New Policies on Disney Cruise Line

Guest Author: Amanda Rose

This past week the Disney Cruise Line sent out reports on changes to two of their guest policies, the first regarding smoking and the second is regards to the dress code in the main dining rooms on its ships.

New Smoking Policy on Disney Cruise Line

Starting on November 15, 2013, smoking on the verandas of Disney Cruise Line’s staterooms will be banned and passengers who violate this new policy will be charged a $250 fee for stateroom cleaning and the replacement of linens. Smoking has been banned from the interior spaces for a few years and smokers will only be permitted to smoking in common outdoor spaces on each of the four Disney Cruise Line ships, which are designated for smokers. These areas include:

Disney Wonder and Magic designated smoking areas:

• Deck      4 starboard side, outdoors from 6p.m. – 6a.m.
• Starboard      side in open-air decks 9 and 10 (not including the Mickey Pool area)

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy designated smoking areas:

• Deck      4 port side, aft, outside Promenade Deck from 6p.m. – 6a.m.
• Deck      12 port side, aft, outdoor area Meridian Lounge
• Deck      13 port side, forward, Currents Bar

The Disney Cruise Line made this new smoking policy change after a good amount of feedback from cruisers. While I understand that not everyone (mainly smokers) will like this change, we have been on longer cruise’s with Disney Cruise Line that do allow ample time for us to enjoy the veranda. Unfortunately, there were days that our neighbors sat outside on their verandah chain-smoking and did not allow us to enjoy our veranda, nor did it allow us to leave our veranda door open to allow the fresh sea air into our room. It can be very frustrating for those that pay extra for the veranda and not be able to use it.

On many of the Disney Cruise Line group pages, smokers have been arguing that they still will be smoking on their veranda and incurring the $250 fee, because they feel they paid for it for the smoke-friendly spot for them to relax. I have to say, I would be very upset if I paid for the extra and my neighbor decided to go against the policy and smoke on their veranda and not allow me to enjoy mine.

New Dress Code Policy

The second change onboard the Disney Cruise Line Ships in the new dress code for the three main dining rooms on each of the vessels. Disney Cruise Line officials announced (though it has not been posted on line as of 8/26), that the company will relax the requirements of “cruise casual” attire (pants, capris, skirts and dresses) and all guests to wear shorts to dinner at Animator’s Palate, Parrot Cay, Lumiere’s, Triton’s, Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace and Royal Court.

This new policy is really no surprise, as the dress code has not been enforced on any of the cruises that we have been on. While I do enjoy that I won’t need to pack quite as much due to having so many different outfits for the day (we cruised Disney’s Inaugural Hawaiian Cruise, which was 15-nights and my son and I had 4 bags packed…all of which I, alone needed to drag through the airport and to the port!), I do fear that those that already went against the Disney Cruise Line dress code and dressed casual may dress down even more – while I am fine with seeing shorts in the dining rooms, I cringe at the thought of a bathing suit being worn!

Guests that may not have cruised with Disney Cruise Line may not understand the fuss of the dress-code. On our first cruise, I couldn’t really wrap my mind around trying to put my 4 year-old into a pressed shirt and khakis each day at dinner, but once onboard, I was so happy that we took the advice, not only are the dining areas very cool, but the pictures we have of us dressed in our “cruise-casual” attire are just so cute! The decor inside the dining rooms, really do give the feel of a slightly more sophisticated dining experience, the placement of beach attire just doesn’t mesh.

What are your thoughts on the new dress code and smoking policy on the Disney Cruise Line?]