New to Disney! Questions...

[flgatormom29]

Hi there! My husband and I have just started cruising a few years ago. I did it a lot as a kid but just introduced my hubby to it recently and we are hooked!

 

We have done RCI and Carnival, but more Carnival. I have always wanted to do Disney but didn't think my oldest would be OK because she is afraid of mascots. We are Disney OBSESSED. I take my 2 girls to disney at least 2 weekends every month, last month we went 3 weekends in a row. We are a pin trading crazy Disney family :-)

 

Another reason I haven't done disney is the price. I'm sure the quality is much better, but 4500 for a 7 night cruise for 4 is crazy. We are booked on an 8 night with carnival in May that is $1000+ cheaper than a Disney Cruise in Nov.

 

My questions...

-What are the deposit amounts required for booking?

-Does Disney do an "Early Saver" price match type deal like Carnival?

-We always book balconys on cruises longer than 5 nights. With the girls not being up too late, we use it a lot to hang out on at night when they are sleeping. I can greatly reduce the price if I book an ocean view, will i miss my balcony?

-The characters...do they walk all around the ship and camp like Funship Freddy does? My oldest daughter stresses about going to camp at carnival bc FSF does this and she is so scared of mascots. We can handle DisneyWorld bc they only hang out at one spot...is it like this on the ship?

-I was looking for the Dream, but disappointed it only does short cruises...Is it true the Fantasy is better? I'm more interested in 7 night cruises.

-It looks like Disney tipping is a little bit more, is this something you can pre-pay? Or do they do envelopes?

 

I think that's it. I want to be sold on taking a Disney Cruise. Is there anything I'm missing?

Help me out :-)

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Hi there! My husband and I have just started cruising a few years ago. I did it a lot as a kid but just introduced my hubby to it recently and we are hooked!

 

We have done RCI and Carnival, but more Carnival. I have always wanted to do Disney but didn't think my oldest would be OK because she is afraid of mascots. We are Disney OBSESSED. I take my 2 girls to disney at least 2 weekends every month, last month we went 3 weekends in a row. We are a pin trading crazy Disney family :-)

 

Another reason I haven't done disney is the price. I'm sure the quality is much better, but 4500 for a 7 night cruise for 4 is crazy. We are booked on an 8 night with carnival in May that is $1000+ cheaper than a Disney Cruise in Nov.

 

My questions...

-What are the deposit amounts required for booking?

 

20% of the cruise cost.

 

-Does Disney do an "Early Saver" price match type deal like Carnival?

 

No

-We always book balconys on cruises longer than 5 nights. With the girls not being up too late, we use it a lot to hang out on at night when they are sleeping. I can greatly reduce the price if I book an ocean view, will i miss my balcony?

 

Only you can decide that, I always book a verandah for fresh air, sea days having my own space, looking going in and out of port, and if the young kids wanted there own nap time in the room, or watch a move, you can still enjoy the cruise. A lot depends on the cruise, for shorter ones it doesn't matter for cruises with sea days a verandah is nice.

 

-The characters...do they walk all around the ship and camp like Funship Freddy does?

 

There are advertised slots at places such as the artuim but they can walk around as well.There is a phone line, in room TV and the newspaper navigator which will inform you when and where. They will also be in some shows and kids clubs.

 

 

My oldest daughter stresses about going to camp at carnival bc FSF does this and she is so scared of mascots. We can handle DisneyWorld bc they only hang out at one spot...is it like this on the ship?

 

Characters walk around but worth watching Disney movies before the cruise so kids get used to them.I find the 'furry' ones kids like, its the real face ones that kids shy from like princesses.

 

 

-I was looking for the Dream, but disappointed it only does short cruises...Is it true the Fantasy is better? I'm more interested in 7 night cruises.

IMHO Fantasy is better, 3/4 nights is far to short your on and off in hours, a 7 night cruise to the Caribbean is great and more to enjoy, Fantasy is a slightly better ship as they learnt from mistakes on the Dream. ie water areas.

 

-It looks like Disney tipping is a little bit more, is this something you can pre-pay? Or do they do envelopes?

 

You can pre pay, I do just call DCL or inform TA, or they will debit standard tips each day or you can opt out and pay in cash, spa, booze, porters in ports and Palo Remy you tip extra.

http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/

 

I think that's it. I want to be sold on taking a Disney Cruise. Is there anything I'm missing?

They do pin trading the kids clubs are great, they have a pirate night, they have fireworks at sea, shows are great, have Disney films, food is good, service is good, things like fountain soda is free where as RCL etc upcharge you.

Help me out :-)

 

Answers in red.

 

Book with a DCL Travel agent and ask if they give you on board credits for your stateroom account.

[williamson_ja]

We've done both Disney and Carnival. Although each only once, so there will probably be others here with more experience. The characters did stop by the kids club when my daughter was there. She quite enjoyed the experience. I think they told us when they would be there though. It seemed like there was a time that the princesses were scheduled to be there, and another time that was Goofy and Captain Hook. There are also character breakfasts that you might stay away from. We enjoyed it a lot though. :) On Carnival, my dd only saw funship freddy once in the kids club and never on the rest of the ship.

 

As for the price, we actually sailed on the Magic (my dh and dd also did the Wonder). They do longer itineraries and don't cost as much as the newer ships. They are both just beautiful and I think you would have a great experience without having to pay quite so much.

 

It's been a couple of years since we sailed with Disney, but they did the envelope system for tips when we were there last. I hope that answers some of your questions. We absolutely loved our Disney cruise. I hope to be able to do another one again soon.

[dinkydee718]

Sorry, but I can only answer some of your questions. I will leave the rest to others.

 

 

-Deposit - if you book on-line through DCL I believe it is 20%

-We only book with a balcony so I am not sure if you'll miss it but you can pull the curtain closed which separates the room so that you don't bother your girls while they sleep.

-The characters mainly stay in the lobby during the meet & greet times. One time I saw Goofy walking in the ship on his way to the stage that's by the pool but that's it. I personally have never just seen them wandering around the ship. Of course you also see them on stage during the shows and on the Wonder at dinner on pirate night the staff did a little show with Mickey but he did NOT come over to the tables. It is similar to DW that way.

-I haven't been on the Fantasy yet, but I have heard that it is better than the Dream too.

-For the 7 night cruise on the Fantasy I think it is $84/per person. Yes, you can prepay.

[matondo]

I am NOT an experienced Disney cruiser (going on my first one soon!!) but I did have a child that was afraid of characters. Depending on how fearful you child is you might want to wait until they grow out of it. I can't imagine a whole week aboard a ship if your child is constantly concerned they "might" run into a character. I have read quite a few reviews of cruises getting ready for our first Disney cruise and there were several instances of characters walking around the ship. Someone shared an elevator with Minnie, Chip and Dale playing with someone on the promenade deck, Goofy strolling by the pool. Only you can judge how your child would handle a random encounter. For me personally, I am getting really excited to have at least one run in with a Disney character...hoping it happens as we are only on the Dream for three nights.

[drb116]

We have a family of four and have cruised on RCL, CCL, and Disney. We always book a balcony on RCL and CCL, but have been fine with the ocean view on Disney.

 

Disney offers many advantages over others, two of which are bigger cabins and less crowds. If you look, you will find that the ocean view cabins on Disney are actually bigger than the balcony cabins on the other lines, so you will have space. Also, you will find that it is actually possible to find deck chairs on Disney throughout the day, compared to a line like Carnival where all the deck chairs are taken by 9 am.

 

We find that it is a good trade off to save a little money and offset some of the higher costs that you see with Disney.

[VillaHappy]

We have stayed in everything from a Junior suite on down to balcony, ocean view, and inside. For the Disney Magic, we stayed in an inside cabin. :o It was OK, my kids are a bit spoiled because they've come on every cruise with us from 2008 on... My opinion is, I think you will be fine in an OV. You will at least get to see outside and know what the weather is doing, if you are close to land/port or not, and just seeing the light of day! We wuold sacrifice a balcony if it meant to take the cruise or not.

 

Have fun!

[flgatormom29]

I am NOT an experienced Disney cruiser (going on my first one soon!!) but I did have a child that was afraid of characters. Depending on how fearful you child is you might want to wait until they grow out of it. I can't imagine a whole week aboard a ship if your child is constantly concerned they "might" run into a character. I have read quite a few reviews of cruises getting ready for our first Disney cruise and there were several instances of characters walking around the ship. Someone shared an elevator with Minnie, Chip and Dale playing with someone on the promenade deck, Goofy strolling by the pool. Only you can judge how your child would handle a random encounter. For me personally, I am getting really excited to have at least one run in with a Disney character...hoping it happens as we are only on the Dream for three nights.

 

I do agree with you there, but I'm afraid I doubt she will grow out of it. She is almost 9. It's been 7 years of this :( She is getting better though! She will do fine with them being on stages and stuff, and my hubby and I are getting really good at keeping an eye out and we always go in the opposite direction and most of the time she doesn't even notice them. I think if they wanted to share an elevator we would gladly give it up and take the stairs :)

When we went on the Freedom, Funship Freddy went to the camp quite often. I talked to the camp and they said they would keep her away and put a special sticker on her camp name tag...but she said she had to walk right past him which freaked her out big time...I'm hoping the Breeze staff will be a little better at keeping her away from him and I would think Disney staff would do everything they can....if they are anything like the people who work at DisneyWorld, then I would have nothing to worry about.

 

We have stayed in everything from a Junior suite on down to balcony, ocean view, and inside. For the Disney Magic, we stayed in an inside cabin. :o It was OK, my kids are a bit spoiled because they've come on every cruise with us from 2008 on... My opinion is, I think you will be fine in an OV. You will at least get to see outside and know what the weather is doing, if you are close to land/port or not, and just seeing the light of day! We wuold sacrifice a balcony if it meant to take the cruise or not.

 

Have fun!

 

I agree with this! If the price difference from an oceanview to balcony is going to depend on us going, i'd do oceanview. I'm very spoiled in which I don't like short cruises and I really only prefer balconies :rolleyes:

 

I'm just trying to figure out a way to convince my hubby that the price jump (from carnival to Disney) is worth it. He isn't as Disney obsessed as the kids and I are.... he usually stays home with the dog while we go without him :)

 

As for the deposit...I do really like that it's only 20%. That's only 900 for a $4500 cruise...where we had to put $1200 for our carnival cruise. But even for the remander ($3600)..that's still more than what we paid for the 8 night on the breeze... I can just hear my husband arguing that point....

[xrae]

I have sailed on Magic, Dream, and Wonder all since November. Here's what you can expect in the way of characters on those three ships.

 

All have meet & greets in the atrium at scheduled times; you'll see those in your daily Navigator newsletter. Both princess and other "face" characters like Peter Pan & Tinkerbelle and cartoon characters like Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale, etc. They may be on the main level deck 3 or Decks 4 or 5. You'll also find characters up on the pool deck in a more informal setting doing dance parties or other activities. Sometimes they roam the decks outdoors or indoors for quick photo ops. I've gotten some great ones that way! You'll also find them outside the Walt Disney Theater before shows. And the stage shows are full of characters : the whole ship evening entertainment is centered around Mickey or Peter Pan or Toy Story or elaborate Lion King set pieces or Pirate Night when Mickey and Hook and Jack Sparrow battle it out.

 

You could make an effort to avoid the characters, but it would truly be an effort. It would be hard to avoid them at meal and show times since everyone is somewhat funneled through the atrium. In Magic & Wonder, Mickey makes a pass through Animator's Palette on show dinner evening. Character breakfasts are optional on some 7-nt cruises.

 

Since your daughter is older, have you talked about why she is so scared of them? Maybe she can find a character that's less threatening than others and start from there in the parks. Mary Poppins would be my pick. :) Or Pooh. I wouldn't have a clue. Those are my favorites but they're not on the ships.

 

 

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[flgatormom29]

I have sailed on Magic, Dream, and Wonder all since November. Here's what you can expect in the way of characters on those three ships.

 

All have meet & greets in the atrium at scheduled times; you'll see those in your daily Navigator newsletter. Both princess and other "face" characters like Peter Pan & Tinkerbelle and cartoon characters like Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip & Dale, etc. They may be on the main level deck 3 or Decks 4 or 5. You'll also find characters up on the pool deck in a more informal setting doing dance parties or other activities. Sometimes they roam the decks outdoors or indoors for quick photo ops. I've gotten some great ones that way! You'll also find them outside the Walt Disney Theater before shows. And the stage shows are full of characters : the whole ship evening entertainment is centered around Mickey or Peter Pan or Toy Story or elaborate Lion King set pieces or Pirate Night when Mickey and Hook and Jack Sparrow battle it out.

 

You could make an effort to avoid the characters, but it would truly be an effort. It would be hard to avoid them at meal and show times since everyone is somewhat funneled through the atrium. In Magic & Wonder, Mickey makes a pass through Animator's Palette on show dinner evening. Character breakfasts are optional on some 7-nt cruises.

 

Since your daughter is older, have you talked about why she is so scared of them? Maybe she can find a character that's less threatening than others and start from there in the parks. Mary Poppins would be my pick. :) Or Pooh. I wouldn't have a clue. Those are my favorites but they're not on the ships.

 

 

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Does sound like it would be a little harder to avoid than carnival.... She can walk past them as long as she knows they aren't going to do anything or go to her. She's getting better, but it has taken a really long time to get to where we have.

We have talked to her, and she says it's the face...something just freaks her out. She can do pricesses with no problem. Or Santa...if she can see their face she's ok. But anything with a mask on is not OK.

 

Maybe we will try the dream 3 night just to see what it's about. We can get a taste of it and see what happens. I could subject my daughter to 7 nights is characters are everywhere. It would ruin our vacation for all 4 of us and would probably confine us to our room most of the week.

 

Thank you so much! It's something I REALLY want to do, but not something I'm willing to stress my daughter out about :D

[xrae]

One thing about Disney - with the exception of some characters who are walking about, you have to be in line to meet them. I can't recall a 'loose' character approaching anyone uninvited. They're good at reading kids' reaction to them. Some kids run right up, while others are reluctant. The characters know what to do. And in the kids' clubs you would just have to let the counselors know her fears.

 

On our December cruise, I took my age 7 niece and her age 8 friend to meet all the cartoon characters and they had a ball getting photos and autographs. But when it was princess time, the little boy wanted nothing to do with it and he was a big ol pouty sourpuss.... until I handed him my camera and tasked him with being the photographer. The first picture was of Snow White's boobs. (Too funny). So after I explained the zoom to him and how to compose a shot, he was so proud to be our photographer. So maybe that would be a way for your daughter to interact with the characters -- if she was the one snapping the photos, the camera might give her enough of a buffer between her and the characters to offer some security, you could be in a picture or two, and have the memory that she took the photos. And she wouldn't be expected to directly interact.

 

My favorite moment was a private encounter with Peter Pan. With my niece one night up on Deck 5 or 6 on the Dream by the atrium elevators. He sat on a bench with her and they talked for a couple of minutes. It was super sweet and I'm now a Peter Pan fan for life. But he knew she was open to the conversation.

 

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[DISNEY FANTASY]

We have a family of four and have cruised on RCL, CCL, and Disney. We always book a balcony on RCL and CCL, but have been fine with the ocean view on Disney.

 

Disney offers many advantages over others, two of which are bigger cabins and less crowds. If you look, you will find that the ocean view cabins on Disney are actually bigger than the balcony cabins on the other lines, so you will have space. Also, you will find that it is actually possible to find deck chairs on Disney throughout the day, compared to a line like Carnival where all the deck chairs are taken by 9 am.

 

We find that it is a good trade off to save a little money and offset some of the higher costs that you see with Disney.

 

I have also found DCL Cabins are far bigger than the same level at RCL, RCL look nice but have less in them.

 

RCL are better at family pools than DCL on newer ships.

[LeeW]

You might want to have your daughter get a princess outfit. Our 3 1/2 year old granddaughter had to get her photo taken almost every time the princesses were available. She was scared of Mickey and Minnie at Disney World, but warmed up to Pinoccio and Buzz there and by the end of a four day cruise she was talking up a storm with the princesses at the photo sessions and showing her princess doll and dress to them. She encountered one of the princesses just walking down the hall and they sat down and spent almost five minutes chatting. The cast is really sensitive to the kids.

 

Peter Pan likes to sneak into formal photo shots behind the guests.

 

Don't forget to take a couple of of pillow cases and picture mats with markers and leave them at the hotel desk. They will be extensively autographed and returned at the end of the cruise (hint - most people leave goodies for the characters).

[Mom2B&Z]

We were on the March 17 sailing of the Dream. My kids aren't huge character fans either, we ran into two "by accident" and both were on their way to official events. They acknowledged the kids who wanted to be acknowledged, but were really trying to get from point A to point B. DS2 is afraid of most characters (the cruise has turned him into a huge Stitch fan...go figure!), and he was fine standing behind me as they went by. Otherwise the characters are largely located on decks 3, 4 & 5, so fairly easy to avoid. The kids club staff can tell you when characters will be interacting with kids there too.

As for pin trading, there was a specific time (?the last evening) where you could trade pins with the ship's officers. I thought this was a really neat activity!