First time on the Disney Cruise need Tips

DisneyGirl313

DisneyGirl313

Member
Original Poster
In August I'll be going on the ship The Disney Fantasy. I've never been on a Disney Cruise before so I need tips.

What should I do on the cruise?
What attractions should I check out the most?
How should I plan out my day?
Etc.

I'm excited and I just want to make it as perfect as possible since I waited nine years for this.
 
sweetpee_1993

sweetpee_1993

Well-Known Member
Oh yes! Tammy is da bomb with the cruises!

Most important thing that I wish I'd done on my first sailing with the mouse is relax! It's a whole new kind of vacation. It's not like the parks where you plan out each day's itinerary. Every day you'll be given a personal Navigator (printed newsletter thing) that tells you all the day's activities. Bring a highlighter from home so you can highlight your to-dos. Fold that baby up, tuck it in a pocket, & go. I went into my first cruise with a whole list of things I wanted to do and only did 1 or 2 of those things. And like when you plan a full day at the parks but the day doesn't happen the way you wanted, I was frustrated. No, just go. It's a whole new vacation experience. Stay open and soak in the wonderfulness! I looooove cruising with Disney!
 
DisneyGirl313

DisneyGirl313

Member
Original Poster
Oh okay. I'll be sure to bring a highlighter so I can mark down what I want to do the most on the ship and just mainly relax. Got it.
 
ddbowdoin

ddbowdoin

Well-Known Member
I can't do cruises... see, I have my own form of ADD and when I'm stuck on a boat for periods of time I tend to partake in my families favorite past time, the sauce. Which let me tell you, on a ship... adds up REALLY fast.
 
Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
sweetpee_1993 said:
Oh yes! Tammy is da bomb with the cruises!

Most important thing that I wish I'd done on my first sailing with the mouse is relax! It's a whole new kind of vacation. It's not like the parks where you plan out each day's itinerary. Every day you'll be given a personal Navigator (printed newsletter thing) that tells you all the day's activities. Bring a highlighter from home so you can highlight your to-dos. Fold that baby up, tuck it in a pocket, & go. I went into my first cruise with a whole list of things I wanted to do and only did 1 or 2 of those things. And like when you plan a full day at the parks but the day doesn't happen the way you wanted, I was frustrated. No, just go. It's a whole new vacation experience. Stay open and soak in the wonderfulness! I looooove cruising with Disney!
Click to expand...
Very good advice. The DCL is much more laid back then the parks. Organizing your vacation in a manner similar to planing and attack on the beaches of Normandy is not needed. For the most part if you just need to know your show and dining times and arrive a couple of minutes prior.
 
DisneyGirl313

DisneyGirl313

Member
Original Poster
Well arriving on time should be no problem, I'm flying to Orlando, Florida a day before boarding, then somehow I'm going to go to Port Canaveral. I'm still trying to figure what mode of transportation I should take to get there.
 
Disneyfalcon

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
Master Yoda said:
I would start by checking out these three threads. Tammy (DisneyFalcon) is a Disney Cruise Line goddess and knows more about the DCL than any 3 people I know.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/disney-cruise-tips-and-tricks.813751/

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/packing-for-your-cruise.813753/

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/disney-cruise-faqs.756886/
Click to expand...

LOL MasterYoda!

DisneyGirl313 said:
Well arriving on time should be no problem, I'm flying to Orlando, Florida a day before boarding, then somehow I'm going to go to Port Canaveral. I'm still trying to figure what mode of transportation I should take to get there.
Click to expand...

That's the first thing I would have suggested. Go the day before! If you are taking Disney transfers, the Hyatt in the airport is an awesome place to stay. The transfers are super convenient from there. :)
 
ChuckElias

ChuckElias

Well-Known Member
DisneyGirl313 said:
Well arriving on time should be no problem, I'm flying to Orlando, Florida a day before boarding, then somehow I'm going to go to Port Canaveral. I'm still trying to figure what mode of transportation I should take to get there.
Click to expand...
How many people are in your party? If you're by yourself or with one other person, you might as well either take the DCL transfers (very easy if you're staying overnight at the airport hotel) or a taxi/shuttle service (like the Beach Line Shuttle 321-223-6901).

If you're with a large group, then it will probably be cheaper to rent a car for the week and park at the terminal. The DCL transfers are $60 per person or so. So for a party of 4, it's $240; if you rent a car for $100 and park it for $70, you still come out ahead. The shuttle is probably a flat rate for your party, but I don't know how much it would be off the top of my head. I think it was $120 each way from the airport to my parents' house near WDW property.

(The advantage of the DCL transfers is that they handle your luggage right from the airport to your stateroom. That really is a nice feature. Is it worth the extra money? Not to me, but it might be for you.)
 
Disneyfalcon

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
I just saw your post on the other thread. Chuck is right, if there's a lot of people in your group, you may want to rent a car. I probably wouldn't rent it for the entire week though. We always make two one way rentals. You'd have to compare the costs.

If there's only two of you or less, than the Disney transfers are great. They'll pick you up from the airport or Disney World. The transfers from the airport will get you to the port the earliest.
 
ChuckElias

ChuckElias

Well-Known Member
DisneyGirl313 said:
What should I do on the cruise?
Click to expand...
  • See the shows in the Walt Disney Theater. They really are terrific.
  • See a movie in the Buena Vista Theater. ("Brave" will be showing, but you will probably get to see that in the WD Theater.)
  • Ride the Aquaduck more than once. The first time was a blur for me.
  • RELAX in Quiet Cove. Sit in the hot tubs that look DOWN into the ocean.
  • Order Room Service for breakfast and eat on your veranda if you have one. (If you don't have one, you will on your next cruise. :) )
  • Dance in one of the nightclubs!
  • Bring home a couple soaps and shampoos to remind you of your trip.
  • Take the walking tour of the ship. It's only 60-75 minutes and you will learn a LOT about the design and theming of the different ship areas. (They usually do this the day you board and one day at sea.)
  • Spend the $20 to have brunch or dinner at Palo!!!
  • Do the Muppet Detective Agency game. (Find Pepe's stateroom!)
  • If you're just a big kid (like me) go to the character breakfast.
  • I'm not a spa person, but my wife LOVES it and gets a massage or treatment while onboard.
  • Spend $600 in the gift shops (sorry, this applies only to my sister).

How should I plan out my day?
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As somebody else mentioned, you'll get a Personal Navigator for each day that will list out all the activities of the day for each age group. You can go through that with a pen or highlighter and then carry it around with you for the day. I feel lost whenever I realize that I've left it in my stateroom or on the table after lunch :mad:

Have a GREAT cruise!
 
Disneyfalcon

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
ChuckElias said:
Where do you pick up/drop off in Port Canaveral? Do they have a shuttle to the ship?
Click to expand...

Yes! Budget, Avis and Hertz all have drop offs within a couple of miles of the port. They run free shuttles back and forth all morning on arrival and departure days. We've done it several times and it's super easy. We usually have one person drop everyone at the port to get checked in while they go drop off the car and catch a shuttle back.
 
Disneyfalcon

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
Not to mention parking at the port keeps going up and up. Here are the current rates from their website:

Whether you park in one of our terminal lots or parking garages, the rate* for the following cruises are: 3-day, $60; 4-day, $75; 5-day, $90, and 7-day, $120 for vehicles up to 20 feet in length. For vehicles longer than 20 feet, the rates are $104, $130, $156 and $208 respectively.
 
ChuckElias

ChuckElias

Well-Known Member
Disneyfalcon said:
the rate* for the following cruises are: 3-day, $60; 4-day, $75; 5-day, $90, and 7-day, $120
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Wow! When we went in '03, it was $10/day.

So you can get a 1-day, one-way rental from MCO to Port Canaveral from Budget for $25-$30 (I just checked) with no parking and a free shuttle to the port. That's a really good deal!
 
Disneyfalcon

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
ChuckElias said:
Wow! When we went in '03, it was $10/day.

So you can get a 1-day, one-way rental from MCO to Port Canaveral from Budget for $25-$30 (I just checked) with no parking and a free shuttle to the port. That's a really good deal!
Click to expand...

Yep! We usually only pay around $35 one way. Way cheaper than transfers for our family. :)
 

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