Cruise Line questions

[seabreezept813]

I will start this by saying this is very off topic and anyone can feel free to put it in another thread. I wanted to ask about cruises here because everyone says how great they are in Spirited threads. My husband and I want to see some islands (non zika), stay in a budget, and stay somewhere comfortable and clean. We are specific about avoiding zika because we want to have children soon. Would people recommend Disney cruises or another cruise line? What is pricing like and what is included? Can you bring food/alcohol? And how hard/easy is it to fly in for a cruise from the Northeast Boston area. I appreciate any feedback or a redirection of where this should go. I do have a weak stomach, but was told there are plenty of meds/bracelets, etc that will help with possible sea sickness.

 

[EOD K9]

I will start this by saying this is very off topic and anyone can feel free to put it in another thread. I wanted to ask about cruises here because everyone says how great they are in Spirited threads. My husband and I want to see some islands (non zika), stay in a budget, and stay somewhere comfortable and clean. We are specific about avoiding zika because we want to have children soon. Would people recommend Disney cruises or another cruise line? What is pricing like and what is included? Can you bring food/alcohol? And how hard/easy is it to fly in for a cruise from the Northeast Boston area. I appreciate any feedback or a redirection of where this should go. I do have a weak stomach, but was told there are plenty of meds/bracelets, etc that will help with possible sea sickness.

I'll try to answer what I can. I've never seen mosquitos on Castaway Cay as the island breezes keep most of them at bay. Disney Cruises are expensive but in my opinion, are worth it. RCI can get you seven nights for the price of a four night Disney Cruise. I can only attest to this cruise line, but my wife and I enjoy it. Pricing can be as little as 2500 for four nights in March for an ocean view stateroom all the way up to 7 or 8 for the same amount of time.
All of your meals are included. They have two restaurants (depending on the ship) that you can make reservations at for a slight upcharge. There are free beverage stations on an upper deck that also has coffee. You can bring some alcohol, but as far as food, what were you referring to? I know JetBlue flies Boston to Orlando non-stop. You can stay at the airport in Orlando then take the DCL shuttle to the port. You can take Dramamine, Bonine, or use Seabands. They go on your wrist. My wife used them when she was pregnant and had no issues. I hope that helps.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Right now on DCL you are allowed to bring beer(6 bottles/can) and wine/champagne (2 bottles unopened) but no hard alcohol onboard. As far as food it has to be non-perishable and sealed in the original packaging. Nothing homemade. As of right now, there has not been anything reported that the virus has been found on Castaway Cay/Bahamas so a 3-5 night cruise with stops there would work. I have used the Seabands since I can have issues with vertigo on occasion and I tend to stay away from pills due to an easily upset stomach and they worked fine for me on my first cruise way back when. I have since cruised numerous times without the need for them.


Pam

 

[seabreezept813]

Thank you for the feedback. The prices seem a bit higher than what I was thinking. Do other major cruise lines compare decently in terms of cleanliness, service, etc. not necessarily in entertainment?

 

[belledream]

DCL crew members are what you'd expect of Disney World cast members...just on a boat! We have never experienced any undesirable service or interaction - on the contrary, we were treated like royalty by everyone from our stateroom host, to the crew members running activities, and especially our waitstaff. They become like your family aboard!

Cleanliness is not an issue. Rooms are cleaned twice a day (if you wish) and because of Disney's ability transform so many things into a sight or a story, the cleanliness of the ship is magnified by how beautiful, warm, inviting, and majestic everything looks.

 

[DisKid]

We just returned from the 4 night Bahama cruise on the Dream. As for cleanliness I think you will have a hard time finding a cleaner ship than Disney. They were cleaning all the time on the ship and it already looked clean. We saw them cleaning glass that looked clean before they cleaned it and wondered why they were even cleaning it. They clean the outside of the ship at ports also so it looks better than another ship you will see in port. They were in our room twice daily and if we had dirty towels they would give us clean ones.
Before going into ANY dining area they hand you a wet wipe to clean your hands. We were talking to our server about this and he said he had to clean his hands EVERY time he went into the kitchen area which could be 700, times a day!
As for mosquitos on Castaway Cay, you should not find any as we were told by a cast member on our first visit they sprayed the island for bugs before a ship arrived. Am not sure if they were giving us a line but it seemed like it was true as you do not find many bugs on the island. As for other ports of call, they do not have any control of the situation there.
You also have to clean your hands before you get back on the ship from any port as a precaution.
The price of a Disney cruise is higher than others but once you sail on one, I believe you will agree it is worth the extra price. The old saying goes you get what you pay for and it really applies to the Disney cruise. Once on board you don't pay for anything excepct merchandise from the ship stores. You also have to pay more for dining at the exclusive on board restaurants like Remy or Palo on the Dream. They also have a stricter dress code. Remy is dress jacket for men and dress or pant suit for women. Palo does not require men to have a dress jacket. These dress codes can be found on line for more information. All other restaurants is cruise casual dress which is described on line also.
As for shore excursions, I would recommend using the Disney affiliated ones. They are listed in the cruise information area. They are safer and for a first time visiting a place such as Nassau much better than trying to see it on your own. There is a charge for these excursions though and not included in your cruise price.
I would also recommend a stateroom from rear midship to the aft area as it would not get as much motion as the front of the ship. After all, the front of the ship is the part that breaks through any waves first! But you still feel movement in the aft portion. If you are lucky, you will get smooth waters. We have twice!
You can fly into the Orlando airport and get a Disney bus transfer straight from the airport to the cruise terminal in Port Canaveral. And just like going to Disney World, when flying on participating airlines you cheek your luggage at the airport and you next see it at your stateroom. Only they do not put your luggage in your room on the ship like they do at Disney World. The same goes for a return flight home. However you must have your luggage outside your room door by 10:30pm for it to be transferred to your airline. But do not worry about your luggage being safe outside your door as EVERYONE does this on the Disney cruise.

 

[ChuckElias]

And how hard/easy is it to fly in for a cruise from the Northeast Boston area.

Super easy. Plenty of direct flights from Boston to Orlando (MCO). And if you purchase the transfers ($35 per person each way), you and your luggage are "magically" transported from the Orlando Airport to the cruise port and back.

Also, if you'd rather drive than fly, the Disney Magic is sailing from New York City this fall. Prices are high at this point and availability is probably getting limited. But you do have that option.

We are specific about avoiding zika because we want to have children soon.

I understand that the Zika situation is kind of scary, but it's getting a lot of hype from the media. When you consider the actual numbers associated with reported cases, you can see that the risk is actually incredibly small. This is taken directly from the World Health Organization's April report:

• Microcephaly and other fetal malformations potentially associated with Zika virus infection or suggestive of congenital infection have been reported in Brazil (1046 cases), Cabo Verde (two cases), Colombia (seven cases), French Polynesia (eight cases), Martinique (three cases) and Panama (one case). Two additional cases, each linked to a stay in Brazil, were detected in the United States of America and Slovenia.

As you can see, outside of Brazil, there are only 21 cases of actual harm to the fetus. (So avoid the Olympics!) But if you consider the tens of THOUSANDS of people who travel to the Caribbean every single week, it's pretty clear that your risk is minimal.

Finally, I highly recommend you look through this forum's FAQ thread. A lot of your questions will be addressed there.

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/disney-cruise-line-faq-tips-2015-edition.904690/

 

[wdwstateofmind]

zika has already been recorded in Florida already...

 

[seabreezept813]

Thanks for the replies. I definately understand that zika is overhyped, but my doctors want me to be super cautious because of my blood clot history. I actually was in Brazil in the fall without knowing about it. Stayed in Rio and on a farm in Minas where they don't even have screens. I think we're going to just end up doing a few nights in Fort Lauderdale as prices are crazy right now. Luckily the cases in Florida did not originate there. Unfortunately as a teacher I can't travel in the off season. So we'll save again to do the Caribbean or Disney again in a few years when they have all the new offerings.