The Marvel franchise is something I really enjoy; from the comic books growing to the movies that currently come out to the theaters.  When I saw that Disney cruises were offering Marvel Day at Sea on select sailings in early 2025, I knew I had to book one right way.  Last April, I booked a 5 night western Caribbean cruise from Fort Lauderdale for February 1st to the 6th.

Our Day

Ever since I booked this special cruise, I have been looking forward for this day to come.  Some people do dress up in costumes or wear their favorite Marvel clothing.  My friend and I did not dress up but I did wear a Marvel hat.  The ship is decorated with Marvel decor with signs celebrating Marvel Day at Sea.

Before heading to breakfast, we did take a picture in front of one of the big Marvel signs.  Breakfast and our lunch buffet did not feature anything themed or special as that is saved for dinner time.  It was quiet when we went as most people were busy with the Marvel activities.

Booked Heroic Encounters

Similar to the Royal Gathering on Disney cruises, Heroic Encounters are free and can be booked 30 days before we set sail.  This is the same day we can do our online check ins.  There were 3 different Heroic Encounters that could be booked: HQ, Asgard, and Guardians.  I stayed up until midnight EST online when it was available and was able to book all 3 of these meet ups.

We arrive a few minutes before our scheduled time and before waiting in the line, our key cards are scanned to make sure we have a reservation.  Since each timeslot is limited, the lines were never long.  Our first one was Asgard which was Loki by himself.  We were able to take a few different poses with each character so it wasn’t super rushed.

Our next meet was at HQ, which had both Spider-man and Iron Man.  We took pictures with each character individually one after the other.  We went a bit early for our third meet at Guardians, so cast members let us take pictures at Asgard: Thor and Mighty Thor.  This photo op is with both at the same time.  The last meet was with Gamora and Groot at the same time.

Character Encounters

There are also a bunch of scheduled character encounters throughout the day.  We just had to check the Disney cruise app to see the times and locations of each photo op.  No reservation is needed but we did need to line up depending how popular the characters are.

We did manage to get a photo op with Shang Chi later in the day.  We missed a few like Black Panther and Captain America because lines were too long or we were doing something else.  Later in the evening, there was a group of characters on deck 3 that we could interact with and take pictures.  I got pictures with Doctor Strange, Spider-man, Ms Marvel, Captain Marvel and Black Widow.

Classic Disney Encounters

There were also a few scheduled classic Disney characters wearing super hero costumes throughout the day.  There wasn’t as many opportunities as the Marvel characters, but we did manage to get one with Donald Duck in his Hulk costume.  We got that later in the evening when the lines weren’t too long.

Themed Activities

There were also themed activities throughout the ship for Marvel day.  Heroic theme music could be heard throughout the ship’s speakers instead of Disney music.  Marvel movies are played at the theaters.  There is also trivia, art classes, and even a costume celebration where guests compete to see who is best dressed as their favorite super hero.

Merchandise

Lots of Marvel merchandise could be found at the stores on the ship.  There are shirts, toys, collectables and more.  Items are limited so it is best to go early in the day for the best selection.  At Vanellope’s Sweet shop there were a bunch of yummy themed Marvel treats like cookies and cupcakes to buy.

Special Menu

A special Marvel menu is offered at all 3 rotational dining locations.  The menu looks like a comic book and each item is recommended by a different Marvel character.  Food on Disney cruises has always been amazing so I was looking forward to dinner no matter what.

For my appetizer, I had Captain America’s crispy fried Maryland crab cake.  For my main, I had the Incredible Hulk’s rosemary roasted beef tenderloin, while dessert was Ravagers’ devil’s food cake.  All items were the perfect size and all tasted fantastic.  We did not order any specialty drinks and just had the included soda.

Mickey & Minnie’s Super Hero Celebration 

Mickey and Minnie’s Super Hero Celebration is about a 15 minute show on the top deck.  Accessible seating area is roped off at the front left of the stage with an ASL interpreter on stage.  This short show is at 7.30pm and is between both the early and the late dinner times.

This show is aimed mostly at younger kids as Mickey and Minnie and friends along with cast members teach everyone how to be a real super hero.  All the characters show off their crazy dance moves and learn some important traits of a hero.  This show is still worth watching.

Marvel Heroes Unite deck show

Marvel Heroes Unite is the one show not to be missed and is the grand finale of Marvel Day at Sea.  This show starts at 10:15 PM on the top deck and is about 45 minutes long.  We arrived about 30 minutes early and went directly to the accessible viewing area at the front left of the stage.  By the time the show started, it was totally packed.

This was my favorite live show of the cruise as it combined special effects with a huge line up of Marvel heroes and villains cumulating in a spectacular fireworks ending.  There are characters ziplining from one end of the ship to the other.

I was surprised the huge cast includes Iron Man, Spiderman, Captain America, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor, Antman, Black Panther and more versus the Track Suit Mafia.  The whole audience were cheering and this show alone made it worth sailing Marvel Day at Sea.

Final Thoughts

My friend and I both really enjoyed Marvel Day at Sea on the Disney Dream.  Although it is only 1 full day of the entire cruise, it is totally worth booking a cruise with it if you are a Marvel fan.  I hope this day comes back in the future as I would book another Disney cruise with a Marvel Day at Sea.