First time cruiser - seeking any and all advise

[VAADAM]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are recently married (April this year, crazy how time flies already!) and one thing we both said we wanted to do was look at doing a cruise. It did not work into our plans for the honeymoon, but we were strongly advised by friends to plan as far out as possible, so we did.

This past week a coworker strongly suggested we look at the Dream, and after doing some research (well a lot, I am a newbie and a bit nervous) we decided to do the 4 night Bahamas one.

We are actually going to go next April for our one year anniversary.

Just wondering what feedback, if any, you could give.

A few friends have started us off staying "you wont need half of the clothes you pack, and you will need 10X more money then you bring"

Thank you

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are recently married (April this year, crazy how time flies already!) and one thing we both said we wanted to do was look at doing a cruise. It did not work into our plans for the honeymoon, but we were strongly advised by friends to plan as far out as possible, so we did.

This past week a coworker strongly suggested we look at the Dream, and after doing some research (well a lot, I am a newbie and a bit nervous) we decided to do the 4 night Bahamas one.

We are actually going to go next April for our one year anniversary.

Just wondering what feedback, if any, you could give.

A few friends have started us off staying "you wont need half of the clothes you pack, and you will need 10X more money then you bring"

Thank you

#1 cruise rule, lay out everything you think you need to pack. Put half of it away.

#2 cruise rule, don't try to do everything, you can't.

A 4 night cruise is really quite short, but it will give a taste of what's available. Don't stress over all the little details. It's a vacation, go with the flow.

As to needing 10X the money, only if you like to shop.

 

[bmer1rick]

First, Congrats! You will love the cruise.

Looking at the prices, you probably got a great deal for Disney. If it is your first cruise, 4 nights is a good option to ensure you aren't prone to sea sickness. Either way, recommend you look into sea sickness meds, there are lots out there and you don't want the entire cruise ruined because of it.

If you are planning on celebrating this as your honeymoon cruise, make sure you let your TA or DCL know so they can note it on your reservation. I am guessing that it will just be you and your wife on the cruise. If so, recommend you try to get reservations for either Remy or Palo. There is an upcharge for them ($20 pp for Palo, $75 pp at Remy) but both are well worth it.

Take a look at the port adventures for Nassau and Castaway Cay and see if there are any that interest you. On your day at Castaway Cay, we love the adult only beach. On our anniversary cruise we scheduled a couples massage at Castaway Cay and that was really nice.

Most of all, relax and enjoy the cruise.

 

[kimo56]

My husband,children, and grandchildren have Dione three Disney cruises. We had a wonderful time. My advise is to buy the picture full deal when you embark I think it was $260 but well worth it. The pros are taking pictures all the time of you and your family. You don't have to worry about capturing the important moments. When young onto cast away key. Rent the private cabana. It's 500 for the day. Well worth the money. You have your own cabana with services you don't have on the family beach. You have your own part of the beach in front of your cabana. So yes more money. Less clothes. I found I was usually over dresses. People cruise much more casually then then did even ten years ago. We still dressed up ever ight for dinner but we were in the minority. Take sea sick precaution with you. Dramamin, sea sick bands. Sea iciness can make you trip miserable. Have so much fun.

 

[sambycat]

Have fun! You'll get lots of ideas but sometimes I feel like the boards can be a bit overwhelming for total newbies just because people are so fine tuned to all the options and like another poster said, you can't do it all! Nobody can!

I would highly recommend getting your hands on a DCL specific guidebook (I like passporters) to familiarize in a basic way with all the cruise options and get a couple "happy anniversary" buttons from guest services once you board! Like the parks, everyone will wish you happy anniversary!!

The possible add ons (spa, excursions, extra dinners, cabanas) all have their place and can be amazing and potentially once in a lifetime experiences BUT they are not essential to having a great cruise.

Have fun!!

 

[mom2aredhead]

A lot of people will tell you that you "have to" do this, bring that, buy whatever. Don't get sucked in and think that you need to listen to every piece of advice.

We just got back from a 7 night. We overpacked a little - we were mostly in bathing suits during the day and dinner clothes at night so we had little use for the extra shorts/t-shirts that we packed.

We spent about $1000 on our onboard account. This included the prepaid gratuities, our excursions at St. Thomas and CC, pictures, a few glasses of wine at dinner, and a few misc things in the ships stores. We brought a 12 pack of corona and 2 bottles of wine onboard with us, and are not big drinkers anyway. Spent another maybe $200-$250 on our third party excursion, and misc stuff in the ports.
Hope this gives you a better idea...

 

[disney debi]

Would also suggest getting a guidebook. Passporters is great and provides a lot of valuable info especially for first time cruisers. These boards provide a lot of first hand knowledge and give you insight into things you may not have known about otherwise. Relax and enjoy the planning and the vacation.

 

[kcashner]

The budget, beyond the cruise ticket, is really up to you. For instance, excursions can be a $6 float at Castaway and bringing your own snorkel equipment or a $400 private cabana and jet skis or whatever in addition. Nassau can be a quick walk thru the port area, a trip to a public beach, or a visit to one of the resorts...or staying on the ship to enjoy it while many people are on land. Internet use can be 75 cents per minute or "I'm on vacation and I'm not checking in."

Totally your choice!

We've had cruises where we spent essentially nothing beyond tips and cruises where we've spent well over $1000...it's up to you. You can book a virtual porthole (which is fun) or a concierge suite--what does it take to make you happy on a vacation?

Nassau is not my favorite place--we stay on the ship, but we are in "been there, done that" mode.

Everyone has their own style, or may opt for a different style on each trip. Only you know what it will require to make you and your beloved happy.

 

[MND]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are recently married (April this year, crazy how time flies already!) and one thing we both said we wanted to do was look at doing a cruise. It did not work into our plans for the honeymoon, but we were strongly advised by friends to plan as far out as possible, so we did.

This past week a coworker strongly suggested we look at the Dream, and after doing some research (well a lot, I am a newbie and a bit nervous) we decided to do the 4 night Bahamas one.

We are actually going to go next April for our one year anniversary.

Just wondering what feedback, if any, you could give.

A few friends have started us off staying "you wont need half of the clothes you pack, and you will need 10X more money then you bring"

Thank you

First of all congratulations on your marriage!

We cruised the Dream in April and loved it.

You don't necessarily need a lot of extra cash, most stuff is included on the cruise. Although, it certainly is possible to spend a ton more if you choose to. Items like booze, spa treatments, Palo/Remy, photo packages, excursions all cost extra and can add up quickly.

We booked no excursions, instead we walked around Nassau, visited the historical sites, shopped a bit, and had a blast. We loved Nassau and found it to be safe, easy to get around, and full of friendly helpful people.
At Castaway Cay, we hung out on the beach, played in the water, and explored the island. We found plenty to do without shelling out extra cash.

We found the drink prices on the ship and Castaway Cay to be reasonable and we loved the clubs on the ship.

I don't think it is necessary to purchase a DCL cruise advice book. Plenty of free advice online. Disboards is a great resource with friendly helpful folks.

Enjoy your cruise and you marriage!

Mike

 

[VAADAM]

Thank you everyone. Some great advise!