Those who have ever traveled on a major mainstream cruise line will know that decorating the door to one’s cabin is by now a tradition that some cruisers take very seriously.
While it began before the age of GPS and cruise apps in the early 2000s by travelers who put up some kind of identifier to help set apart their space in a winding row of similar-looking doors, the tradition continued and some cruisers will take it to the extreme with everything from streamers and giant stuffed animals to blinking lights and full-door magnetic displays.
With some of these displays getting too extravagant and in some cases creating obstacles for those passing through the corridors, most major cruise lines have established rules around what can and cannot be used in a cabin door display.
Disney cracks down on cabin door decorations that lead into hallway, ceilings
Glue, nails and other fasteners that leave permanent marks on the door have long been explicitly banned by most major cruise lines while Norwegian Cruise Line and Virgin Voyages explicitly ban all forms of cabin door decorations to maintain a specific aesthetic throughout the ship.
Disney Cruise Line, which branched out from the main theme park giant in 1998 and most recently added the 6,700-passenger Disney Adventure to its fleet, has now quietly updated its policy to state that anything that goes beyond the door to touch the ceiling or hallway is not allowed.
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A Disney spokesperson also first confirmed to Fox News Digital that it has no plans to ban cabin door decorations entirely but will be monitoring doors for excessive displays more closely going forward. Cruisers who go beyond the frame of the cabin door will face a $100 fine to cover any necessary cleanup or repairs.
Image source: Disney Cruises
What is and is not allowed when decorating a cruise cabin door
“Using over-the-door hanging organizers is prohibited, as they may cause scratches or other damage to stateroom doors and trim,” Disney writes in its Frequently Asked Questions section on cabin door decorations. “[…] As a courtesy to other Guests, sound or video elements should not be used. Decorations should only be placed on doors and are not permitted on corridor walls or ceilings.”
Online, the policy was met with a mixture of celebration and criticism as some see it as major cruise lines slowly creeped in on what began as a fun tradition. Still others celebrated the move by describing instances in which excessive cabin doors made their ship’s hallways difficult to navigate.
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“I love to decorate the door, but on our last cruise some of the decorations were so extensive they made the hallways an obstacle course,” one traveler wrote on the subreddit for Disney. “It was a nightmare with the wheelchair trying not to get caught on stuff.”
“This is definitely going to upset some cruisers,” says TheStreet Co-Editor-in-Chief and creator of TravelHost’s Come Cruise With Me Daniel Kline. “People love their traditions and decorating their cabin doors falls into that. Regular cruisers do not like any rule change, but I don’t see this as having any meaningful impact on Disney’s business.”
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