Disney cruise for Aussie first time cruisers

[loodle_20]

Hi, I am new here so i hope i get this whole "posting" thing right. We are looking taking a big holiday to America in 2015 for our 10th wedding anniversary and we are hoping to include a Disney Caribbean cruise itinerary A. We will have our 3 children with us and would like to splurge a bit so can anyone tell us is a Royal suite worth the money or is it just as good getting a 1brd or 2brd suite? the only reason i am unsure is that i really don't think we will be spending that much time in the suite except for night time and when my youngest who will be 3 has his naps. Also my older 2 who will be 11 and 8 when we go are very excited about the kids club but being a overprotective mother who is a "hover" i am unsure on leaving them is it safe? also the little one will have turned 3 like 2 weeks before so does that mean he has to go to the kids club or can he go to the nursery and is that safe? also everything we had read says pretty much everything gets charged back to your card and because we are going to other places we were wondering what is a good amount to have set aside on the credit card to pay the account when you disembark?

[moki'smommy]

It is totally safe leaving the kids.

 

Royal Suite...costs a lot. Only you can decide whether it is "worth it." You can order food from Palo to be served in the suite.

 

3 year old who is toilet trained will go to Oceaneer's Club--yes, it is safe. If not trained, the child must go to the nursery. That is safe, but designed for younger kids.

 

Yes, the ship is a "cash free" society. If you wish, you can pre-pay the standard tips (one less thing to worry about after the cruise. That is $84 per guest on a 7 night cruise. Do remember that the stateroom host in a suite does a lot more than in a standard cabin. I personally feel that his/her tip should be doubled, but that is from ME, not a recommendation from DCL. Also, you'll be tipping the concierge team.

 

Beyond that, you can spend almost nothing and have a great cruise or you can spend a small fortune--the choice is up to you. 5 people on a 7 night cruise....excursions, photos (consider the CD + photos package for best value).....you can easily be looking at several thousand! But again, that is up to you. I'd be tempted to do a lesser cabin and spend more on "extras!" But again, that's just me.

[Scrapnana]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

The kids clubs are great and safe. The children will be given an electronic bracelet to wear for the cruise. They can easily be identified and can only be removed from the club by people indicated on the electronic info.

 

Have you considered connecting verandah cabins instead of a suite? They are much less expensive than a suite. You don't get the concierge benefits but they may not be that important to you. I just tried a mock booking and two verandah cabins were about US$5000 less than a one bedroom suite.

[loodle_20]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

The kids clubs are great and safe. The children will be given an electronic bracelet to wear for the cruise. They can easily be identified and can only be removed from the club by people indicated on the electronic info.

 

Have you considered connecting verandah cabins instead of a suite? They are much less expensive than a suite. You don't get the concierge benefits but they may not be that important to you. I just tried a mock booking and two verandah cabins were about US$5000 less than a one bedroom suite.

 

The only reason we were going for the concierge was we were hoping to renew our wedding vows on the trip and were told the concierge is a good thing to have to help with that, other then that we are not really sure on what they do. The cost of the cabin isn't really a issue but if the only difference between the royal suite and a 1brd is space then we would opt for the 1brd. The only money concern is how much to budget on the card for incidentals and port excursions.

[MSH from Norway]

......on a disney ship a inside cabin is all you need :D

 

You get up for breakfast at 8 and stays up til the midnightsnacks. and then picks up the kids at midtnight.

 

All you need is a place to sleep.....:)

 

Was on the Wonder for Halloween in a balcony. Used it only each morning to check if it was hot, hotter og hot like he11......:cool:

 

There are so much to don on board that you don't have time to sit grumpy in a cabin....:rolleyes:

[Scrapnana]

The only reason we were going for the concierge was we were hoping to renew our wedding vows on the trip and were told the concierge is a good thing to have to help with that, other then that we are not really sure on what they do. The cost of the cabin isn't really a issue but if the only difference between the royal suite and a 1brd is space then we would opt for the 1brd. The only money concern is how much to budget on the card for incidentals and port excursions.

 

Incidentals can vary widely. Will you have no alcoholic drinks or 6 a day? Will you be eating in Palo or Remy? Will you be buying no pictures or the most expensive package? Will you be buying items from the shops? Will you buy snacks for the theatre? Lots to consider.

 

I find budgeting for excursions a little easier. I budget US$100 per person for each. Some will be more expensive and some less but it is an average that works for me.

[loodle_20]

Thank you so much for the responses. My kids really aren't souvenir buyers at all so I think it is really only going to be pictures that we end up buying and if we do buy anything it is likely to be a little knock knack which is what we always do on holiday so would $1000 a day be a fair budget? And being from Australia where tipping is customary we are a little nervous about doing it wrong and upsetting people so were really happy when we saw we can pre pay it until we read somewhere that people still leave cash at the tables they eat at, should we do that? Sorry for all the questions but I have OCD and need to be fully prepared long before I feel comfortable with any change to daily life a.k.a a holiday

[moki'smommy]

DCL offers a vow renewal package. I believe the cost is $3,500. I'm not aware of concierge helping with vow renewal if you have not purchased the DCL package.

 

Incidentals are really hard to advise as they vary so widely. $500 will buy you the CD + photo package. Excursions...can be $20 per person or $200 or even $500 depending on what you choose. THe above $100 per person per port is a decent estimate. Beverages (alcohol, specialty coffee, smoothies)...will you drink one a day or 5 per person per day.

 

I put my daughter on a budget--so much for the cruise. She can decide whether to spend it in the gift shop, on a smoothie per day, something else on board, or get it in cash after the cruise! NOTHING done during the kid programming costs money.

[Scrapnana]

Thank you so much for the responses. My kids really aren't souvenir buyers at all so I think it is really only going to be pictures that we end up buying and if we do buy anything it is likely to be a little knock knack which is what we always do on holiday so would $1000 a day be a fair budget? And being from Australia where tipping is customary we are a little nervous about doing it wrong and upsetting people so were really happy when we saw we can pre pay it until we read somewhere that people still leave cash at the tables they eat at, should we do that? Sorry for all the questions but I have OCD and need to be fully prepared long before I feel comfortable with any change to daily life a.k.a a holiday

 

I think that pre-paying the tips is a good idea. If you have someone who goes above and beyond then you might want to leave a little more but it is not something you have to do. For example, the first night of the cruise, the servers realized that my granddaughter and the other little girl at our table loved "Shirley Temple" drinks with extra maraschino cherries. After that, there was a drink at their places each night with a bowl of cherries for them. They would also cut up the meat for the girls. We gave them a little extra in the envelope on the last night. Disney will leave a paper in your cabin with the names of the servers, maitre d', and room steward. The standard tip (which you plan to pre-pay) will be on there. The sheet is perforated. Tear it apart put it in the envelope. If you want to leave a little extra put it in the envelope. If you order room service, giving the person who brings your food a few dollars (more you order, the more the tip) is customary as they are not your regular servers.

 

 

[Loonbeam]

You will certainly be safe at $1000 per day.

 

For a four day cruise on the dream, for 2 people, our onboard bill with tips was around $500 total with one drink per day and a few shop purchases, however we did our excursions privately.

 

Excursions in the Caribbean run between $40-$100 per person on average. I generally do not recommend ship's tours unless its a very short port day (let the battles begin). And of course on Castaway Cay, you have to use ship's excursions (if you want) since they control the whole facility).

 

But to use Nassau and Ocho Rios Jamaica as examples -

 

In Nassau, we pre-booked a taxi with 2 other couples (via our roll call), $20 per person for a 2 hour tour of the Island. If we had wanted to stay at Atlantis we would have just booked direct tickets there for whatever we wanted and taken a regular cab back later. (We had already decided to make that a short port day).

 

In Jamaica, the ship (Princess lines) wanted $85 for an Island Drive, Dunns River Falls and Tubing. Via roll call, we paired up with another couple, $40 each for a private vehicle and beat all the crowds.

 

So if budget becomes an issue, thats an easy way to reduce costs.

 

A couple of other thoughts-will the parks be part of the trip? You could also look at vow renewals there, there are some INSANE options (we saw one couple do their wedding during the fireworks at Epcot, I can only imagine the photos)

 

How old are the other two kids? If in the 8-13 range, look at pre-buying some bulk pins and doing pin trading on board. They can be really inexpnsive and fun souveniers.