I wouldn’t call myself a “cruiser” per se, but after 15 sailings aboard most of the major cruise lines, there’s a clear winner for me: Disney Cruise Line. Even as a mega Disney fan and theme park journalist who has been visiting parks regularly for over 3 decades, I can remove my own bias to observe why it’s one of the very best lines. It offers some of the highest quality food you’ll find at sea, Broadway-level entertainment, never-ending activities, and it’s just plain fun.
I recently boarded the Disney Fantasy, which was offering one of the line’s specialty-themed sailings: Pixar Day at Sea. Premiering in 2023, this joins the ranks of Marvel Day at Sea and the previous Star Wars Day at Sea. I wasn’t sure just what to expect but it promised additional characters, entertainment, and activities (all within the theme) on top of the expected daily activities.
Adventure is out there, and I arrived armed and eager to try it all. Here’s everything you need to know about Pixar Day at Sea (and why you should plan your next cruise around it).
What is Pixar Day At Sea?
Offered on select ships and select dates (usually ships out of Florida home ports January through early March), Pixar Day At Sea sailings add activities inspired by the beloved animation studio on top of an already robust line-up. And if you’ve sailed Disney Cruise Line, you know. You can do as much or as little as you like, of course, but if you so choose, you can spend your day running from trivia to animation classes to napkin folding and cooking demos and everything in between. This is where Disney really shines. The programming is top-notch, far from cheesy, and really adds value.
On my Pixar Day At Sea sailing, the lineup added even more character meet and greets, additional deck parties (including fireworks!), nighttime entertainment, themed dining, Pixar-animation classes, and more. Familiar favorites were found from “Toy Story,” “Coco,” “Ratatouille,” “Monsters, Inc.,” “The Incredibles,” among others.
While one day of my seven-night cruise was designated as “Pixar Day At Sea” featuring the bulk of offerings, some activities and character meet and greets were also offered on other days.
Pixar Day at Sea Characters
Character meet and greets are a high note for sailing with Disney, and Pixar Day at Sea upped the ante. There were exclusive characters, like Remy and Rex, and also favorites dressed for the occasion, like Mickey and Minnie in Pixar costumes exclusive to the sailing.
Most of the characters were first come, first serve, with lines for the most popular que-ing up as early as one hour ahead of its scheduled time (I’m looking at you Remy!). But it was totally worth it. Miguel from “Coco,” Remy from “Ratatouille,” and Sully from “Monsters Inc.” came with elaborate backdrops that made for great photos.
For the time ever, the lovable green dinosaur Rex from the “Toy Story” franchise met with guests — and an advanced reservation was required. Just like The Royal Gathering (a Disney Cruise Line favorite where all the princesses gather at one time), reservations to meet Rex opened up 30 days in advance of sailing and instantly sold out. The Incredibles also required an advanced reservation, but bookings were much more widely available. Both meet and greets were hosted in tucked-away venues, so it wasn’t even possible to catch a glimpse of them unless you had a reservation.
Pixar Day at Sea Entertainment
In addition to the regularly scheduled entertainment, like Pirate Night and the sail away deck party, this specialty sailing added several other options, including a second fireworks evening. Celebrate The Supers was a spirited deck show featuring the beloved characters, including a mischievous appearance from Jack-Jack, and ended with a fantastic fireworks presentation. This was hosted earlier in the sailing.
Come Pixar Day At Sea, The Pixar Pals Celebration deck show was a highlight for me and offered a rare glimpse at a plethora of Pixar characters on stage dancing together. Seeing Sadness from “Inside Out” dancing was a particular treat.
Daytime activities
“Life is full of possibilities. You just need to know where to look.” And in this case, it’s as easy as opening up Disney’s Navigator app to scroll all of the day’s activities. And Pixar Day adds even more. A favorite was a build your own Forky class. While this was offered throughout the cruise for kids only, on Pixar Day, adults could join in on the fun. Exclusive to the day was a scavenger hunt, Wilderness Explorers: Shipshape Adventure, which culminated in a badge ceremony presented in the atrium by Russell and Dug.
DCL favorite Jack Jack’s Incredible Diaper Dash was also hosted this day and families went all out dressing their babies for the occasion. Special for this sailing, Edna Mode even made an appearance at the end to congratulate the winning baby. I highly recommend anyone sailing Disney to not miss this as it’s almost too wild to believe. And speaking of Edna Mode, she appeared again in the evening to host a fashion show that any guest could join in to show off their Pixar inspired looks (and it made for fantastic people watching).
I also really enjoyed a discussion in the Walt Disney Theatre from Pixar executive and animator, Becki Tower. During the informal chat she peeled the curtain on what it was like to work for the company and shared career highlights.
Pixar Day At Sea Specialty Dining
The Hey Howdy Breakfast with Woody & Friends is exclusive to the cruise and was a pleasant surprise. Offered two days on our week-long sailing, this required advanced reservations but not an additional fee (like Rex, this booked up instantly). For such a limited offering, they went all out, transforming the Animator’s Palate into a “Toy Story” haven. The themed menus and food were great, but it was the character interaction that really shined. Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, and cowboy friends performed several numbers (a la Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue style) before visiting each table for a quick meeting and photo.
In the evening, the main dining rooms featured a Pixar-themed menu with cocktails and dishes playfully named after movie moments and characters, like Princess Merida’s smoked salmon.
More Disney Cruise Line Pixar Day at Sea Fun
This specialty sailing offered the option to add a Pixar themed in-room décor package. Our room was decked out as soon as we arrived with magnetic wall hangs, a Pixar Day at Sea beach towel, and my personal favorite, keepsake silk pillowcases depicting Pixar characters.
Throughout the day, Pixar characters would “over-run” the on-board speaker system with silly messages that added to the overall fun of the immersive day.
Exclusive merchandise, including Pixar Day At Sea pins, t-shirts, and limited prints, was also available.
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Pixar-Obsessed or Not, This Was a Fun Day!
I boarded the cruise as a mid-level Pixar fan and left a bit obsessed. As someone who has difficulty sitting still (like many), I took the opportunity to do as much as I possibly could. My Pixar Day at Sea was a 12+ hour long day spent rushing around from Rex to Remy, and it was a total blast. I’d say about 85% of the guests on board were really into it and dressed for the occasion, adding to the fun.
Much like the movies from the animation giant, Disney Cruise Line manages to bring together families in entirely new ways — and I can’t wait to experience another themed sailing.
Have you sailed on one of Disney’s themed cruises? I’d love to hear from you.
To Infinity and Beyond!