Five New Policy Changes For Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line has changed five policies in the last couple of days. Some quietly, some not so quietly. Here’s a breakdown of all five.

1. Alcohol Policy – In the past, Disney has allowed guests ages 21 and up to carry on up to two bottles of wine/champagne, or 6 six bottles of beer, on embarkation day and at each port of call. With this new change, guests ages 21 and up (18 and up on the Adventure in Singapore) can only bring one bottle of wine/champagne or 6 bottles of beer. They also can not bring any onboard at ports of call anymore. Any alcohol purchased in port will be held by Disney until the end of the cruise. They did also reduce the corkage fee from $29 to $20 for any bottles brought to the dining rooms. Our take – The biggest bummer is probably for those on longer cruises who want to restock in ports!

2. Stateroom Door Decorations – Stateroom door decorations are now limited to the actual door! Door decorations have grown over the years to the walls surrounding a stateroom, sometimes to the ceilings right above the stateroom door. Disney is buckling down now, and only the door itself can be decorated. Our take – We are not surprised at all on this one. Especially after seeing the incredibly elaborate (and large) door decorations on the Adventure.

3. Selfie Sticks – Selfie sticks, extension poles, and tripods are now welcome onboard as long as they are not extended past 18 inches. Longer tripods and poles are welcome in the ports of call, but must be stored in your stateroom during the cruise. Our take – With more influencers than actual guests on some cruises, this one isn’t surprising either. Hopefully they don’t become too intrusive.

4. Charge for Room Service on the Disney Adventure – To be clear, currently this one is strictly for the Disney Adventure out of Singapore. With the exception of breakfast, any room service deliveries will incur a $5 charge. Our take – Room service is very slow on the Adventure. We suspect this was a combination of the number of guests ordering, not enough crew to deliver, and the size of the ship that was slowing it down. This is probably a nuisance fee designed to cut down on the number of orders. As long as this stays ship specific, we understand the reasoning.

5. Kids in Palo Trattoria – This is another policy change just for the Adventure. Children ages 10 and up are now allowed to dine with an adult in Palo Trattoria. Our take – We actually predicted this change was coming. Palo Trattoria was empty on our cruises, probably due to a combination of the unusually high percentage of first timers onboard, short cruises with lots to see and do, and a culture which traditionally likes to vacation with their children and not drop them off somewhere. Mike and Sulley’s allowed children of all ages, and it was full every time we went. This is a way for DCL to get more people into the restaurant, and while we may not love it, we understand it.

What do you think about the changes? We’d love to hear your thoughts!