hackif

On 10/20/2023 at 5:47 PM, phissy said:

Disney sails out of Vancouver for Alaska cruises. Not sure if they have this service.

I think it's unlikely. Even when they had this service in US ports or in the WDW resorts, it was only for US-based domestic flights so being in Canada we were never able to take advantage of it. If you are crossing the border, it's not available. 

We've booked a GTY at about three months that got assigned just a couple of weeks later. I booked a VGT a month out, which was assigned within the week before the cruise. I just booked another VGT for the end of January, so I figure that we probably won't hear until the last week before. We always used to pick our room, but we're finding this kind of fun, and it gives us a chance to try out other locations that I might be hesitant to pick on my own, but for $500 less, I'm okay with whatever we get. 

The bars on all of the railings - on the verandah and all over the ship - are on the outside of a large piece of plexiglass. You can't reach them at all. As you can see in the photos, there's a small (2-3" high) gap at the bottom between the plexiglass and deck and about 1-2" between the plexiglass and posts. You can't get between the bars and you can't even stand on a bottom one to lean over the top. 

Just because of the logistics of multiple cabins and a resort stay, and that you've never booked a cruise with DCL before, I'd suggest you work with a TA who has experience with DCL. It will just make it so much easier and they can spend the time on the phone if necessary, not you. Just make sure you let them know clearly what your criteria are for rooms - proximity to each other, type of room you expect (size, beds, etc.), whether they need to be connecting, etc. Let them do the legwork. 

On 3/29/2023 at 9:06 PM, Da Bulls said:

To complicate things, we'll use DVC points to "pay" the cruise cost.  This won't make it easy to calculate how much the cost of the cruise will be when asked by a 3rd party insurer for costing of the policy.

I don't know about the insurance companies you're looking at, but when we book flights using points, the insurance we get onlys cover the non-reimbursable costs if we had to cancel which usually includes the port fees or a cancellation charge (depends on the flight). I would expect that this might be the same, i.e., the insurance would only cover fees you might have to pay to get your points back should you cancel or reschedule. They don't impute a cost for the points.

Our first DCL cruise was in early May, but most have been in late November/early December, which we prefer. It can be a little windy at Castaway Cay in early December, but we do love the Christmas decorations. It's still definitely warm enough to swim in the pools on the ship. We have been to WDW in May - over the Victoria Day holiday - but it is hot, so that's another reason why we prefer the Very Merry Christmas cruises.

Our first cruise with DCL DH & I were in our late 30's - no kids. Twenty-three years and 11 more DCL cruises later, we're still fans, still no kids and I'm planning #'s 13 and 14. We're both Disney fans (our very first vacation together when we were dating was to WDW) so I can't speak to how well tolerating/liking will mesh with a DCL cruise versus being fans. 

There are not a lot of things you really need to book on the Wish. Palo dinner, brunch, Enchantee dinner and brunch do require reservations but if this is your first cruise with DCL, I'd definitely suggest skipping those so that you can do the whole main dining room rotation including Pirate night (for the 4 days) rather than doing specialty dining. IIRC the Princess meet and greet is open to everyone at 30 days so prior cruisers don't have any advantage there. Yes, if you want a cabana on Castaway Cay it seems that only concierge get those, but there's plenty to do and experience without having a cabana. And we've never had any issue getting a chair or lounger on the beach. We did our 12th cruise on the Wish, didn't book anything and still didn't get a chance to see and do half the things we planned and we didn't even get off the ship. You really don't need to book anything to have a full and fun cruise.  

We sailed on the Wish on Jan 30 with friends arriving around 11 or about 10 minutes after once we parked. Porters did not ask about PAT, just took the bags. We had a PAT of 12:45 (boarding group 17), and our friends had an 11:15 PAT (boarding group 5). Because we had our reservations linked and we were arriving together, we initially asked as we got to the entrance about getting into the terminal together, and they said they weren't even looking at PATs, and everyone was to get into the same line (instead of splitting into different lines outside based on PATs which I know they had been doing the week before). When we got into the building, they split into separate lines for Platinum (which we all were), Gold/Silver and first-time cruisers. As we checked in, we asked about aligning our PAT, which they did for us (after first checking something on the computer) so all of us had boarding group 5. We boarded about 12:05 pm. After going through check-in, security, 

On 2/14/2023 at 9:51 PM, Punjabi said:

Want to be sure we don’t miss our boarding group.

You won't "miss" your boarding group. If your boarding group has already been called, you can board any time afterwards. In fact, they announce boarding group 1, then boarding groups 1 and 2, then boarding groups 1-3, etc. until they reach open boarding. 

I've read plenty of posts and blogs from people on other cruise lines about how they were able to smuggle alcohol on board against that particular cruise lines' policies and/or how they were able to get around other policies (or tried to or tried to bully their way around). It's not just DCL. Anyone who doesn't believe that rules pertain to them will try to do that anywhere, not just on DCL.

I've read about people who say that DCL doesn't enforce the under 18 policy in the pool and café areas but I've only ever seen it occur once in our 9 DCL cruises where a mother brought what was clearly an under 18 teenager into the Cove Café to get a drink every day but then left immediately after getting it. So I think that lack of enforcement for under 18 is not necessarily widespread. Given that we have no children, we are sensitive to it and have found it to be quite well enforced or we would be very unhappy.

I must admit to not being terribly happy about the laxness of enforcement of, and eventually change, to the dress code in the dining room to allow shorts. DCL is a casual environment which is why we like it but I think that it's only courtesy to treat a nice dining environment as such and dress accordingly but perhaps I was brought up somewhat old-fashioned. I have, however, heard from friends who cruise other cruise lines that some of them are going that way too - more and more casual or looking the other way when people don't adhere to the stated policy. So, once again, I don't think that it's confined to DCL.

We were cruising with two other couples on our last cruise and had our reservations linked. They were both Platinum so were able to book Palo's dinner before us (we're Gold). So they booked first at the same time and then we booked as close as possible to their time once we were able to. Then an opportunity opened up to book all six of us at the same time - so I cancelled ours and one of our friends booked for the six of us. Same thing for brunch. Then another couple booked a couple of months later and was linked to our reservation. They were able to book the same time for dinner and close for brunch.

Once we boarded, one of our tablemates went to Palo's and was able to arrange for all 8 of us to have the private room for dinner but was not able to book that for brunch at the time that we wanted. There are no tables for 8 in the main part of the dining room so they placed 6 of us at one table and the other two at a table close by at the same time. They will accommodate as much as possible once you board but it's much easier for them if you already have a reservation and as close to everyone else in time as possible.

NO ONE is supposed to be placed into the MDR setting while brand new. Cabanas functions as a "training restaurant" at dinner. The people there have far fewer tables and more supervision which results in better food and service.

 

Bottom line--for what you are paying for this cruise' date=' insist on excellence. If you don't get it, speak up.[/quote']

 

We had an assistant server on our most recent cruise who was completely hopeless - wrong drinks, wine coming at end of entrée, slow/no refill even when asked, several spills, inability to figure out what you were ordering. We complained to the head server after the first night, were told that he was new (first cruise, not just first night in the MDR so clearly not trained in Cabanas as I had thought they normally were) and got an assistant to the assistant. He improved slightly but after the third night one of our tablemates ended up complaining to whoever is above the head server. Fourth night we got our own assistant server who also helped the other assistant server at his other tables. Our new assistant server apparently came from the kitchens where he had been helping to plate for several years. Whether he'd previously had training or had helped out as assistant server or in Cabanas I can't say but I can say that he was great. We were so pleased with him and were told that, at the end of our cruise, he was promoted to assistant server permanently which we had all told the head server was where he really should be.

 

It definitely pays to complain if you are genuinely having issues. If the original assistant server had been just OK, we wouldn't have complained but it was getting to the point where I was not looking forward to dinner because I never knew what I was going to be served or when. Not only is dinner one of my greatest pleasures in cruising, but we were cruising with 6 other friends and that was a time that I should have been looking forward to. Once our not-terribly-well-or-totally-not-trained assistant server was replaced, we had an amazing time.

On DCL, we weren't given the same servers or the same table; there was no recognition that we were doing a b2b, disembarkation and re-embarkation was disorganized (which may not be the norm but it was our experience), and our service wasn't very good on the second cruise.

Wow, completely different from our experience. We were asked by our head server on the last night if we wanted to have the same servers (we did). Our room attendant knew that we were staying on. Even our favourite bartenders knew that we were staying and took good care of us when we reboarded for the second leg (Cove Café). We got a letter telling us when to disembark, went right back up after going through customs and they checked us back in again really quickly and put us into the Concierge lounge in the terminal. Chatted with some of the CMs in the terminal for a while - it was really quiet. Eventually two other families joined us and then we reboarded at 10:30. We were only off for about an hour or so.

Make sure you have a sweater or sweat shirt at hand just in case. It can get cold after dark especially if you're moving fast. Also, just the contrast between hot days and cooler nights can make it seem colder than it is. You may find that you're sheltered somewhat depending on where you are on the ship (fore or aft), deck level or where the wind is coming from but you'll be happier if you're comfortable, so just throw one fleece or something in the suitcase for "just in case".

While they have an advantage related to merchandise spend, they get zero casino, and much lower alcohol than other lines as well Im sure.

I wouldn't assume that they necessarily have a lower alcohol spend than other cruise lines. While I've never seen anyone on board who was completely plastered and the drink of the day is a reasonable price IMO, they do have a very nice wine cellar and it is possible to spend a rather large amount on high end alcohol. My SIL was appalled at the amount DH and I spent on alcohol on our first DCL cruise and assumed that we must have spent the entire time drunk. However, we didn't drink that much, we just drank expensive stuff.

Since they aren't trying to attract the heavy party people who are trying to get drunk on cheap drink, they can afford to carry (and charge for) more expensive stuff. On one of our cruises, I drank many glasses of Moet et Chandon Imperial Ice. A bottle at our local store is $89 but with the usual restaurant upcharge, I spent much more than that as I drank it by the glass. I have to believe that I probably drank 2-3 bottles of it over a period of a week. That would add up to a lot of cheap rum & cokes or glasses of beer if I was trying to get drunk. I've even paid upwards of $18/glass for wine on DCL (it was worth it - best red wine I've ever had; can't find it locally sadly).

I've also seen parents buy a lot of princess dresses and pirate paraphernalia from the shops and they have huge margins on those. Not to mention the Disney t-shirts, stuffed animals, hats, etc. All with high margins.

That all may not totally compensate for lack of casino, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that it contributes quite nicely to the bottom line.

We actually liked the fact that the menus and showed repeated when we did our B2B. That gave us the opportunity to try some things that we didn't get a chance to try in the restaurants a second time around (although I also had some of the same things because I liked them). Because the shows repeated, we were able to do other things without feeling like we were missing something.

If you do the B2B and you like your servers, make sure you tell your head server that you want the same ones on the second leg so that they can arrange that for you.

We didn't feel like we lost any time on the turnaround day because we had intended to just chill out that day anyway. So we just ended up spending time in the concierge waiting room in the terminal reading (where they put all of the people doing a B2B on our cruise) and then in the Cove Cafe with a coffee and our book. So our day wasn't much different than if we'd spent it by the pool but with much fewer people around.

It is true that late seating has fewer children. However' date=' our worst child experience was at late seating. It only takes a few parents who think that a cruise is a vacation from parenting...or in this case, it looked like they never understood that "parent" is also a verb. There was a nanny seated with them, but she obviously was instructed to leave it to the parents...and the parents did ...nothing.[/quote']

 

Ugh. I'd definitely be asked to be moved in that case. Fortunately, in 8 cruises, we've never even been seated close to any tables with anyone under about 30. Sounds like we've been fortunate. If we ever have such an experience, we'll make sure we get our $1/person/day's worth from the Head Server and get moved to a better location. Finger's crossed for our next cruise.

I think that DCL recommends flights no earlier than 3:15 pm. We were originally going to book a 3 pm flight but decided to switch to the 6 pm one just to be safe. If there's an accident on the highway or a high number of flights or slow security, I wasn't going to take that chance on a flight from London. I'd rather spend extra time in a lounge than panicking on the way to the airport. While I might have been fine with a 3:15 flight, I'd be worried with a 1 pm one.

The two hotels we were told about in London are the JW Mariott Grosvenor House and the Hyatt Regency London Churchill. I think that they might have also arranged for ones at both airports for those just coming in the day before.

We tried to book four nights at the Grosvenor before the cruise only to find out that they've only arranged for three nights at the DCL rate so we're staying at the Comfort Inn at Heathrow when we fly in (we're coming in from Munich) which suits me fine since we don't arrive until late at night. Then we'll move to the Grosvenor House. The Comfort Inn includes breakfast and has a shuttle to the airport and is right near (I think) Terminal 2. I think it was about $150 (Canadian) for the night including breakfast for two so is a good alternative for those wanting to stay overnight before flying out if there's no flights later than 3 pm.

We've been to Castaway Cay a few times in early December. Weather is very changeable. It's been 80 degrees and beautiful - clear, sunny, not windy. It's also been 80 degree air temperature but high winds making it feel more like it's in the high 60's and many excursions are cancelled due to the winds. Once we docked very late because the captain tried a few times and was about abort but managed to make it on the last attempt.

Thank you! I feel like the grinch when I post this. We also had one of those dinners where a table near us was allowing their toddlers to run all over the dining room.

We've always found that the second seating at dinner has far fewer children so this is less likely to happen (and is more like our normal dining time). On our first cruise, I was 36 and DH was 39; no kids. We're heading on our 9th DCL cruise this summer when I'll turn 51 and DH will be 54 the day before we sail. We spend most of our time in the adults-only areas if we're not in the ports or at adult activities. Adults pool, Cove Cafe, Palo's/Remy's, late seating at dinner, early show when most families are at dinner, various wine/alcohol tastings, cooking demos, adults-only lounges, some adult-only excursions, pirate buffet (usually too late for too many kids), etc. Lots to do without a lot of children and then you can be the child yourself occasionally and pose with the characters. It has occasionally happened that we either come upon them inadvertently, or they walk through the adults areas and the handler will take pictures with your own camera, or we happen upon a photo session in the lobby that's just finishing or not busy and jump in. Did the latter on our last Med cruise with the entire table. Had our photo taken with Mickey dressed in a traditional Greek outfit. And had our photo taken with our own camera outside the Cove Cafe with Mickey and Minnie dressed in traditional Italian outfits.

For DCL tasting you can pre-register and pre-pay (they then give you a ticket/voucher) but I'm not sure the advantage as you can also just show up and pay there. All I can figure is that they may cancel if no one has pre-registered and no one is there on time, so it ensures that they'll do it. If you aren't able to show they will refund you.

If you just show up you may be able to join but I've done tastings where people showed were turned away because they were full. They will try to fit you in if possible, but if all of the tables are filled, they can't. It's best to go to Guest Services as soon as you board to find out when and what is offered and get tickets right away. Also check the Navigator as soon as you board because occasionally they sell the tickets in one of the bars instead of at Guest Services, but you're always best to do it as soon as you board.

We did do a beer tasting on the Magic a few years ago and I thought it was well done. We're not big beer drinkers so we learned a good bit. However, not much of it stuck with me because we followed that up almost immediately with a tequila tasting so a lot of that day is a bit fuzzy.

If I recall correctly, they only want the final signature page not any of the other pages so no need to staple anything really.

If you forgot your signature page, they'll give you one at the desk and it's just a single page.

So do you think if my wife and I went we would be at dinner table with all adults?

In eight cruises with DCL we've never been seated with other than adults (2nd seating). We've just booked our ninth and plan on meeting up and sharing our table with a couple we sat with last year and hope to have others at the table as well.

Also, in our B2B cruise, we were seated on the second leg with the same couple we'd been seated with the previous year. Total coincidence since they booked at the last minute (Florida residents). Although while their presence was a coincidence, I'm sure that being seated with them was engineered based on our previous records. If I'd known in advance, we wouldn't have booked Palo's since we really enjoyed our time with them.

We also communicate occasionally with other couples we've been seated with at other times.

We've not seen too much of children under 18 being in the adult areas. You should note that there are also adult-only activities during both day and evening and sometimes adult-only excursions. We've also found that the movie theatre tends to be sparsely populated with children during the day as they tend to be in the clubs. Also, Castaway Cay has adult-only areas.

We have had our photos done with characters and been to the character breakfast which isn't generally my kind of thing but you sort of get pulled into it and regress to childhood a bit. Next time I'm going to try to plan and get my photo with Jack Sparrow. We've even had characters come around the adults-only areas to visit.

How much time we spend in our cabin is partially dependent on the cruise. For very port intensive cruises where you're off the ship early, obviously we don't spend as much time in them (e.g., Med cruise). However, even with those cruises, on the at-sea days we may spend a few hours in the middle of the day in the cabin watching movies on TV or reading. Typically one of us will be on the bed and one on the couch with both of us spreading out so having the larger cabin is our preference. I will also admit to frequently having a mid-afternoon nap especially when it's hot and we've been outside.

We also like the balcony and do use it. While we occasionally like to sit on deck near the pool, if it's busy, we prefer to just sit on our own balcony. We also like to use it when we leave port initially after the sailaway party. We have a bottle of champagne waiting for us, grab some pizza after the party and head down to sit on the balcony and watch us pull out. It's also the primary photography platform for DH who takes hundreds of photos in each port no matter what there is to see.