Catholic Masses On Board Ship

Tom P.

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hi folks,

How frequent is it for there to be a Catholic priest on board the DCL ships to offer Mass on Sundays?

I know that they only have an "official" Mass on Christmas and Easter, but that if a priest is on board they will provide them space to celebrate Mass. I'm just curious from others' experiences how often that actually happens.

My family and I are Catholic, and while there is certainly an exemption from the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday if you are on a cruise ship with no opportunity to attend, we would still feel better if we could find a Mass to attend. It's one of the things I'm considering when deciding on what length of cruise, and on what dates, we should be considering.

Thanks,
Tom
 

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
Like you stated services are typically only done during religious holidays.

From the official site...

Depending on when you are sailing, onboard clergy may conduct services for certain religious holidays. Once you set sail, check the Personal Navigator for information on services, locations and times.

I have yet to see a service done outside of a holiday. If you really want to see how often they happen outside of Easter and Christmas you will need to start looking through the Personal Navigator to see if and how often they occur.

You can find past personal navigators at the link below.

http://disneycruiselineblog.com/personal-navigators/
 

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
Two thoughts come to mind.
1. Does a "remote" opportunity (i.e. telepresence by Skype/Facetime/conference call/relative at a service with their smartphone) work to meet the obligation?
2. Can a "lay officiant" serve as a temporary service person and if so, how does one become qualified?

BTW, we have cruised with DCL several times and never saw this listed in our Navigators, but we weren't looking for it so it may have passed our attention.
 

Tom P.

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Two thoughts come to mind.
1. Does a "remote" opportunity (i.e. telepresence by Skype/Facetime/conference call/relative at a service with their smartphone) work to meet the obligation?
2. Can a "lay officiant" serve as a temporary service person and if so, how does one become qualified?

BTW, we have cruised with DCL several times and never saw this listed in our Navigators, but we weren't looking for it so it may have passed our attention.
No to both in the Catholic Church. It has to be an actual Mass said by a priest that one attends in person to meet the obligation. However, as I mentioned originally, Church law does specifically recognize exceptions for when no Mass is available, and that does include during a vacation such as a cruise. So it's not like, as a Catholic, I'm expected to never take a cruise where I'd be away from a church on Sunday. I'm just asking because it is our personal preference to have access to Mass if at all possible.
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
No to both in the Catholic Church. It has to be an actual Mass said by a priest that one attends in person to meet the obligation. However, as I mentioned originally, Church law does specifically recognize exceptions for when no Mass is available, and that does include during a vacation such as a cruise. So it's not like, as a Catholic, I'm expected to never take a cruise where I'd be away from a church on Sunday. I'm just asking because it is our personal preference to have access to Mass if at all possible.
Unless your cruise itinerary has you in a port (outside of Castaway Cay) on Sunday, odds are you will miss traditional Mass.
 

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
Out of curiosity, do Disney cruises offer any sort of religious services? Some other cruise lines offer or chapel with non-denominational services.
 

englanddg

One Little Spark...
Out of curiosity, do Disney cruises offer any sort of religious services? Some other cruise lines offer or chapel with non-denominational services.
I'm pretty sure they have some sunday services offered by cast members. There is no chapel on the Disney ships that I am aware of. They use other venues for it.
 

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