Theme Nights on Cruise Ships: Virgin or Disney?

Themed Nights on Cruises

I have experienced a theme night on Disney Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages. This is where the ships come alive throughout the night and attach itself to a certain theme.

Disney Cruise Line’s main themed night is pirate night, and people really go all out for this night. There are several different activities throughout the ship that concludes with a large party on the top deck that even has fireworks at sea. The restaurants are transformed for pirate night with all of the guests dressing up in full pirate gear (Disney Cruise Line pros) or like me in a Disney Cruise Line red bandana that is complementary. The bandana will be sitting in your stateroom after it is serviced in the morning. My first time on Disney Cruise Line as an adult I hesitated to wear the bandana. Maybe it was just for kids, and no one really dressed up. Wow. Was I wrong. Kids, adults, the crew, and even the characters dressed up for pirate night as they all joined in on the fun. They had several different events, and character experiences to enjoy during pirate night and it is just so fun to see the ship transform. The restaurants changed, the music in the halls changed, and the itinerary changed. It was so fun to see it all. The energy was much higher this night compared to all of the others as everyone got into it. If you go on a Disney Cruise, make sure to know about pirate night and dress accordingly. After the late dinner, the top deck transforms for a deck party with characters in pirate costumes, and a band playing high energy music. At the end of the show, on the Disney Wish we had Jack Sparrow jump from smokestack before the fireworks went off. On the Disney Magic, we had Mickey in his pirate outfit swing from a zipline between the two smokestacks before the fireworks were let off. Now these fireworks are such a fun Disney touch where they light about a three-minute show on the high seas. Not quite the Happily Ever After 18-minute runtime, but any amount of fireworks on a cruise ship is incredible to me. I even saw a proposal happen on the Disney Wish during these fireworks. They are released on the starboard side of the cruise ship, but don’t worry if you don’t remember that, usually your server at dinner tells you that. Overall it is a great experience and seeing all of the details and how the ship transforms is incredible to see.

Pirate night is more of a kid centered event that adults can have fun at as well. Virgin Voyages bring Scarlet Night on their cruises, and this is another themed night that is hyped up in the cruising community. This ship is the exact opposite of Disney and made a ship directly for adults. They take some risks and adopt some great things from other cruise lines while also being a very unique experience. Scarlet Night is one of those things, as they take the blueprint of Pirate Night and improve upon it. Two different experiences but I must say that Scarlet Night is a bit more than characters dressed up as pirates. The night starts off in the main atrium while they narrate the lore of Scarlet Night with a small show accompanied with it, and the lights glow a deep red. After that, they give you a chance to experience everything that Scarlet Night has to offer until the final deck party at the pool. During this exploration period, the ship completely comes alive. There are random activities happening throughout the cruise, and if you walk through the entirety of the indoor decks by the atrium you can see jugglers, and random circus acts. Dancers with lights strobing everywhere. It is incredibly cool and a bit chaotic. At the back of the ship, the ocean water glows red. In the main theater there was a singer explaining more lore of the Scarlet night. The love journey between a sailor and an octopus goddess. At the end of the night, the deck party by the pool is the main event of the night and it is high energy, and the people LOVE this show.

These types of themed nights are a weak area for Royal Caribbean. These nights add to the lore of the cruises and are very marketable. It drives repeat visits, and gives a communal experience on the ship. In the case of Pirate night, it also allows for incredible merchandise opportunities because these stores were filled with pirate night merchandise even complete with pirate costumes. Even without the themed night, I think Royal Caribbean is the best overall cruise when it comes to activities, food, and price point. That is a big reason why I love cruising and haven’t really been loyal to one singular cruise line, they all offer different experiences that make cruises never get old for me. I also love when the cruise lines copy each other when they see a good thing that can provide value to the guest. I wish Royal could add a themed night and cater all entertainment to it.