Disney Norway Cruise Review
All ten of us are back from out Disney Norway cruise and on this weeks Mouse Chat show we cover everything you nee to know before taking a Disney Norway cruise of your own. Well if you are taking any Disney cruise this review will be very helpful.
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Disney’s inaugural Cruise to Norway
We have been on all four Disney ships and to many ports, but when Disney said we are heading to Norway this Summer, we had to go. We booked three staterooms on the Disney Magic and had ten people in our party. So when you listen to the show we had six kids ranging from ages 5 – 12 and four adults. This cruise was perfect for all ages and everyone from 5 – 50 loved it.
The Disney Cruise Difference
Price and Quality
If you have not been on a Disney Cruise I want to explain what you get at a high level over some other cruise lines. First a Disney cruise is not cheap. But we all agreed that what you get for the price is well worth it. You get a quality vacation experience that far exceeded our expectations. You also are getting many things in the cruise price that other cruise lines charge you extra for. Sodas, Ice Cream, affordable drink prices for alcoholic beverages, a kids club that is open almost 24/7, etc. We have cruise many other cruise lines and you are always being charged extra for food, sodas, kid activities, etc. In the end you have a massive bill of charges. It was very nice to cruise on Disney Cruise Line and not have people always trying to up-sell you.
Food and Service
The food and service was stellar. We had the best wait staff and room attendant in over 20 years of cruising. Disney service it top notch and we were literally treated like royalty. We took a week vacation in Paris after our Disney Norway cruise and I have to say we all kept wishing we had booked a second Disney cruise instead of heading to Paris. It was that good. The food is also fantastic. I love to explore different foods and my wife does not. There was always several choices for both of us. Palo, the only up charge restaurant on the Disney Magic was fantastic also and we requested the same waiter we had two years earlier on a Thanksgiving Disney Cruise. Again, a wonderful meal (lobster ravioli and the filet are excellent choices). And the up charge is only $30 per person.
Shows
The Disney shows each night are Broadway caliber. If you love Disney you will love these shows. There are also speckeled in with different variety acts, like a magician, comedian, dance group etc. So it was a nice variety of acts. If you have already seen Disney Dreams on the Disney Magic, you need to see it again. They have added Frozen to this show and also some amazing special effects. Don’t miss Disney Dreams on the Disney Magic.
The only show that I was not impressed by was “Frozen – Freezing the Night Away” on Deck 9 by the pool. This show replaces the Pirates in the Caribbean show on other Disney Cruises. The show is dance party for 30 mins or so. It’s cold, it’s Norway. And you are literally FREEZING the night away at 11 PM outside. There are no fireworks (it’s day light at 11 PM still) and there is no food or dessert party which was disappointing for a cruise of this caliber. But this was the only thing I though could have been done better on our full seven day Disney Norway Cruise.
Getting the Best Prices on Disney Cruise Line
You can always find the best rates on Disney Cruise Line, including the Disney Norway Cruise, at Pixie Vacations, an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. They will help you book the perfect stateroom for your Disney Cruise and will let you know about everything. Everyone is very helpful at Pixie Vacations and they have been on the Norway Disney Cruise as well as all four Disney ships. So you are in good hands and they excel at finding great value for your hard earned vacation dollars. You can call Pixie Vacations at 678-815-1584 or fill out their quick Disney Cruise quote online.
Disney Cruise Line Excursions
When you listen to the show we cover the excursions, but I also wanted to cover some Disney Cruise Line excursion tips here in the show notes.
Chris’s son on our Norway farm excursion.
1. We booked Disney Cruise Line Excursions very early and both of these were fantastic. We did the Norweign Farm with our kids and also Kayaking. Kayaking can be very cold, wet and difficult for some. But when else are you going to be able to kayak in Norway.
The views from our Norway Disney Cruise Kayak excursion. I dropped a new GoPro camera into the water here. 🙁
2. We also made our own tours at two ports and that was very successful and affordable. So don’t feel like you have to book every excursion at the Disney Port Adventures on the cruise ship.
The On and Off Buses are very easy to use and an affordable alternative. Also we found an incline railway for $8 and a castle for $10 a person that both were hidden gems in Norway.
Taking a Disney Cruise and Disney Cruise Questions
If you have taken a Disney Cruise or have any Disney Cruise Line questions you would like us to answer, please post a comment below. We would love to hear from you with your Disney Cruise Line questions.
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Thanks for this review, and all of your insights. We booked this cruise for 2016 (taking the kids/6 and 10), and have been going back and forth on whether to do it for sure, but your thoughts and experiences convinced us we made the right choice. . We’re a West Coast, Disneyland, Aulani family, and we thought this would be a great way to take the kids to Europe for the first time. Thanks again for all of the insights and humor you guys provide with your podcasts!
Hi, Steve
You are going to have a wonderful time on your Disney Cruise to Norway. We all LOVED it. Please send us photos and let us know how you liked your Disney cruise when you return in 2016.
Steve
Will do. We’re actually headed to Alaska on the Wonder in August (I guess we’re the cold weather cruisers), so I’ll get you some pics and a trip report then as well. Thanks again for all the insights and humor in your podcasts!
Have a great time. 🙂
How much was the cost of the cruise?
Hey Sean,
I don’t remember but there were some great deals and I know we booked one of those. We love to travel and get our moneys worth so we booked a deck 2 inside stateroom and got a port hole stateroom upgrade on deck 2. If you decide to take a Disney Cruise or any other vacation for that matter, go to http://www.PixieVacations.com (phone 678-815-1584) and get a quote. You really can get on some cruise ship for an amazing price and always spend more to upgrade the experience depending on what room and extras you are looking for in a cruise. The Norway Disney cruise was worth every penny we spent.
Steve
Thank you for all your many suggestions and stories, I really enjoyed your podcast. We are thinking of going on this Disney itinerary in 2016 as well. A few questions: would you recommend a cabin with a veranda (ie, was it too cold to really need a balcony)? What was the name of the Castle which you visited close to port? It sounded wonderful for the whole family, and I wish to know its name and the port in which it was located. Lastly, how was the sailing conditions? I’m a little worried about getting seasick. Thank you again, your page and podcast was so very helpful.
Hi, Sandy,
Norway was amazing. The temperatures were in the low 60’s a and sometimes down into the 50’s early morning and at night. A balcony would have been nice but you go into the fjords really early in the morning, like 5:30 AM and leave them at maybe 6 PM. So we would go out on deck at 5:30 AM. You could see this from a balcony too if you want to relax more and keep warmer close to your stateroom. Chris Wood was also on our journey with her family and she can actually book this vacation for you and get you all the details on Norway and what hidden gems to see at the ports. Send her an email at ChrisW@PixieVacations.com Please post photos if you go, I would love to see them.
Thanks
Steve
Great article Steve. I just booked the Norwegian Cruise for my family on 5/29. This is our 6th DCL cruise but first in Europe. I have one concern right now. I have a boy (8) and a girl (5) at cruise time. Will the “Frozen” atmosphere make my son feel like he’s on a “girly cruise”? That may sound silly but the kids really like the Pirate Night in the Caribbean and I fear he may feel like this is a girl party….
Hey Mike,
You are going to love your Disney cruise to Norway. I was just looking at the photos from our Disney cruise a few moments ago. So the Frozen theme is really not over done. There is a Frozen Meet n Greet and it was in Artist Palette one afternoon. You have to sign up for a time to do this meet n greet so please do that if you want to attend. If you don’t sign up you would not even know it was going on. Olaf is also there for the boys. There is also a Freezing the night away Disney deck party. Yes it is literally freezing so dress warm. It’s basically a Disney dance party at 9 or 10 PM and it’s very sunny out. Not fantastic but my two girls (5 / 10) enjoyed it. I thought it was ok, but it was not spectacular. But other than a few things you are not going to be swimming in Frozen stuff for seven days.
If you would like you can contact Chris Wood (ChrisW@PixieVacations.com), she was on the Norway Cruise with three boys and a girl. She might be able to help you plan your Disney Cruise still even though you are already booked. Disney might still be able to add her to your reservation as an agent and it’s no cost and there are no fees. I only tell you this because she has been on the same cruise and has kids the same age and it’s literally no cost.
Again the cruise is a once in a lifetime trip. Loved every minute. Please post some photos when you return and let us know what you all did on the trip.
Have a great cruise.
Thanks Steve. Sorry for the late response. I think your note got SPAM blocked or something. Do you know if the Frozen excursion in Alesund is enjoyable for young boys? It’s not cheap and I don’t want to take my son if he’s going to be bored to tears…
Hey Mike,
We have two girls that were the perfect age, but I just could not bring myself to go all the way to the real Norway and then pay a ton of money to take them to Airendale. You can see Anna, Elsa and Olaf on the Disney Cruise Line ship at a meet n greet and also and the Freezing the Night Away party on deck. Also at EPCOT you could take them to Norway and see the new Frozen ride. I would think it will open this Summer, 2016. We just got an update today and it looks like it still needs a bunch of work so I would thing Spring 2016 for an opening might be difficult.
But I know Disney does an amazing job and the Disney Cruise Lines Norway Trip is AMAZING and the Norway Airendale excursion is probably worth every penny.
I think we went to the Norway long house and shot a bow an arrow, and saw some of the local landmarks and vistas on that day of our Disney Norway Cruise. It worked out well and was more friendly on the checkbook.
Post some photos when you go please and bundle up, it’s cold even in the Summer time.
Steve
I just booked myself and my sister on the 2016 Norway cruise
(and the 4 day pre-cruise Copenhagen stay) and came across your site looking for reviews from their first sailing. Your podcast is great! We are both huge Disney fans and I really appreciated another fans perspective. You mentioned the Castle you found at one port but I couldn’t find the show notes or where you posted which port that was at. We will definitely now be ready for the cold! We are both native Floridians and we will bring many layers!! I look forward to exploring more of your site and podcast! Thanks again!
Hi, Jennifer, The Castle was in Bergen Norway. What a deal! It’s right at the port. The photo below I took from inside the castle looking out at the Disney Cruise Ship. It’s just a few minute walk from the Bergen Norway port.
Also Copenhagen we did a pre stay too and enjoyed that.
Steve
Very informative and well written article! Thank you for sharing your adventure as we are very interested in exploring a non-Caribbean itinerary with Disney Cruise Lines. We just returned from our first Disney Cruise on the Disney Dream, and we are definitely hooked!
I thought it was interesting when lady said twice they got her steak order wrong yet she raved about the head waiter and staff, she commented they never did get it right, I have been on Disney cruises and they do make it right! They would not have wanted her to settle for well done when she wanted medium rare!
I am looking at booking the Norway cruise with a ocean view verandah Room. I’m just wondering if the balcony would be worth it or not? We have a baby so we would spend a lot of time in our room in the evening. I was wondering if it would be too chilly to sit out on the balcony in the evening?
Hi, Michelle,
Please send an email to ChrisW@PixieVacations.com also. She went on the Disney Norway cruise with her kids and can also book this for you and make sure you are getting the best applied discounts, etc. There is no charge to book this with a Pixie at Pixie Vacations and you get all the insider travel advice, can ask questions anytime, will hunt down the best offers etc.
We did not have a balcony. We were in Norway in June and it was still chilly, especially when you are entering the fjords. The ship enters them around 4-5 AM and everyone, well those that are awake, go to the top deck and watch. It’s amazing. Disney Cruise Line has towels up there to wrap yourself in and coffee, hot chocolate. It’s pretty darn cold at that time of night. Now I guess you could see part of that from your room too, but really you should go on deck to see everything surrounding you.
Also get with Chris about dining at Palo, and the different excursions in Norway and the extras you can do on your own in the cute towns.
Have a fantastic cruise.