Door Decor with Restraint: The New Disney Cruise Line Rules that Limit the Canvas and Materials for Popular Cruise Trend

Some new rules are arriving aboard Disney Cruise Line ships, and some fans who go all out decorating their doors on each voyage should take heed.

What's Happening:

• A new update has arrived on the Disney Cruise Line website, noting a subtle change in the door decoration policy for Disney Cruise Line guests.
• Moreso in recent years, Disney Cruise Line guests have loved to decorate their doors for their voyage. With the doors being magnetic surfaces, fans have brought character magnets, dry erase boards to ask other guests survey questions, show off their past Disney Cruises, and all kinds of fun to make their door unique for their voyage.
• Additionally, social media groups (namely on Facebook) for a specific voyage are typically formed allowing the organization of unofficial door decorating contests and fish extender gift exchanges.
• Fish extenders - named as such as they hang from the fish denoting stateroom numbers on older Disney ships - typically feature pockets as an inbox of sorts for trinkets and other small items.
• For most of the above, you needn't worry about the new changes in the decoration policy on Disney Cruise Line.
• Guests may still use MAGNETIC decorations on your stateroom door, and your stateroom door alone. The rules state that guests are to avoid using tapes and adhesives, including gel adhesives, and over-the-door hanging organizers are prohibited.
• For that, we recommend a more traditional fish extender instead, as those rules appear to be unchanged at this time - though reports indicate that the Disney Adventure's design does not lend easily to this on that particular ship.
• The rules also state that sound and video elements should not be used in the decoration of stateroom doors for the courtesy of other guests.

• The big change - and one that is sure to get a lot of kickback on social media - is the emphasis on the door-only decorations. Adjacent walls and ceiling areas should not be decorated per the new rules.
• As the popularity of this trend has grown, thanks in part to those aforementioned decorating contests, so has the space needed for decoration. Many voyages have groups of guests who increase their canvas and fully decorate the surrounding area with curtains, blinking lights, more magnets, and whatever they see fit to make the entire space their own.
• Sometimes, larger groups will get connecting staterooms, and take over a large swath of the hallway with decorations.
• Based on the new rules, something like this photo (below) would no longer be allowed - as it extends beyond the door, and depending on how some of the items on the door are affixed, might also be in violation on the door itself.
• To emphasize, simple magnetic signs on the door and fish extenders are still allowed.

• The changes emphasize that they are occurring because of potential damage to the door and hallways, and as a courtesy to other guests.
• The official website also states that those guests who damage doors in violation of these guidelines will be assessed a $100 fee per incident.
• The FAQ page also reminds guests not to decorate with anything of value. This writer has been on Disney Cruises where theft of decorations - namely magnetic pin boards for trading and souvenir magnets from the gift shops - have been stolen. Disney Cruise Line emphasizes that they are not responsible for lost and stolen decorative items on the door.
• The Disney Cruise Line website also reminds everyone that magnets will not adhere to Concierge stateroom doors aboard the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy, as they have a wood finish. As such, you'll be hard pressed to find door decorations in those areas outside of fish extenders.
• According to reporter Scott Gustin, the changes will be effective on Disney Cruise Line sailings starting June 3.

• To book your voyage aboard any of the ships in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, be sure to reach out to our friends at Mouse Fan Travel!