Buena Vista Theater on the Disney Magic
The movies are part of the ship’s included entertainment, so there’s no extra charge. You can see three or four different movies on the same cruise, or even see the same one twice. So, what’s in the lineup? On most sailings, the roster will have anywhere from 7-12 (or so) different titles. More recent movies will tend to have more slots in the schedule. There’s no good way to find out the lineup in advance outside of calling Disney or writing in to planDisney. But you can see the entire schedule as soon as you board the ship in the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app.
Start on the app’s “Explore” tab and move the top slider to “Movies and Theaters”. Select the Buena Vista Theater, then tap on “Schedule” near the top. You’ll be able to browse through the showings for your entire cruise.
Most movies will be shown at least twice, and some several times. If the time a show conflicts with your dinner seating or something else on your schedule, it’s easy to find the other showings. Tap on the movie’s card (it may look a bit different than below, depending on where you start from). Then tap “Schedule” and browse to see everything.
Tap View Details
Select ‘Schedule’
Browse all showings
One advantage of this method is that movies expected to be very popular will sometimes also have a showing in the Walt Disney Theater. If you browse through the schedule for the movie, you’ll see all its times, no matter which theater it’s in.
Usually, the movies in the lineup will all be from the last year. But on a themed cruise like a Marvel Day at Sea cruise, you might see older films in the lineup to fit the theme. Or if a sequel is recently released, the prior movies in the series might have a couple of showings, so you can catch up. For kid-friendly musicals (think Frozen), you’ll often find a “sing-along” showing where the words are provided karaoke-style. And yes, in my experience, that does mean there are fewer kids singing out loud in the “regular” showings.
Buena Vista Theater on Disney Fantasy
If you’re like me, popcorn is a must. There’s a refreshment stand immediately outside the theater selling popcorn, soda, and movie theater candy. If you plan to see a few movies, you might think about a refillable popcorn bucket. Prices vary from about $8 to $25, depending on the design. The first fill is free, and refills are at a significant discount (about 60% off) compared to the price of a regular popcorn without the bucket.
Disney Cruise Line in a Jiffy is for first-time Disney cruisers looking to learn about the DCL experience. Got a Disney Cruise Line term that you want to see explained? Suggest it in the comments below!
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