1st time on Disney Qs

[aopel]

We are normally Carnival cruisers (and really have only been on a handful of those).  But I feel with all the covid rules I am just lost as to what to expect for our Disney Wonder Cruise December 31st. I would really appreciate if someone could help answer these questions for me.

Dining
1. How do you know which restaurant you are eating in each night? We are on a 6 night, will we get to do each restaurant twice?
2.Where is breakfast and lunch typically eaten?  If you can eat in the restaurant, is it only the one you are scheduled for that dinner, or can you choose any of them?
3. Is there a formal night on a 6 night cruise?

4. Do people get "dressed" at all for dinner? (women/girls sundress or skirts and nice top, guys/boys slacks and button up or polo) Or is it really casual in jeans or shorts and tees?

Kids Club
5. My kids will be 6 and 9, are they in the Oceaneer club or the Oceaneer Lab?  What is the difference?
6.  I know with covid we will have to schedule their time in the kids club, at 30 days out or 15 days out?  Should I be logging on in the middle of the night to snag some good times, or does it start at 6 am east coast time?  Or is it not that hard to get a good time slot for the kids club?
7. I read somewhere that kids of a certain age get a phone from the kids club to communicate with parents?  Is this true?

Misc

8. Do they do family photos along the promenade before dinner? 
9. Does the Disney Cruise Line app have an internal messaging or chat system so we can contact other people in our party who have brought their phone?
10. We will be embarking on New Years Eve.  Should I be expecting some kind of special deck party?  Should I bring cocktail appropriate clothes just in case?

11.  What extras should I be anticipating my kids will ask to do that cost $$?  Bingo? 

I am sorry, I know this is a lot, and I could probably spend hours searching and researching but with Covid changing everything I was hopeful I would get answers from someone who has been more recently but also may have knowledge due to trips before the world fell apart.  Thank you!

[freaky_82]

1. You can see the restaurant in your app one onboard. With 6 nights you will get to go to every restaurant twice.

 

2. Breakfast and lunch is served in Cabanas ( the buffet restaurant) and in one of the main restaurants, you will see which one is open in your app.

 

4. Some people get dressed up, others don't. I only dress up for formal night and always feel comfortable with my choice. Usually I wear a jeans and some kind of top, tshirt or blouse.

 

8. there are photo spots on the same deck as the main restaurants and those were always open before and after dinner. Not sure if it changed because of covid

 

11. Extra expenses were for us: popcorn, bingo, souvenirs, specialty coffee drinks, cocktails. All of their shops are Disney themed, so we always end up buying way more than we would on any other cruiseline. 

 

Hope this helps

 

 

[imahistorygeek]

#9 yes - It works pretty well. 

[Shmoo here]

5 hours ago, aopel said:

We are normally Carnival cruisers (and really have only been on a handful of those).  But I feel with all the covid rules I am just lost as to what to expect for our Disney Wonder Cruise December 31st. I would really appreciate if someone could help answer these questions for me.

Dining
1. How do you know which restaurant you are eating in each night? We are on a 6 night, will we get to do each restaurant twice? I believe DCL is now using the app for the dining room information.  As noted, yes, you'll be scheduled in each MDR twice.
2.Where is breakfast and lunch typically eaten?  If you can eat in the restaurant, is it only the one you are scheduled for that dinner, or can you choose any of them? Breakfast & Lunch - Cabanas, room service, poolside food court.  Also one of the MDRs is open for lunch, usually the same one (same menu every day, from what I recall)
3. Is there a formal night on a 6 night cruise? No.  There may be a "Dress Up Optional" night, though.

4. Do people get "dressed" at all for dinner? (women/girls sundress or skirts and nice top, guys/boys slacks and button up or polo) Or is it really casual in jeans or shorts and tees?The only "dress code" on DCL is "no tank tops or bathing suits at dinner".  Palo & Remy do have a more strict dress code.

Kids Club
5. My kids will be 6 and 9, are they in the Oceaneer club or the Oceaneer Lab?  What is the difference? Time was Oceaneer Club was ages 3-7 and Oceaneer Lab was ages 8-12.  But there were complaints that "my kids need to be together" so DCL combined them.  That said, the Club area is still geared toward the younger kids, and the Lab area toward the older kids.  But each child can participate in whatever activities interest them.
6.  I know with covid we will have to schedule their time in the kids club, at 30 days out or 15 days out?  Should I be logging on in the middle of the night to snag some good times, or does it start at 6 am east coast time?  Or is it not that hard to get a good time slot for the kids club?
7. I read somewhere that kids of a certain age get a phone from the kids club to communicate with parents?  Is this true? They used to have Wave Phones for communication onboard, but now they rely on people just using their own phones for such things.

Misc

8. Do they do family photos along the promenade before dinner?Not on the Promenade deck (if that's what you mean), but there are photo locations in the atrium most evenings. 
9. Does the Disney Cruise Line app have an internal messaging or chat system so we can contact other people in our party who have brought their phone?Yes.  Sorry, I don't use it, so can't say more than that.
10. We will be embarking on New Years Eve.  Should I be expecting some kind of special deck party?  Should I bring cocktail appropriate clothes just in case?Typically there is a NYE celebration onboard. Whether they will continue that under COVID - not clear yet.

11.  What extras should I be anticipating my kids will ask to do that cost $$?  Bingo? 

 Cellular phone calls (will be billed later to your phone bill)
 Ship to shore calls from your room phone
Soft drinks and candy/snacks from room service/theatre snack bar
Candy and ice cream from Vanellope’s on the Dream
Bingo
 Sports simulator
 Photos (individual and packages)
 Internet
Nursery (for under 3’s)
 Kid’s club magic bands (if you want to keep them, you lose the deposit)
Snacks outside theater (if they get back to selling them)

I am sorry, I know this is a lot, and I could probably spend hours searching and researching but with Covid changing everything I was hopeful I would get answers from someone who has been more recently but also may have knowledge due to trips before the world fell apart.  Thank you!

My answers in RED.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Shmoo here

[LittleMissMagic]

1. How do you know which restaurant you are eating in each night? We are on a 6 night, will we get to do each restaurant twice? On the day you embark, the DCL app will be updated to include your MDR rotation. On each day's itinerary, it will show your restaurant for dinner.
2.Where is breakfast and lunch typically eaten?  If you can eat in the restaurant, is it only the one you are scheduled for that dinner, or can you choose any of them? Cabana's, the buffet by the pool deck, is always open for breakfast and lunch. There are other outdoor eateries (differ per ship) along the pool deck which serve lunch and snacks. The dining rooms typically alternate which serves breakfast/brunch/lunch - check the DCL app during your sailing for hours.
3. Is there a formal night on a 6 night cruise? Nothing mandatory. There may be a "Dress Up Optional" night.

4. Do people get "dressed" at all for dinner? (women/girls sundress or skirts and nice top, guys/boys slacks and button up or polo) Or is it really casual in jeans or shorts and tees? You'll see all types of attire. Personally, I dress up a bit for dinner, and I would feel a little underdressed in shorts and a tee (that's on me), but DCL doesn't have a strict dress code besides "no bathing attire."

Kids Club I can't help here!

Misc

8. Do they do family photos along the promenade before dinner?  Ah, "Promenade" - you must be coming from Royal Caribbean! Yes, there are photo opportunities in the Atrium around dinner time, often with characters.
9. Does the Disney Cruise Line app have an internal messaging or chat system so we can contact other people in our party who have brought their phone? Yes, but when we sailed 9/24, it didn't play friendly with Android. The iPhones in our party were successful at using the internal messaging, but there was one Google Pixel that couldn't get it to work.
10. We will be embarking on New Years Eve.  Should I be expecting some kind of special deck party?  Should I bring cocktail appropriate clothes just in case? There may be a fun surprise like fireworks. Nothing that would require cocktail attire, but you're welcome to dress as you'd like for the occasion!

11.  What extras should I be anticipating my kids will ask to do that cost $$?  Bingo? Bingo is an additional charge, as is Internet (heads  up - the connection is not great and is not adequate for streaming/video calls). A lot of the "upcharges" can be avoided by getting items from the right place - they charge for soft drinks by the theater, but you can get them at no charge from Cabana's, the pool deck, and the dining rooms.

Room service is complimentary, but it's courteous to tip (I keep small bills on hand for room service tips).

If you want to avoid your kids seeing the souvenirs, take the forward stairs to the theater so that you don't walk through the hall of gift shops.

[ArthurUSCG]

16 hours ago, LittleMissMagic said:

 

9. Does the Disney Cruise Line app have an internal messaging or chat system so we can contact other people in our party who have brought their phone? Yes, but when we sailed 9/24, it didn't play friendly with Android. The iPhones in our party were successful at using the internal messaging, but there was one Google Pixel that couldn't get it to work.

 

 

I've run into this issue before with an Samsung S3. The problem comes from having the network/wifi setting to disconnect from a wifi network when there is no internet signal.  The settings have change names a few times, and I think the current name is "Switch to mobile data automatically", it previously was called, "Check for Internet Service", "drop wifi if no internet connection", “Auto switch to mobile data”, and a bunch of other names from each of the different phone manufactures. 

DCL knows it's a problem and is refusing to address it. It comes down to them not investing sufficient time in the Android app development and focusing on ios. There  are lots of issues with the current Android app like using the old fingerprint coding instead of switching to the biometric API.

[aopel]

2 hours ago, ArthurUSCG said:

 

I've run into this issue before with an Samsung S3. The problem comes from having the network/wifi setting to disconnect from a wifi network when there is no internet signal.  The settings have change names a few times, and I think the current name is "Switch to mobile data automatically", it previously was called, "Check for Internet Service", "drop wifi if no internet connection", “Auto switch to mobile data”, and a bunch of other names from each of the different phone manufactures. 

DCL knows it's a problem and is refusing to address it. It comes down to them not investing sufficient time in the Android app development and focusing on ios. There  are lots of issues with the current Android app like using the old fingerprint coding instead of switching to the biometric API.

This is a little disappointing since my husband and I both have a Samsung S21.   I will be hopeful that it works, but at least now I know it might be an issue.

[relmondcrsise]

I'm booked on my first one too, so I'm following this closely.  I've cruised most of the other lines, but am trying Disney with my grand kids.  If you like looking at menus to get an idea of the food offerings, I found the recent menus posted: Disney Menus 2022.

 

Very excited to try something different and can't wait to experience it with my grands.  Thanks for everyone's tips and experiences!

[LeeW]

In December on Fantasy Granddaughter had never tried steak and loved it (and enjoyed waiters cutting it up for her).  Masks were not required for photos until the last day.  Food on Magic was excellent in February.  Had same waiters for two cruises and they are practically family. By then you could not get an interior photo without a mask.  

 

Miserable time getting app on an android LG to connect onboard.  Worked fine until we switched from terminal building to the ship.  Then couldn't get anything - no schedule, no muster drill, nothing.  Two cast members tried to fix with no luck.  They recommend turning on airplane mode and then turning on wireless.  Didn't work.  So I dumped the app cache and storage and then tried to connect to the ship network.  Logged in to app again and everything worked!