Just got off of the Fantasy - Details for new cruisers

[Bluestars]

Thanks blue star for all the info! If you buy items at cast away or on the ship do you have to declare them at customs also?

We only declared what we purchased in Cozumel and Grand Cayman. We didn't make any purchases on Castaway Cay.

I forgot to mention about the laundry service. We stayed on deck 7. The laundry was at the end of the ship near stateroom 7016. There is a small touch screen where you choose the number for the washer or dryer. They had three washers and five dryers. Then you swipe your card and confirm your purchase.

The washers have different cycles depending on what type of wash you wanted to do. We found that the light cycle (26 minutes) was fine. The washers are very small. What you think might be one load will really turn out to be three.

The dryers all take 45 minutes. The cost is $2.00 per load to wash and $2.00 per load to dry. I was glad that I brought a pop-up hamper with me on the cruise because it made carrying the laundry very easy.

 

[Bluestars]

Thank you for sharing the things you learned on your first DCL cruise. Very helpful! My DH & I are going on our first (ever!) cruise (Disney Dream) in December for our anniversary. We want to learn all we can prior to our trip. If you think I more tips please share them. Thanks!!

How exciting! I am sure you will have a wonderful anniversary trip. I was like you and wanted to learn everything I could before my first cruise. I was very nervous doing something I had never done before. I think you will be very impressed with the service and how organized Disney makes everything from boarding the ship to going on excursions.

We were on the Fantasy and the ship was so clean. The service was wonderful.

 

[Bluestars]

Another thing I just thought of is tips.

Before the end of your cruise, you will find receipts on your bed that list the tips that will be charged to your account for the server, assistant server, head server, and stateroom host. If you want to decrease or increase these amounts, you can go to guest services and have them make adjustments.

They will also include envelopes for each of the service people. They ask that you put the receipt in the envelope and hand them to the employees at the end of the trip. You can also add cash if you feel like tipping above the amount on the receipt.

If you don't hand the envelope to the employee, they will still get the amount on the receipt.

For room service, you can tip in cash or just add the tip to the receipt you sign.

 

[flyersfan1129]

I don't plan on doing a trip report, but I will be happy to answer any questions. We took two excursions. We went to the deluxe stingray snorkel excursion in Grand Caymen and the Playa Mia excursion in Cozumel.

We booked our excursions through Disney. When we got to our rooms the first day, our excursion tickets were waiting for us. They listed the name of the excursion, the time to meet, and the place on the ship to meet.

For both excursions, we met in the Buena Vista Theatre. The first meeting was at 10:15 and the second was at 10:45. We got to the room and they checked that the adults had photo ID, everyone had a room key, and everyone had an excursion ticket.

Then we were given a colored wristband and a Disney sticker to wear on our shirt. Each excursion had a different character. Then we were told to sit in a certain row. Once everyone was checked in, we proceeded off of the ship. We were given towels.

When we got to the pier, we lined up behind the person holding the Disney character. Then we boarded buses and were driven to the location. When we finished the excursion, the buses drove back to the pier.

After the snorkel excursion when we got back to the pier, Disney had drinks waiting for us, along with wet washcloths. That was very nice.

The excursions were stress free and Disney did a wonderful job in making sure everyone knew where to go and what to do.

How was Playa Mia? We are booking that for our 8/31 cruise and my DS is very excited about it.

 

[Bluestars]

How was Playa Mia? We are booking that for our 8/31 cruise and my DS is very excited about it.

We liked it. They have a large pool that is was not crowded at all. After being on the ship with the very crowded Disney pools, it was nice to have space to actually swim.

They have a water play area for the smaller kids and water slides for the bigger kids. The stretch of beach is small. There are several rows of beach chairs lined up. In the water, they have two water trampolines and an inflatable mountain with a water slide. In order to swim out to it, they require that you wear a life vest. We took three teens and they said it was a long swim out there. They really liked it though.

You can also use the kayaks and paddle boats at no cost. They had a pinata for the kids and a water balloon toss. Included is a Mexican buffet and unlimited drinks. The buffet was not that great, so I wouldn't expect much. Just average food. My husband enjoyed his pina coladas though. We brought one dollar bills for tipping of the drinks they brought to us at our beach chairs. There was also a row of hammocks.

To get to the beach, you ride on very nice buses. I think the drive took around 20 minutes. All in all, we had a good time. I think it's much better than going to the beach on our own, but it's not nearly as good as say an excursion at a resort like Atlantis in the Bahamas. It was a fun beach day with lots to do.

 

[flyersfan1129]

We liked it. They have a large pool that is was not crowded at all. After being on the ship with the very crowded Disney pools, it was nice to have space to actually swim.

They have a water play area for the smaller kids and water slides for the bigger kids. The stretch of beach is small. There are several rows of beach chairs lined up. In the water, they have two water trampolines and an inflatable mountain with a water slide. In order to swim out to it, they require that you wear a life vest. We took three teens and they said it was a long swim out there. They really liked it though.

You can also use the kayaks and paddle boats at no cost. They had a pinata for the kids and a water balloon toss. Included is a Mexican buffet and unlimited drinks. The buffet was not that great, so I wouldn't expect much. Just average food. My husband enjoyed his pina coladas though. We brought one dollar bills for tipping of the drinks they brought to us at our beach chairs. There was also a row of hammocks.

To get to the beach, you ride on very nice buses. I think the drive took around 20 minutes. All in all, we had a good time. I think it's much better than going to the beach on our own, but it's not nearly as good as say an excursion at a resort like Atlantis in the Bahamas. It was a fun beach day with lots to do.

Thanks! My son fell in love with the pictures of the water slides, he can't wait.

 

[DisneyDudet]

I did Playa Mia on while on a Carnival cruise. I really liked it. The unlimited drinks was a nice plus The buffet would have been good, if we weren't having to compare it to a cruise buffet There were a few cruises that had stopped there that day, and it didn't feel too busy. I liked the seating area for the lunch.

I went a few months after the Fantasy set sail. When I went to the Gold CC Member Mixer, I asked the cruise director, Ray, about playing all the horns. They hadn't done it for the Fantasy at that time. BUT, because I asked, they played all the horns at an announced, designated time (I got a card and phone call from Ray to let me know that my request had been granted :good vibes: )
My question is.... Did they designate a time at all where they would play all the horns at once? I've seen some Navigators that had them listed, but I didn't know if they are still doing that. My DF has never been on a cruise (this is my 7th DCL cruise, my 8th cruise total), and I love the horns. This will be our Honeymoon and I want him to experience it!

 

[Bluestars]

They played the horns several times, but I don't know if it was at a designated time. I never noticed it on the navigators, but then I didn't read them thoroughly. I only scanned them for the activity times and show information. The horns were neat though.

 

[kapoof]

Another thing I just thought of is tips.

Before the end of your cruise, you will find receipts on your bed that list the tips that will be charged to your account for the server, assistant server, head server, and stateroom host. If you want to decrease or increase these amounts, you can go to guest services and have them make adjustments.

They will also include envelopes for each of the service people. They ask that you put the receipt in the envelope and hand them to the employees at the end of the trip. You can also add cash if you feel like tipping above the amount on the receipt.

If you don't hand the envelope to the employee, they will still get the amount on the receipt.



For room service, you can tip in cash or just add the tip to the receipt you sign.

I have a dumb tipping question. What if you can't find your server or room steward, or someone you are suppose to tip at the end of the cruise to hand it to them? Do you leave the tips in your room for them?

 

[DisneyDudet]

I have a dumb tipping question. What if you can't find your server or room steward, or someone you are suppose to tip at the end of the cruise to hand it to them? Do you leave the tips in your room for them?

We usually give our servers their tips the last night, just in case. Usually we see our stateroom host/hostess multiple times a day. The last day they are usually about, as they know they are getting tips. We've never had a problem finding our staff!

 

[owensamo]

I have a dumb tipping question. What if you can't find your server or room steward, or someone you are suppose to tip at the end of the cruise to hand it to them? Do you leave the tips in your room for them?

Handing out the envelopes is just a custom if the tips are on your onboard account - they don't need to get the receipts to receive their tips, they are automatically credited to their account.

If you're tipping cash, you want to track down your dining room servers to hand out the envelopes. If that doesn't work, I'd probably leave them with Guest Services

We usually give out the envelopes to our dining room servers at the final dinner since we usually go to the buffet for breakfast. You can leave the envelope for your stateroom host in the room - I'm not sure we've ever run into our stateroom host before we left the final morning, so we've always left the envelope for him/her either on the desk or the bed when we leave.

 

[jahber]

They played the horns several times, but I don't know if it was at a designated time. I never noticed it on the navigators, but then I didn't read them thoroughly. I only scanned them for the activity times and show information. The horns were neat though.

On our Dream and Fantasy cruises last year, they played all of the horns at noon on sea days and at least one horn as we left Castaway Cay. I remember the captain warning everyone during his daily announcements on the Fantasy, but I don't remember if the captain did on the Dream.

 

[cleophus12]

On our Eastern cruise, the Captain played the horns every sea day after his noon report. On the Art of the Theme tour, we were told that Meridian is the best place to listen to the horns, although we never made it up there to listen.

 

[Princess Denise]

A few questions....

Do you pay for the excursions before when you make the reservation or after?

We did the pre-pay gratuity ... Will we get the same deal with receipts?

Do we get packets with all the info and luggage tags before the cruise? If so, when?

Will the packages include all the paperwork we will need to have filled out? Are these the same papers that we can fill out on our online reservation...or something?

Sorry- first timers & worriers...

 

[Bluestars]

A few questions....

Do you pay for the excursions before when you make the reservation or after?

We did the pre-pay gratuity ... Will we get the same deal with receipts?

Do we get packets with all the info and luggage tags before the cruise? If so, when?

Will the packages include all the paperwork we will need to have filled out? Are these the same papers that we can fill out on our online reservation...or something?

Sorry- first timers & worriers...

We were billed for the excursions we booked through Disney at the end of our cruise.

We didn't prepay our gratuities, but I think they will handle the receipts the same way. Hopefully someone who prepaid can confirm this.

We got a package with a booklet that included luggage tags and information about our cruise. The information included the excursions we booked, along with our airline information.

Other than what we filled out online, we didn't have to fill out anything else except the forms for two of my son's friends who we brought on our cruise. We were never asked for this paperwork though.

Also, during the cruise you can go to guest services and they can give you a print-out of your current charges.

 

[Bluestars]

There were two ironing boards and irons in the laundry room.

We found that the blow dryer only worked when we used the plug by the mirror/TV and not the one in the bathroom.

There is a safe in the room. There are two closets and they both have hangers.

In our room there was one large bed, a couch that converted to a bed, and a pull-down bed over the couch.

There are several drink stations on deck 11. In addition to soft drinks, they serve coffee, tea, and milk.

There is an ice cream station that is open all day. At one end of the deck is Cabanas, which is open for buffet breakfast and lunch. At dinner it is not buffet. They seat you and you order off of a menu. At the other end of the deck is a food station where you can get burgers, hot dogs, chicken strips, grilled chicken, and wraps. This station is open all day.

 

[RevKjb]

You will need photo ID at each port not for DCL, but local customs in order to get back into the port area

In Nassau last year, getting back to The Dream, we did not require photo ID. We only showed our Room Key and "bob's yer uncle" we were headed to the ship! Hope that the requirement hasn't changed and we keep our passports secure while on the cruise. Guess I could bring my Driver's License if needed. Anyone else confirm the NEED for photo ID has changed in Ports?

 

[Bluestars]

In Nassau last year, getting back to The Dream, we did not require photo ID. We only showed our Room Key and "bob's yer uncle" we were headed to the ship! Hope that the requirement hasn't changed and we keep our passports secure while on the cruise. Guess I could bring my Driver's License if needed. Anyone else confirm the NEED for photo ID has changed in Ports?

Every day there was an announcement that when you leave the ship everyone in your party needs their room key and everyone 18 and over needs a photo ID. When we checked in for our excursions (in the Buena Vista Theatre for what we booked) they made sure everyone had those items. We left our passports in the safe and took our driver's licenses. However, we were never asked for our photo IDs upon returning to the ship.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

Every day there was an announcement that when you leave the ship everyone in your party needs their room key and everyone 18 and over needs a photo ID. When we checked in for our excursions (in the Buena Vista Theatre for what we booked) they made sure everyone had those items. We left our passports in the safe and took our driver's licenses. However, we were never asked for our photo IDs upon returning to the ship.

Agree! Def would not have let us check in for excursion at theatre without . yay lanyard! Took care of it all!