Ahoy, Robin!
Welcome aboard planDisney! I love that you’re looking for a way to surprise your friend during their Disney cruise. A gift waiting for someone on their cruise is a wonderful way to make an already special trip even more memorable.
There are a couple of ways you can go about this, depending on whether you want your friend to know about the gift ahead of time or whether you want to keep your plans a little more under the sea.
First, your friend can log into the Disney Cruise Line website and head over to their reservation to get a shareable link that provides a “Sail Away Gift” in the form of an onboard credit. Your friend can generate this link right from their reservation and share it with you, giving you the option to provide them with onboard credit that they can then use toward purchases during their cruise. It is a simple option, especially if you want your friend to have the freedom to choose exactly what they would like once they are onboard.
But if you’re anything like me, you’d rather be a little sneakier about providing the gift and make it a true surprise. That is where my preferred option comes in. This option does require that you know your friend’s exact sail date and their full name, but once you have those details, you can head to the
Onboard Gifts section, enter their information, and start shopping for that perfect surprise.
And there is quite a treasure trove of possibilities! Depending on what is available for their particular sailing, you can choose from items such as cakes, cupcakes, adult beverages, onboard credit, and so much more. I actually did this recently for a friend who was sailing and was able to arrange for a bottle of Cloudem - Blue to be delivered to their table at dinner on embarkation day. Seeing a surprise waiting for someone on the very first night of their cruise is a pretty magical way to say, “I’m thinking of you!” before they have even had a chance to settle into vacation mode.
One thing I definitely recommend keeping in mind is the ordering window. Cake and cupcake orders often require you to place the
order at least 7 days prior to the sail date. For everything else, orders should be placed at least 3 days prior. I would still recommend ordering as early as possible, particularly if you have something specific in mind, since offerings and availability can vary.
I hope this helps you put together a surprise worthy of a little Disney Cruise Line magic and gives your friend something to smile about when they discover it!
Sea ya real soon as we ride the wave of summer’s final stretch in Disney style,
Dustin