First Disney Cruise and needing tips

[Chrisy32785]

I am taking my daughter on our first Disney Cruise and I was hoping to get some tips from everyone... She is 8 and we are going on the Disney Dream. We sail to Nassau and Castaway Cay... Any suggestions for excursions in either place? Also how does the dining work?

[donald1403]

Originally Posted by Chrisy32785

I am taking my daughter on our first Disney Cruise and I was hoping to get some tips from everyone... She is 8 and we are going on the Disney Dream. We sail to Nassau and Castaway Cay... Any suggestions for excursions in either place? Also how does the dining work?

we have completed 42 Disney cruises 13 Dream so in Nassau
we like the harbor tour and on the island just enjoy. dining
is in all three restaruants please feel free to ask us for any
advice at any time donald1403 Don & Gail

[egesicki]

We were on the Dream in Feb 2011. You will be assigned a dining rotation that will take you to all three of the main dining rooms, and repeat one of them. If you check the daily Navigator schedule of events, there will also be days when your daughter can eat in the kids clubs if she wants to. The main dining can get kind of long, 90 min+. There are also the snack bar type pizza and burger options, as well as the buffet, if you don't feel like changing for dinner or the timing is inconvenient. On our 4 night trip one night was pirate night, lots of people dress in costume, and one night was optional dress up night, and every night there were plenty of people casual, although not shorts. We didn't do any organized excursions in either Nassau or CC, unless you call renting snorkel gear, float tubes and bikes an excursion at CC. We are not big shoppers, and we found the organized excursions in Nassau sort of pricey, so we stayed on board and enjoyed the pool areas a little quieter while many of the other passengers were ashore.

[Chrisy32785]

Thank you for your tips We are so excited. Counting down the days lol

[omalley1118]

Have a great time!!! The tips you have gotten are great. We did the glass bottom not in Nassau, and I would not recommend it. It was pricey, and after the first 15 mins we were bored... Just my opinion. My kids LOVED the kids clubs!!! They ate dinner there once or twice on each cruise! They were around your daughters age. We are not fancy dining types, so one night on both cruises we ate in an alternate place. We had a great time and were more comfortable. They really cater to you, so your daughter should never go hungry!!! My kids were able to get something they liked even if not on the menu.

All in all, I don't think there is a better way to cruise with kids. DCL is so easy and fun filled for kids!!!

[sdjen]

I have done two DCL cruises with my daughter with the 3rd scheduled for next Feb.

For Castaway Cay - I would highly recommend the stingray excursion. We both loved it!

You will have so much fun!

[WonderTwinsMom]

Hello all. I'm new to the site and would love to get your advice.

Our family is going on DCL for the first time on the 2-week eastbound transatlantic cruise in May 2013. Our 3-year old twins are so excited. We haven't cruised in about 4 years now, but have done the Trans-atlantic previously on Royal carribbean. We are new to Disney. Would appreciate it if you have helpful tips on
- travelling with tots
- meeting the princess/disney characters for photo op or breakfast
- going to the bippipity bop pity boutique / pirate area
- have u been happy leaving your tots in their "daycare"
- any specific "must-do" activities for the tots?

Many thanks in advance!!!
Teri

[egesicki]

Originally Posted by WonderTwinsMom

Hello all. I'm new to the site and would love to get your advice.

Our family is going on DCL for the first time on the 2-week eastbound transatlantic cruise in May 2013. Our 3-year old twins are so excited. We haven't cruised in about 4 years now, but have done the Trans-atlantic previously on Royal carribbean. We are new to Disney. Would appreciate it if you have helpful tips on
- travelling with tots
- meeting the princess/disney characters for photo op or breakfast
- going to the bippipity bop pity boutique / pirate area
- have u been happy leaving your tots in their "daycare"
- any specific "must-do" activities for the tots?

Many thanks in advance!!!
Teri

We have sailed w DCL twice now, and the kids clubs have been great, we were on Dream and Wonder, and we have used both Flounders Reef Nursery for our youngest, which you pay for and for which you must have reservations, and the Oceaneers Club for our 6yr old. When you drop them off they will remind you to carry your stateroom cordless phone (they call them Wave phones) so they can contact you. A couple things that helped us: when you first board, take a walk to the kdis club areas, they generally have open house, so your tots can get a feel for what it looks like. My oldest has a little separation anxiety so it helped him feel a little more comfortable. The staff was excellent in all areas, the ratio is higher in Flounders Reef which is why you must reserve. The website lets you reserve 10 hours, but when you get on board if there are openings they will let you have more hours. On our last trip the Oceaneers Club on Wonder sometimes was not open for drop off, I didn't recall that on Dream, but if you check the daily bulletin called the Navigator, which they drop off in your room in the evening, it will have the hours and activities. For example, at one point they didn't have drop off in the club because they took the kids to the movie theatre. At certain times they will offer dinner in the club, again check the Navigator.
Other tips: we had a stroller with, but never actually used it on the ship except for boarding and leaving, might skip that next time, although it was helpful in the airports, you still have to fold it, gate check it, etc etc. Drinks are available free 24hrs at a self serve fountain, I think it was soda, milk, coffee, water, and hot water? We brought some sippy cups from home and filled them there a lot. We brought snacks from home too, fruit snacks, goldfish type stuff, but probably would not do that again other than for the airport, because on board if you have buffet breakfast, which we did on both trips-more flexible timing and selection, besides the hot food they have individual boxes of cereal, cartons of milk, muffins, apples, bananas etc we always picked up a couple extra to bring back to our room or to take with us on excursions. Soft sided cooler helps that process. Pools were nice, if somewhat crowded. Several nights after dinner my 6yr old and I went to Mickey's pool (shallow) and we were the only ones there, and the water temp according to the ship channel on TV said 102F, it was relaxing to sit and look up at the sky. They stock towels in big wood cabinets next to the pool so you don't have to take ones from your room. The ship photographers do a nice job, but goodness the prints are expensive, I got one 6x9"? it was just so cute but I think it was $18? For myself I just made sure to have my camera with so I could take photos. Many indoor areas of the ship are somewhat low light though if you don't have a good flash that may influence your decision.
Character greets: honestly we didn't have much luck, it's easy to find out when and where in the Navigator, but people line up ahead of time, and our boys don't tolerate the waiting and the crowds well so we stopped trying. We did run into characters periodically during the trip and got a couple pix that way.

[Ensusieasm]

If you have never been to Atlantis you may want to spend your Nassau day there. The "Beach Day" excursion might be a good choice if you love the beach. The waves are nice and The Dig is very interesting, as well as the open pools of aquatic life you will pass by on your way to the beach. I have never tried the water slide, swimming pools, lazy river area. That excursion called Aquaventure is very expensive, and if it is crowded you may not get your money's worth. The resort is exceptionally beautiful. You will see the towering structure first in the distance as you come into port. Very impressive!

[Ensusieasm]

1. DO go down the Aquaduck! A lot of fun and not too scary at all. I don't do roller coasters or scary rides at all. The Aquaduck is just right! A UNIQUE experience!
2. TRY to find quiet times to be in the family pools. Most often they are way, way WAY over crowded, standing room only, bowls of "kid soup". If you have late dinner seating you could likely find the pool fairly quiet during the first seating dinner time at 5:15. This is a good time to ride Aquaduck too.
3. If the Cabanas Buffet is too crowded for you, try breakfast and lunch in a main dining room. Your daily copy of the "Navigator" will tell you which dining room is open each day. No reservation needed. We did this on Embarkation day too! Avoid the masses of confused people at Cabanas especially on that first day.
4. Watch Pirate Night from deck 12 at the railing above the masses of people below. Great place for the fireworks too!
5. See the Disney Production shows. They get a little more exciting every day.
6. Did I mention THE AQUADUCK? Ride it at night with the lights too!
7. Casaway Cay: Your six hours here will go fast. Be first off and last on the ship. You will wish you could stay forever. Rent a floating mat or tube all day for 6 bucks! Try one and you can trade it for the other. The mat is my favorite. A warning about the pelican plunge water slide. I couldn't wait for it because I love all the Disney resort hotel water slides and the Disney water park slides. It was terrible! I went down the opening on the right. It is absolutely NO FUN! I was torpedoed into the sea with such speed that I couldn't help but swallow choke and cough on a huge gulp of briny sea water. The little kid who came down after me was crying his eyes out, and I know just how he felt. NOT FUN!! I don't know if the slide on the left would be a better choice because I was not going to try! STICK TO THE AQUADUCK onboard.

[Dustin2]

Thanks for the tips! I'm going on my first disney cruise in July for my fiancé and I's honeymoon.

[soufflegirl]

Thanks for the great ideas!