If you’ve heard anything about sailing on the Disney Cruise Line, you’ve probably heard about the Disney Cruise Pirate Night. Held on select sailings (those with Caribbean itineraries), the Disney Cruise Pirate Night includes shows, costumes, special food, fireworks, and your favorite Disney characters in their pirate gear.
Sailing on the Disney Cruise Line soon? Here’s what you need to know about the Disney Cruise Pirate Night.
Disclosure: I’ve been on the Disney Cruise Line many times at my own cost, twice as part of Disney Social Media Moms, and once on a media cruise. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. A purchase through one of these links may result in a commission paid to us.
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All About the Disney Cruise Pirate Night
What is the Disney Cruise Pirate Night?
This special night, held on one day of most Caribbean sailings, includes shows, characters, special food, and so much more. It’s typically held on a day at sea if one is included on your itinerary. But it can definitely vary.
For the three-day Bahamian itinerary on the Disney Wish cruise ship, it’s typically on Nassau port day. The event is very popular among cruisers and you’ll often see families all decked out in their pirate garb. Cast members also get very excited about pirate night, so it’s really a lot of fun for the entire family.
Disney Cruise Pirate Night Costumes
You may be wondering – “Do I need to dress up for pirate night?”. While many families do dress up for pirate night, many do not. You’ll see everything – from families with every family member dressed up in full costumes, to families with just the kids dressed up, to some with just a few accessories like a pirate bandana and/or an eye patch, to absolutely no pirate apparel at all. Typically, my whole family doesn’t really dress up much and we feel very comfortable. Everything goes.
Pirate costumes are available on board, and the onboard Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique transforms into the Pirates League for the special night. You’ll want to book reservations for that, as early as you can to ensure availability.
You can also purchase some accessories in the onboard gift shops, and your stateroom attendant will leave complimentary bandanas in your stateroom for the party (note that these are not provided on the Disney Wish and may be phased out on the other ships).
You may also decide to bring your own pirate accessories and full pirate costumes from home. Many, many families choose to do that.
Here are some pirate attire ideas you can easily purchase and bring on board with you. If you are participating in a Disney Cruise Line Fish Extender exchange, some fun gift ideas are pirate party accessories like bandanas, eye patches, and glow sticks. Just make sure that you give them as gifts before they are needed.
- Pirate t-shirt
- Pirate girl’s dress
- Pirate kids’ costume
- Pirate hat
- Pirate bandana
- Pirate eyepatch
- Glow sticks
Disney Cruise Pirate Night Fireworks and Shows
All day, you’ll be treated to a variety of pirate-themed shows and activities. You’ll find things like pirate crafts, the So You Want to Be a Pirate Game Show?, pirate games, and the Disney Junior Pirate and Princess Dance Party. Note that these may vary by sailing and my cruise ship.
Some of these special activities also take place in the Oceaneer Lab and Oceaneer Club. All of these events and activities can be found on the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app.
On FunnelVision, you may even be able to catch a showing of one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest were both playing on my most recent cruise. They may also be playing on your stateroom television.
Throughout the day, you’ll also find character greetings with some of your favorite pirate characters, like Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain Hook, and Mr. Smee. Other characters will be dressed up, especially for pirate night.
Pirates in the Caribbean Party – All Disney Cruise Ships Except for the Disney Wish
The highlight of the event is the Pirates In the Caribbean Party. This show takes place on the upper deck pool deck and is extremely popular. Almost every passenger on board heads up to see the show, so you’ll definitely want to go early to get a great viewing spot. You can also go to the deck above the pool deck, which may be a better option to see everything.
The deck party includes a fun pirate-themed show, which culminates in a spectacular fireworks show at sea. It’s always amazing to see fireworks at sea, and as you’d expect, Disney definitely puts on a great show. Note that this show is weather-dependent, so it isn’t a guarantee. However, on 16 Caribbean sailings, we’ve never had the show canceled (even the cruise that was extended during the hurricane).
During our past sailings on the Disney Fantasy, Disney Wonder, and Disney Dream, the pirate show was pretty late at night after the last seating for dinner and the last evening show had finished. While I loved the show, it was definitely late at night for the youngest kids. On our first cruise, I actually woke my kids up to take them to the party.
On a sailing on the Disney Magic in January, the Pirates In the Caribbean Party took place at 7:30, between the two seatings for dinner. I definitely prefer that time, because we aren’t exhausted by then. It’s not clear if this is something that is a permanent change, but you’ll definitely want to check the Disney Cruise Line app to see what time it is taking place on your sailing.
After the fireworks, there’s a full buffet. While you probably won’t be too hungry after dinner, it’s always worth stopping in.
Pirate’s Rockin’ Parlay Party
On the Disney Wish, there’s a brand-new pirate party – Pirate’s Rockin’ Parlay Party. This deck party, held on the upper decks of the Disney Wish (the pool decks), is led by Captain Redd and her pirate crew. It’s more of a live music show but is lots of fun for families. Of course, it culminates in fireworks off the side of the ship.
While I love the original show on the other ships, it’s fun that the Disney Wish has a brand-new show. It gives regular Disney Line Cruisers two different shows to enjoy. Be sure to look at the Disney Cruise Line app for the show time.
Disney Cruise Pirate Night Dinner
If you are sailing on a three-night cruise, you’ll have your traditional dining rotation on Pirate night, with the regular rotational dining restaurant’s menu.
However, if your trip is four or more nights, you’ll have a special pirate-themed dinner. For this dinner, servers (sometimes) dress in pirate apparel, and you’ll be given a separate pirate night menu.
Everyone on the ship, regardless of the dining room they are assigned that night, gets the pirate menu (except for Palo and Remy). To be honest, I don’t love the menu on pirate night (I prefer the traditional menus at the restaurants), but the food is still delicious.
If you are planning to go to Palo, you may want to do it on the pirate night to avoid that menu. Keep in mind that the dress code will still apply.
Have you ever experienced a Disney Cruise Pirate Night? What is your favorite?
Frequently Asked Questions
It can vary. If you look at the cruise onboard activities available to book, you’ll see the Pirate’s League scheduled in place of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique on Pirate Night.
No, while many people do dress up, many others do not. Do whatever you’d like to do during your vacation.
Yes, if these are itineraries that normally hold a Pirate night.
Pirate night is a weather-dependent event, so there’s a chance it can be cancelled or rescheduled.
