Advice for new Disney Cruise Family???

[Cruisin-Family]

Our family as cruised 9 times, mostly on RCCL, but once on Carnival. We have a toddler (almost 3) now; my wife saw a special on Disney Cruise Lines and now insists on taking him on one of the ships in the next year or two. I'd like to wait until he's 4 or 5. Tips on booking, itinerary, ship, time of year, discounts, room selection, on board experiences etc...

 

Your experience and advice is both valued and appreciated!!!

 

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Wow,

so much to say. I dont know where to begin. We have done 7 DCL cruises with people of all ages. I can say that winter time is the best time to cruise no matter which itenerary you choose. The humidity is gone, the rainy season is over and for the most part the weather is beautiful. Sometimes in Dec or Jan the wind on CC is pretty strong and a little cool to go in the water. We have been at many different times of the year, but we prefer November, December or January. December is great because the ship is decorated for Christmas and so it CC.

I dont know about getting a good deal, my husband handles that. But I do know the farther out you book the cruise the better the price. We booked out next cruise about 14 months prior to it and already the rooms we booked are costing $400. more per room. By the time our cruise arrives this December we will of saved over $2000.00 for the amount of rooms. Once you book, you can change the date later on if you need to without penalty, as long as it's not sooner.

The kids clubs will have their own paper, called a navigator which will tell you everyday the special things that your child can do in the kids club. There is plenty of unstructured time to just run and play too. Characters will drop by too. You will have a pager that they will be able to reach you anytime if your needed for any reason.

There is also a family nightclub with games, karoake, family dances, and much more. Your child is so young you may not want to do that. There are 2 adult clubs that are smoke free, 2 that allow smoking. The entertainment is very good,

There are 3 pools. Your child will be at the Mickey pool. This pool actually has 3 different sections to it. One ear is just water jets, that is designated for the young kids in swim diapers. The other ear is for young kids that are not ready for the regular pool. It's about 8 inches deep. The main part of the mickey pool is for all kids to enjoy,as long as they are potty trained. Parents are welcome to sit on the ears of the mickey pool to keep an eye on the kids. They do not have a life guard on duty. It is your responsibility to watch your child. The family pool is for all of you, as long as your child is potty trained. But this is a deep pool, no shallow end to it, just like the adult only pool.

Both the family and adult pools have hot tubs.

Around the pools are places to get foods. There is pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, chips, fresh fruit, ice cream, mexican food, chicken fingers, chicken sandwiches and more. There is a drink station by the mickey pool that you can get coffee, tea, pop, milk, hot chocolate 24 hours a day. There are cookie trays there in the afternoon as well as pastries early in the morning. The topsiders buffet is there too.

If you go to the DCL official web site you can order a free DVD that will give you a world of information about the restaurants, ports, and more. The musicals and shows in the evenings are great. Even the kids like them becaus ea lot of them have characters in them. The last night the kids do a performance on the stage for all the parents which is really fun for them.

I have more details to disclose, but my meatloaf is done so I have to go for now. I'll post again later,

mom x4,grandma x4

[Cruisin-Family]

THANK YOU for taking the time to share your EXPERIENCES with us!!!!

 

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Ok, dinner is over so here are a couple of things to think about.

Sail away party, deck 9. A must for your little one as well as you. It gets allthe excitement going for the cruise. Some people stand on deck 10 and just watch, but go to deck 9 and get up next to the stage because the characters will appear and dance on stage. If your up front early your toddler will get a great look at mickey, minnie, Chip n Dale, Pluto, and Goofy.

Also sometimes in the terminal a character will appear by the model ship in the middle of the atrium for pictures. Lines are short for this. There are a few small TV's in the waiting area with Disney cartoons playing to help pass the time. Dont worry if the line gets long as you move very quickly once the line starts to move. You start boarding from 12 to 12:30, depending on if the ship is ready. They usher you up to lunch, then you can wander around the ship some because you cant go to your room until 1:30. In you rroom is a navigator paper that will tell you when and where you can sign you child up for the kids club. Even if he may not go, you must sign him up and get an ID bracelet or he will not be able to go into the clubs later if he wants to go.

You can also register him on line after you make your final payment.

Of course when he is in the club you will have dozens of things you can do. Wine tasting, bridge tour, galley tour, ice carving, art of entertainment series, towel and napkin folding, ping pong, shuffleboard, chip it golf, best legs contest ( not what you think), 5 nightclubs, adult pool, spa (extra charge) Palos for adult dining, must make a reservation ahead of time, a couple of shops to browse through,pool, hot tub, walk the plank game show, Know your mate ( hilarious), adult comedian, cheese and cracker tasting, high tea (7 day only), just way to many things to write. After 7 cruises we still havnt done it all, and of course they keep adding and changing all the time. With your toddler you might want to do the Mr. Toad race in the atrium, it's geared for younger kids and parents can help them. If you go to a character meet n greet, be sure an dnote in the navigator if it's photos only or autographs too. They do both kinds of sessions. Be sure and arrive 15 mintes early and wait in line, if you dont you may not get to see the characters. They stay out 20 minutes at a time, of course they are there many, many times on the cruise.

But better to wait a few minutes before hand and make sure you get to see them. Also when you get off the ship at Castaway Cay there are some characters along the walkway for photos and most people are in a hurry to get to the beach so no lines like on the ship. But the navigator will tell you what times they are going to be out, usually 9 to 9:30. Also there is a gazebo, across from the BBQ that has character on and off all day for kids to see. Usually little or no lines, but when there is a line, they move very quickly.

Even though photographers take pictures with al the characters, they have no problem with parents taking all the pictures they want too. On the 7 days they have a character breakfast where the characters will come up to your table for a hug and apicture with you child. They do move quickly, but several different ones make the rounds.

They have a late night Pirates deck party which is really great. When you go to dinner your entire family is invited to dress as pirates, your wait staff are dressed and there is a special pirate menu, and a secret event during dinner, they will give everyone a red pirate bandana to wear just incase your not the type to dress up. Characters are dressed like pirates for pictures, then about 9:45 p.m. you gather in deck 9 for live music and pirate dancing, the characters do kind of a skit and captain hook is there as well as all of the people dressed as pirates. Anyway the finale is a fireworks display, launched from the ship and a big buffet on deck 9 after the party. This is the best deck party ever. If you really want to find out a lot about disney cruises you might want to go to www.dcltribute.com that is a fantastic site for information and to learn about all the excursions and ask all kinds of questions.

I'm sure you 'll have a magical cruise!!!

The food is great too.

mom x4,grandma x4

[Cruisin-Family]

Thanks!!!

[MrPete]

Mom x4

 

Loved reading your recommendations! Was with you the whole way!

 

Any leftover meatloaf?:confused:

[CruisingCourtney]

You've already gotten some great info!

 

Just wanted to add about some of the unique things that Disney offers. The dining on Disney is different from what you may be used to with RCCL or Carnival...on Disney, there are three different (main) restaurants, and your waiters will travel with you to the different restaurants each night, as opposed to eating in the same room every night. So you will get a change of scenery, but keep the camraderie that you get with one wait staff the entire trip. And in true Disney fashion, the restaurants are themed to the hilt! :)

 

Also, I must mention that a trip to Palo is a must! Definitely worth the extra money.

 

Castaway Cay (Disney's private island) is consistently rated as one of the top private islands. There is even a separate adults only area of Castaway Cay called Serenity Bay.

 

I have to agree with momx4, grandmax4 that the best time to go is in the winter. It's also the best PRICING time (except for those holiday cruises). For the best price, book early, and book with a travel agent - many offer discounts or rebates on your cruise, and can help you with the different Disney Cruise Line nuances.

 

Have fun planning!! :)

[oscarmoraz]

Thank you again mom x4,grandma x4! You have my excitement going again! Great review, suggestions and advice!

 

Can’t wait, still no docs.....

C

 

 

PS the meatloaf sounded good also! ;)

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Glad to hear everyone likes meatloaf! Ha! Ha!

It's my husbnads favorite and he eats a lot of it and P B and J sandwiches to save for the cruises. I keep him on strict rations!

Gotta save for the next trip in December!!!!!! There are lots os souvenirs out there just calling my name.

mom x4,grandma x4

[oscarmoraz]

Strict rations are one way to get them to appreciate cruising if only it is for the incredible meals...lol!

 

I do hope our cruise paths shall meet!

Cindy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Cindy,

It is possible our paths may cross someday as we plan on cruising every year for as long as we can. our next is the Magic 12/27/05 then 11/25/06 and12/2/06. Yes those dates are correct,we are doing back to back 7 day cruises in 06. As soon as they post 2007 we will be booking the Christmas cruise 2007 for sure. We try to get away twice a year on the wonder for a 3 or 4 day since we live really close to WDW and the port. It makes for a nice 3 day weekend once in awhile. Just have to get the time off work.

That is why we have so much meatloaf!!!!! It's worth it!! I hope our paths cross someday too.

We are hooked on the mouse,

mom x4,grandma x4

[Kimmielee]

Glad to hear everyone likes meatloaf! Ha! Ha!

It's my husbnads favorite and he eats a lot of it and P B and J sandwiches to save for the cruises. I keep him on strict rations!

Gotta save for the next trip in December!!!!!! There are lots os souvenirs out there just calling my name.

mom x4,grandma x4

 

Making meatloaf today... care to share your recipe? :)

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Kimmielee,

My recipe consists of all the leftovers from the week. I throw in leftover vegetables, egg beaters, a dash of pixie dust, Worsterchestershire sauce. Check that spelling??? Hot crushed red peppers, ground beef or ground turkey, and lots of onions and garlic!!! No unexpected company on leftovers night.

It sounds dumb, but I make up a package of brown gravy or use leftover gravy for the moisture, it really adds flavor. I've even thrown leftover taco meat, spanish rice, torn up tortillas instead of bread crumbs.

My meatloaf is never the same twice. Which is probably a good thing. They may not try it a second time! But it always seems to disappear quickly.

 

What is your recipe?

 

mom x4,grandma x4

[oscarmoraz]

All this talk about Meatloaf...I am going to have make some!

 

Mom x4,grandma x4,

 

Congrats on your B2B booking! :)

 

Last year for Christmas, we decided to splurge and give the family a 3 day cruise. Well since the family is extended with lots of babies, we briefly spoke about scheduling this years holiday cruise on the Disney but already have reservations for the Sovereign. However, we are not sure if we will go thru with them since 2 of the GC are under 1 year. However, I am still considering our options. I know as the other GC age, they will enjoy the Disney more so. And I think the programs will give their parents more free time as well.

 

We are going to check it out on the ship. Also, anyone specific you book thru for Disney? And what are the decorations like around the Holiday season on the ship? Last year the Sovereign began decorating our last night on board, which I believe was the 19th or so...too lazy to look it up. :)

 

Cindy

[mom x4,grandma x4]

DCL usually decorates the day after Thanksgiving.

95% of the decorations are in the atrium. It is really beautiful and the first evening they have a tree lighting ceremony with singing carols, Characters show up in holiday attire, Goofy is Santa and when they light the tree it snows in the atrium, which is really a cool effect.

They have a large gingerbread house near the promenade lounge and another small tree by the Walt Disney Theater. The restaurants have small things stashed here and there for decorations. Castawat Cay is decorated too. They started doing that the past two years. They add more each year.

They do have Mrs. Clause sometimes reading a story to the children too. Live carolers on the island as you walk to the beach too. It's very nice. They also fearure some type of holiday movies in the theater too.

The terminal has some decorations too.

We always just call DCL to book. It isnt as low as some TA"s but it is so easy to take care of any problems or changes you may need to do, especially if you book a long way out, things can happen. We just find it easier to make changes and get questions answered quickly when we book directly with them.

Sometimes we will book on board to get the room credits. Usually 15 months before the cruise so the price isnt too bad, then if you watch on line and see it at a lower price we can call DCL and they will adjust the price and we still keep our room credits. There are a few rules to that, but they will change the rates 99% of the time. We have done this.

 

No meat loaf tonight, Peanut butter and jelly tonight!!! We needed a change.

mom x4,grandma x4