We’re going on a Disney Magic UK Cruise to nowhere this summer! (Find out all the essentials for planning your own cruise staycation + free printable checklist)

We love Disney. Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Disney movies… anything Disney, really! At the time of writing, everything is so uncertain about this summer’s UK travel availability. More than anything I wanted to get back to the States to see my American family, but that looks extremely unlikely for this summer. So, I was surprised and overjoyed to hear that Disney is offering a one-off experience: the Disney Magic at Sea UK Cruise Staycation.

Booking a Disney Cruise has been on our wish list ever since we spotted the model of the Dream cruise ship, they have on display in Disney’s Polynesian Resort. (It’s at the bottom of the stairs outside ‘Ohana if you’re looking for it). I love the elegance of a cruise and the idea of being out to sea with a cocktail in my hand, watching the sunset. The kids like the look of the water slide that goes over the side of the boat. And, of course, we’re all fans of Disney food!

It sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the UK to try out Disney cruising for a few days. This will be very different to other Disney cruise itineraries. The ship will depart from a port, stop nowhere, and return back to the same port. (I have heard of flights to nowhere but never ships to nowhere!)

So, we have chosen to do the Southampton cruise in late August, and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Although we are sad about not being able to see our American family this summer, this cruise has definitely softened the blow of missing out on being in California.

Here is an ultimate guide to everything you need to know about booking the Disney Magic UK Cruise staycation. Plus a FREE PRINTABLE checklist!

How we booked the Disney Magic UK Cruise Staycation

It is really straightforward to book this Disney Magic UK cruise staycation. Just ask your usual travel agent, or you can easily book it yourself by visiting the Disney cruise website.

There, you can choose your departure point (Liverpool, Newcastle, Southampton and Tilbury) and the length of your trip (2 nights to 4 nights).

We have decided on the 3-night trip because we felt that 2 nights is too short for us. We will be arriving late on the embarkation day and leaving at about 8 am on debarkation, so that feels like only one full day. The 4-night trip looks amazing, but it was quite a bit more expensive and we’re still hoping to get to the USA later this year.

The 3-night cruise for us is in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone – right price, right length!

What stateroom we chose on the Disney Magic UK Cruise 

We chose the cheapest option available, the inside stateroom, for several reasons:

– As the trip is so short, and there’s so much to do, we’re not planning on spending much time in the room, so it doesn’t need to be large. The inside stateroom sleeps up to 4 people, and we’re quite comfortable sharing a hotel room (we’ve done it for 2 weeks in Florida, so I think we’ll be fine for 3 nights o the ship)

– Our children are older and stay up later, so there is no need for us to come back to the stateroom until late in the evening when we’ll go to sleep at similar times

– We have never cruised before, so we won’t have any expectation of any better rooms; we will be quite happy with whatever we get. It’s more pleasant to upgrade than downgrade on a future trip

– We don’t know if anyone in our family will be prone to motion sickness. The inside staterooms are on the interior of the ship and will get relatively less movement

– The price differences. It was £300 extra for a room with a porthole (window), and I’d rather have that money for gratuities and souvenir shop

Pre-cruise checklist 

So, after it was all booked, I did a happy little dance around the house and then got started making plans! I’m in my comfort zone when I’ve got a list, and this trip is no different. I’ve made a list of all the things I need to do before our cruise, from paying our balance to shopping for new Minnie Ears. (Take a guess at which one I’ll enjoy more?)

If a pre-cruise checklist would be helpful to you, you can download my Pre-cruise checklist for yourself. You just need to fill in your travel date and the rest of the form will show you what to do (and when!). 

There are a couple of key dates to remember. If you want to book the upscale Palo restaurant (it’s $45/each person and for adults only), or any of the alcohol experiences like wine-tasting and mixology, you’ll need to have paid your balance in full at 75 days before your cruise. The same applies to booking the Bippity Boppity Boutique and Royal Court Tea Party. If you’ve cruised with Disney before, and have gained silver or platinum status, you’ll know that you have an earlier window to book everything, so check your app for the exact dates.

Then, 30 days before your cruise you can do a few other things. You can do online check-in and possibly pick your Port Arrival Time (PAT), depending on availability. You will also be able to choose your showtime, and whether you want the balcony or orchestra seats. And you will be able to pick a kid’s club session.

Note that not everything may be available to you when your booking windows open. For example, as I am a brand new cruiser (is cruiser a word?), I set my alarm for 5 am on the 75-day mark. Palo was available and most of the drink experiences, but not Mixology. Nor was there any places at Bippity Boppity Boutique or the Royal Tea. If this happens to you, you can keep checking the app for cancellations, which happen all the time. Or at check-in on the day of embarkation.

Check before you book & safety onboard (Covid-19 vaccinations, testing and mask requirements)

There are going to be a lot of health precautions made for this cruise, as Disney want to ensure it is as safe as it possibly can be. They have their platinum reputation to keep and a brand-new ship, The Wish, debuting next year. They are taking no chances of having an outbreak onboard the Magic.

Here’s a list of requirements to think about if you’re considering this Disney Cruise UK Staycation:

– Vaccination. Everyone 18 years and older must be COVID-19 vaccinated. NHS defines that as being 7 days after your final dose. You’ll be able to prove you’ve had it with a vaccination card on the NHS app

– Those under 18 years old are NOT required to be vaccinated, but you must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test result (paid for by you) taken between 5 days and 24 hours before embarkation. Disney has secured a special discounted rate through a third-party vendor for PCR tests. They will contact you before sailing with instructions on how to complete and submit your test results. OR you can buy a PCR test from a third-party vendor or a qualified testing supplier of your choice

– Everyone, including those who have been vaccinated, has to take an antigen COVID-19 rapid test administered by a third party in the terminal before boarding, at Disney’s expense. Anyone testing positive at the terminal will undergo a second test to verify the results. Those with positive COVID-19 test results and their party will be denied boarding. 

TIP: This rule is important if you are travelling with another party. If you choose to link your bookings (i.e., to get rooms connecting or to sit together at dinner), and if one person in the linked booking tests positive, then Disney may choose to deny boarding to all parties. You might want to keep those bookings separate if this is a concern. 

– Everyone ages 11 and older must wear a face covering on the ship and at the terminals, unless in your stateroom, eating or drinking in a designated seating area or while stationary, swimming or occupying a deck chair. Unfortunately, this rule applies to everyone, even if you are normally exempt from wearing a mask or travelling with someone with special needs who can’t wear a mask for any reason. This particular cruise would not be suitable for your family if that applies.  

Although all that may sound like a heavy-handed approach to safety on board, I think it’s fair. Nothing would be worse than being on a cruise ship with an outbreak. I think the rules will make everyone feel a lot more comfortable booking this cruise.

A fun idea for a Disney Magic UK Cruise ‘reveal’ for kids – and a countdown to fun!

If you want to see a clip of how I did the ‘reveal’ to the kids, check out this video. We played a game of Disney Drawsome, and at the end, I had the kids guess the pictures I was drawing on the whiteboard. The words revealed our trip and as you can see, we are all so excited about it!

There is going to be so much to do onboard the Disney Magic – so many things in fact, that I’ve written this post all about it. Make sure to subscribe so you get notified of new Disney Magic at Sea posts. 

All that’s left now is to start counting down. Does anyone know how to speed up time? Asking for a friend…

If you enjoyed this post you might also like to hear about our recent Isle of Wight trip.