trip. The booking process is the same as for any other “Onboard Fun” items, but Royal Gathering tickets follow a different schedule than other activities such as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique appointments or wine tastings.

You can reserve tickets beginning 30 days in advance of your sailing, at midnight. And they do go quickly, often within a few minutes, so you will want to be there on the dot. If you’re a first-time cruiser, your Online Check-in opens at the same time. Book the Royal Gathering first: by the time you’re done with Check-in you may find that the Royal Gathering is sold out.

To be swift when the clock strikes 12, check which days have a Royal Gathering in advance. Unfortunately the Royal Gathering times are not visible before booking opens. That means you’ll also want to be prepared with an idea of which times work well for you and which ones are right out.

If you don’t manage to secure a spot in advance, check at the Port Adventures desk as soon as you board the ship. There are often a limited number of tickets available on your departure day. And if you do get a spot, you’ll want to arrive 5-10 minutes in advance of your appointment time.

Disney Cruise Line in a Jiffy is for first-time Disney cruisers looking to learn about the DCL experience. Got a question about a term that’s unfamiliar to you? Suggest it in the comments below. And if you’ve been to a Royal Gathering, leave your best tips!