In August of 2023, we sailed on the Disney Dream around Northern Europe. This cruise was the longest one we’ve ever been on. 11 nights to be exact. Here’s a look at where our cruise stopped and a quick overview of everything we did while there. We will also be sharing all of our videos from each stop on our YouTube channel, so if videos are more your thing, then feel free to check those out!
Disney Dream in Europe
After the Disney Magic took its turn in Europe previously, the Disney Dream, a larger ship than the Magic, decided it was next! The Disney Dream brought with it some new itineraries and the capacity to serve more guests. You can see where Disney Cruise Line travels in Europe in 2024 here. And it looks as though the Disney Fantasy will be cruising around Europe in 2025, so that’s an exciting prospect for those cruising out of Europe.
11-night Disney Cruise to Northern Europe
Our 11-night Disney Cruise to Northern Europe was a one-way cruise. Meaning that it started in one location and ended in another. Our cruise began in Copenhagen, Denmark and ended in Southampton, England. We always recommend flying into your departure port city the day before any cruise. But in the case of Europe, we actually recommend flying in earlier than that. 2-3 days beforehand will allow for most flight delays or cancellations. And will help you get used to the time difference, so you’re not jet legged for the first half of your cruise.
Kiel, Germany
Kiel, Germany was our first stop on our 11-night cruise through Northern Europe. You can find our full day in Kiel, Germany on our YouTube channel here. In our cruise Facebook groups, which we always recommend you join before any Disney Cruise, there was a lot of chatter about Kiel and how it was ugly and there was nothing to do there. many people use this cruise port stop as a way to get to Hamburg or Lubek. But since we weren’t sure about how we would do with jet lag and it was also a slightly shorter port day, we chose to stay in Kiel and explore the port area. The walk into town in an easy one and takes about 15 minutes from the cruise port terminal.
We were actually pleasantly surprised! Sure, it’s not the most gorgeous medieval town you’ll see in Germany. But it does have a really interesting history and was cool to explore for a half day. This is almost like a typical port town, with shops and restaurants. There’s a Primark for all of you Disney fans, and they have standard fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s and Starbucks, as well as locally owned restaurants and pubs as well. We had lunch at Lowenbrau, which was near the middle of town. And enjoyed some classic German sausage and beer. We also found a very cute coffee shop for a snack later on in the day.
Additionally, outside of the things we did in Kiel, there is a Naval Memorial and a U-boat from the war that can be found in Kiel as well. So, if you’re a history buff or enjoy learning more about the war, you can also take a visit to see both of those in Laboe. And you can find out more information about these two war memorials here.
You can watch our video about our day in Kiel, Germany here.
Stockholm, Sweden
Why don’t more people talk about Stockholm?! I mean, maybe they do, but I never hear anything about it. This stop was such a good one! I’m still in awe how people live here every day and don’t just crumble from the sheer beauty of this city. Our ship actually docked at Nynashamin, which is about 45 mins away from Stockholm. Since we were unfamiliar with the public transportation there, we opted to use a shuttle that Disney was selling through its excursions. Now that we’ve seen how it all works, I will say this was probably not necessary. But I am someone who is often worried about making it back in time for the ship’s departure, so for my own peace of mind, we booked the transportation through the cruise ship.
We started off our day walking to Gamla Stan, which many people will recognize as the brightly colored buildings in the town square. In this same area, we had a “fika” or coffee break, at Cafe Schweizer where we had the most delicious cinnamon roll with a coffee.
Stockholm is an archipelago made up of multiple islands. So, ferry transportation is pretty popular here. We traveled to the island of Djurgården via ferry to see the Vasa Museum. This museum is seriously so cool! It houses the only almost fully preserved 17th century ship. The ship capsized during its first sailing and it was never fully understood why. It is really cool to see upclose. You can learn all about the Vasa Museum here.
The Royal Palace can also be seen while in Stockholm, along with a wide variety of other museums like the Abba Musem, the Viking Museum, the Beer Musem and more. You can watch our YouTube video about Stockholm during our cruise here.
Fredericia, Denmark
Fredericia, Denmark is a small-ish town, that isn’t often considered a huge cruise port city. Generally, it only sees about 20 cruise ships stop here per year. So our arrival was made a big deal of! It was actually super cool to see. Since it was a Sunday, many businesses would normally be closed. But for the Disney Dream’s arrival, a lot of the businesses opened specifically for us. There are lots of locally owned shops and restaurants, so depending on what you’re on the mood for, they likely have you covered!
They also had a super fun jazz band playing throughout the town, as well as at the port as we arrived and departed. We absolutely loved seeing how excited everyone was to see the Disney Dream in Denmark! Mickey and Minnie even made a special appearance for the residents back on land as we set sail to our next destination.
Fredericia is home to the White Water Tower which offers amazing views of the town and its ramparts. You can read all about the White Water Tower in Fredericia here.
Skagen, Denmark
If I could choose anywhere in the world to live, Skagen, Denmark could potentially fill that role. The cutest little yellow houses line the town, you can basically bike everywhere, the people were so kind and friendly.
This is also where you can find Grenen, which is the Northernmost point of Denmark. This is actually pretty amazing, and where you can see the phenomenon of two seas meeting. The North Sea and the Baltic Sea meet together, with waves crashing into each other.
We rented bikes and rode out to Grenen, which is the northern most point of Denmark where the two seas collide. Afterwards we rode out to the sand covered church, which is on the other side of town. It’s quite a distance, but it was nice to get some exercise in and get to see the local area. Of course, all of that cycling requires food. And we had to try the Rød Hotdog of course, and even though I am not a hot dog person, this was delicious. There are also plenty of shops and other types of restaurants in the town square. And if you’re not up for riding a bike, that part of town is very easily walkable.
This town was a highlight of our trip, and one we intend to go back in the future for a longer stay to get to experience more of.
Oslo, Norway
One thing that was kind of hilarious when researching Oslo, was that many people complained that Oslo is the ugliest city in Norway. Now, that may be true. But we are from Ohio. And I can confidently say that Oslo was much prettier than anywhere I’ve been to here. The Norway Fjords cruise that Disney takes is one that’s been on my list for years. But it’s always quite expensive, so this itinerary gave us a small taste of what we can expect when we do make it back out there.
Our day in Norway was quite rainy. Which from the sounds of it had been the norm for a while during the summer. But that didn’t stop us from having a great time. We walked over to The National Museum of Oslo. This museum is fantastic. If you love art, this stop is a must do in Oslo. We even got to see The Scream up close and in person. And that was pretty awesome. The Akershus Fortress and Castle is located right in the heart of the city. It’s quite large and is really something to see. And the views from here are incredible. It’s free to walk around and explore, which makes for a very easy sight to add to your day.
We also made our way out to Norwegian Museum of Cultural History to see the Stave Church from Gol. Epcot fans, this one is for you! If you love seeing the Stave Church in the Norway Pavilion at Epcot, then seeing this one should be on your bucket list if headed to Oslo. It’s not the only the Stave Church you can see while in Norway. In fact, there are quite a few. But for us, this was the easiest way to see one, since it’s just a boat or bus ride from the center of town.
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amsterdam was such an interesting stop for us. And one that we found people on our ship either loved or hated. Personally, we loved it. But we could have done ourselves a favor by doing a bit more research and realizing how large of a city it actually is. Some of the places we wanted to visit were just too far apart and everything we had planned wasn’t really feasible to accomplish.
We decided to book a boutique canal tour through Pure Boats. This included a tour of the canal, a slice of apple pie and 2 alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. They also have other types of canal cruises that can be booked as well. And because we needed to see what all the fuss was about, we had to stop at Winkel 43 for their famous apple pie as well. The Dutch are known for their apple pie after all!
Because of the route the Disney Dream had to take to get into Amsterdam, the route out is slow and follows along the canal, which made for a very interesting departure! It took us hours to get out of the canal and it was so fun to see everyone on land waving to the ship as we left.
Zeebrugge, Brussels
Our last stop on our 11-night Disney Cruise through Northern Europe was in Brussels. The cruise stopped in Zeebrugge, which is a small medieval town that is easily walkable, and on the coast. So you can easily visit for an easy day at the beach and exploring. And their coastal tram can take you all over the coast! However, we decided to spend the day in Brugge. So again, we had booked transportation through the cruise line, mostly for peace of mind. But now seeing how their train system works, I would happily take the train into Brugge next time.
We had breakfast at the most wonderful cafe, Toast. This place is quite popular and actually had a line outside to get in. We were able to get lattes and breakfast here and it was great.
Of course, when in Brussels, you have to get chocolate and French fries, which are in fact, not French at all. So of course we tried all the food. Our day here was quite short, so most of our day in Brugge was just exploring the the shops and, well, eating a lot! But it was a great day. And it’s such a beautiful city with canals and lots of medieval architecture.
Disney Dream Northern Europe Cruise Review
We loved this cruise. It was jam packed with port stops. Which made for a very busy trip. But also gave us so much to see and do! However, we only had 3 days at sea. So if you’re looking for adventure and not as many days at sea to relax, an itinerary like this may be just your style. Of course, if you prefer more downtime on the ship, it might be a little too action packed for you. We did notice that programming on this cruise was a little less than we are used to.
With less onboard activities overall, and strange schedules, like having one of the Broadway Style shows after a long port day, and no show on a sea day, we were a bit confused about why things were or weren’t scheduled the way they were. Even with that being said, we would absolutely do this cruise again. And hope to do another similar one in the future!
Melanie Renee is a photographer, writer, designer and mom. Visiting Disney destinations since 2010, she is also an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. When she's not creating her next coffee recipe, or designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's seeking beautiful sunsets and planning her next trip .
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