Disney Adventure Cruise Review: Are the Premium Experiences Worth It?

From exclusive concierge perks to magical princess experiences, find out which Disney Adventure cruise splurges are worth it for your next family holiday!

Planning a cruise on the Disney Adventure and wondering if the premium experiences are actually worth the extra cost?

Beyond the main deck attractions and signature entertainment, the ship offers several upgraded services and add-ons designed to make your sailing extra special. To help you decide what is worth adding to your family’s itinerary, we tried out these premium services on a recent 5D4N cruise — here is our honest verdict on whether you should splash out!

1. Sailing Concierge

Cruising concierge might require a significant splurge, but for families traveling with young children, it can completely transform the experience. While prices vary by sailing, booking a concierge stateroom generally costs nearly double to triple that of a non-concierge stateroom. However, having tested it firsthand, the seamless convenience, priority access, and personalized support made our holiday with a toddler so much easier and far more relaxing.

Firstly, each concierge stateroom has two bedrooms, two toilets, and a living area. We loved having all that space! We chose an inside deluxe stateroom as we weren’t planning to spend much time in the room; however, you can also pick staterooms with a verandah for some fresh air and fantastic views.

With a full capacity of 6,700 guests, the ship can feel quite crowded during peak times. The Concierge Lounge provided a quiet, comfortable sanctuary away from the busy public decks, and quickly became our favourite hideout to recharge throughout the cruise.

Spread across three floors and decked out in an Aladdin theme, the lounge has plenty of seating, beautiful views and a dedicated kids’ corner with movies and art supplies. 

Besides a self-service food counter, the lounge also serves an array of hot dishes. There are different varieties for breakfast, lunch, and dinner too. Think: avocado toast, truffle mushroom linguine, and sliders. For kids, there’s a special kids’ menu of fish and chips, mickey waffles, and more. And yes, all this is complimentary!

Parents can also enjoy evening happy hour from 5pm to 10pm, with free-flow wine, sake, beer and cocktails. 

Beyond the lounge, concierge guests have access to exclusive facilities, including a gym, spa, shops and a sundeck with pools and jacuzzis. There’s even a pool grill serving complimentary burgers, truffle fries and a half pint of prawns (our favourite!). 

Our daughter’s favourite part? The meet-and-greets in the concierge lounge! Random characters visit the lounge each day, with much shorter queues to boot.

Tip: Ask the concierge team for a list of random character meet timings to plan your day around. 

Above all, the concierge team goes above and beyond to make your cruise an outstanding one. They put in the effort to remember your family’s preferences, and made our daughter feel so special by addressing her by “hi princess” every time they met. It was a 10/10 experience!

Note: The picture also features takeaway pizza from the quick-service Pizza Planet joint.

Other concierge perks include waived delivery charges for all room service orders — not just for breakfast; non-concierge orders are otherwise subject to a USD5 (~SGD6.40) delivery fee — as well as priority embarkation (without having to camp for the earliest port arrival time) and disembarkation. 

Concierge guests also enjoy priority entry (with complimentary popcorn!) into the two big theatre shows: ‘Seas the Adventure’ and ‘Remember’. The concierge team is able to assist with booking the highly popular Royal Gathering meet-and-greet before the cruise as well, saving you the headache of trying to get a slot during the cruise.

Tip: On the first day, don’t miss the dedicated concierge lunch at Hollywood Spotlight (which is otherwise closed for lunch). We found the lunch to be a nice way to settle into the cruise; plus, it comes with complimentary alcohol for the adults.

However, concierge guests are the first group to board the cruise (after back-to-back cruisers), so you might want to seize the chance to explore the ship before the crowds descend! We spent an hour queuing for the Ironcycle rollercoaster to check it off our list, before enjoying a leisurely lunch. 

2. Dazzle and Delight Fireworks Viewing Experience

Disney Adventure has an exclusive fireworks-at-sea show called ‘The Lion King: Celebration in the Sky’. It typically happens on the second night at 10.30pm — which means it’s past many kids’ bedtimes. 

We were on the fence about the Dazzle and Delight package, but were so glad that we went ahead with it! It’s priced at USD65 (~SGD83) for guests aged 13 and older, USD55 (~SGD70) for children aged three to 12, and free for guests under three.

You’ll get access to a dedicated viewing area with lots of space. The package came with free-flow champagne, sangria, or fruit punch; as well as an array of canapes. 

We especially loved how we didn’t have to arrive an hour before just to camp for a good viewing spot. Look at that crowd on the top deck! Our daughter even had the space to dance to the music the whole time — the comfortable and meltdown-free experience was a total win for us.

When the fireworks began, all we had to do was sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. After the show, you can even snap a photo with the ship’s captains if you’d like.

From 1 October 2026, this package can be reserved pre-cruise when your booking window opens via the Navigator app or through the concierge team. 

3. Magical Makeovers

Bring your little princess to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for a magical princess makeover. There are princess packages from USD119.99 (~SGD154), Captain Minnie and Captain Mickey packages from USD179.99 (~SGD230), and a prince package for USD59.99 (~SGD77). Read more details about the various packages here. 

Tip: If you’re intending to give your child a makeover, we recommend doing so before your Royal Gathering (a free meet-and-greet with three princesses) booking.

P.S. Even grown-ups can get a sprinkle of Disney magic with a complimentary pixie dusting experience!

If you have a Marvel fan in the family, make a beeline for the Marvel Studio. Packages are priced from USD69.99 (~SGD90); adults can also transform into their favourite superhero for USD149.99 (~SGD192). 

4. Royal Society for Friendship and Tea

At USD250 (~SGD320) per child and USD75 (~SGD96) per accompanying adult, the Royal Society for Friendship and Tea made us do a double take. Given its steep price-tag, we weren’t sure whether the 90-minute high-tea experience would be worth it. 

However, who knows how long our daughter’s princess obsession would last? We decided to give it a shot and, alas, came out of it feeling rather disappointed.

The high tea is said to be an afternoon of song and dance alongside three royal princesses. Ours were Cinderella, Belle, and Tiana. Each princess enters the room to much fanfare, and joins the two hosts on stage for a short performance. The performance itself is lovely, and kids are given props to join in — e.g. a mouse puppet for Cinderella’s segment, and a tambourine for Tiana’s. 

Upon arrival, these props are given to each kid in a large backpack. These come alongside a toy tea set, an activity book to keep them occupied between performances, and a felt crown. 

Each parent-and-child pair will be given a three-tiered tower of sweet and savoury snacks, as well as some scones and apple juice in teacups for the little ones. 

Unfortunately, we found the food tasted rather ordinary, and was nothing to shout about. We evidently weren’t the only ones who thought that way, as we spied lots of leftovers on almost every table.

Now, here’s the part that we’re not quite a fan of. Each princess visits each table — if only for a very cursory interaction. Perhaps for just a few minutes at each table! They engage the kids in a little conversation, give a few waves, and quickly move off. Guests aren’t allowed to take individual photos or get autographs either.

Your seating allocation can also make a difference. We were seated on the opposite side of the table from where the princesses walked, so our daughter had very little interaction with them. If your child is expecting plenty of one-on-one time with their favourite princesses, it’s worth managing those expectations beforehand.

Granted that the whole experience felt pretty fancy, but we felt that the brief princess interactions and subpar food quality did not justify the price tag in the least. 

Book this only if you’re willing to indulge in a fancy experience for your princess-obsessed daughter; otherwise, we found the free Royal Gathering much better, where we were able to properly interact with three princesses at once!

5. Unlimited Photo Package

The unlimited photo package, to us, was the best investment that we made for the cruise! Even better, it’s cheaper if you purchase it pre-cruise, too.

For a 3N cruise:

• Pre-cruise price: USD169.95 (~SGD218)

• Onboard price: USD199.95 (~SGD256)

For a 4N cruise: 

• Pre-cruise price: USD203.95 (~SGD261)

• Onboard price: USD239.95 (~SGD307)

There are professional photographers stationed all around the ship, so feel free to take as many photos as you’d like! The package also includes the unique Ironcycle photo captured during the ride; a single photo otherwise costs approximately USD21 (~SGD27, price subject to change).

We found this super handy for group photos. Plus, how gorgeous are those borders?! Besides, we absolutely love the magic shots (where characters are superimposed onto photos). Search for the word ‘photo’ in your navigator app, and you’ll find lots of photo stations around the ship.

Choose from various themes, such as Aladdin, Frozen, Lion King, Stitch, and many more. You can also get your photos taken at iconic spots like the Mickey topiary statue at Imagination Garden (which is even more gorgeous at night!), and the Nemo and Dory statue at Discovery Reef.

The photographers are super friendly and great with children, and will teach them how to pose. Our daughter had a great time, and the photos look like they came straight out of a professional studio photoshoot!

However, as we were on a 4N cruise, we had the luxury of time to visit many photo stations. We had a total of 399 photos, which made our unlimited package super value for money. Guests on the shorter 3N cruise admittedly might not have as much time.

Wait times for each photo station averaged around 15 to 30 minutes; our shortest was just 5 minutes, and the longest was a whole hour. We’d recommend assessing your child’s personality too: our daughter is very happy to pose for photos but, if your child might get impatient, the unlimited photo package might not be the best choice for your family. 

Another perk that we love is that the professional photographers are present for character meet-and-greet sessions. The lighting at some locations isn’t great, and the quality between the phone photos and professional photos? A world of difference. 

Note that the pre-cruise photo package is non-refundable, and photos will be available for download up to 45 days after your cruise ends.

Bonus: Palo Trattoria

Palo Trattoria is a traditionally adult-exclusive (18+) dining experience across Disney Cruise Line’s fleet of ships; however, Disney Adventure’s version has now been opened up to kids aged 10 and above. Let us know if you’ve tried it with your kid! 

We hope this has helped! If you have other experiences with these premium services, do let us know too! 

This article is contributed by E-lyn, a mummy to both a three-year-old toddler and a five-year-old dog. She also loves all things Disney!