Thinking of booking our first DCL cruise

So we plan on booking a DCL cruise in Early 2019 (waiting for schedule to be released). Daughter will be 4. What needs to be done as far as registering her for camp and how does it work? DO you drop them off every day in the morning and pick them up in afternoon. How does it work at night? Also, is there a charge for all the activities for the kids or is it included in the cruise fare?

The kid programming on DCL is included in the cruise fare--no charge for ANY activities in any age group 3-17. By that, I mean that even if the kids do something that would normally have a fee if done outside the programming, there is no charge with the group. This mostly applies to older kids--if they have a smoothie party, each kid present gets a free smoothie. If they do "make a t-shirt," each kid gets a blank shirt to decorate provided they are present for the activity.

Timing--the programming for 3-12s (Oceaneer's Club and Lab) are open from 9am to usually midnight although there are some late nights on some cruises when it stays open till 1am. You can drop them off and pick up at any time you'd like within those parameters. You'll get a schedule of planned activities and can work around that if you wish. Food is made available at particular lunch and dinner times, but no kid is forced to eat--translation, if they don't want to stop playing to eat, no one will push them toward the food. If they need a parent, you will be texted on the wave phone (which you are required to carry when your kid is signed in). DCL is NOT like other lines with restricted hours, fees at night, etc. Nope, any time it is open, it is included in the fare. About 60-90 minutes per day each kid area will have "open house" hours during which parents or anyone can go into the area to play with the kid, etc. Children who are signed in at these times are taken to the other area for "secure" programming (no interaction with adults who are not DCL CMs). Kids in the "open house" area must have an adult present.

You can pre-register the child on line when you do your on line check in. This makes it quicker/easier when you do the on board confirmation and get their band. IF you are waiting in the terminal, you can stand in line to complete the process there OR you can do it in the kid area on board. Hint--there is almost never a line on board; the line in the terminal can be a monster. Do it in the terminal only if you are waiting to board. You will designate who can pick up your kid and set a password. Anyone picking up your child must be on your "approved" list, present their KTTW card, and know the password.

Great. Thanks. If they want to stick around for lunch/dinner, what do they typically serve them and do they ever do nap time?

In the evenings they get out "sleep mats" and put on a video of a Disney movie (this is in addition to other activities). So if the kids fall asleep on the mats, no big deal. No nap times during the day--if your child needs a nap, that will happen in your cabin.

Lunch/dinner has been an evolving issue over the last several years. Most recently that I'm aware of it has been stuff like sandwiches and fruit...many kids don't care for it compared to what they can get in the buffet or sit down restaurant. Most parents take their kids to dinner with them as the dining rooms are a lot of fun. If you are doing adult only dining one night, you can feed your child in advance from room service or one of the fast food type outlets on the pool deck, then take them to the Oceaneer's Club for the rest of the evening. If you have adult dining or a spa appointment scheduled, let the CM know when you drop off the child; they will really try hard to not have to disturb you.

Some kids LOVE the programming and would like to stay all day and night. Others want time with their parents and will actively request that the CM page the parent. You just have to sort out how your child is with the programming--in my experience it varied from one cruise to another!

So here is a question. Does Disney ever run specials/promotions (ie. 3rd person free/OBC/etc....)

So here is a question. Does Disney ever run specials/promotions (ie. 3rd person free/OBC/etc....)

Occasionally when well within the Paid-In-Full date they might run special rates for military or Florida residents.

But most of the time they don't have to run deals. With only 4 ships, they tend to sail full (longer things like Panama Canal or TransAtlantic excepted) with little problem.

Actually, the Panama and TA cruises do normally sail full, but they are a different clientele than the normal 3-7 night cruises. There are typically fewer people on board, but every cabin available is sold--lots more "no kid" families on board. This has been true on the TAs for the past many years.

Yes, off season there are sometimes specials. These are typically posted after the "penalty period" which is typically 75 days before embarkation. There are currently special rates available for SOME cruises from April 5 thru June 17. These are "restricted" fares, so be sure you read the restrictions before you book. There are military rates for March and April, and FL resident rates in June. In addition, they offer specials for GA or Canadian residents, CMs, military, travel agents, etc. DCL cruises nearly always sail full; the question is what fare they charged to get people to fill the ship. Prime season cruises will rarely be discounted; if you can cruise when traditional schools are in session you'll have better chances of a discount.

You can find these special fares on the DCL web site by clicking on the cruise you are interested in and noting a restricted fare is available, by clicking on the "specials" tab, or by using a travel agent site that lists available special rates.

With a four year old you have more options as far as cruising dates (usually lower rates when most kids are in school). If you're to save on a cruise fare, late September to early October is a good time for lower rates; mid-January to early February works too.

We have a soon-to-be 8 year old granddaughter who's been on 2 Disney cruises with us (and several other cruises). Our next cruise with her will hopefully be a Disney Dream cruise in January, 2018. She'll miss 4 days of school, but early January is usually a review time.

I should mention: as a 3 year old she had no interest in staying in the Kid's area wihtout us. As a four year old she never wanted to leave. They usually will an open house the first day or two when parents can spend time with their kids in the Kid's area. After that its usually kids only.

The first afternoon is totally "open house" time as the CMs are very busy with registration. After that, each side (Club and Lab) has 60-90 minutes of "open house" time per day. This means that during those hours, parents and others are welcome in the area with or without children. Kids who are signed in (secure programming) are taken to the other side during those hours; they have no contact with the unsupervised adults. You need to check the navigator to see when the open house hours are scheduled.