Pixar Day at Sea on a Disney Cruise: What to Expect + Tips for Families

If you're planning a Disney cruise that includes Pixar Day at Sea, you're in for a seriously fun day for kids.

This special themed day brings Pixar characters, shows, games, and themed food onto the ship for one big celebration of movies like Toy Story, Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, and UP!

We recently experienced Pixar Day at Sea on the Disney Fantasy, and it really made the cruise feel unique.

Here’s everything to know about Pixar Day at Sea, including what actually happens, the schedule of events, and tips to help your kids enjoy the day without feeling overwhelmed.

What Is Pixar Day at Sea?

Pixar Day at Sea is a special themed day offered on select Disney Cruise Line sailings, typically on the Disney Fantasy.

During this day, the ship transforms into a Pixar celebration with:

• character meet and greets
• themed deck parties
• special shows
• Pixar-themed food and drinks
• kids activities and games
• exclusive entertainment

The events run throughout the entire day, so you’ll see Pixar popping up everywhere on the ship.

When Does Pixar Day at Sea Happen?

Pixar Day at Sea usually happens on one sea day during the cruise.

That means the ship is not visiting a port, which gives Disney plenty of time to schedule activities throughout the day.

Our cruise was 5 days long with 2 planned sea days. The first sea day (the first full day on the ship) was Pixar day.

It is worth noting that the Pixar characters and some Pixar related merch and events were available for the entire duration of the cruise, and a few of the special events, like the Howdy breakfast, repeated on the second sea day as well.

Your cruise navigator app will show the full schedule once you board, but looking at pre-bookable activities like the Howdy breakfast or ticketed meet and greets will give you a better idea of the timing of the days!

I also want to be very clear that not every cruise on the Disney fantasy has a Pixar day at sea. The Pixar cruises are clearly marked and titled as such. Other cruises do not include these special Pixar elements.

The Pixar cruises are usually in January, February or March, lower season times that are otherwise less popular. This is a way for Disney to drive sales of those winter cruises.

Pixar Characters You Might See

One of the biggest highlights of Pixar Day at Sea is the character meet and greets.

Characters rotate throughout the day, so there are lots of chances for kids to see their favorites.

Characters may include:

Toy Story Characters

• Woody
• Buzz Lightyear
• Jessie
• Bo Peep
• Rex
• Bullseye

Monsters Inc Characters

• Mike Wazowski
• Sulley

The Incredibles

• Mr. Incredible
• Elastigirl
• Frozone
• Edna Mode

Other Pixar Favorites

• Joy and Sadness from Inside Out
• Remi from Ratitoullie
• Miguel from Coco
• Merida from Brave

Tip: Character lines can get VERY long, so checking the schedule early in the day helps you plan which ones matter most to your kids. You could easily stand in lines all day. Don't do that - pick and choose!

Pixar Shows and Entertainment

Pixar Day at Sea includes several special entertainment options throughout the ship.

Pixar Pals Celebration

This is the big deck party featuring music, dancing, and appearances from multiple Pixar characters.

Many kids especially love this because the energy is high and there’s lots of music and dancing.

But, it can be very crowded. We actually skipped this show because my kids wanted to watch Zootopia 2 in the theater instead. But, we heard it was great!

Pixar Movie Screenings

You’ll also see Pixar movies playing in different areas of the ship during the day.

This can be a great break if your kids need some downtime.

They play older Pixar movies on the Funnel vision - the large screen on the funnel that you can watch from the pool or pool deck.

If there are newer Pixar movies - either still in theaters or freshly out of theaters - they will likely be playing in the movie theater!

Themed Activities and Games

Throughout the ship there are family activities like:

• Pixar trivia
• dance parties
• animation activities
• drawing classes

Basically, all of the normal activities that they have every day a Disney cruise will be given a Pixar twist this day.

These are great options if you want something fun that isn’t a long line for characters.

There are also a lot of Pixar themed activities in the kids club so if your kids are possibly tentative about the kids club, it can be helpful to look at the schedule on your app. Once you get on board and pick an activity they are interested in and make sure they are there at the kids club at that time.

Pixar-Themed Food and Treats

Another fun surprise during Pixar Day at Sea is the themed food.

On the night of Pixar day all of the dining rooms will serve a Pixar themed menu. On the Disney cruise you get assigned to a restaurant rotation and you'll rotate between three restaurants and your servers follow you everywhere you go.

On our five night cruise we did one regular menu night at each restaurant and then we were at one restaurant a second time which was pirate night and the second restaurant a second time which was Pixar night.

If that's confusing just know that on a five night Pixar cruise you will get one regular menu at each restaurant plus the two special menus, which are the same across all three restaurants for pirate night and Pixar night.

For the most part, the Pixar food was not actually Pixar excepted name. It was just regular food, but they gave it cutesy names for different Pixar characters.

The one exception would be that there is a cheesecake ball that looks like the Pixar ball it wasn't particularly great, but it was cute and photogenic.

Tips for Making the Most of Pixar Day at Sea

After experiencing it ourselves, here are a few things that helped our family enjoy the day more.

Book what you can in advance

There are a few ticketed but free events that will release 30 days before your cruise. This included the Howdy breakfast with the Toy Story guys and meat and greets with the Incredibles and Rex. There also might be additional or different things for your cruise.

They will go live at midnight Eastern standard time 30 days before your cruise. If you want to attend these events, you need to be on your app at midnight 30 days before your cruise. By 12:02 they will all be sold out.

I highly recommend you stay up and book these events. You can always cancel them and someone will be glad to grab your spot. I never have a problem staying up and booking cruise things at midnight but if you wait until the next day, it will be gone. Set an alarm, know that it will take a while to load and be stressful for 90 seconds. Be patient, have multiple devices logged in if you can, you can do it.

Check the Schedule Early

Open the Disney Cruise Navigator app in the morning and look through the Pixar events so you can prioritize your favorites.

You can heart your favorites and you will get a push reminder when they are upcoming.

Pick Your Top Characters

Trying to meet every character can take the entire day. Let your kids pick 2–3 must-see characters. Let the rest go. Take a photo from a distance. Give them a high five in the hallway. DON'T spend your whole cruise in character lines!

Mix Activities and Downtime

Pixar Day can feel busy, so it helps to mix in:

• pool time
• snacks
• shows
• downtime in the room

Is Pixar Day at Sea Worth It?

For families with kids who love Pixar movies, Pixar Day at Sea is absolutely worth it.

It adds a whole extra layer of fun to the cruise and gives kids so many chances to interact with their favorite characters.

I don't think that I would book a cruise just because it was Pixar, but if you are looking at a few options and one of them is Pixar and one of them is not, that could be enough to sway you in that direction.

The best part is that it doesn’t replace the usual Disney cruise entertainment — it’s simply extra magic added on top of everything else already happening on the ship.

Final Thoughts on Pixar Day at Sea

Pixar Day at Sea ended up being one of the most memorable parts of our Disney cruise.

Between the characters, shows, and themed activities, it felt like a full-day celebration of Pixar movies that kids and adults could enjoy together.

If you’re planning a Disney cruise that includes Pixar Day at Sea, it’s definitely something to look forward to.