More Cruise questions from a Newbie!

Disneydreamer23

Disneydreamer23

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hey every one! Thank you for all who responded to my previous questions about a Disney Cruise! I finally decided on dates. I will be leaving on the cruise Friday Sept 11. I am planning on booking today and hoping I can have some help with questions
1. I am getting a room with a port hole Is "obstructed View" mean its not going to be a nice room? There is 60.00 difference but I would rather have the better room or View.
2. Which Deck is better either 6,7,or 8 (all together) or just 9.
3. I will be traveling on Thursday late because I have to work. I was thinking I will be getting a cab to the Port because I want to arrive early to check in around 11. Would It work better to get a cheap hotel close to the port on Thursday night or sleep by the airport and leave the next day? Any hotels or Cab company names would be great too.
4. When you get to visit NASSAU and Castaway Cay what is there to do?> I don't want to do the big excursions because My daughter will only be 2.
5. Does my daughter need a pass port? I have only ever traveled to Disney World!
6. After our cruise we are staying with Disney World for 2 weeks. Is there Cabs at the Port or would I have to call to have one pick me up?
7. Any insight at all would be great!

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!
 
Brian & Jill

Brian & Jill

Well-Known Member
Disneydreamer23 said:
Hey every one! Thank you for all who responded to my previous questions about a Disney Cruise! I finally decided on dates. I will be leaving on the cruise Friday Sept 11. I am planning on booking today and hoping I can have some help with questions
1. I am getting a room with a port hole Is "obstructed View" mean its not going to be a nice room? There is 60.00 difference but I would rather have the better room or View.
2. Which Deck is better either 6,7,or 8 (all together) or just 9.
3. I will be traveling on Thursday late because I have to work. I was thinking I will be getting a cab to the Port because I want to arrive early to check in around 11. Would It work better to get a cheap hotel close to the port on Thursday night or sleep by the airport and leave the next day? Any hotels or Cab company names would be great too.
4. When you get to visit NASSAU and Castaway Cay what is there to do?> I don't want to do the big excursions because My daughter will only be 2.
5. Does my daughter need a pass port? I have only ever traveled to Disney World!
6. After our cruise we are staying with Disney World for 2 weeks. Is there Cabs at the Port or would I have to call to have one pick me up?
7. Any insight at all would be great!

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you![/QUO
Click to expand...
Some answers to your questions:
1-all the rooms are great!!!! How much you pay for your room does not dictate on the quality of your room.
2-all the decks are great with great views weather you have a port hole or verandah.
3-as far as traveling down the night before we have done and highly recommend staying at The Hyatt at Orlando Airport because I am assuming you are flying in. The Hyatt is great because you can set up so Disney Cruise Line will take you to port and they will pick up your luggage from your room at the Hyatt.
4-In my honest opinion I would stay on the boat at Nassau and enjoy the ship while a lot of the other passengers are getting off the ship. With that being said I when it comes to Castaway Cay I would get off the ship and go to the Family Beach and enjoy the sun,sand and beautiful water.
5-I honestly don't know if your daughter needs a passport or not....sorry I'm no help in that area.
6-Getting back to Disney you catch DCL busses back to your Disney hotel as long as you are staying on Disney property. Disney will take your bags to your hotel for you as long as you sign up for the Disney Magical Express.
I hope that answers some of your questions. I highly recommend using a travel agent for all of this because they will know about all of these things. Good luck and congratulations on choosing a Disney cruise you will love it. Keep us posted on how you make out with your reservations. If you need anymore help feel free to ask.
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
Disneydreamer23 said:
Hey every one! Thank you for all who responded to my previous questions about a Disney Cruise! I finally decided on dates. I will be leaving on the cruise Friday Sept 11. I am planning on booking today and hoping I can have some help with questions
1. I am getting a room with a port hole Is "obstructed View" mean its not going to be a nice room? There is 60.00 difference but I would rather have the better room or View.
2. Which Deck is better either 6,7,or 8 (all together) or just 9.
3. I will be traveling on Thursday late because I have to work. I was thinking I will be getting a cab to the Port because I want to arrive early to check in around 11. Would It work better to get a cheap hotel close to the port on Thursday night or sleep by the airport and leave the next day? Any hotels or Cab company names would be great too.
4. When you get to visit NASSAU and Castaway Cay what is there to do?> I don't want to do the big excursions because My daughter will only be 2.
5. Does my daughter need a pass port? I have only ever traveled to Disney World!
6. After our cruise we are staying with Disney World for 2 weeks. Is there Cabs at the Port or would I have to call to have one pick me up?
7. Any insight at all would be great!

Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!
Click to expand...

1. The room will be the same, its simply a matter of what you see our your port hole. Really the most important aspect of the porthole is LIGHT - so a partial obstruction I wouldn't get upset over. There are sites on the web that have reviews of specific staterooms, you can look for yours and see if someone has documented what the view really is. IMO - location is more important than the view
2. There are other theories.. but here is mine on decks. The 'any time' food is on the pool deck... I want to be closer to that, than the main activity levels of 3/4/5. I like Deck 9 and 10 because you can get to the pool deck, spa, and adult areas without relying on the elevators. I would also want to be away from the theaters for noise.
3. How are you getting there, fly or drive? if flying, best bet is probably to stay at airport with a shuttle, and just book the Disney transfers from the airport ($35pp). Disney transfers only run on Saturday, so if you head to port canaveral early, you need to get your own transport to the port. We stay in a hotel in Cocoa and opt to park at the port... but this is because we drive and I don't want to deal with all the luggage transfers and hassles of the shuttles. Staying at the airport and using Disney Buses is probably the best if you don't travel on departure day
4. I really like the blue lagoon stuff because it's a quiet beach, has stuff to do, and the dolphin stuff is top notch. You can also consider leaving child with the clubs to gain freedom.
5. All passengers need documentation - if not a passport, they will need their true birth certificate (see Disney site for specifics)
6. Look into the Disney transfers. It's a 45+min drive.. that would be a big cab fare.
 
Disneydreamer23

Disneydreamer23

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Thank u everyone for your help! I booked an hour ago I got a veranda room on deck 8,9 I'm not sure the room yet I book with a "guarantee" I was planning on checking into the boat at the earliest. How do I let them know? They did not ask me when I booked over the phone! TIA
 
TheMouseFan

TheMouseFan

Well-Known Member
Disneydreamer23 said:
Thank u everyone for your help! I booked an hour ago I got a veranda room on deck 8,9 I'm not sure the room yet I book with a "guarantee" I was planning on checking into the boat at the earliest. How do I let them know? They did not ask me when I booked over the phone! TIA
Click to expand...
You will choose your port arrival time when you do online check in.
 
Donald_Quackers

Donald_Quackers

Member
If you're determined to stay at a hotel near the port, I would recommend checking into a one-way car rental. Sometimes they can be cheaper than a cab (and I think they most often are).

You can return your car at their rental agency at the port (make sure they have one), and they will usually have a free shuttle that will take you to the ship.
 
ChuckElias

ChuckElias

Well-Known Member
Donald_Quackers said:
If you're determined to stay at a hotel near the port, I would recommend checking into a one-way car rental. Sometimes they can be cheaper than a cab (and I think they most often are).

You can return your car at their rental agency at the port (make sure they have one), and they will usually have a free shuttle that will take you to the ship.
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This is very easy to do, and it's usually cheaper than DCL transfers if you have more than 2 people. DCL transfers are $70 round trip per person. The one-way rental is probably $50-$70 each way, depending on supply at the airport. (I got mine cheaper than that, but I'm making a conservative estimate.) Just make sure you can return it at your hotel and that the hotel has a free transfer to the pier. It's a lot easier than I'm making it sound. :)
 
cruisegirl973

cruisegirl973

Member
Your daughter is not required to have a Passport, but this is what is recommended from DCL:

Proof of Citizenship: Proof of citizenship is required to travel aboard a Disney ship (i.e. for US citizens, a valid passport or certified birth certificate with official raised seal and picture identification, or a certified naturalization certificate with picture identification.)

Note: Since US government regulations related to passport requirements are subject to change at any time, it is strongly encouraged for all participants to have a valid passport. In addition, it helps protect you in the event of unforeseen circumstances such as needing to disembark the ship at a port of call and fly back to the United States. Canadian participants need a valid passport.

Castaway Cay is always worth visiting !!
Sounds like you have a wonderful time planned!
 
englanddg

englanddg

One Little Spark...
EOD K9 said:
Per @Disneyfalcon children can use a copy of a birth certificate. It doesn't need to have the raised seal. Tammy, can you clarify?
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I used the BC for my daughter on the cruise in 2013. I was required to have one with a raised seal, though I did use a "mother's copy", not the original.

I had a photocopy, but specifically asked DCL and was told no.
 
S

sring

Member
The US State Department website states "Every Minor regardless of age traveling overseas must have a valid passport." While the birth certificate may be ok for a closed loop cruise, if there is some emergency and you have to disembark the ship and fly home, the passport would be required. For that reason I usually suggest getting the passport.

http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/passports/under-16.html
 
Disneyfalcon

Disneyfalcon

Well-Known Member
EOD K9 said:
Per @Disneyfalcon children can use a copy of a birth certificate. It doesn't need to have the raised seal. Tammy, can you clarify?
Click to expand...

englanddg said:
I used the BC for my daughter on the cruise in 2013. I was required to have one with a raised seal, though I did use a "mother's copy", not the original.

I had a photocopy, but specifically asked DCL and was told no.
Click to expand...

That is not the case anymore. A photocopy is now acceptable for adults or children on closed loop cruises. :)
 
MaryJaneP

MaryJaneP

Well-Known Member
We think the important difference being discussed here is whether a photocopy BC will work to get you on a cruise (which it appears it will) versus what a BC will apparently not do, which is to get you home from a foreign port if you have to disembark for any reason (i.e. medical). A closed loop cruise starts and ends in the US. Thus, although visiting foreign countries, passengers are apparently not really travelling to or travelling from these foreign countries either as a point of origin or destination, for which a passport is required. The point being made is that although a BC photocopy will suffice for cruise purposes, there are other, arguably more important reasons, to travel with a passport. We know we would not leave home without ours.
 

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