As Disney Cruise Line enthusiasts eagerly await the next wave of itineraries, anticipation is growing for the release of cruise dates for summer 2026.
While only Disney Cruise Line knows the exact date the 2026 sailings will be released, past trends over the last decade provide some clues about when booking might open.
When Will Disney Cruise Line Release Summer 2026 Dates?
Disney Cruise Line has always staggered the release of its itineraries.
Typically, dates for summer are announced in the Spring of the preceding year.
For instance, if we follow this pattern, we can expect the release of Summer 2026 dates in March 2025.
You can see from this chart that the late sailings have been released from as early as February 24, and as late as May 2.
I doubt that the 2026 summer sailings will be released any later than the end of March.
| EARLY | SUMMER | LATE | |
| 2015 | Tue, Nov 12, 2013 | Tue, Mar 25, 2014 | Mon, May 19 2014 |
| 2016 | Tue, Oct 28, 2014 | Mon, Mar 23, 2015 | Mon, May 18 2015 |
| 2017 | Tue, Oct 6, 2015 | Tue, Apr 12, 2016 | Tue, May 24 2016 |
| 2018 | Tue, Oct 25, 2016 | Tue, Feb 21, 2017 | Thu, May 11 2017 |
| 2019 | Thu, Oct 26, 2017 | Thu, Mar 1, 2018 | Thu, May 17 2018 |
| 2020 | Thu, Sep 27, 2018 | Thu, Feb 28, 2019 | Thu, Jun 6 2019 |
| 2021 | Thu, Sep 26, 2019 | Mon, Feb 24, 2020 | Thu, Jul 23,2020 |
| 2022 | Thu, Oct 15, 2020 | Thu, Mar 18, 2021 | Thu, Jun 17 2021 |
| 2023 | Tue, Oct 12, 2021 | Mon, May 2, 2022 | Mon, July 25 2022 |
| 2024 2025 | Mon, Dec 12, 2022 Mon, Oct 30, 2023 | Mon, Mar 27, 2023 Mon, Mar 18, 2024 | Mon June 26 2023 Mon, June 28, 2024 |
When the sailings are released there are also different dates that you can book, which vary according to your Castaway Club status.
Golden Oak, DVC members and Adventure Insiders also get some priority.
Here was the booking release schedule for the Summer 2025 Disney Cruises (last year).
Where will the Disney Ships Sail in Summer 2026?
There are likely to be few surprises, but there are definitely some unknowns for summer 2026.
First let us look at what we do know.
These are the dates of the last cruises for each ship that are available right now.
- Disney Adventure March 30, 2026
- Disney Destiny May 28, 2026
- Disney Dream April 27, 2026
- Disney Fantasy May 29, 2026
- Disney Magic April 5, 2026
- Disney Treasure May 30, 2026
- Disney Wish May 29, 2026
- Disney Wonder May 4, 2026
Here are some safe assumptions.
Disney Adventure will continue to sail from Singapore on mostly 3 and 4 night roundtrip itineraries with maybe the occasional 5 night cruise.
Disney Destiny will sail on 4 and 5-night Bahamian and Western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale.
Disney Wish will sail 3 and 4 night Bahamian itineraries from Port Canaveral.
Disney Treasure will sail 7 night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral.
Either Disney Fantasy or Disney Dream will sail on a Transatlantic cruise and then sail European itineraries for the summer – returning to North America in October 2026.
The interesting question is will it be Disney Fantasy or Disney Dream that sails to Europe? By then, both ships will have sailed these itineraries, with Disney Fantasy taking the 2025 sailings in Europe.
My thoughts are that it will be Disney Dream as her final currently scheduled sailing is April 27 returning to Fort Lauderdale on May 2, 2026.
This is the last time that she appears on the Fort Lauderdale port schedule so it is logical that she will be sailing to Europe.
Disney Fantasy does appear on the Port Canaveral schedule so it is likely that she will be sailing the same 4 and 5 night Bahamian cruises.
The more difficult call is where will Disney Wonder and Disney Magic be sailing in summer 2026.
Disney Wonder starts her sailings out of San Diego in March 2026, having completed what will be her third Australia season.
But we also see that Disney Magic is sailing from Galveston and will arrive in San Diego on April 19 2026.
This means that for the first time, Disney will have two ships on the West Coast.
Disney Wonder usually sails from San Diego to Vancouver in early May to start her Alaskan sailings. She will finish her Mexico sailings on May 6, 2026.
So the question is will Disney Wonder sail north to Vancouver on May 6, 2026 and then have her usual pattern of sailing to Australia after the Alaska season?
But where will Disney Magic be sailing? It may be that she could take over the Alaskan and Australia sailings from Disney Wonder.
It is a little early to be sailing to Vancouver on a respositioning cruise on April 19 and that would mean she would arrive on Vancouver around April 25 or 26. But other cruise lines do start their Alaska season early.
It may be a smart move to send a different ship to Australia. Sales there have been disappointing with many sailings being discounted for a considerable time for the second 2024/25 season.
This would mean that Disney Wonder might find a more permanent home in San Diego. Maybe DCL will even bring back the very popular, but rarely offered, round trip West Coast sailing to Hawaii.
What do you think?
How to Prepare for Booking
- Stay Informed: Sign up for the EverythingMouse Newsletter and get a Free 30 Page Cruise Planner. We will keep you informed of all the Disney Cruise News.
- Follow us on Facebook. We will let you know as soon as anything is announced.
- Be Ready to Book: Popular itineraries and staterooms can sell out quickly. Have your travel dates, preferred stateroom categories, and payment information ready to go as soon as the bookings open.
Disney Wish and Disney Treasure have themed staterooms. If you want to look ahead and see which themes each stateroom have we have these guides for you:
Disney Treasure Stateroom Themes – A Complete Guide
Disney Wish Stateroom Themes – A Complete Guide
Why Book Early?
Booking early offers several advantages:
- Best Selection: Secure your preferred stateroom category and location.
- Lower Pricing: Usually prices rise from opening day.
- Peace of Mind: Ensure your spot on the cruise of your choice, giving you plenty of time to plan the rest of your vacation.
What to do when Cruises are Released
When you are eligible to book make sure you are logged into your Castaway Cay account, or the itineraries will not be displayed as available to book unless it is past the open booking day.
Be prepared with your dates and familiarize yourself with the options such as stateroom type, location, and have some second and third choices ready as your first may not be available.
Be patient.
Particularly in the first booking days there are many people trying to book the same staterooms and cruises. It may take you a very long time to get through on the phone and the website may be slow.
If you want to make this process a lot easier and also get some Free Onboard Credit then the best way is to use a Disney Authorized Travel Agent.
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Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando. In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.