Teach me about Disney please

[jandjfun]

I have been on plenty of cruises. But never Disney and I have some questions.

I will be taking my grandaughter on this cruise (the reason for Disney) She is 6 yrs. old and we are looking at the Wonder Sept. 25 or Oct. 15 ish. I have read the tips board, and all the newbie threads found through the search. Problem is, a lot of the posts are really old, so I'm afraid the information is outdated. Thank you for the help!

 

1. Are boarding passes, luggage tags etc. mailed to us, or do we print them from the website?

 

2. There is no early seating for the dining room and 8 pm is to late for my DGD to eat dinner. Is there a decent buffet offered around 5 or 6 pm? Are there kid options on the dinner buffet?

 

3. Will there be a lot of kids during that time of year?

 

4. Can/Do parents stay at the kids club with their children? If not, is there a place I can be to see whats going on?

 

5. I understand that you rotate dining rooms if you eat in the dining rooms. Is there one dining room that is formal wear? Or is there a formal night at all?

 

6. Can we bring water or soda onboard without breaking the rules? If so, how much?

 

7. Since I am not her parent, what paperwork do I need to bring with me to getmy DG onboard the ship? Her last name is the same as mine. And she has a passport.

 

8. Is there a tea party for her? how and when do we sign up for that?

 

9. What is the graduation I keep reading about?

 

10. Now please don't flame me, but I need to know where the legal smoking areas are on the ship please.

[metrowon]

If you smoke, do the 10/22. We'll take care of everything else .We entertain the ENTERTAINER's. 10 of us have re-booked from the smoking section from last year. And everything else will work out!

[TOlson70]

I have been on plenty of cruises. But never Disney and I have some questions.

I will be taking my grandaughter on this cruise (the reason for Disney) She is 6 yrs. old and we are looking at the Wonder Sept. 25 or Oct. 15 ish. I have read the tips board, and all the newbie threads found through the search. Problem is, a lot of the posts are really old, so I'm afraid the information is outdated. Thank you for the help!

 

1. Are boarding passes, luggage tags etc. mailed to us, or do we print them from the website?

 

2. There is no early seating for the dining room and 8 pm is to late for my DGD to eat dinner. Is there a decent buffet offered around 5 or 6 pm? Are there kid options on the dinner buffet?

 

3. Will there be a lot of kids during that time of year?

 

4. Can/Do parents stay at the kids club with their children? If not, is there a place I can be to see whats going on?

 

5. I understand that you rotate dining rooms if you eat in the dining rooms. Is there one dining room that is formal wear? Or is there a formal night at all?

 

6. Can we bring water or soda onboard without breaking the rules? If so, how much?

 

7. Since I am not her parent, what paperwork do I need to bring with me to getmy DG onboard the ship? Her last name is the same as mine. And she has a passport.

 

8. Is there a tea party for her? how and when do we sign up for that?

 

9. What is the graduation I keep reading about?

 

10. Now please don't flame me, but I need to know where the legal smoking areas are on the ship please.

 

1. I last went on DCL in Oct 2009, and the luggage tags were mailed to me. I did the boarding passes online though.

 

2. Yes, the buffet is open and has kids options, there is also a pizza option on the pool deck that is very good as well. Check with the customer care desk and get on a waiting list for the early dining option.

 

3. We went in October of 2009 as I mentioned and there were plenty of kids, many schools are out in early October for teachers conventions, that is why we went when we did, the kids only had to miss 3 days of school for a 8 day vacation.

 

4. I am not sure if you can stay but you can walk in and see what is going on at any time. They just scan you in.

 

5. There is a formal night, and because you are on a rotation there is no way to tell what restaurant you will be in for formal night.

 

6. Good question, sorry I do not know.

 

7. Passport/State Issues Birth Certificate for DG and I assume some kind of release from her parents allowing her to be traveling with you. Better check this out though with DCL.

 

8. Not sure about the tea party.

 

9. Graduation is really cool. Near the end of the cruise, they take all the kids who took part in the kids clubs into the main theatre for a graduation ceremony from the kids clubs. They all get to go on stage, music, Mickey Mouse, really a cool event.

 

10. Non-smoker here, sorry can't help!

 

Tory

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

I have been on plenty of cruises. But never Disney and I have some questions.

I will be taking my grandaughter on this cruise (the reason for Disney) She is 6 yrs. old and we are looking at the Wonder Sept. 25 or Oct. 15 ish. I have read the tips board, and all the newbie threads found through the search. Problem is, a lot of the posts are really old, so I'm afraid the information is outdated. Thank you for the help!

Ok, so I assume you are on a 7 night Mexican Riviera cruise? Just so you know, DCL just cancelled Mazatlan as one of the ports and for the next few months replaced it with an extra stop in Cabo. I believe they did this for the Jan - April MR cruises. I don't know if they are planning on doing the same for the fall cruises. The changes in itinerary have not been reflected on the main part of the DCL site yet.

 

 

1. Are boarding passes, luggage tags etc. mailed to us, or do we print them from the website? You can check iin online and print out your docs needed there. Unless something changes between now and then, your luggage tags will be mailed to you.

 

2. There is no early seating for the dining room and 8 pm is to late for my DGD to eat dinner. Is there a decent buffet offered around 5 or 6 pm? Are there kid options on the dinner buffet? If you don't go to the dining rooms, your options for dinner are room service, the counter service options on deck 9 and Beach Blanket Buffet. However, for dinner, Beach Blanket serves a casual sit down meal - it is not a buffet. There is a kids menu. I don't believe this is open on the first or last night of the cruise though. Your granddaughter could also eat dinner with the kids club.

 

3. Will there be a lot of kids during that time of year? Yes, especially in that age group when it is easier for them to miss school.

 

4. Can/Do parents stay at the kids club with their children? If not, is there a place I can be to see whats going on? Yes, you can stay to make sure your GD is comfortable there.

 

5. I understand that you rotate dining rooms if you eat in the dining rooms. Is there one dining room that is formal wear? Or is there a formal night at all? On a 7 night cruise, you will have one formal and one semi formal night. The other nights are cruise casual (one of those being pirate night).

 

6. Can we bring water or soda onboard without breaking the rules? If so, how much? Yes, DCL allows you to bring any beverages you like onboard (including alcohol). It just needs to be packed in your carry on, not in your luggage. Your carry on needs to be able to fit through the xray scanner at the port and cannot contain ice.

 

Free soda is available at the 24 hr self serve drink station on deck 9. Soda is also included at all meals. They serve Coke products.

 

7. Since I am not her parent, what paperwork do I need to bring with me to getmy DG onboard the ship? Her last name is the same as mine. And she has a passport. There is DCL paperwork online (when you log into your reservation) that you need to have completed and notarized.

 

8. Is there a tea party for her? how and when do we sign up for that? Yes, on the 7 night cruises there is a tea with Alice (or sometimes it's Wendy). I would suggest you stop at Guest Services when you board to pick up free tickets for this. It fills up quickly. You will also have a character breakfast one morning. This is assigned to you and will be on your dining tickets.

 

9. What is the graduation I keep reading about? The kids clubs do a cute "show" on stage in the Walt Disney Theatre on the last afternoon. The kids all receive a free tshirt for participating. I think it is currently listed as "Friendship Rocks" in the daily list of activities.

 

10. Now please don't flame me, but I need to know where the legal smoking areas are on the ship please. You are allowed to smoke on your own verandah and on outdoor decks 9 & 10 on the starboard side (but not near the Mickey Pool). There is no smoking allowed anywhere indoors. I think you can also smoke on the promenade deck on deck 4 but only between 6pm and 6am (as during the day it is a walking/jogging path).

 

One last thing - if you drop off a pillowcase or photo matte with Sharpie markers to Guest SErvices on your first day, you will receive it back at the end of the cruise autographed by all the characters.

 

Enjoy your cruise with your granddaughter!

[CaseyJr]

1. Are boarding passes, luggage tags etc. mailed to us, or do we print them from the website? Cruise documents and tags will be mailed to you.

 

2. There is no early seating for the dining room and 8 pm is to late for my DGD to eat dinner. Is there a decent buffet offered around 5 or 6 pm? Are there kid options on the dinner buffet? How old is your DGD? What coast do you live on (meaing, how does late seating compare to your normal eating time?)? We had early dining out of FL with an 11 and 8 year old and felt somewhat rushed to return to the ship, shower, change and get to dinner. Next month, on our MR cruise, we have late dining. All aboard time is 7 pm at a couple of ports so we think late dining will work well. We've also seen 5 of the shows so don't feel the need to rush back and see them again.

 

As far as kid options on the buffet, there is always mac n cheese, chicken nuggets/strips, pizza, jello, etc. in the kid section. With the exception of the Mickey waffles, my kids usually ate from the regular buffet.

 

3. Will there be a lot of kids during that time of year? That is so variable. It depends what age you are looking at and what your definition of "a lot" is.

 

5. I understand that you rotate dining rooms if you eat in the dining rooms. Is there one dining room that is formal wear? Or is there a formal night at all? In addition to the semi formal, pirate and formal nights, each restaurant has their own theme or feel. Tritons/Lumieres has a more dressy feel to it. Parrot Cay is Caribbean themed and Animator's Palate.... well you're just going to have to go in order to see it.

 

6. Can we bring water or soda onboard without breaking the rules? If so, how much? Yes, along with alcohol, as long as it fits in your carry on.

 

7. Since I am not her parent, what paperwork do I need to bring with me to getmy DG onboard the ship? Her last name is the same as mine. And she has a passport. Have to refer to the DCL website on this one.

8. Is there a tea party for her? how and when do we sign up for that? On 7 day cruises. You sign up as soon as you board the ship. If you are interested, you should get to the port and board early as spaces fill up.

 

10. Now please don't flame me, but I need to know where the legal smoking areas are on the ship please.

No clue but, as a non smoker, I appreciate you finding out where smoking is allowed and not allowed. :)

[PopFla]

Although I quit years ago, I can tell you that on the Wonder the smoking areas are on the starboard only side of the ninth deck except near the kid's pool, on your stateroom's verandah, and on the open area of the fourth deck during certain time frames (which I can't recall at this time) because lots of folks use that deck for jogging and other exercising.

 

Smoking is prohibited inside staterooms and in any other enclosed areas of the ship - - restaurants, theaters, shops, hallways, etc.

[jandjfun]

Thank you so much for your answers. I feel a little more prepared now. So we should bring one semi formal, and one formal wear outfit if we are going to eat in the dining room.

But I am happy to know that my GD will be able to eat at her dinner time from the buffet as well if she needs to.

 

Is there a way to pre sign up for the tea party? I wish the tea party didn't have a regulated number of kids. I think all the kids that want to participate should be able to! :(

[jandjfun]

If you smoke, do the 10/22. We'll take care of everything else .We entertain the ENTERTAINER's. 10 of us have re-booked from the smoking section from last year. And everything else will work out!

I am confused, but thanks for the invite! :D

[CaseyJr]

Thank you so much for your answers. I feel a little more prepared now. So we should bring one semi formal, and one formal wear outfit if we are going to eat in the dining room.

But I am happy to know that my GD will be able to eat at her dinner time from the buffet as well if she needs to.

 

Is there a way to pre sign up for the tea party? I wish the tea party didn't have a regulated number of kids. I think all the kids that want to participate should be able to! :(

 

As far as I know, you need to sign up for the Tea Party once you are on the ship.

 

I never ate at the buffet for dinner but I believe it is table service in the evening.

[monobrow1]

Do they sell wine at Orlando Airport or Cape Canaveral Terminal?

Trying to figure out how to carry on to the ship when you cant carry on to the plane any liquids

 

I assume the luggage will go straight to our rooms from plane as we are using Disneys shuttle- Little pricy but easier I am sure

[grandmarb]

Do the cast members exchange pins on the ships:eek::confused:

[luvntony20]

Do the cast members exchange pins on the ships:eek::confused:

 

Yes they do. They even have special pin-trading events in the atrium. Just check your Navigator each day.

[cmh18]

When you do online check-in, you will be asked whether all the minors traveling with you are related to you. If you answer no, you'll get a link to a very short form that has to be filled out by the minor's legal guardian. It says it has to be notarized, but I've been told that Disney has changed its policy and that it does not have to be notarized. You should check with the airline about whether they require anything too.

[Florida_cruisers]

From what I undestand, soda and juices are included in the cruise fare, no extra charge for them.

[CaseyJr]

Soda, coffee, milk, hot chocolate, etc. are all free if you have them in one of the dining rooms or at the drink station (self serve) on deck 9. If you order from room service or a bar, you will be charged.