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  • On Dec 26, 2025
    Karen from TX Asked Please note that experiences, policies, pricing and other offerings are subject to change and may have changed since the date of this answer.

    Best way to plan a cruise for 12 adults and 13 children?

    Ahoy there, Karen! You happen to be speaking to my family's multigenerational Disney cruise planner, so I'm excited to help answer your question! My extended family’s tradition is that we take one multigenerational cruise every year, and I love being the one tasked with planning our magical family vacations! 

    Disney Cruise Line makes it easy to plan for multiple staterooms at a time, and once onboard, there's so much to do for all ages! To begin planning your multigenerational group’s Disney cruise, I recommend taking the following steps: 

    • Think about the time period you will be sailing. Do you have an intended time period, or are you flexible? If your timing is flexible, visit the Special Offers page to see if there are any Special Offers that match your intended time.
    • If trying to decide on a specific ship or itinerary, I suggest thinking about the majority of interests within your group: Do you have a large group of Marvel or Pixar fans who would love to do a Marvel Day at Sea or Pixar Day at Sea sailing? Do you have multiple new cruisers who might prefer a smaller ship, or with a preference for a certain embarkation port, for example?
    • Linking your reservations is going to let Disney Cruise Line know that these staterooms are all attached and, therefore, should try to be seated together during Rotational Dining. While based on availability, in my experience with my large family, Disney Cruise Line tries to accommodate groups together. Once linked, I also like to call Disney Cruise Line and make sure they've been properly linked before beginning to make our plans. 
    • Once linked, plans can now be made by one or multiple people in the "My Plans" section of each reservation. This is how I make adult dining reservations, Senses Spa appointments for multiple adults, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique appointments for kids in different staterooms, etc. Keep in mind that each guest's booking window will depend on their own Castaway Club Membership level, so if one person is booking for multiple people, they need to know when each person's booking window opens. 
    • A tip I have for making adult dining reservations, such as my favorite Palo Brunch, is to have the adults with the soonest booking window (such as Platinum or Gold) make a reservation for themselves and then call Disney Cruise Line to change the reservation from two adults to multiple, which is also based on availability.  

    Karen, I hope you and your group have a magical cruise and make generations of memories together! Please sail back to planDisney if you have any other questions. 

    Bon Voyage, 
    Rana

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Meet the Panelist: Rana, Michigan

Welcome aboard, friends! I’m Rana, a wife and mom of two from Michigan. I’ve practically raised my family aboard Disney Cruise Line and thus have experienced so much that Disney cruises offer—for kids, adults, and multigenerational groups. Creating magical moments for my family is what I Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Do-Best and I would love to help sprinkle magic on your Disney Cruise Line adventures!   Learn More About Rana

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Panelists have received/will receive a Walt Disney World® Resort, Disneyland® Resort or Disney Cruise Line® vacation for panelist and up to three family members and/or park tickets for their planDisney participation. The views expressed on plandisneypanel.com are those of the panelists, who are independent contractors. These views are not intended to reflect the opinions of Disney Destinations, its affiliates, its management, its agents or its employees and have not been reviewed or approved by Disney Destinations prior to posting.

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