Top 10 Things i learned on our Disney Cruise

[Scotty69]

If you are a beer drinker make sure you purchace the presail beer special before you leave. I did not do this and I had one heck of a bar bill at the end of our cruise. I won't make that mistake again

 

[glassslipper2004]

And be sure to put your sunscreen in your checked luggage (not carry-on) both on the way there and the way home! We've had it thrown out by security in the past when we forgot that one. I actually got a small sunscreen container to use one day when I knew we wouldn't have easy access to our checked luggage.

 

[delta0413]

These are good. I'd like to add a couple that we've learned:

1. Take the time to get to know some of the cast members. Most are thrilled to open up. Since it's such a mulit-cultural crew, ask questions about their home countries. Most are eager for the opportunity to talk about their home countries.

2. (Learned by reading these boards) We bring small celophane bags and a large bag of 'Fun Size' candy bars. I spend a few minutes when we get to the room filling the bags with candy and a couple of $1.00 bills. I use these to tip for room service. Most servers light up when you hand them the bag. I've learned by experience to hand them the bag with the dollar bills facing them so they can see that they are getting the tip AND candy.

 

[Angelhalo]

Very true about the hairdryers! They are horrid. My hairdryer at home is 1875 watts and it still takes me at least 15-20 minutes to dry my hair. If I tried to dry it with their hairdryer, it would probably take me an hour.

To the PP who doesn't understand why people bother drying their hair on the cruise.....there are lots of photos being taken and I would like to be able to look back at them and actually look nice instead of looking like a big fluff-head! LOL! If I blow dry mine and use Moroccan oil the wind and humidity don't mess it up at all

 

[cquick]

You are so right on the blow dryer!! EEK!!

Here are two that we found:

1. Room service is a treat and so helpful on long excursion days..remember to bring dollar bills for tips! YOU CAN TIP WITHOUT MONEY NOW, JUST ADD IT TO THE TICKET THAT THE ROOM SERVER BRINGS

2. Don't let your teen have charging privileges without you showing him how to use the arcarde credit machine..he put $50 on a card, not realizing it and promptly left without it on one of the games...it was stolen....he was broken hearted, it was all the money he had...we of course made up for it, but it was a lesson learned.

I would love to hear how they handled Christmas! Any special celebrations? Figgy pudding for dessert?? We're considering it one year, but not sure the kids would get that Christmas feeling on a ship...how was it??

Tara

Christmas was only so-so. The "Christmas" menu wasn't very good, They just don't "get" American food on the ship. Horrible mush cornbread dressing, no mashed potatoes, no sweet potatoes, no "regular" vegetbles.

Absolutely NO figgy pudding.......

 

[cquick]

I like this thread!

Our Top Ten List for the Disney Cruise...

THIS IS ESSENTIAL IN THE ACCESSIBLE STATEROOMS! THERE ARE NO STORAGE AREAS IN THE BATHROOM, WE USE HEAVY DUTY PLASTIC ZIP TIES TO ATTACH IT TO A TOWEL BAR.
Bring an 'over the door' shoe hanger because it holds a ton of those little incidentals such as hairbrushes, sunscreen, cameras, etc. and keeps your stateroom organized.

Bring enough sunscreen in your checked baggage because it's terribly expensive onboard or onshore.

Bring dollar bills for the room service staff; our kids like the pre-bedtime snack occasionally, and we are addicted to breakfast in our stateroom/coffee on the verandah. A $20 to your room steward at the *beginning* of the voyage ensures you have even more magical service.

YUP! WE EVEN HAVE A NOTEBOOK AND PEN ATTACHED TO THE FISH EXTENDER FOR NOTES TOO Bring a magnetic dry erase board for the stateroom door, so we can leave each other notes as to our whereabouts. AND IF YOU DON'T WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, PUT IT ON THE INSIDE OF YOUR DOOR

Bring magnets and multiple color highlighters to put the Navigators up on the inside of the stateroom door so we can color-code our activities.

Bring quarters and my own laundry detergent in ziplock baggies for the laundry room. Cuts down on what we need to pack, and when the detergent is used up, it's just that much more space for souvenirs. We are particular about detergent due to allergies.

BYO feminine supplies.

Bring a power strip for plugging in the laptop, camera, etc. Turn the phone to Airplane Mode to avoid roaming charges but it can still be useful as an alarm clock. I download photos from the camera onto the laptop to make sure it has plenty of space for new photos each day.

Bring a copy of passports and credit cards; leave another copy at home where someone can get it if you need it in an emergency. Call the credit card company before you leave to let them know you're traveling.

We tend to use rolling duffel bags so they are flat when empty and go under the beds with ease.

Your ideas are great!

 

[KENNYBOT]

It seems to me you don't get much value for your points towards a cruise. I did the math and it came out to a value of 6 or 7 dollars. Am I crazy or is that correct?

 

[KENNYBOT]

I want to try the cruise and have two kids under 12. Thing is my wife and I hate always being around little kids that are not ours. Anyone else feel that way. Needless to say we're not teachers. Our kids are fairly well behaved and we hate being around bratty kids. Would you recomment we avaoid the Disney Cruise?

 

[MouseLovinMom]

The single most important thing we've learned about cruising (and traveling in general) is to go with a good attitude and an open mind. Things can and do go wrong but we don't let it spoil our vacation. We've had a few Murphy's Law moments on our DCL cruises, but always end up having an amazing time.

 

[Robin"D"]

If you are a beer drinker make sure you purchace the presail beer special before you leave. I did not. Do this and I had one heck of a bar bill at the end of our cruise. I won't make that mistake again

Another TIP:
you can bring you own on board and DCL allows it!!!
THX DCL

Robin & Angel "D"

 

[ibouncetoo]

I want to try the cruise and have two kids under 12. Thing is my wife and I hate always being around little kids that are not ours. Anyone else feel that way. Needless to say we're not teachers. Our kids are fairly well behaved and we hate being around bratty kids. Would you recomment we avaoid the Disney Cruise?

Truthfully, on 7 cruises I've run into more bratty adults than bratty kids. Now I have seen tired, overwhelmed, and excited kids...but I usually feel (and behave) that way myself while doing anything Disney.

.

 

[cruisindisney]

My DH made a new rule on our first DCL cruise, There is no Complaining on a Disney Cruise.

We had the rudest and most annoying people at the table near us that made our wait staff's jobs excruciating. The fact is that their behavior is the reason that they had problems, not the staff. Their complaining almost made our cruise experience bad, but once we figured out what was going on we sat back and let our staff take care of the problem people and then we ended up getting the BEST service because we told them to take their time and we would be fine. It's vacation, time to relax.

 

[ashman]

Cruise tip in general not just DCL, when heading out for a day in the sun (especially at Castaway Cay), lather the troops up in your stateroom before heading off the ship. You may have to re-apply later, but your kids will love you for letting them hit the water ASAP. It is murder on kids to get sun screen applied whilst they look longingly at the water.

Also in the sun screen department, the spray stuff is useless on the beach, too windy.

 

[Meredisney]

Join a fish extender group if you get the chance, its great fun!

I agree. We do our FE gifts on the first night of the cruise. It gives us a chance to explore the ship!

My tips to add to the list:

1. You can carry your own wine & alcohol on board. Disney is one of the only cruiselines that allow this! Make sure you bring a wine opener. They will charge a corkage fee in the dining room. Also, you cannot carry open alcohol off the ship and unopened alcohol counts against your customs limit so plan on drinking what you bring.

2. Highlighters are a must for us! We use them to highlight the activities in the Navigator that we'd like to participate in.

3. Bring a sweater or jacket with you...even in the heat of the summer. Some areas of the ship like the theaters are kept cool, and it can be cool and windy on deck in the evening.

4. Ladies, if you plan on wearing your hair down, bring a clip or poneytail holder for when you go out on the deck. Again, it gets very windy and you hair will be all over the place.

5. Purchase the Tropical Rainforest Pass. It entitles you to use the Tropical Rainforest in the Vista Spa throughout your cruise. The Tropical Rainforest has two steams rooms, one large sauna room, two aromatic showers, and heated tile loungers that are heavenly! i believe the pass is only $10-$15 a day. It's a bargin!

 

[Pooh667]

I have learned that sipping ice cream sodas while watching a Disney movie on the outdoor big screen is very relaxing!!! We do this several times during our cruises.

 

[ladypirate]

@Susan - yes, sipping on any drink outside under the stars is well worth it even if it's your sports team sucking it up or watching Cinderella.

 

[glassslipper2004]

Kennybot - If you don't like being around other people's kids, you probably shouldn't do a cruise at all. The ship is big but of course not that big -- there are always kids around. Unless you are going to put your own kids in the kids' clubs all the time and spend your time in the adult only areas, you may well be unhappy.

 

[glassslipper2004]

Pohh667 - Where did you get the ice cream sodas? Did you just mix soda from the self-serve soda area with the soft serve ice cream? It's a wonderful idea!

Anyone know if they have root beer at the self serve soda area?

This gives me another idea - how about coffee mixed with vanilla ice cream? Mmmn.

 

[Pooh667]

Pohh667 - Where did you get the ice cream sodas? Did you just mix soda from the self-serve soda area with the soft serve ice cream? It's a wonderful idea!

Anyone know if they have root beer at the self serve soda area?

This gives me another idea - how about coffee mixed with vanilla ice cream? Mmmn.

We just mixed the soft serve ice cream with soda from the self serve machine. So simple but, so relaxing.

 

[Beachmum]

I want to try the cruise and have two kids under 12. Thing is my wife and I hate always being around little kids that are not ours. Anyone else feel that way. Needless to say we're not teachers. Our kids are fairly well behaved and we hate being around bratty kids. Would you recomment we avaoid the Disney Cruise?

I feel the same way much of the time. (Oops. Now those that know I'm going to be on their cruise will avoid me. )

That said, I've found that travelling when most kids are in school is a great way to meet people who have lovely children.

For example, last year we were at a nice resort in Puerto Vallarta and only met really great families with children the same age as ours (currently five and seven). I seriously can't remember even one family where the children were brats. Perhaps it's just been good luck on out part...