Do you have any regrets? Things you did not do, but wish you had done?

Either DCL in general or specific to the Fantasy?

I will be taking my first DCL Cruise next year, and am interested in your thoughts. I know we are all different, but your input will help me.

I will be traveling with a ten, seven and two year old - who will turn three on the cruise. And there will be two Grandparents traveling with us.

Thank you for sharing your insight.

Ann

Does not booking sooner count as a regret? :)

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Absolutely!

Does not booking sooner count as a regret? :)

 

 

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If you are bringing clothes that need to be ironed, skip the ironing. Give them to DCL to press. Wait in line for pictures on formal night but get there early. Also, skip the Rainforest Room. Incredibly overrated. Felt like it was crowded and just a tease to get you to do spa treatments.

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Bring half as much luggage as you think you'll need. It will possibly save money on airfare and definitely save space in the cabin. Even when I did a 7 night cruise with just a carry on, I had more than I needed.

Thank you all for your responses.

I am a decent packer, but I know someone who will definitely over pack.:)

I regret not riding the Aqua Duck, it was one of the things I was most looking forward to, but I let my anxiety about large crowds get in my way. So I kept saying that I'd come back when the line was shorter and before I knew it, it was time to disembark.

I regret not riding the Aqua Duck, it was one of the things I was most looking forward to, but I let my anxiety about large crowds get in my way. So I kept saying that I'd come back when the line was shorter and before I knew it, it was time to disembark.

Next time you go, ride the Aquaduck when the shows are going on at night. You won’t have much of a line. :) that or be first in line when it opens up at 10am.

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Next time you go, ride the Aquaduck when the shows are going on at night. You won’t have much of a line. :) that or be first in line when it opens up at 10am.

 

 

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And if you happen to decide to stay on the ship on a port day, that's a good time too. Especially earlier in the day, before people start to return from their excursions.

The Aqua Duck at the time first dinner seating is happening is almost empty. We skipped one of the shows so we could go on unlimited. The last show of the cruise is a definite skip and go play.

Ask for anything and they will do it for you. Bored of Mickey Waffles, ask for French Toast (they only have it on Mondays) and its really good, and they will bring you what ever you want.

Remember Formal night is as formal as you want to make it, or less.

Unless you are planning on wall papering a room with pictures, spend time enjoying the boat and what it has to offer. You can get a couple of good family shots and pics with the characters (use your own camera, as they dont do any better). Saw so many people waiting in multiple lines on multiple days for picture after picture.

Remember its about the kids. Saw a lot of adults focused on what they wanted as opposed to what the kids wanted.

Utilize the Grandparents to at least get an hour to yourself........

These are all great tips! Thank you all!

Smart move with the grandparents. We have gone with our grandchildren and loved it. The challenge always is with a “younger child” — whatever age that means for you. We have discovered that the child gets more out of the cruise when about 4 and above. Typically, one child gets a little sick one day or does not want to do something one day — so nice to have an extra adult — so everyone else can move on. We all rotated certain child care. Enjoy

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If you go to Castaway Cay, make sure you explore the whole island. We missed checking out the adult section. We have friends who missed like 2/3rds of the island (such as the floating water slide) because they didn't realize how much there was to do (they mistook that one tiny play structure as the "main attraction" and assumed things had changed or it just wasn't as impressive as described... then they saw our pics lol).

Ask for special bed sheets for the kids. I mentioned something to our cabin steward during the middle of our first Disney Cruise, and he said he'd do something "special" for the kids. Girl got Princess sheets and the boy got Cars (IIRC). I mention this mainly because the sheets were much softer than the standard white bedding. I wish they had a queen sized for the adults. I specifically asked for the sheets right away on our next Disney Cruise.

I'm not the "shorts" type, wasn't planning to beach, and wore long slacks on Castaway Cay.

Okay, note to self, buy Bermuda shorts, or at least Bahama ones.

If you go to Castaway Cay, make sure you explore the whole island. We missed checking out the adult section. We have friends who missed like 2/3rds of the island (such as the floating water slide) because they didn't realize how much there was to do (they mistook that one tiny play structure as the "main attraction" and assumed things had changed or it just wasn't as impressive as described... then they saw our pics lol).

This pretty much sums us up. First visit in 2013 we made it down to Serenity Bay, but only about an hour before all aboard and the tide had gone out so the swimming was pretty bad. The next time began our routine of visiting SB first, then after lunch heading back through everything on the way to the ship. It wasn't until visit #3 (2015) that I even got around to trying the Pelican Plunge.

2 words Palo Brunch.

Best meal I have had at sea. Didn’t go for dinner, but brunch was amazing. Pro tip, don’t eat ANYTHING from when you wake up until brunch.