Entertainment on the Disney Cruise Line is often compared to the quality of a Broadway show with the live stage performances that take place throughout the cruise. Disney Cruise Line shows take place nightly in the theater stage onboard each Disney Cruise ship and coordinate with your assigned dinner time. The Disney Cruise Line shows are one of the major highlights of a Disney Cruise experience!
Each Disney Cruise ship will offer different shows although you will see some shows shared amongst the cruise ships. The most notable of these performances are the ones that are retelling of classic Disney stories like Beauty & The Beast, The Little Mermaid, and more.
During my recent Disney Cruise I found myself looking forward to the Disney shows more than any other entertainment on the ship. The quality of these performances made our evenings so special on our Disney Cruise. Keep reading for the full overview of all the Disney Cruise Line shows offered including news on upcoming shows!
NEW Disney Cruise Line Show Coming Soon
A brand new show will be created just for the Disney Treasure which debuts in late 2024. “Disney The Tale of Moana” will be a Broadway-style production exclusive to the Disney Treasure and will tell the story of Moana's adventure to save her island and restore the heart of Te Fiti. This new show will feature favorite characters like Gramma Tala, Maui and Tamatoa on the stage plus favorite songs from the film's iconic soundtrack.
The new Moana show will feature towering puppets by the puppet designers who worked on Disney’s Tony Award-winning musical “The Lion King” on Broadway. Te Kā will be a puppet of a scale Disney Cruise Line has never before produced. This same giant Te Kā puppet will transform into the gentle island goddess of Te Fiti once Moana restores her heart.
Moana and Maui will perform “Warrior Face” along with other classic favorites from the soundtrack like “You’re Welcome,” “We Know The Way” and “How Far I’ll Go.”
This is going to be an amazing show and may be worth a trip on the Disney Treasure to view this new lineup to the existing Disney Cruise Line shows.
You can view the currently available dates for Disney Cruise Line trips in 2024 and 2025 along with full itineraries. After viewing the dates be sure to come back and request a FREE quote from our travel partner for your cruise. For a limited time Mickey Visit readers get up to a $300 onboard credit.
Disney Cruise Line Show Tips
All of the Disney Cruise Line live shows will take place on each ship's stage theater. Each of these theaters is large enough to fit everyone but there are typically two show times offered each night. These showtimes will coordinate with your rotational dinner times. So if you are eating at the earlier dinner time, then your show will be after dinner. f you have the later dining time, your show will be before dinner. The Disney Cruise Line app will show all the showtimes for the shows once you board and connect to the Disney Cruise Line Wi-Fi.
Guests will start lining up early for the most popular shows during your cruise. Each Disney Cruise ship will show at least three of the shows from the list below with most ships only showing one Broadway-style retelling of a Disney animated classic. For example, when I sailed on the Disney Dream, our shows included Beauty & The Beast, Golden Mickeys, and Disney Believe. Out of those three, Beauty & The Beast was hands down the most popular. For this show we lined up about 30 minutes prior to the showtime so we could get good seats. For the other two shows, we simply walked up less than 10 minutes before showtime.
The best place to sit for these performances, especially if your family wants the chance to interact with performers, is on the floor level. One of our favorite places to sit was in the center on the aisle, you will be close enough to see the characters that interact in the aisles and any special effects that come from the ceiling. There really isn't a bad place to sit in the theater but the best spots are going to be on the main floor or the upper balcony seating. If you sit too far back on the main floor, underneath the above balconies, you may miss some stage effects or characters appearing on the upper balconies during the show.
Your cruise may also do three showtimes for the popular show on your lineup, which is usually the retelling of a Disney animated film, so that helps spread the crowds out even more for seating. And if you want, you could watch it twice!
You aren't allowed to take photos or video during the performances which I think is a great rule because it forces guests to be in the moment. And it also matches the general etiquette of a live performance at a theater. But also because of this, I had to use official Disney photos to describe all these Disney Cruise Line live shows below.
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty & the Beast is the stage adaption of the live action Disney film complete with full stage effects and all your favorite characters from the movie. This live production includes innovative puppetry, cutting-edge theatrical design, and breakthrough story-telling techniques.
This show took my breath away! This is easily one of the best Disney shows I have ever seen. I was so impressed by the quality of this show. This show is a stage adaption of the live action Disney film, not an adaption of the classic animation. All fans of Beauty & the Beast will love this show, even if you don't enjoy the live adaptions. They did such a nice job capturing the charm of the original and the puppeteering of the live action that it worked well.
Beauty and the Beast is currently showing on the Disney Dream and will be a shared performance with the Disney Treasure when it sets sail.
The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid was created exclusively for the Disney Wish and features theatrical design, dazzling special effects, artistic choreography and a reimagined script and score. This Broadway-style musical features songs like “Part of Your World,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls” and “Under the Sea” plus an all-new rendition of “Kiss the Girl.”
The Little Mermaid is showing on the Disney Wish.
Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular
Disney's Aladdin- A Musical Spectacular is a stage show adaption of the animated classic with a comedic edge that retains all the fun of the original. The show includes many of the original songs including “Friend Like Me,” which is transformed into a lavish production number complete with magical illusions and a troupe of dancing genies. The show also features a brand new song by composer Alan Menken, who created the original soundtrack with songwriters Howard Ashman and Tim Rice: “To Be Free.”
Disney's Aladdin- A Musical Spectacular is showing on the Disney Wish and Disney Fantasy.
Tangled: The Musical
Tangled: The Musical transports guests into Rapunzel's fairytale world with all the favorite moments from this beloved film coming to life on stage. The story remains true to the original story with all the original characters with impressive puppetry especially with bringing Maximus, the palace horse, to life. The show features three brand new songs created by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, the award winning duo behind the original soundtrack, called “Flower of Gold,” “Wanted Man” and “When the Princess Returns.”
Tangled: The Musical is showing on the Disney Magic.
Frozen, A Musical Spectacular
Frozen, A Musical Spectacular is a retelling of the story of the Frozen film with impressive production quality and musical talent. The show features many of the popular sonsg from the film including: “For the First Time in Forever,” “Let It Go,” “Love Is an Open Door,” “In Summer,” and “Fixer Upper.”
Tangled: The Musical is showing on the Disney Wonder and Disney Fantasy.
Seas the Adventure Show
Seas the Adventure focuses on an adventure with Goofy steering the ship to encounter popular Disney characters and fan favorites. Highlights include Princess Tiana performing her song “Almost There” and Crush and Squirt from Finding Nemo showing Goofy how to “Go with the Flow” in a rendition of the song from the musical live adaptation from Animal Kingdom. There will also b
The unique thing about this show is the original arrangement of Disney heroines that is exclusive to the show as Elsa, Moana, and Merida perform a powerful medley of “Into the Unknown,” “How Far I’ll Go” and “Touch the Sky.”
Seas the Adventure is the live stage performance on the Disney Wish and will be a shared performance with the Disney Treasure when it sets sail.
Golden Mickeys
Golden Mickeys is an award style show similar to the Oscars but focused on presenting ‘The Golden Mickeys' to notorious Disney characters and films. Awards given during this show include “Most Heroic” or “Most Romantic” for popular Disney characters. Some of the Disney animated films featured in the show range from “Tarzan” to “Toy Story 2” to “The Lion King”- there is such a wide variety of films in this show!
One of my favorite parts of this show was the chance to see rare characters that often aren't given a stage presence these days like Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dam. This was a really special show for that reason alone! The show also creates a red carpet moment for families entering the theater and will even interview guests as they come in. These interviews are then shown on the inside of the theater which is a cool moment for kids to be a part of.
Golden Mickeys is playing on the Disney Dream and Disney Wonder.
Disney's Believe
Disney's Believe is a musical about a workaholic father who reconnects with his daughter through a little Disney magic- including songs from popular favorites like Aladdin, Lion King, Princess & the Frog, and more.
This is a really fun show and the comedy integrated into the mix by the host, the Genie from Aladdin, made it even more entertaining. There is such a wide variety of Disney characters and songs incorporated into the show and it has a great message for families.
Golden Mickeys is playing on the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy.
Twice Charmed
Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story revisits Disney's classic princess tales and is a must for all princess fans. The show begins where the Cinderella film ends and revolves around the question of: What if Cinderella never got a chance to slip on the glass slipper, leaving those nasty stepsisters with another chance to get their claws into Prince Charming? This show features a lot of moments from the stepsisters which makes for a hilarious show.
Twice Charmed is showing on the Disney Magic.
Disney Dreams- An Enchanted Classic
Disney Dreams- An Enchanted Classic is the story about a little girl named Ann Marie who can't find it in her heart to “believe” so she is visited by several famous Disney characters including those from Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Cinderella, and Aladdin. The show includes stunning special effects and a cameo appearance by Tinker Bell!
Disney Dreams- An Enchanted Classic is showing on the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder.
Planning a Disney Cruise?
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What kind of shows are on the Disney Cruise?
Disney Cruise Line ships feature a variety of shows but the most popular are the Broadway-style adaptions of classic Disney animated films like The Little Mermaid, Tangled, Beauty & the Beast, and more.
Do Disney Cruises have comedy shows?
Some Disney Cruises will feature comedy shows and some of the live shows in the theaters will have a comedic twist to them.
How do I know what shows are on my Disney Cruise?
Our guide to all the Disney Cruise Line shows will mention which show happens on which ship- each Disney Cruise Line ship will have up to three stage shows.
How many shows are on a Disney Cruise?
Each cruise will include at least three stage performance shows before and after dinner but there will be plenty of other Disney shows taking place on the pool deck and throughout the ship.
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