First timer .... booking excursions, restaurants, & other advice welcome

[nc6200]

We are going on the 4night 3/31 on the Magic to Bahamas, CC. This is our first DCL cruise AND our first cruise (at all). It will be myself & spouse, 2 kids (boys), and parents.

What advice is out there you can offer? Specifically for....

-booking excursions. What ones are recommended? Should we even bother?
-booking cabana. Any chance I get one at midnight on my 75 day out?
-booking Palo. Not sure what to do here or if we can get in.
-tips. When do I fuss with pre-pay tips and should I?

Any other suggestions you may have are welcome...

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are going on the 4night 3/31 on the Magic to Bahamas, CC. This is our first DCL cruise AND our first cruise (at all). It will be myself & spouse, 2 kids (boys), and parents.

What advice is out there you can offer? Specifically for....

-booking excursions. What ones are recommended? Should we even bother?
-booking cabana. Any chance I get one at midnight on my 75 day out?
-booking Palo. Not sure what to do here or if we can get in.
-tips. When do I fuss with pre-pay tips and should I?

Any other suggestions you may have are welcome...

First, take a breath.

We typically take a ship's excursion the first time we visit a specific port. There's usually a general overview type of tour offered in every port.

It's quite likely that there will be no cabanas available for your booking window. That said, keep checking, right up until departure day. Sometimes people book one and then let it go.

Same with Palo. I prefer Palo brunch, but that's only offered on sea days so quite limited reservations available. Since this is your first cruise, I generally suggest that you just stick with the regular MDRs in order to find out if you enjoy the "regular" offerings DCL has for you. Save Palo for your next cruise. If you do opt to go for Palo, and are unable to book pre-cruise, they do hold back some reservations for booking onboard. Go to where the Palo dining changes are being handled as soon as you board to see if you can snag one.

DCL will add the gratuities to your onboard account during the cruise. You have a couple of options - you can pre-pay the amount of the gratuities (added to your cruisefare). That way you will have already paid for them before the cruise. Or you can just have them added to you onboard account and they will be charged (to be paid later) along with all other charges onboard.

Either way, you will receive in your room with your nightly turndown service at the end of the cruise tip envelopes and vouchers. The vouchers will indicate the name, position, and tip amount. You place the voucher in the corresponding envelope (also labeled with the position title) and hand them out the last night. You may add additional cash to the envelope if you wish.