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Disney Cruise Line Tip Thread


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Regular cruisers only get the first opp for dinner reservations. You can go on line and book excursions in advance. It is first come, first serve.

 

This is not the case. Platinum and concierge guests can book specialty restaurants, shore excursions including Castaway Cay cabanas, spa, and nursery times at the 120 day mark.

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Regular cruisers only get the first opp for dinner reservations. You can go on line and book excursions in advance. It is first come, first serve.

 

This is not the case. Platinum and concierge guests can book specialty restaurants, shore excursions including Castaway Cay cabanas, spa, and nursery times at the 120 day mark.

 

Right. I thought it was all castaway club members though, but I could be wrong with that.

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Right. I thought it was all castaway club members though, but I could be wrong with that.

 

Other CC members get to book earlier, but not at the 120 mark. I can't remember how it breaks down, something like 120 days, 95 days (gold CC), 90 days (silver CC), 75 days (everyone else) but don't quote me on that.

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  • 3 months later...
We are going on our first cruise as a family, and first Disney cruise. I am excited about the tween club for my 12 yo, but am hoping that it will really keep him interested. Has anyone had a "tween" use the club? Feedback? Anything I should know? THANKS in advance!

 

I have a son that is 14 now. We have went on two Disney cruises and are going on our third in a couple of weeks. He will love it. I have head about a few times where the kids need to be pushed to attend a couple of times before they made friends and got into the groove. My experience is they meet new friends and get some freedom they do not get at home and love it. As a parent, you need to remember there is no place to go on the ship and it is hard for them to get into real trouble. Most of the kids 12 and over will stay out until 1 or 2 in the morning. After midnight you will find groups of kids finding food to eat and hanging out in the stairs talking. If your son is not social they often find friends and stay in the kids area and do games all night.

 

Some Notes:

1. Before the cruise let him know what time he has to be in the room for dinner. You will not be able to find him on the ship easily.

2. Take a note tablet to leave each other messages and remind him to look at it.

3. Before you go to bed order him cookies and milk from room service (free) and leave for him. It is easy for you and it makes him feel loved.

4. Disney has good ice cream bars from room service at no cost.

5. Dinner is an experience so do not let your soon ditch you at dinner.

6. In the theater set in the same place every night and let you son know where that is in case he wants to join you. I have always been in the front left. My son will come looking for me in the left side of the theater.

7. *** Do not let them take electronic devices on the cruise. It takes away from the experience. Do not let them go into the Arcade; It is not free and there is to much other things for them to do.

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  • 2 months later...

As far as advance booking of restaurants:

 

Platinum - 120 days in advance of sailing

 

Gold - 105 days in advance of sailing

 

Silver - 90 days in advance of sailing

 

 

I am sure most know this, but the boarding is different as far as numbers go. You no longer receive a boarding number when arriving at the pier. You choose your boarding time when you complete your registration online. So the earlier you complete your registration....the earlier you can arrive. Not sure how the different Castaway Club levels effect your boarding number as Platinum receives priority check-in.

 

I just booked 3 weeks in advance and immediately filled out the online info and could receive a 12:30pm-1:30pm boarding time. I have heard they will let you on earlier depending on crowds.

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  • 1 month later...
Since you've really never traveled before, be sure to let your credit card company know you will be traveling out of state and out of country. If you don't let them know and you try to use your card very often they may put a hold on it until they can contact you to see if it is actually you who are charging things.

 

Yes !!!

 

This is what I usually recommend ...

 

  • PHOTOCOPY of our itinerary (indicating where we can be reached) and ID page of our passport with a family member / friend contact.
  • RECOMMEND passport whenever you travel abroad. Not sure what requirements are for US citizens when travelling the Caribbean but a passport is a universally recognized form of id. As a result, don't recommend bringing your birth certificate with you (unless you have to).
     
  • ALL travel documentation in a travel wallet (LOVE and still use the blue tri-fold wallet that Holland America use to give out with their cruise package oh so many years ago) ... Staples or Magellans or any other travel stores should have a good collection. A ziploc bag or envelope is also great to keep all your travel receipts together in one place so it is easier to show Customs when you return with all the purchases you made from Diamonds International :D
     
  • ALWAYS place your travel documentation in your carry-on when in transit.
  • REMEMBER to check that you placed all your travel documents BACK in your travel wallet AND in your carry-on each and every time you have to take anything out, such as when you go through security or have to show your boarding pass and so forth. How many times have people seen others rushing back to security because they "lost" their boarding passes etc ... DON'T feel rushed to put your coat or shoes back on etc and take this step before you leave security.
  • KEEP your carry-on with you - never hand it over to a bell-hop to take to your room or taxi driver to put in the back on the taxi or to the porters to deliver to your stateroom ...
  • LOCK it up in your stateroom (or hotel room) safe.
     
  • NEVER take all your credit cards with you when going out ... leave ONE DIFFERENT cc in the safe. If you so wish, you may apply for a cc that you only use for travel purposes and with a certain pre-set limit.
     
  • PHONE your credit card company before you leave to notify them that you are travelling out of country on holiday, how long etc ... they will ask you some questions. Since this will be your first time outside the country, it will prevent any red flags popping up and a possible freeze on your credit card as the issuer may believe the card may be stolen, for example if you try to buy a $5000 diamond ring in St. Thomas - anyone see a common theme here ;)
     
  • RECOMMEND leaving your passport in the safe. UNLESS otherwise indicated by the cruise line, you never have to take your passport with you when you leave the ship. The cruise card plus another form of picture id such as a Driver's Licence is usually sufficient. Losing a DL's won't cause as much hardship as losing your passport. And more importantly if you happen to lose your wallet in port or get mugged, you will still have one form of ID (along with a cc) back on the ship. I remember one port where this couple was swarmed by all these kids ... my DW spotted an attempt by one of those little urchins trying to lift the guy's wallet ... she just yelled out at them and they scooted away. Unfortunately we heard later that day, another couple was not so fortunate and lost their id/credit cards they had on them. On another cruise, a couple had left their travel bag at a restaurant with all their id/cc ... by the time they realized it and returned to the restaurant, it was gone.
     
  • ALWAYS CHECK THE SAFE before you check-out of your stateroom.
  • Finally, SUGGEST that you designate one person to carry all your travel documentation and be responsible for managing it. You never want to get into the " I thought you had it" or "You were suppose to remember or take care of that" scenario. :eek:

 

Taking these basic precautions will help ease any worries and most importantly, will help you and your family to enjoy your trip!

 

In re: to early or late seating, I think that early would be a better choice considering the age of your children.

 

Any other questions, let us know. Hope this helps.

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I organized a family reunion of 47 (!) on a cruise last year. It was NCL, not Disney, but I can give you some tips that would still apply.

1) Have one person in charge of the planning.

2) Get a list of all the passengers' names as they appear on their drivers license (you don't want to have problems because you assigned a cabin to "Bob" instead of "Robert") as well as their birthdates. You will need this when booking.

3) Decide who needs to be with whom and any preferences they have. Inside cabin vs. outside cabin, for example. Mid-ship, back of ship or front. Veranda or no.

4) Print out the floor plans for the decks you are considering so that when you are talking to the travel agent, you can quickly see where the assigned rooms are as you are booking them.

5) Use a travel agent.

6) Talk to the travel agent about seating arrangements for dinner and find out if you can arrange for your group to be either at one big table or at least near each other for dinners.

7) Make name signs for everyone's doors (magnetic, of course) so that people can find each others rooms easily.

 

Good luck!

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There is a service that will deliver alcohol to the port. I was on the website last week.

 

I do think that given what DCL charges for transfers it is cheaper to do a one way car rental and just stop on your own while you are in Orlando.

 

The company is called Mouse House Concierge - you can google for the webiste.

 

Yes, mouse house concierge will deliver to the port and will bring liquor, water, even sundries like sunscreen, diapers, etc. They are also on Facebook.

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Read your navigator and then read it again.

Pack coloured markers/highlighters in different colours for each member of the family and mark the Navigator according to each persons preference.

There is a guided tour of the ship on the first day of the cruise, details of this are on the Navigator, read it as soon as you get onboard or into your cabin.

My dh and I got up early every morning to watch the sunrise from the hot tub and it was just the two of us. Later in the day we counted 15 kids and an adult in the hot tub.

Only found out after spending $20 on a towel at Sunset beach that you are allowed to take the ships towels ashore. @ least we have a cool souvenir.:D

Would do the late dining next time as it gives you time to work off your lunch. We were still too full to fully appreciate dinner.

Book for the tea party as soon as you get onboard.

Buy the beer package as soon as you get onboard.

Try to pack outfits according to theme nights or you will feel decidedly under dressed and will end up spending a lot of money at the onboard shop.

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Here were my tips from when we cruised DCL last...

Here is what I am glad I packed…

· Over the door shoe holder with clear pockets. This was the single best organizing tool ever! We had every pocket full with things like sunglasses, cell phones, cameras, toothbrushes, medications, hair clips and piggy holders, sunblock and room keys.

 

· 3M hooks. I brought one for each kiddo to hang their Mickey Ears on, also worked for swimsuits & cover-ups.

 

· Pop-up, hanging laundry basket. (Hung in closet in kids room) Perfect for keeping dirty clothes out of the way. It also would have hung over a door.

 

· All kids outfits in individual Ziploc bags – complete with underwear,

shorts, top. Kiddo’s name written on front. This was made life much easier, especially because our girls wear the same size and have many of the same items. Each child got a drawer, and all their baggies went in there. Each day they could just take out a new baggie and put that outfit on. There was also a baggie with swim wear, and one with jammies & extra undies for each. The empty bags were perfect for packing damp or dirty items in.

 

· My Travelon Hanging Toiletry Kit – priceless.

 

· Plenty of sunscreen. We got the 2 pack of Banana Boat Kid’s clear spray at Costco and used ALL of it. Never used the lotion type I brought, the spray was just easier – especially at the beach. SPF lip balm was used quite a bit too.

 

· Sea-Sick meds. Less Drowsy Dramamine for DH and I, and Bonine for Kids for the small people. We started taking them before the ship left port, and kept it up each day.

 

Here’s what I wish I would have packed…

· A camera that worked! (ugh) We found out our camera didn’t work during unpacking, and then were at the mercy of my iPhone and ships photographers the rest of the trip.

 

· An extension cord for my blow-dryer. There is literally no place to plug-in a blow-dryer in the cabin. The outlets in the bathrooms are only for 10v shavers. There are outlets by the desk/mirror in the sitting room area, but because of how they are located, it is impossible to plug-in a standard blow-dryer plug (the safety kind) in them. I was forced to use that horrible flow-bee looking vacuum hose thing in the bathroom to “dry” my hair. It was like a baby blowing on your wet hair. So… I had a lot of wavy, crazy hair on this trip.

 

· Sweaters or light jackets for myself and the kids. Even though it was humid & hot outside, it was downright chilly in many interior areas on the ship, especially in the theatre and at dinner.

 

· Those darn battery operated mister fans that I bought, but at the last minute decided not to pack! Castaway Cay was hot & humid when not by the water.

 

· More (healthy) snacks. Yes, you can order room service, but there really aren’t many healthy snack options outside of fruit & cheese.

 

Here’s what I packed, but didn’t use at all…

· Clothespins.

 

· Water bottles for each of the kids.

 

If I could change anything it would be:

· I probably wouldn’t do the late seating again at the ages our kids are (4,5,7).

 

o It caused us to eat 4 meals a day, essentially, to make it through to dinner.

o We/the kids felt rushed with the dine & play option.

o We did this so that we could see the early shows, but there were only 3 shows that the kids saw… I think they could have made it through the late ones on those nights.

o On the nights with no shows, we had a lot of time to kill before dinner.

 

· Plan more time with the family. We were like ships passing in the night some days!

 

· Bring an extension cord and a working camera!

 

· Eat less – we really didn’t need to order something from each course every night.

 

· Just a massage at the spa – the hot stone was great – but would skip manicure & Spa Villa splurge.

 

· Pack more swimsuits (we brought 2 per person) and less footwear.

 

· Buy that darn T-Shirt I liked on day one! I got everyone a shirt but me and the one I liked was gone in my size by the 3rd day!

 

What we would definitely do again:

· Get to the terminal early to get boarding group 1, 2 or 3, and allowing you to get up to Beach Blanket Buffet early and get a good choice of seats there.

 

· Get up early to be one of the first families off the ship at Castaway Cay – that was completely worth it to enjoy a less crowded beach and top pick of spots.

 

· Get to Cookie’s BBQ early – there’s a theme here!

 

· Get back on the ship after lunch on Castaway Cay days to enjoy an almost empty Mickey Pool.

 

· Stay on the ship in Nassau. It was nice to have an uncrowded pool.

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  • 1 month later...
Just returned from the Wonder 2 weeks ago....we did one load of laundry and each thing cost a dollar (soap, washer, dryer). I thought it was very reasonable (cheaper than at the Disney resorts). The only negative was that not all floors have a laundry room, so you may need a bag or something to carry your clothes in.

 

:)

 

My husband, much to the open jawed amazement of everyone using the laundry, wheels out the empty suitcase to and from the laundry room. The women in there said, with wonder... why didn't I think of that? The suitcase doubles as a wheel-bound laundry basket. :);)

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I have a son that is 14 now. We have went on two Disney cruises and are going on our third in a couple of weeks. He will love it. I have head about a few times where the kids need to be pushed to attend a couple of times before they made friends and got into the groove. My experience is they meet new friends and get some freedom they do not get at home and love it. As a parent, you need to remember there is no place to go on the ship and it is hard for them to get into real trouble. Most of the kids 12 and over will stay out until 1 or 2 in the morning. After midnight you will find groups of kids finding food to eat and hanging out in the stairs talking. If your son is not social they often find friends and stay in the kids area and do games all night.

 

Some Notes:

1. Before the cruise let him know what time he has to be in the room for dinner. You will not be able to find him on the ship easily.

2. Take a note tablet to leave each other messages and remind him to look at it.

3. Before you go to bed order him cookies and milk from room service (free) and leave for him. It is easy for you and it makes him feel loved.

4. Disney has good ice cream bars from room service at no cost.

5. Dinner is an experience so do not let your soon ditch you at dinner.

6. In the theater set in the same place every night and let you son know where that is in case he wants to join you. I have always been in the front left. My son will come looking for me in the left side of the theater.

7. *** Do not let them take electronic devices on the cruise. It takes away from the experience. Do not let them go into the Arcade; It is not free and there is to much other things for them to do.

 

Ditto everything except... there are now a set of wave phone that text and call included in your room... Disney really thinks of everything! As long as your tween/teen keeps up with the phone ($ if he doesn't) then you are good. It's all these little details that keep us craving Disney... other lines simply don't offer the wave phones and/or charge extra for everything like soda. You will have to beg/threaten/coerce your teen/tween to join you instead of the other kids. Even if you are parent of the year.

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I totally agree. Being on the west coast I booked our June 2013 Mediterranean cruise at 500 am PST to get an early booking. By 12 noon the price had risen by $1000 and surprisingly has remained at that rate.

 

Today rates of our Fantasy cruise this June are also $3000 more than the time we booked 16 months ago.

Here is a little tip for that sticker shock, Clean out your browser cookies. I kid you not... :)

 

I was looking at a certain cruise and every time I would look at it, I would check the $$ and mark it down. It kept going up. Someone then told me to clear my cookies, and the next time I looked, the price was back down to the first time I looked at it... :eek:

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  • 3 weeks later...

We just returned from a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy (April 28th sailing). It was our first cruise so we didn't know exactly what to expect when we got onboard.

 

I already posted all the highlights of the boat in a "top 6" list. Overall we had a great experience, so these are just some things we wished we would have done differently or thought about...

 

1. Buy the 24-pack of bottled water for our stateroom through Disney. We didn't do this, but wished we would have since the tap water in the room is not cold (for taking medications, etc.). Plus the portability is helpful. The Fantasy does have recycling baskets on deck 11.

 

2. The boat has a lot of people on it. The non-adult areas can get pretty chaotic with all the kids running around. Just be prepared and be patient :) If you really hate crowds and lots of kids, a Disney cruise is probably not for you.

 

3. Lines to get pictures taken by Disney photographers are generally very long (like 10 to 20 minute wait). Be prepared to wait in lines if this is important to you. (we didn't want to wait, mainly because we have a rambunctious 3-year-old so it's pretty painful, but it would have been nice to have a few family photos taken) I wish there was a way for families to make a 'reservation' for a time to get photos taken so less of the trip is wasted waiting in lines.

 

4. For babies & toddlers - make sure you bring plenty of diapers and/or pullups with you. It is impossible to buy them on the ship (they only sell water/pool diapers) and we couldn't find them at the port stops either.

 

5. Bring an iPod/iPad or other device that can play music - I happen to have some songs on mine that are for helping babies sleep, like white noise. Mine is the sound of ocean waves. Here's a link if you want to see what I mean:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/help-your-baby-sleep-through/id292705464

Anyway, without this I would not have been able to sleep well for 2 reasons:

- At night, sometimes kids will run up and down the halls and are noisy. Some parents let their young kids stay up to midnight or 1am (seriously?!?). Also, we often heard our next door neighbors yelling at their kids for one reason or another. Or kids fighting with each other.

- At night, as the boat rocks, a slight squeaking/cracking noise can be heard from the walls and/or ceiling. Also, the hangers in the closet will bang a little bit. It's not loud, but loud enough to keep you awake.

The white noise, or nature sounds, will really help to cancel out those little noises. A lifesaver!

 

6. Bring some large plastic tumblers for drinks, like Tervis brand. Someone recommended this to us and it was a great idea. However, also remember to bring some soap so that you can wash them out in your room at your convenience.

 

7. If you're a wine drinker, stop at a wine/liquor store in Orlando or Cocoa Beach and pick up 2 bottles per person. That way you get the selection you like and will save a lot of $$ on the boat. The $20 cork fee per bottle is well worth it considering the prices and quality of wine on the boat. At some of the port stops you may be able to pick up a few more if they have what you like.

 

8. Unless your child is at least 38" tall, they cannot ride on any of the water slides at the pool or on Castaway Kay. The Aquaduck has a minimum of 42" tall. It really limits what shorter kids/toddlers can do.

 

9. We didn't enjoy Castaway Kay all that much because our daughter was too little to go on the slides or do many activities. And the beach was sooooooooo crowded it wasn't all that fun. I wished we would have just stayed on the ship that day instead. I think for older kids (like 5+) the island may be more fun. I'm sure the boat was less crowded and would have been better.

 

Those are top-of-mind... if I think of more I'll post them here :)

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  • 2 months later...

We have always been able to secure Palo brunch or dinner once getting on board. Go to the designated location (usually a lounge) upon embarkation and they should be able to help you.

 

You can also stop by Palo in the evening and see if they have availability or call up to the restaurant from your cabin phone.

 

The first night is usually pretty empty in Palo and Remy since most people want to go to MDR. If you are willing to go on the first night, I'm almost sure you will be able to get in.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Some of these tips are out dated like arriving early to get an early boarding pass.

 

 

Thats true, but this thread was started in 2008 and back then it was correct. Maybe we need to try to update this thread for 2012 ?:confused:

 

Hopefully people will look at the dates of the posts.:)

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Thats true, but this thread was started in 2008 and back then it was correct. Maybe we need to try to update this thread for 2012 ?:confused:

 

Hopefully people will look at the dates of the posts.:)

 

Just do a quote on anything that looks old, dusty and in need of maintenance. It'll link me to it and I'll clean up.

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  • 7 months later...
Sorry No alarm clocks, just a regular clock although you can call and leave a time for a wake up call. Its pretty cool because Mickey will call and wake you up!!!

 

 

Kathy

 

 

Is this still being done on the Dream?

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UPDATE to my previous tip about Disney U Graduation - it has now been changed to FriendSHIP Rocks.

 

The kids get colored FriendSHIP Rocks t-shirts. The program is only for 3-10 year olds (11 and up did not participate)

 

Still has slideshow and appearance by Mickey & Minnie

 

Is this stll offered on the Dream?

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Is this still being done on the Dream?

 

 

On the Dream they had alarm clocks but you could still do a wake up call and I'm sure its still Mickey or Goofy who wakes you up. Also if you go to your online reservation page there is a link to arrange a character call to your house before you cruise. Since you set it up you know when to let the kids answer or be ready to use the speaker phone setting on the phone so they can all hear it.

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  • 5 months later...

Celebrated our 15 yr. Anniversary on the Fantasy West Caribbean Cruise. We are a young family couple with 2 daughters ages 9 and 5

 

It was actually a happy coincidence that the cruise line was also celebrating its 15years in business. What an amazing trip, the Disney service is beyond any type of service I have ever received and you definitely can tell that the crew members are well trained with an emphasis on fast, friendly service.

 

Even though we delighted in spending time with our daughters and created memories I will cherish for a lifetime, we also took advantage of the kids clubs and activities to give ourself time to enjoy the food and amenities for our Anniversary celebration. Starting with our first dinner at Remy a five star french inspired Restaurant it created the backdrop to what was going to be a truly magical week!

 

There were so many beautiful moments both on the ship and on our port adventures that I wanted capture it all. I love to film professional style footage of our family trips and make them look like great adventures through the eye of the lens. Even though I don't do this for a living I have created a small compilation with some great highlights of this amazing trip on the Fantasy. Hope you enjoy it, and look out for the Full version of the trip which also includes a day at Magic Kingdom.

 

 

Hope it gets you excited for your trip or makes you nostalgic like it makes me.

 

Enjoy!

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