Pirate Night on a Disney Cruise: 5 Things You Need to Know

What is Pirate Night on a Disney Cruise? Pirate Night is one of the most talked-about nights on board and something very unique to Disney Cruise Line. It’s a night filled with special characters, meals, and entertainment. This is offered on almost every single Disney Cruise, including 3 night sailings. The only exception that I have seen is the Disney Alaskan Cruise where this is replaced with a Frozen theme. 

I didn’t quite understand how immersive this night would be on our first Disney Cruise, so I’m sharing everything you need to know about Pirate Night so you can have the best experience!

Everyone Dresses Up for Pirate Night 

One of my favorite parts about this night is how EVERYONE commits to the theme. I was blown away at how everyone on board dressed up for Pirate Night. From cast members to grandpas, everyone was wearing at least a small pirate themed item for the occasion. This really helps you feel like part of the story, which only enhances your overall experience. 

Some people go all out in full-on costumes, while others are happy to wear stripes and pirate themed ears. Disney typically provides bandanas in your stateroom that afternoon, so don’t worry if you forget to pack an outfit! 

As someone who plans outfits for Disney vacations for a living, I LOVED seeing the creativity throughout the night of different guests. If you’re looking for outfit ideas, you can head on over to our previous post where we share many ideas for the entire family!

Your Dinner Will be Pirate Themed

This applies to 4 or more night sailings. If you are on a three night sailing, your menu will be the standard menu of the restaurant. Disney has a rotational dining system in place, so this means that on Pirate Night, you will visit one of the three restaurants within your rotation. But, your menu will be transformed into a special pirate themed meal.

For our last cruise, we ate inside the Arendelle restaurant, but the typical Frozen show and meal were not scheduled. Instead, we were treated to a Pirates of the Caribbean inspired menu with items like jerk chicken and Jack’s Treasure of the Sea. 

The kids’ menu is also themed, but still offers the same kid-friendly options like cheeseburgers and pizza. My kids loved that the actual menu was shaped like a pirate hat. Each night, their menu was themed to the restaurant and contained activities to keep them entertained during the meal. It’s the small touches like this that make a Disney Cruise worthwhile. 

Rare Characters Make an Appearance for Pirate Night 

Disney offers a variety of characters that you can meet on a Disney cruise. Each day, you can check your Disney Cruise Line app to see where and what time characters will be meeting. Typically, you can meet these characters many times throughout your cruise if you aren’t able to catch one at a specific time.

But for Pirate Night, rare characters like Captain Hook. Mr. Smee, and Captain Jack Sparrow will make an appearance, which means that this might be the only evening to grab a photo with these characters.

This is also the night where Mickey and friends will be taking photos in their adorable pirate costumes. Because these characters and outfits are only out for one night, lines will probably be long. So, be sure to pack your patience pants with your pirate costume. 

Special Performances for Pirate Night

During your cruise, you will be treated each night with either a Disney Broadway style of show or a live entertainer like a comedian or magician. For Pirate Night, your entertainment will be a Pirate themed deck party.

On our cruise, we watched a pirate themed rock band perform songs that included 80’s hits, as well as a show with Captain Hook, Mickey and friends, and Jack Sparrow.

Unlike the Broadway shows or live performers, there is only one showing of these special events for the night. But don’t worry, Disney schedules them around your dining, so you won’t miss anything based on the time of your meal! 

Fireworks at Sea for Pirate Night

This is truly the icing on the cake for Pirate Night. Disney is currently the only Cruise Line to feature fireworks at sea. The fireworks kick off with a special appearance by Redd the Pirate. She might look familiar to you if you’ve ever been on the attraction, Pirates of the Caribbean, at Disneyland or Disney World.

Just like most Disney fireworks, these are themed to music, which just make them that much more magical. It’s the perfect way to end your evening of pirate-filled adventures. 

If this sounds overwhelming, just remember that YOU are in charge of your vacation! You do not have to attend every performance or get a photo with every character. No matter what you choose, you are going to have a great time, and the memories you will make are going to last you a lifetime. I would love to hear about your experience with Pirate Night in the comments! Let me know your favorite part or if you have any questions. Thanks for reading!