cruisefamilyforever

Thanks for the insight Shmoo here & Moki'smommy. I was pretty sure you were the ones with the answer. I just didn't want to miss anything, so thanks again for the confirmation. I really appreciate your knowledge and insight on the Disney threads.

I know about all of the basic benefits and club member levels including what is gained with a Concierge room, but I just what to make sure I don't miss something. Does Disney have any special party or a free liquor event for returning cruisers like Carnival and some of the other cruise ships offer. I going on my second cruise with Disney next year and I'm in a category 8C room. I'm pretty sure there is anything, but I figure I should check with the seasoned Disney cruisers.

Just curious and thanks in advance.

Take a land taxi...faster and cheaper!

You must be confused about where the Blue Lagoon is located, because it is a private island 3 miles off the Bahamian Coast. You have to take a boat, because there is no bridge.

I highly recommend the Blue Lagoon dolphin swim. The facility is incredibly beautiful and you really do have a very intimate encounter. It's a short boat ride from the pier to the island cove facility. You will motor past Atlantis on your 20 minute journey. You will never forget the feeling of two dolphins pushing you by your feet across the lagoon. This was one of the top experiences I've had in the ocean and I've scuba dived all over the world for over 40 years.

Book this excursion as soon as your booking window opens up and you won't have any problem getting it. Also, we bought the CD picture/video package. Money well spent to capture the experience of a lifetime.

Great comments from everyone so far. I love hearing about other options for my future cruises and I see some definite possibilities. I plan on following my parents footsteps for cruising. They have been on 39 cruises and all have been on a different ship and on many different lines. However, they have never taken a Disney cruise. My dad just isn't interested in the experience and there is no way to change his mind. I think he may have had a bad experience with a mouse when he was a kid or something.

My next scheduled cruise is on the Fantasy, but the following cruise is open at this point. I'm all about the ship experience and the ports are a minimal consideration. The exception would be an Alaskan cruise, which was my plan the last cruise, but I lost the family vote. I actually dropped the hint for the Fantasy after our last cruise on RCI Freedom of the Sea. The vote was unanimous! The next cruise is wide open after that.

NCL Getaway

RCCL Oasis

Disney Fantasy

e2011, you have a lot of cruise experience so please elaborate on why you liked these ships so much.

Alright gang, I've noticed a lot of people who post on this site have been on many other cruise lines besides Disney. Obviously posters like Disney but you may have been on other ships you like a lot too.

If you have sailed on at least 3 other lines and several other ships I would love to hear your top three ships and why. Let's focus on the ships not the ports. Please give a couple of reasons why you liked each ship.

Here are my picks:

Disney Dream - Gorgeous ship with incredible service.

Carnival Miracle - First family cruise which was inexpensive and nothing unpleasant happened.

RCI Freedom - Great entertainment and nice open shopping area.

I found a great detailed recent review on Palo's brunch that showed close up pictures of every station and item served.

http://eatingwdw.com/2014/02/14/brunch-at-disney-fantasys-palo/

I must say it looks great, but the deal breaker for me is the scallops and crab are served cold. Those are two of my favorite items and if they were hot I'd eat there in a New York minute!

I'll be happy with the regular dining options, but you did tempt me to give Palo a second look.

Here is a link that tells all about it.

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/11/brand-new-events-premiere-on-very-merrytime-cruises/

I'm so glad I read this thread! I want to make sure I'm understanding this strategy correctly: On black Friday, I purchase Target gift cards at Target at a 10% discount, then later I return to Target and use my purchased Target gift card to purchase a Disney gift card? So when all is said and done, I could get a $100 Disney giftcard for $80?

Not quite, you will initially save $10 on each $100 card, which comes out to $90. The most you cane save is $30 on a maximum $300 card purchase from Target. However, some Discover cards will also give you a 5% kickback if the purchase was done online. That means you have to buy your Target gift cards with a participating Discovery card during the sale window. When it all said and done that your maximum saving would be $45 on a $300 Disney gift card purchase. Again, this will only work if Target doesn't put up any new restrictions.

Sorry, I'm not understanding - the 10% off is on Target Gift Cards, not Disney Gift Cards. You cannot use Target Gift Cards to purchase Disney Gift cards and get the 5% Red Card discount.

 

And the 10% off Target Gift Cards is valid 6am-noon on the 28th only. Not at midnight.

Your right about the 6 am, I misunderstood my wife. To clarify if you buy a $300 target card for 10% off with a Discover Card online there is a 5% kickback from Discover. You have to have the particular Discover card that has that benefit, which I do. Then you take the Target card and purchase the Disney Card from Target.

My understanding is the Red Card 5% will not be honored as you have stated. Target may end up changing the rules because they know Disney Fanatics will be all over any method that saves them some money.

I guess will just have to see how it all plays out :).

If I understand correctly...You can purchase a maximum $300 per household PER STORE. I have about 5 Targets in my area that I plan on visiting to pick up my gift cards. Has anyone else heard any different?

Good luck with hitting 5 stores and getting that to work out. I do know is if you have a Discover Card, you can order online at midnight and get an extra 5%, so you would get a full 15% discount on $300 purchase of Disney gift cards. Other than that all I have found is the Target 10% on $300 per household.

Please let everyone know if you pull it off.

Hee hee...

 

The solution is that if you care about your room location' date=' don't book using a type of booking that doesn't allow you to choose!

 

If you do a booking that allows DCL to place you on the ship anywhere they choose within certain limits (category or type of cabin), then you lose the right to complain about location.[/quote']

I'm very picky about where my cabin's located so I totally agree with you. I usually book my cruises at least a year out to get some savings and I always book a cabin toward the back third of the ship with the following considerations: two decks of regular cabins above and below me, not right next to elevators and not next to any laundry or other services.

 

This usually gives me a quiet cabin, but you can't prevent the annoyance of people constantly going out and coming in from their balconies or cabin and letting the door slam. Also, kids screaming or crying and jumping from the beds to the floor isn't fun if your in the cabin next store. I've had quiet neighbors and painful ones, but at least I can pick the cabin that isolates me from the dining room, pool, theater and generic foot traffic noise. Also, I find this location causes the least motion sickness with my family.

 

It all about choices, but although cost and personal preferences come in to play, in many cases it's just plain luck that will ultimately determine whether you end up in a cabin that you are totally satisfied with for your cruise.

Believe or not he doesn't even need to bring pants. You can wear just a shirt, shorts, but not a bathing suit and shoes in any the main dining rooms even on a formal night and they will not turn you away. They do suggest more upscale attire like pants and a sports jacket or suit for formal nights, but they are not required. The only exceptions are Remy and Polo.

The dress code for dinner varies by the venue or theme night of your cruise. In general, most meals are "cruise casual"—no swimwear or tank tops. Most cruises also have special theme nights with optional opportunities to get dressed up for a special family photo. Here's a breakdown of events by cruise itinerary:

The following guidance is off of the Disney cruise site and these changes were updated in August of 2013.

On 3-night cruises:

One cruise casual night—No swimwear or tank tops

One pirate or tropical night (deck party)

One "optional dress-up night"—jacket for men, dress or pantsuit for women

On 4-night cruises:

First night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops

One pirate or tropical night (deck party)

One optional dress-up night—jacket for men, and dress or pantsuit for women

Final night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops

On 7-night cruises:

First night is cruise casual—no swimwear or tank tops

One themed night (pirate, tropical or other themed deck party)

3 additional cruise casual nights—no swimwear or tank tops

One formal and one semi-formal night—two great opportunities to dress-up and take advantage of the onboard photography services. Though optional, we recommend: Dress pants with a jacket or a suit for men, and dress or pantsuit for women

Dress code at Palo:

Men: Dress pants and dress shirt (a jacket is optional)

Women: Dress or pantsuit

No jeans, shorts, capri pants, flip-flops or tennis shoes

Dress code at Remy:

Men: Dress pants with jacket (sports or suit jacket) is required—ties are optional.

Women: A dress, cocktail dress, pantsuit or skirt/blouse is required

No jeans, shorts, capri pants, flip-flops or tennis shoes

The bottom line is wear what makes you comfortable.

My wife, two kids and I did the Blue Lagoon dolphin swim. The facility is incredibly beautiful and you really do have a very intimate encounter. You will never forget the feeling of two dolphins pushing you by your feet across the lagoon. This was one of the top experiences I've had in the ocean and I've scuba dived all over the world for over 40 years.

Book this excursion as soon as your booking window opens up and you won't have any problem getting it. It was my first Disney cruise when I booked it. Also, we bought the CD picture/video package. Money well spent to capture the experience of a lifetime.

Great review, you read my mind. I agree with every point you made and I have been on Carnival Miracle & Freedom, RCI Freedom and Disney Dream. Our next trip is on the Fantasy in May. Yes Disney cost more, but for my money the food, rooms, service, entertainment and overall ship experience just is better then the other ships I've been on.

The only thing I didn't do was eat at Palo. I just can't see spending the extra money when all of the other food was so good!

Just go to the Disney Cruise site to check how far out they are taking bookings. Currently, it's Dec 2015. Usually, 15 or 16 months in advance is as far as Disney projects. If you are planning on a Christmas cruise you will be paying an extreme premium. Good luck and start saving!

Wow, I missed the spelling requirement. I've never been a great speller and for a blog I don't really try to write something that is going to be graded. I thought I left that behind in grad school 25 years ago. I'll try to do better:).

I grew up cleaning my plate and as long as the food is good, I do eat everything. Believe it or not, I've never gained weight on a cruise, because I stay active.

I also think you should try as many food options as you like and feel no obligation to finish them. You are paying for that option, but I think you should try not to be overly wasteful. Share if you can't finish unless of course the food isn't good.

I agree that everybody's comments are totally subjective and are based on their first-hand experiences. I may be disappointed with my next Disney cruise, but so far my last Disney cruise was better in almost every aspect for my family than the two Carnival and last RCI cruises we have taken.

I do like to eat and try everything that I can when I cruise. However, I won't spend the extra money on any ship for the upscale options. I usually eat every meal available in the dining room. I usually order 2-3 appetizers, 3-4 ontrays, and 3 desserts at each meal. I also taste most offerings in the buffet area. For me Disney's food beat my other experiences hands down.

I found the cabin rooms quieter, more spacious with more ammedities and more comfortable.

The decor throughout the ship was more upscale and I never saw any area in the ship in disarray, which can't be said for my other cruises.

Disney theater seats were more padded and comfortable than others I've experienced.

Disney's iteneraries are limited compared to other lines and Castaway Cay is no big deal to my family, because we have nicer beaches where we live.

For me it all about the comfort, cleanliness, food, entertainment and service on the ship. So far Disney has exceeded all of my family's expectations for what I realize is a significantly higher cost.

The bottom line is in my world no cruise (as long as it stays powered and doesn't sink :() is a bad cruise. Disney just provides my family with the overall experience that best meets our expectations so far. It would be ever better if it didn't cost so much!

We currently are booked on the Fantasy for May 2015. Previously, my family has sailed on Carnival Miracle in 2006, Carnival Freedom in 2010, Disney Dream in 2012 and RCI Freedom of the Seas in 2013. We almost always vacation in early June. My son is 23 with mild autism and daughter is 19. We also like to go to Disneyworld every 2-3 years and stay on property for a week.

I agree that you can pay a whole lot less for the same length of cruise on MANY other cruiselines; however in my limited experience I have no problem paying more for Disney. Here are just a few observations that stand out to our family:

-Smoothest check-in and nicest terminal

-Incredible welcome when you board with the most impressive atrium area

-Cleanest ship with friendliest staff

-Best food selections and food quality for buffet & main dining room

-Nicest rooms with the most usable space and two bathrooms

-We never had to smell second hand smoke

-I'm not a gambler, so I'm glad I don't have to walk through a casino to get somewhere

-The overall feel of the ship is like a modern classic luxury liner from the past

-Most comfortable theaters with higher end entertainment

-Only fireworks show at sea

-Disney magic everywhere you look!

That being said, if you are not a Disney fan, don't like seeing kids, and like to smoke & gamble, then you need to book your cruise on another line. Personally, I have no problem paying the extra money because the attention to detail and service are the best I've encountered so far.

One last thought: I was actually more overwhelmed by kids on our Carnival cruises.