First time DCL user, educate me.

[PHS79]

We are going to book our first DCL vacation for December 2017 in the next couple of weeks. My DW, DD (currently 7) and myself are planning on going to WDW Dec 7th thru 11th, then spend the 11th thru 15th on the Dream. I have a couple of questions:
1. We are planning on doing room with veranda, which level is best to be on?
2. My parents have talked about joining us on the cruise, I know that the ship has adjoining rooms but what about the veranda? Do any of the rooms/levels have larger verandas so we would all be able to sit out there and relax at the same time?
3. Are there any excursions to go on with the 4 night trips or is it not even worth trying to do anything like that for such a short trip?
4. Is there anything else that we should know or think about before we book?

 

[EOD K9]

@PHS79 Congrats on taking the plunge.
On the Dream, I have always cruised on deck 6. You are right above the lifeboats, so if you look down you won't have a direct view of the water immediately below, but you can see out over the ocean. Deck 6 is good as it is in the middle. You can always go a tad higher.
There are adjoining rooms where the verandah wall can be taken down so as to make a bigger one.
There are few good excusions in Nassau.....dolphin swims, snorkeling, a tour of Atlantis, a tour of the local rum and chocolate factories, etc.
As for the last one, there is so much advice to give, you may be better off asking direct questions.

 

[ChuckElias]

1. We are planning on doing room with veranda, which level is best to be on?

I'm not sure there's a "best", to be honest. I've been anywhere from Deck 6 to Deck 10 and I honestly can't say that the deck level made much difference to me. I personally didn't mind having the lifeboats directly below our balcony, but my wife did comment on it. It certainly didn't "spoil" our verandah experience, but it's noticeable. Our next cruise on the Dream, we'll be on Deck 7.

2. My parents have talked about joining us on the cruise, I know that the ship has adjoining rooms but what about the veranda? Do any of the rooms/levels have larger verandas so we would all be able to sit out there and relax at the same time?

As @EOD K9 pointed out, you can get connecting rooms and then you can open up the verandah divider between the rooms for a larger space. There are also, however, aft-facing balcony rooms that have much bigger verandahs. These are on Decks 7, 8, and 9 and are Category 05E.

3. Are there any excursions to go on with the 4 night trips or is it not even worth trying to do anything like that for such a short trip?

There are plenty of excursions available, both in Nassau and on Castaway Cay. For Nassau excursions, you can book through DCL or through an outside vendor like ShoreTrips (which I have used for my clients, with great success). After my first couple of times in Nassau, however, I didn't really have much interest in going onshore.

4. Is there anything else that we should know or think about before we book?

Lots of things!! First one is to talk to a qualified travel agent. Kingdom Konsultants runs this website and they will be glad to help you, but you can also find qualified agents elsewhere.

Second one is to look through the FAQ thread at the top of this forum. There's a lot of good information in there.

 

[mikenatcity1]

We are going to book our first DCL vacation for December 2017 in the next couple of weeks. My DW, DD (currently 7) and myself are planning on going to WDW Dec 7th thru 11th, then spend the 11th thru 15th on the Dream. I have a couple of questions:
1. We are planning on doing room with veranda, which level is best to be on?
2. My parents have talked about joining us on the cruise, I know that the ship has adjoining rooms but what about the veranda? Do any of the rooms/levels have larger verandas so we would all be able to sit out there and relax at the same time?
3. Are there any excursions to go on with the 4 night trips or is it not even worth trying to do anything like that for such a short trip?
4. Is there anything else that we should know or think about before we book?

Hi! Congrats! It took me a while to book, but after the cruise I was hooked

1. We have been on deck 6 and 7. Deck 6 is pretty much center so going up (to deck 11) or down as far as Deck 2 (for Enchanted Garden) is easy. If you don't mind a tiny bit of the life boats below, deck 6 is great (slightly cheaper). The higher the deck, the higher the cost. It also depends on how the motion of the ship affects everyone (though they have patches for it).

2. I have seen a couple cabins that have adjoining verandas, but mainly I have seen adjoining rooms. The larger verandas are going to be aft (back of the ship). You can get some fairly large verandas (one I had was a wrap-around from 1 side of the ship to the other (Disney placed me in that room- amazing veranda!)

3. If you have never been to Nassau, go for it! The excursions get you to see the island. If anything, in December, Nassau is decorated for the holidays (as are several of the shops in the town). The Disney website will give tons of options! As for Castaway Cay, we've done the bikes around the island, but mostly hung out at Serenity Bay (the adult only side of the island). It's a wonderful place to relax or just stroll around. One note- it's also great to be around the ship when it's quiet in port, especially at Christmas...there is so much to see!

4. Wow...as everyone else has said, there is so much to offer! Like everyone else, we could give tons of advice! If you have questions, feel free to post- i'm sure lots of people will answer The biggest thing I can say before you book is make sure about the stateroom and place on the ship you want to be- then everything else can happen after.

Best of luck and enjoy!!

 

[Otterhead]

3. Are there any excursions to go on with the 4 night trips or is it not even worth trying to do anything like that for such a short trip?

I believe every cruise stops at Castaway Cay, which is very worthwhile. You can snorkel there, bike around the island, and go to the quiet adults-only beach and have a tropical drink laying in a hammock. It's really terrific.

 

[ChuckElias]

I believe every cruise stops at Castaway Cay,

Well, not every cruise. Obviously, Alaskan, Mediterranean, Baltic, and Hawaiian cruises don't stop at Castaway Cay. But even some Caribbean sailings don't visit the island. Western Caribbean sailings from Galveston, for example, don't stop at Castaway Cay.

Having made that small caveat, I believe it's true that any Caribbean or Bahamian sailing that departs from Florida does stop at Castaway Cay.

 

[Phonedave]

Yuo got answers about the rooms

As for excursions: I don't find Nassau so all fired great. The Dolphin swim at Blue Lagoon is quite good, but it is pricey. I enjoyed it. Most other things, not so much. The last time we went to Nassau, all we did is walk around a bit, buy some touristy stuff, eat a fresh coconut, and then get back on the ship.

On Castaway Cay there not really "excursions". All the stuff you can book is right there - parasailing, jet skis, glass bottom boat, etc. There is nothing on the isalnd that you need an excursion to get to. I have done parasailing at Castaway Cay. It's not any different from parasailing anywhere else. You can rent floats and snorkel equipment at Castaway Cey, but if you like to snorkle, I suggest brining your own. Their equipment gets a LOT of use, and is not allways in the best shape. They do require float vests, that they will provide for free if you have your own equipment. Other than that, enjoy the island. Renting bikes is a nice thing. It's a flat island, and there are paths you can ride and explore.

-dave

 

[PHS79]

Thanks everyone! I am sure that I will have more questions in the future. I talked with the TA that we always use about the trip she is going to work on booking things as soon as she gets back from Mexico later this week.

 

[heathertwins]

be prepared for cold weather on CC -- and you can book the tubes, snorkel equipment on the island of CC.

 

[Mrhappyplace]

be prepared for cold weather on CC -- and you can book the tubes, snorkel equipment on the island of CC.

It wasn't cold this year on December 7th, the water felt a little chilly at first but as long as you entered slowly it was quite refreshing and not unpleasant.

 

[heathertwins]

we were Dec. 9th. the wind was cooler and the water was also cooler.

 

[heathertwins]

The Palo brunch is a must ! I loved it for the price, but also with brunch it is during the day and you get an incredible view !! Do the online check-in as early as you can. The time they give you is NOT the boarding time, but the port arrival time. Don't worry if it is a bit later (1pm or even 1:30) because they move quite quickly. After you arrive head over to "Guest services" on your right to book Mixology, other drinking type activities on the ship, any princess meet & greets, Disney Jr. breakfast, or anything you couldn't book on-line. Book your Disney app on every phone and every iPhone long before your trip and watch the countdown until the trip. Most people wear a plastic holder and a lanyard but if you use an iPhone for pics, the Disney app, you might enjoy a waterproof iPhone case to hold your phone and the card which is used for your room, and to pay for everything on the ship.

Pictures .... You can buy the package online (all pics and USB) or you can just take your own and buy one or two that you like. If you decide to go for the package you will want to line up to get your money's worth. Unlike Disney world, you have to seek out your photo opportunities with Shutters. We don't like to wait in line, so by the 3 or 4th day we didn't have Shutter pictures.... so we cancelled our photo package. Everyone is different.

Nothing is free --- the sparkling water, or still water can have a heavy price tag at Palo or Remy which might equal a glass of wine. Any drink in a fancy glass is more money. It is your money so ask every time. Bring some of your own Disney items to give to your daughter.

Don't miss the Animation restaurant, so if you book your Palo or Remy try to not book it on a night you have Animation. We had to make some changes to our Palo dinner which we did right after Guest Services. The GENIE --- don't miss any shows with the GENIE !!

Bring some warmer clothes - pants, jackets, etc.

 

[Phonedave]

Book your Disney app on every phone and every iPhone long before your trip and watch the countdown until the trip. Most people wear a plastic holder and a lanyard but if you use an iPhone for pics, the Disney app, you might enjoy a waterproof iPhone case to hold your phone and the card which is used for your room, and to pay for everything on the ship. .

If you are going to use your phone for pictures, be sure to put it in airplane mode. You don't want it to automatically connect to a signal and start to do things like download texts or update apps, and then you get charged a load of money.

-dave

 

[tigger1968]

Definitely talk with your TA about booking a Land/Sea Package. We've done that for the last two cruises. Short stay at the parks then off to the cruise. You can include all your transfers as well, which is nice. I would also recommend doing the parks first, then your cruise. I like coming home relaxed and refreshed from a cruise vs ending a trip by running around the parks and coming home tired. Just my personal experience.

 

[PHS79]

Definitely talk with your TA about booking a Land/Sea Package. We've done that for the last two cruises. Short stay at the parks then off to the cruise. You can include all your transfers as well, which is nice. I would also recommend doing the parks first, then your cruise. I like coming home relaxed and refreshed from a cruise vs ending a trip by running around the parks and coming home tired. Just my personal experience.

Yep, that is what we did. We have booked Dec 7 thru 11 at Pop Century with 3 day park hoppers and then Dec 11 thru 15 on the Dream, she has all the Disney/Mears transfers included. We were thinking the same as you with doing the parks first then the cruise for the same reason.

 

[mikenatcity1]

we were Dec. 9th. the wind was cooler and the water was also cooler.

We were there Dec 14 (a month ago)- mid 80s and sunny. The water was a little chilly at first, but then was really nice! The tide was out on Serenity Bay (and you could easily get to the boueys).