Disney Cruise...advice for first timer

[Walter Yensid]

Hello all,

I have been on the Disney Cruise before and had an amazing time. It was probably 4 to 5 years ago.

However, a friend of mine is leaving in October for a 4-night (visiting three islands...not sure which ones...obviously one is Castaway) Disney cruise. It is him, his wife, and daughter who is 7. This will be their first time.

I know things have changed a little in regards to booking dining, getting to shows, etc since I went. So, can anyone offer some general advice on what they need to do to prepare for the trip (setting dining, excursions, luggage, etc) and any other helpful hints once they are on the ship.

I know they will have an amazing time, but I thought if I could add any little bit help to make it even better that I wanted to, but certainly did not want to give out-of-date info.

Thanks everyone.

 

[DisneyJoe]

If they haven't already, have them create a login on disneycruise.com and visit the My Disney Cruise section and retrieve their reservation.

Once they do that, there is much info there, as well as the ability to book excursions, spa treatments, register for kids clubs, pre-fill documents, etc online - as well as many FAQ's.

First or Second dining is usually set when making the reservation, however, you can call and have yourself wait-listed for first dining if you have second dining, etc.

 

[WDWRLD]

Im not sure which one is better 1st or 2nd dining. We had first and it seemed like everything we did in the afternoon we had to cut short to go get ready to eat. But then again if you have 2nd seating by the time you eat the night is almost over. Tell them to pack a few pirate things to wear for the Pirates in the Carribbean party. Also the seating order is the order you get off the ship. If I remember correctly we had to be at breakfast at 6:30 am the day our cruise was over. That meant we had to get up super early for us all to get showers and pack up our last few things. We were off the ship by 7:30 or 8 am.

 

[mickey7879]

Since they have a 7 yr old, I'd recommend they have the 1st seating if she will be eating dinner with them at all (and not at the kids clubs every night).

 

[Disneyfalcon]

We prefer first dining ourselves, however Disney does have a great service for the kids eating at late seating. They bring our the kids food quickly and about 45 minutes into dinner, a cast member comes to the restaurants and takes participating kids to the clubs.

That way the kids don't get tired or impatient, and the kids can have a peaceful dinner by themselves.

Disneyjoe is right, they need to register for what they can online. If they can't get Palo, or an excursion they want though, they should check as soon as they get onboard. They do hold some reservations back for guests after boarding.

 

[Phonedave]

Hello all,

I have been on the Disney Cruise before and had an amazing time. It was probably 4 to 5 years ago.

However, a friend of mine is leaving in October for a 4-night (visiting three islands...not sure which ones...obviously one is Castaway) Disney cruise. It is him, his wife, and daughter who is 7. This will be their first time.

I know things have changed a little in regards to booking dining, getting to shows, etc since I went. So, can anyone offer some general advice on what they need to do to prepare for the trip (setting dining, excursions, luggage, etc) and any other helpful hints once they are on the ship.

I know they will have an amazing time, but I thought if I could add any little bit help to make it even better that I wanted to, but certainly did not want to give out-of-date info.

Thanks everyone.

A "normal" 4 night cruise only goes to 2 islands - Nassau and Cataway Cay. However if the other ship is not running in the area (and I believe it is on its European cruises at that time) then they will have a Double Dip cruise (or whatever they are calling it now) where they will stop at Castaway Cay twice.

If that is indeed the case, then they can have more flexibility in planning.

Some advice for BEFORE they get to the ship is to get there early. If they take the Disney bus to the cruise port, they will get there on time, but it may be towards the end of boarding.

The ship opens sometime around noon, and when you get on board the pools and snack bars are open. More importantly, the excursions desk is open. They can book anything they might not have done on line at this time. If they get on board later it may be too late.

Even if they are not planning on using the excusions desk, they can enjoy the ship for a couple of extra hours.

If they are comming from WDW and a family of three, its cheaper for them to rent a car and drive to the port, then return the car. On the return leg they do the same thing. Marie at Kingdom Konsultants set me up with my rentals for the end of this August. A black car (town car/limo) is another option, but a bit more expensive.

-dave