If you wouldn’t talk during a movie screening or theatrical performance on land, you probably shouldn’t do it at sea either.
Talking during the mainstage productions on cruise ships does pop up as a source of annoyance across the cruise lines, but this frustration has reared its head most recently for one patron of Disney Cruise Line.
“It never fails. People constantly talk during the live shows. I’ve had to tell a record number of people to shut their mouths during this last cruise on the Fantasy,” one recent DCL guest vented on Reddit.
“All kinds of announcements about digital devices but for some reason it’s ok to have your family reunion during a theatre performance,” he added.
As one of the top family-friendly cruise lines, there are inevitably going to be moments when kids are loud or misbehave. But eventually, a line is crossed where behavior in the Walt Disney Theater would be seen as outright disrespectful.
The cruiser’s rant continued: “Sure, it’s for families and some kids are going to do kid things. Perfectly understandable. But parents constantly having full on conversations? How did we get here?”
“If you are one of these people… What makes you think this is ok? One guy had the nerve to respond ‘I was explaining what’s going on to my daughter’ as if that makes it ok,” he said next.
His final comment did earn some backlash in the comments section, but the annoyed cruiser clarified that the person was talking at full volume for the majority of the performance rather than whispering an occasional explanation.
When in doubt, the proper etiquette during the performances is the same as a movie theater – no talking and no texting. Screens should be put away and cell phones should be silenced.
If a child does become antsy or needs clarity, do your best to whisper or step out of the theater to avoid disturbing other guests.
Just because the show is hosted onboard a cruise ship doesn’t make the performance any less important or meaningful – even as part of a kid-friendly Disney cruise.
A Shared Frustration
The angry cruiser can at least take solace in knowing that he is not alone. Many others sounded off in the comments to vent about their own ruined theatrical experiences.
“Someone in my party had to politely ask the family behind us to stop talking because we had experienced it during the first night’s show as well (In both cases, it was parents [having] full blown conversations with their kid),” one person replied.
“The lady behind me started singing along during Moana on the Disney Treasure, I had to turn around and look at her with a dead stare and then she was quiet the rest of the show,” another guest chimed in.
That comment hurts me in my soul as a theater kid at heart – especially as “Disney: The Tale of Moana” is a brand new show that debuted with Disney Treasure at the end of last year.
Disney is known for its Broadway-caliber productions, and some theater fans (myself included) may choose cruise ships in order to see specific shows that they can’t see anywhere else.
The “Moana” production is one of those big shows that can’t be seen on land or on any other ship in the fleet – so I can really understand why someone would be irked by another passenger adding their vocals to the soundtrack.
Read Also: How Much Is a Disney Cruise in 2025? I Did All the Checking!
While we’re on the subject of theater etiquette on DCL ships, it’s also worth noting that big hats and Mickey ears shouldn’t be worn during the shows because they can block the view of other passengers.
One guest who experienced this shared: “I had to tell a lady to take off her Minnie ears because they blocked my 3 yr olds view (with booster) and she was annoyed. We don’t need to make a fashion statement when the lights are off!!!”
And if you ever do decide that you need a break from the other theatergoers, it’s worth noting that many of the shows have been fully recorded and can be viewed from the peace and quiet of your stateroom via the “Walt Disney Theater” channel on your television.
