We're going on our 1st cruise in May 2011 on Disney's Dream.
i don't have a clue on any of the decisions as to where is the the best place on the ship to reserve our cabin, what deck is the best to be on, what is the best part of the deck to request, as to best view, the more quiet areas, etc.? does it matter whether it's the front, middle, or end? what about the side of the ship you're on? what side do you recommend?
Disney cruise line is holding a reservation until Monday for us, i decided on a Deluxe Ocean view with a veranda that sleeps 3. they gave me,
Cat. 5E, Room #5044. is this a good place to be, or should i request another area on another deck? he said this cabin does not have that white wall, which i like. did i do well by choosing this particular cabin?
by the way, what is, "aft" mean? any other advice, i would really appreciate.
i have more questions, but, i thought i'd keep to the cabin choices 1st.
one more thing, is
Disney Cruise line the best place to purchase, or are there better options? Don't care for the way
Dreams Unlimited makes you request a quote, only online. i would rather have a phone # and speak to an agent, but, i don't see a phone # for them. thank you,all. italiamom:
No one's really going to know which rooms are *better* than others until after the Dream starts sailing. But there are some considerations that you can factor into your cabin selection to improve your likely satisfaction with your choice.
The first decision, is whether you need or want a verandah, or whether you just want the natural light that an Oceanview room provides, or whether you don't really care about natural light and would be comfortable sailing in an inside cabin to save money (and take one of the new virtual portholes for a spin!) If you've decided that a verandah is the way you want to go, and you don't want a solid metal walled verandah, then Cat 5 is a good choice.
The letters that come after the 5 are based on the location of the rooms and the general rule on cruises that the cost goes up as the room gets higher and more in the middle. So a 5A room would be a midship verandah room on the highest deck that has that category of rooms available, while a 5E room is on a lower deck and more forward (front of the ship) or aft (back of the ship).
If you have concerns about possible seasickness, the general rule to minimize movement is you should be low and in the middle, which would minimize both side to side movement and front to back (seesaw) movement. If that's not as big of a concern, then pick a room that's convenient to where you think you'll be a lot, and one not near any areas that you want to avoid.
I like rooms near the aft (back) elevators more than ones by the forward (front) elevators because the current ships have the restaurants and kids pool located closer to the aft elevators (which is where we spent most of our time.) The adult areas (bars, adult pool, spa) are closer to the forward (front) elevators, so forward is a good choice if you aren't travelling with kids and plan to be in those areas more. Both the aft and forward elevators tend to be less crowded than the midship ones, so we tend to pick rooms aft or forward before picking midship rooms. (This helps lower costs since we don't have to pay the premium for midship.)
If you're looking at a room located above or below non-stateroom areas, I'd try to be careful to avoid something that I think might bother me. For example, I don't really want a room over a nightclub, or under/over the theatre, and I especially don't want to be under or next to a restaurant kitchen.
As far as side of the ship, it comes down to preference, and how
DCL typically docks at the different ports. For example, DCL typically, but not always, backs the ship into the dock on Castaway Cay. When they do that, the staterooms on the starboard (right) side of the ship have a great view of the lagoon and beach areas. So many folks pick rooms on the starboard side. But at Port Canaveral, the starboard side looks at the terminal, while the port (left) side looks out at the Kennedy Space Center. The starboard side also gets extremely hot while at Port Canaveral, so you either need to close the window curtains, or deal with a very hot stateroom. We've done both sides, and while I'll pick the right side first, I don't have a problem being on the left side either.
You can book through DCL, which can be a good option if you want to have complete control over your reservation. Or you can book through a
travel agency that specializes in Disney and disney cruises to take advantage of their knowledge and experience. Many also offer an onboard credit which is additional money for excursions, etc. while you're on the ship, and doesn't cost you anything. The onboard credits offered by the agencies tend to be highest when you book with them initially, and if you are booking a verandah or higher room. The prices through the DCL site are the same that any agent should quote you.
DU does operate as a virtual travel services company, but their agents provide great service via email communication. I've had Tracy, Kelsie, Tammy and Merrie help me with my various reservations and have been happy. There are other agencies that also specialize in Disney cruises that are good choices that offer more conventional ways to contact them (via phone, etc.) As a first timer, you may benefit from having an agent help guide you through the process.
