So excited and so many questions

[saleeb]

We have never been on a cruise and my 9 year old talked us into it, although we are keeping it a surprise. We haven't booked yet. We are hoping to wait for a military discount at some point. So, my list of questions:

 

1- This may seem weird but do I send my kids to the Oceaneer's Club with a bathing suit? Ages are 3, 5, 7, 9. Not that I think I will let them go swimming without my supervision but do they have water play activities? If so, do I send my kids wearing a bathing suit under clothing or bring one with them?

 

2-I read that tips are generally $12 a day per person in the family, which would be $72 a day for us and our 4 kids. Is that $72 per employee too (i.e. room attendant gets $72 a day, waiter gets $72 a day?) That would be too much for us to do if my question makes sense.

 

3- How much will a military discount usually save us?

 

4- I really want to surprise our kids. We will be driving to the terminal in Port Canaveral and my fantasy is that the kids won't notice us parking the car in a cruise ship area. I would love to walk into the terminal and surprise them. I have no idea what the parking garage or area really looks like. Is it obvious that we will be going on a cruise as we enter the parking lot or garage? Are the ships in your face visible from where we will park our car? Are the ships farther down the road and we take a shuttle into the terminal?

 

5- I've thought a lot about the two different seating times for dinner. We would prefer late seating but only if the following scenario is possible. Can I take my 3 girls (ages 5, 7, 9) to dinner at the late seating with us and leave my son (the 3 year old) at the Oceaneer's Club for our entire dinner? I don't think that he would be able to do the Dine and Play option. But, my girls would be fine with the Dine and Play option. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 

Thanks for your help!

[N41EF]

2. The $12 per day per person is split between cabin attendamt and wait staff. I usually give cabin person more in cash.

 

4. You see the ships for 10 minutes before you get here. From the causeway over the bridge, frontage road and into parking. Plus all the Disney buses you see going there too.

 

Can't help you with the rest.

[Shmoo here]

We have never been on a cruise and my 9 year old talked us into it, although we are keeping it a surprise. We haven't booked yet. We are hoping to wait for a military discount at some point. So, my list of questions:

 

1- This may seem weird but do I send my kids to the Oceaneer's Club with a bathing suit? Ages are 3, 5, 7, 9. Not that I think I will let them go swimming without my supervision but do they have water play activities? If so, do I send my kids wearing a bathing suit under clothing or bring one with them? No water activities that I'm aware of in the kid's club. They won't take them swimming. You could send them with swimsuits under their clothes, but will they be able to undress/redress easily to use the toilet?

 

2-I read that tips are generally $12 a day per person in the family, which would be $72 a day for us and our 4 kids. Is that $72 per employee too (i.e. room attendant gets $72 a day, waiter gets $72 a day?) That would be too much for us to do if my question makes sense. The suggested gratuities you pay are $12.00 per guest (each person on a reservation) per day. That $12.00 breaks out to $4.00 per guest per day to your stateroom host; $4.00 per guest per day to your dining room server; $3.00 per guest per day to your assistant server; and $1.00 per guest per day to your head server.

 

3- How much will a military discount usually save us? I'm not sure what the discount percentage is, if indeed it's a percentage. The military rates are offered on select cruises and DCL sets the rates.

 

4- I really want to surprise our kids. We will be driving to the terminal in Port Canaveral and my fantasy is that the kids won't notice us parking the car in a cruise ship area. I would love to walk into the terminal and surprise them. I have no idea what the parking garage or area really looks like. Is it obvious that we will be going on a cruise as we enter the parking lot or garage? Are the ships in your face visible from where we will park our car? Are the ships farther down the road and we take a shuttle into the terminal? You can see the ship as you drive off the freeway, onto the connector road all the way into the terminal area. If you do an image search for Port Canaveral Disney terminal you'll find lots of pictures of the terminal.

 

5- I've thought a lot about the two different seating times for dinner. We would prefer late seating but only if the following scenario is possible. Can I take my 3 girls (ages 5, 7, 9) to dinner at the late seating with us and leave my son (the 3 year old) at the Oceaneer's Club for our entire dinner? I don't think that he would be able to do the Dine and Play option. But, my girls would be fine with the Dine and Play option. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Certainly you may do this. When will your son get dinner?

 

 

Thanks for your help!

 

My responses in red.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Shmoo here

[BullDawg91]

We have never been on a cruise and my 9 year old talked us into it, although we are keeping it a surprise. We haven't booked yet. We are hoping to wait for a military discount at some point. So, my list of questions:

 

1- This may seem weird but do I send my kids to the Oceaneer's Club with a bathing suit? Ages are 3, 5, 7, 9. Not that I think I will let them go swimming without my supervision but do they have water play activities? If so, do I send my kids wearing a bathing suit under clothing or bring one with them?

 

2-I read that tips are generally $12 a day per person in the family, which would be $72 a day for us and our 4 kids. Is that $72 per employee too (i.e. room attendant gets $72 a day, waiter gets $72 a day?) That would be too much for us to do if my question makes sense.

 

3- How much will a military discount usually save us?

 

4- I really want to surprise our kids. We will be driving to the terminal in Port Canaveral and my fantasy is that the kids won't notice us parking the car in a cruise ship area. I would love to walk into the terminal and surprise them. I have no idea what the parking garage or area really looks like. Is it obvious that we will be going on a cruise as we enter the parking lot or garage? Are the ships in your face visible from where we will park our car? Are the ships farther down the road and we take a shuttle into the terminal?

 

5- I've thought a lot about the two different seating times for dinner. We would prefer late seating but only if the following scenario is possible. Can I take my 3 girls (ages 5, 7, 9) to dinner at the late seating with us and leave my son (the 3 year old) at the Oceaneer's Club for our entire dinner? I don't think that he would be able to do the Dine and Play option. But, my girls would be fine with the Dine and Play option. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

 

Thanks for your help!

 

 

1. Your kids don't need swimsuits for the clubs. They won't be leaving the club. The clubs don't have water activities.

 

2. Addressed above

 

3. I don't know about this one. Disney doesn't have to discount their cruises much. If I wanted to go, I'd book it. That's particularly true if you are going during school holidays.

 

4. You can't miss the ships as you approach.

 

5. You can do whatever you want with your kids. By all means, drop the 3 yr old off if you think he'll stay without his sisters. You'll need to feed him first from room service or counter service.

[saleeb]

Wow, thank you all for such quick responses! The tipping makes much more sense now. I now also realize that I will have to think of another way to surprise the kids. :)

 

My plan was to feed my son before bringing him to the club, although I read somewhere that they feed the kids at meal times if you arrange it with them before hand. Is that true? If not, I can feed him before hand. I may try to bring him to dinner with us at the late seating and then if he is too bored, leave and bring him to the club if he wants to go. He loves going to our church nursery and our gym's kids club. I am only hoping that his enjoyment of such places will carry over into the club on the cruise, but we all know that nothing goes according to plan with little ones. Either way, we will have lots of fun seeing them smile and having a great family time.

 

Thank you all for your help!

[Shmoo here]

Wow, thank you all for such quick responses! The tipping makes much more sense now. I now also realize that I will have to think of another way to surprise the kids. :)

 

My plan was to feed my son before bringing him to the club, although I read somewhere that they feed the kids at meal times if you arrange it with them before hand. Is that true? If not, I can feed him before hand. I may try to bring him to dinner with us at the late seating and then if he is too bored, leave and bring him to the club if he wants to go. He loves going to our church nursery and our gym's kids club. I am only hoping that his enjoyment of such places will carry over into the club on the cruise, but we all know that nothing goes according to plan with little ones. Either way, we will have lots of fun seeing them smile and having a great family time.

 

Thank you all for your help!

 

While the do offer food at lunch and dinner times in the club, it may not be at the time you actually have your dinner seating. AFAIK, there's no individual times for feeding kids. And they generally just make an announcement that "food is here". They don't make anyone sit down and eat, it would be up to him, if he's not too involved with playing. Taking him to the club yourself after, say, having your appetizer is certainly do-able. It's not far to the club from any of the MDRs.

 

Also, all of your kids will be in Oceaneer's Club/Lab. Will he be upset if you just drop him off and everyone else leaves?

Edited March 12, 2015 by Shmoo here

[Ex techie]

Also, the food is generally chicken tenders, fries, burgers and pizza from the quick serve stations on deck.

It is not a "meal" in that sense, just snack or what you may consider junk food.

 

ex techie

[saleeb]

Good to know Schmoo. I'm not sure how he will be without his sisters joining him. He does fine being dropped off alone at church and at the gym (they go to separate rooms) but it is hard to say until we actually give it a try. I'm a softy, so if he looks the least bit nervous I will bring him with us. I don't plan on using the club often but it is so hard to ever eat a relaxed meal with my husband. Although, to be honest, room service after the kids go to bed sounds just as good. :) hahah

 

I'm glad to hear that the club is near the MDRs. Knowing that makes me lean now towards taking my son to the MDR and at least giving it a try.

 

Thanks a bunch for your help.

[saleeb]

Ah, good to know Ex Techie. I worry so much about fruits and veggies at home that I don't worry while on vacation. But, my son actually loves fruit, so I may want to consider those options. Thanks for the info.

[flhokie]

There is no way to hide where you are. The ship is very visible from all around.

 

Keep in mind that your son would be on his own with kids 3-12. I would see how he does at Oceaneer Club on his own before counting on this being the plan every night. DD (4) is very social, loves pre-school and playing with kids older than her in a controlled environment, but she did not like being dropped off at Oceaneer Club at all because of "the big kids." While there is programming geared towards specific ages and the older kids tend to spend more time on the lab side, free play is completely open with little to no guidance from the staff.

[Ex techie]

There is no way to hide where you are. The ship is very visible from all around.

 

What does that mean?

 

ex techie

[flhokie]

What does that mean?

 

ex techie

 

It means the ship is visible from whichever direction you approach the port and any point from within the port---no way to hide where they are until they walk in the terminal building.

[moki'smommy]

Techie, I think it means she can't surprise the kids by just showing up at the terminal. The ship is easily visible from the top of the bridge, and the DCL ships are very distinctive. If your kids can recognize Mickey Mouse, they can recognize these ships. Now, they won't know that they are getting ON the ship....you can always pretend you are just going to look at it.

 

From what I know, Military Discounts are not a percentage of cruise costs. They are available on certain cruises that are not sold out as a way to encourage bookings. You can do better to book on day 1 without a discount than to wait till the price goes up and then get a discount from the higher price.

[Ex techie]

It means the ship is visible from whichever direction you approach the port and any point from within the port---no way to hide where they are until they walk in the terminal building.

 

Ahhhh! I get it now! lol!

 

ex techie

[cruisefamilyforever]

Military discounts are being offered right now on certain ships and dates between now and May 2, 2015. Just go to the Disney line cruise site and look under specials. You will save a significant amount of money but choices are very limited. If you are trying to get a Military discount when school is out, spring break or on any holidays you won't find one.

 

Disney only offers military discounts during the lower demand periods. Good luck with your search. I'm retired military and I don't mind paying extra for Disney; it's worth it.

 

If you can't find a discount that works for you, your best option is to book 16 months in advance or as soon as the date you are looking for is released. This will be the best rate, if no military rate will work for your schedule.

[GatorMomInNC]

Techie' date=' I think it means she can't surprise the kids by just showing up at the terminal. The ship is easily visible from the top of the bridge, and the DCL ships are very distinctive. If your kids can recognize Mickey Mouse, they can recognize these ships. Now, they won't know that they are getting ON the ship....you can always pretend you are just going to look at it.

 

From what I know, Military Discounts are not a percentage of cruise costs. They are available on certain cruises that are not sold out as a way to encourage bookings. You can do better to book on day 1 without a discount than to wait till the price goes up and then get a discount from the higher price.[/quote']

 

I have thought many times how i could surprise my kids at Port CAnaveral with a cruise, including pretending we are just going to "look" at theship. But, IIRC they ask for your paperwork when you pull up to enter the port.

 

You can always get room service or quick service at the pool deck before bringing him to the kids club.

[tadajulia]

If you do 2nd seating, DCL offers "Dine and Play" where the Youth Club staff will show up at the front of the restaurant about 45-60 minutes after dinner time starts to pick up any kids who are going to the Youth Club. The idea is that kids won't sit at dinner for that long and the parents can enjoy the rest of their dinner at a leisurely pace. We didn't do this because we had 1st seating, but I think you just tell your servers that your kids are doing Dine and Play and they will make sure to get their food out first.

 

As for dinner times at the Youth Clubs... usually they have a set time 6-6:30ish(?) when they will have dinner available for the kids. You can ask them when their dinner usually arrives.

 

One thing to think about... one night my husband and I had reservations at Palo's (specialty restaurant) at 7pm and the nursery couldn't take my son until 7pm because they were all booked up and they served dinner at 6:30pm, which means he would miss it. So we had to feed him beforehand around 6pm. Unfortunately the buffet was closed at that time so we had to get him food from the burger place on the pool deck or the little deli place that they have up there. Not the best/widest choice of foods especially for my picky eater, but better than nothing and it was fine for one night! Of course there is always room service!

[tadajulia]

One more thing... Once you book your cruise and login to your reservation online, you have the option to set up a call from a Disney Character. Many parents use the call to surprise their kids with the cruise. It's not the same as walking into the terminal and being surprised, but like others have noted, unless you blindfold them, they will see the ship.

 

Just a thought and perhaps a nice option for the morning of? You can set the call to happen at a specific day/time and you can pick the character who calls.

 

Have fun!! So jealous!! We were on the Disney Magic last week so I'm still on my "cruise high."

[moki'smommy]

[quote name=tadajulia;45907328

 

As for dinner times at the Youth Clubs... usually they have a set time 6-6:30ish(?) when they will have dinner available for the kids. You can ask them when their dinner usually arrives.

 

One thing to think about... one night my husband and I had reservations at Palo's (specialty restaurant) at 7pm and the nursery couldn't take my son until 7pm because they were all booked up and they served dinner at 6:30pm' date=' which means he would miss it. So we had to feed him beforehand around 6pm. Unfortunately the buffet was closed at that time so we had to get him food from the burger place on the pool deck or the little deli place that they have up there. Not the best/widest choice of foods especially for my picky eater, but better than nothing and it was fine for one night! Of course there is always room service![/quote]

 

The dinner time in the Oceaneer's Club/Lab will be noted in the Navigator. It does not typically correspond with the dining room seatings.

 

There is NO buffet dinner. Dinner in Topsider's/Cabanas is a sit down, cruise casual, no reservations needed, served beginning at 6. It is closed the first and last nights of the cruise. Food options from other locations would be the fast food choices or room service.

 

If you have late dinner, the kids (and probably you) wlll need something late in the afternoon. We make a point of getting a "healthy snack" from the pool deck or room service about 4:30. That holds us over till late dinner.

[shiwee]

I know some people already addressed this, but I thought I'd share my experience with the military discount. We are going on our first Disney Cruise March 21st on the Fantasy and used the military discount. Like others mentioned, it seems to be based on availability. We booked a GTY category 7A stateroom for a little under $4k (family of 4) and ended up with a category 4B room. I'm sure that's not normally what happens, but I think it worked out for us. You have to be available on kind of short notice for the military discount though. Looks like somewhere between 30 and 60 days of the cruise is when they make them available. If you're a little flexible with your dates, I think the discount is worth it. I know we are crazy excited about our upcoming vacation! I hope you find something that works for you :)

[moki'smommy]

I know some people already addressed this, but I thought I'd share my experience with the military discount. We are going on our first Disney Cruise March 21st on the Fantasy and used the military discount. Like others mentioned, it seems to be based on availability. We booked a GTY category 7A stateroom for a little under $4k (family of 4) and ended up with a category 4B room. I'm sure that's not normally what happens, but I think it worked out for us. You have to be available on kind of short notice for the military discount though. Looks like somewhere between 30 and 60 days of the cruise is when they make them available. If you're a little flexible with your dates, I think the discount is worth it. I know we are crazy excited about our upcoming vacation! I hope you find something that works for you :)

 

Congrats on the upgrade. There is no rhyme or reason as to who gets upgraded, why, or when. Many people have tried to figure it out--doesn't matter if you booked early or late, thru a TA or directly thru DCL, etc. The ONLY thing I've ever seen is that it seems that people on their second or third DCL cruises are more likely to get upgraded than first timers or more frequent cruisers.

 

In any event, you got a great one. Enjoy it.

[saleeb]

Thanks so much for all of the information everyone. You have given me lots of great advice and things to think about. One last question- do we tip the people working at the Oceaneer Club?

[Ex techie]

Thanks so much for all of the information everyone. You have given me lots of great advice and things to think about. One last question- do we tip the people working at the Oceaneer Club?

 

No, the Youth Activities Councillors (YAC's) are not a tip position.

You could tip them, but they must give the money over for a team party or donated to one of the charities DCL supports like Make A Wish.

 

You can tip in candy, and again it will be shared as there are so many councillors thru out the day that will take care of your kiddos.

 

ex techie

[Shmoo here]

Thanks so much for all of the information everyone. You have given me lots of great advice and things to think about. One last question- do we tip the people working at the Oceaneer Club?

 

No, the CMs in the kid's clubs are a non-tippable position. That being said, people do bring bags of small candies, or current magazines to "gift" the club workers.

 

If you give a cash tip (which they will refuse - 3 times), or gift cards, they will need to be turned in to be used for a kid's club CM party (gift cards for door prizes).

 

This is because the CM you see at the end of the trip won't be the only one who's been responsible for your child's enjoyment.

[moki'smommy]

The CMs in tipped positions get a very minimal stipend from DCL. Those in non-tipped positions actually earn a salary.

 

Youth counselors are a non-tipped position. As above, some people choose to bring various things, but nothing is expected.