How to make the most of 3 night cruise?

[Debonna]

Spring 2024 Disney Dream - Ft. Lauderdale > Castaway Cay > Day at Sea. This is our first Disney cruise. DH, myself, DS 17, DD 14. We have late dining in MDRs. Stateroom is Deck 5 with extended verandah.

We wanted our first Disney cruise to be 4 - 5 days, but our schedules (and wallet) allowed for this opportunity for a 3 night cruise. Which may be long enough with such close quarters. The kids are light sleepers, and DH and I both snore. haha

What are some tips to help us make the most of our short time aboard? Our must-dos: DH wants to relax, eat, and drink. I want to enjoy family time since DH rarely gets a day off from work. Oh, and I "live to eat." I love food!! I hope to snag a Palo brunch if we can. DS wants to do Midship Detective Agency (especially the Muppets - big fan), see some shows, Pelican Plunge and the Aquaduck. He's a big Disney nerd and would prob do well with trivia. DD is not sure what she wants to do.. She's a big fan of Donald Duck and Marvel, although I'm not sure there will be much Marvel "content" on this sailing. Dressing up for Pirate Night piqued her interest somewhat. They also plan to check out Vibe during Open House.

Just looking for some tips on how we can maximize our time and not miss the important stuff. We understand it's hard to do it all, but like when we visit the parks, "there's always next time."

 

[jimmymc]

The ship won't have many activities on Castaway Cay day, so get off and enjoy the island. It's the best part of a Disney cruise IMO.

Palo brunch is amazing, so try to do that.

Plan some activities as a family and some where the kids split off, since there is a lot to do and DH will probably want some downtime. Plan to spend most of the sea day out and around the ship.

Go to all the shows you can, both the regular theater ones and both on pirate night. DD will fit right in if she/all of you want to dress in full pirate gear.

 

[ldo]

"Try" to get an early port arrival time. Don't bother with staying up until midnight--try 2:30 am, when website, after the endless spinning cycle for crashing due to too many logons, comes back online. We got an 11:30 PAT and it was like having any extra day on the ship!

 

[Cruising Engineer]

I agree; Castaway Cay can be pure relaxation for DH so let him have his time in the sun/shade. Sea Day is fun with so many things to do together as a family (trivia, towel folding, cooking demos, etc). Check out the Vibe it's great. Beauty and the Beast is the Broadway show on the Dream. You will have an early show time since you have late seating for dinner. Get to the theater at least 15-20 minutes early for a good seat. Palo brunch is fantastic. DS and DD will probably hang out at the club while you and DH enjoy a great meal and excellent service. Just relax and enjoy seeing the ship. We'll be back on the Dream in July.

 

[Disney Mickey&Minnie Fan]

Spring 2024 Disney Dream - Ft. Lauderdale > Castaway Cay > Day at Sea. This is our first Disney cruise. DH, myself, DS 17, DD 14. We have late dining in MDRs. Stateroom is Deck 5 with extended verandah.

We wanted our first Disney cruise to be 4 - 5 days, but our schedules (and wallet) allowed for this opportunity for a 3 night cruise. Which may be long enough with such close quarters. The kids are light sleepers, and DH and I both snore. haha

What are some tips to help us make the most of our short time aboard? Our must-dos: DH wants to relax, eat, and drink. I want to enjoy family time since DH rarely gets a day off from work. Oh, and I "live to eat." I love food!! I hope to snag a Palo brunch if we can. DS wants to do Midship Detective Agency (especially the Muppets - big fan), see some shows, Pelican Plunge and the Aquaduck. He's a big Disney nerd and would prob do well with trivia. DD is not sure what she wants to do.. She's a big fan of Donald Duck and Marvel, although I'm not sure there will be much Marvel "content" on this sailing. Dressing up for Pirate Night piqued her interest somewhat. They also plan to check out Vibe during Open House.

Just looking for some tips on how we can maximize our time and not miss the important stuff. We understand it's hard to do it all, but like when we visit the parks, "there's always next time."

Be sure to reserve your Future Cruise Credit before you disembark the ship at the end of your Disney Dream Cruise.
The Future Cruise Credit can be reserved in the Disney Cruise Line app while you are onboard the ship and will be charged to your credit card.

The Future Cruise Credit is priced at $250 per stateroom and is a down payment on a future Disney Cruise.
The Future Cruise Credit gives you 10% off the price of your next Disney Cruise. You have 24 months to book and sail with the Future Cruise Credit. If you do not use the Future Cruise Credit within the time frame, the $250 cost will be refunded back to your credit card.

After going on a 3 day Disney Cruise, you will defiantly want to book and take your family on another Disney Cruise in the near future!

I wish you and your family a magical sailing on your upcoming Disney Cruise!

 

[otten]

Look at past navigators for your sailing to get an idea of what activities are offered on board. Then think about what you want to do and which of those are most important.

It’s impossible to do it all. I took a Disney Cruise that had 10 days at sea and there were still so many things I didn’t get to.

 

[Mommb]

You will need to make choices, because you won't be able to do everything. (I've been on more than a dozen Disney cruises and still haven't done everything I've wanted to.)

If your son wants to do Midship Detective Agency and the Aquaduck, he should consider doing them on Castaway Cay day either by getting off the ship a few hours after docking or by getting off early and getting back on the ship after lunch. Evenings and the sea day, many more people will be doing both of those.

The Navigator app onboard will provide a constantly updated list of what's available. Make sure everyone looks it over in advance so they don't miss activities they really want to do. There is a somewhat hidden feature that shows if activities are offered more than once -- that's helpful if you're choosing between, say, watching Jack-Jack's Diaper Dash and Anyone Can Cook and find that Anyone Can Cook is also offered the next day.

Relax, have fun, and focus on what you are doing and enjoying rather than on what else you could have done.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

On emabrkation day, its like walking onto Main Street for the first time. Its noisy, its busy, theres lots going on, people every where and sensory overload.

When you do the online check in and get your PAT time, start your zero time for about 40 minutes after that. Zero time is when they do your welcome aboard announcement.

The main timestamps on embarkation day are

1. Welcome onboard announcement
2. Rooms Available from approx 1.30pm
3. Mandatory Muster Safety Drill at 4.00pm
4. Sail A Wave Party 4.40pm
5. First Theatre Show 6.15pm
6. Second Dinner

So you need a plan for the time between welcome aboard announcement and room available at. Most people go to Cabanas for lunch, my recommendation is to go to Animators Palate for the sit down lunch. Its far quieter and calmer, and it will give you a chance to just breathe and go, hey we made it, we are on the ship. If you want to get Palo or Remy, go straight down to Enchanted Garden after your welcome aboard announcement. Then go to Animators Palate for the sit down lunch.

At lunch you can look at the App and see what is available to do from that time until the Mandatory Muster Safety Drill at 4.00pm. Some might want to go to the room, some might want to go to the kids club, some might want to go to the pools, some might want to go to the Spa area open house.

At 17 and 14, you don't all have to stick together, they could go to the kids club or pool, while you and your DH go to the room, drop off the carry on bags and then meet up with them.

The Muster Drill is now back to in person at the designated place. It is listed on the App and on the KTTW cards, and on the back of the door. Everyone has to be there. Try to get to the place early and position yourselves near a door if you are on deck 4. You will wait ages, as not everyone cares enough to be on early or on time, and then afterwards it will be a big crush as everyone trys to get to the pool area for the sail away. Honestly, unless you are the first through the doors and the first in the lifts after the Muster Drill, you wont get there before the crowds. Take the stairs and forget about the lifts and just get there when you get there. It will be heaving on Deck 10, 11, 12, so just find whatever space you can.

After the sail away things start to calm down and its less manic. The early dining people will start to head to their rooms to get ready.

The shops open at 6pm once you have left the port. Depending on the sailing, the late dining people will start to wait in line at the shops before they open. If you dont want to be part of the crush in the shops when they first open, avoid that area.

Make sure to go to the Main Theater show which for you at late dining will be around 6.15pm. People will start to wait in line before the doors open but its not really necessary.

 

[lanejudy]

They also plan to check out Vibe during Open House.

All the kids' spaces are in "open house" mode on embarkation afternoon, as well as usually at least an hour each day. However, I strongly recommend that your teens attend Vibe the first evening for the ice-breakers event (I forget what it's called); usually around 10pm so everyone is done with dinner. That's where most friendship connections are made and when the plans for Vibe activities for the rest of the cruise are planned.

 

[Dug720]

The Future Cruise Credit is priced at $250 per stateroom and is a down payment on a future Disney Cruise.

I believe it is a PARTIAL payment of the deposit. I'm pretty sure you have to pay the remainder of the deposit due when you book that cruise. (Which sadly can only be done by calling in - no way to do it online.)

 

[Dug720]

Spring 2024 Disney Dream - Ft. Lauderdale > Castaway Cay > Day at Sea. This is our first Disney cruise. DH, myself, DS 17, DD 14. We have late dining in MDRs. Stateroom is Deck 5 with extended verandah.

We wanted our first Disney cruise to be 4 - 5 days, but our schedules (and wallet) allowed for this opportunity for a 3 night cruise. Which may be long enough with such close quarters. The kids are light sleepers, and DH and I both snore. haha

What are some tips to help us make the most of our short time aboard? Our must-dos: DH wants to relax, eat, and drink. I want to enjoy family time since DH rarely gets a day off from work. Oh, and I "live to eat." I love food!! I hope to snag a Palo brunch if we can. DS wants to do Midship Detective Agency (especially the Muppets - big fan), see some shows, Pelican Plunge and the Aquaduck. He's a big Disney nerd and would prob do well with trivia. DD is not sure what she wants to do.. She's a big fan of Donald Duck and Marvel, although I'm not sure there will be much Marvel "content" on this sailing. Dressing up for Pirate Night piqued her interest somewhat. They also plan to check out Vibe during Open House.

Just looking for some tips on how we can maximize our time and not miss the important stuff. We understand it's hard to do it all, but like when we visit the parks, "there's always next time."

You probably know this, but Palo would only be for you and your husband. The kids would not be allowed as it's 18+. Just a reminder since you said you want family time.

 

[tvguy]

With just 3 days and two ports, you are going to need to do some planning for use. We did a 7 day, with 3 sea days to explore the ship and we didn't get to do everything we wanted. Never did use the pools. And the only extra cost thing we did on the ship was champagne tasting. No Palo, or Spa stuff.

 

[kiford]

DS wants to do Midship Detective Agency (especially the Muppets

So much fun. I suggest you do this as a family if you can get everyone to agree to it. It's a great way to explore the ship because it takes you all over and you might not normally do this. Also, because you have to run all over the ship, it's great exercise, which gives you a perfect rationale for having more soft-serve ice cream or eating more. We (four adults) had a blast. We did the Muppet one and one other one.

Palo brunch is lovely but with only three days, it can take a lot of time out of your day preventing you from doing other things and from eating in other places which aren't an extra cost. I would definitely say do NOT do Palo dinner. Not that it's not lovely, but you'll want to experience all three rotational dining rooms for your first cruise.

Shows will be before dining but there's still some time between the show and dinner so you can change if you want or just chill or wander around or grab a pre-dinner drink without feeling like you have to run between the theatre and the dining room.

There will be some first run Disney/Pixar/Marvel/Disney-distributed movies playing in one or both theatres. Can't say what those will be but on our September cruise we saw Haunted Mansion and Elemental so they play for several months after initial release. There will also be movies outside on the Funnel Vision - these are older ones but it's nice sometimes to can sit under the shade at a table with a drink and/or snack and watch them without fully committing to watching the whole thing intently, especially if you've seen them before. On Pirate night, they'll definitely be playing some of the PoTC movies there during the day. And obviously there's Pirate night and the fireworks. We always say that we're not going to go to another Pirate night because we've seen so many but we usually end up there to at least see the fireworks.

If you're prepared to sacrifice some time at Castaway Cay, that's the day to do the AquaDuck. Much shorter lines. We were able once to do it 7 times in a row without a wait on CC day because we stayed on board. You can still get out for lunch and spend some beach time if you plan to do the AquaDuck either in the morning when everyone is getting off or after lunch before everyone comes back to the ship.

 

[Husker Mike]

All the kids' spaces are in "open house" mode on embarkation afternoon, as well as usually at least an hour each day. However, I strongly recommend that your teens attend Vibe the first evening for the ice-breakers event (I forget what it's called); usually around 10pm so everyone is done with dinner. That's where most friendship connections are made and when the plans for Vibe activities for the rest of the cruise are planned.

Skip the "open house" and explore the ship instead. Gently mandate that your kids attend the first evening ice-breaker instead. On our first trip, the "open house" was filled with teens that appeared to be drug along by their parents on the cruise; it sent exactly the wrong vibe and it was tough getting our kids to return for the ice-breaker later that evening. (We eventually won, and while they didn't admit they were wrong, it was blatantly obvious.) Tell them there are two requirements for the first day of the cruise: the muster drill and the ice-breaker, if you get any resistance.

The best time to do the AquaDuck is in the early evening when most everyone else is either (a) at early dinner or (b) at the show. So pick one evening's show to skip and take advantage of the minimal lines at 6 pm, if that appeals to you.

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Skip the "open house" and explore the ship instead. Gently mandate that your kids attend the first evening ice-breaker instead. On our first trip, the "open house" was filled with teens that appeared to be drug along by their parents on the cruise; it sent exactly the wrong vibe and it was tough getting our kids to return for the ice-breaker later that evening. (We eventually won, and while they didn't admit they were wrong, it was blatantly obvious.) Tell them there are two requirements for the first day of the cruise: the muster drill and the ice-breaker, if you get any resistance.

I agree, skip the embarkation day open house, its just too manic, they will be other open house hours during the cruise and they are usually empty.

Also don't bother trying to get photos in the atrium on embarkation day, there will be so many times during the cruise when its totally empty and peaceful.

 

[Debonna]

Skip the "open house" and explore the ship instead. Gently mandate that your kids attend the first evening ice-breaker instead. On our first trip, the "open house" was filled with teens that appeared to be drug along by their parents on the cruise; it sent exactly the wrong vibe and it was tough getting our kids to return for the ice-breaker later that evening. (We eventually won, and while they didn't admit they were wrong, it was blatantly obvious.) Tell them there are two requirements for the first day of the cruise: the muster drill and the ice-breaker, if you get any resistance.

The best time to do the AquaDuck is in the early evening when most everyone else is either (a) at early dinner or (b) at the show. So pick one evening's show to skip and take advantage of the minimal lines at 6 pm, if that appeals to you.

Interesting point. Thank you! Do you have to register kids to attend Vibe? If so, how/when do you do that?

 

[lanejudy]

Interesting point. Thank you! Do you have to register kids to attend Vibe? If so, how/when do you do that?

No registration needed for Vibe, they are automatically included in the list by virtue of their age.

 

[Girl of the South]

There’s a heavy curtain that separates the big bed from the bunks that might help a little with the snoring. A small sound machine might help? Early morning (before 8) and late nights (after 10) are pretty quiet around the ship for photos or the Detective Agency.

 

[byanks7]

Be sure to reserve your Future Cruise Credit before you disembark the ship at the end of your Disney Dream Cruise.
The Future Cruise Credit can be reserved in the Disney Cruise Line app while you are onboard the ship and will be charged to your credit card.

The Future Cruise Credit is priced at $250 per stateroom and is a down payment on a future Disney Cruise.
The Future Cruise Credit gives you 10% off the price of your next Disney Cruise. You have 24 months to book and sail with the Future Cruise Credit. If you do not use the Future Cruise Credit within the time frame, the $250 cost will be refunded back to your credit card.

After going on a 3 day Disney Cruise, you will defiantly want to book and take your family on another Disney Cruise in the near future!

I wish you and your family a magical sailing on your upcoming Disney Cruise!

Is future cruise credit the same as a placeholder?

 

[Disney Mickey&Minnie Fan]

Is future cruise credit the same as a placeholder?

Yes