Learning about Disney Cruise is very overwhelming!

[lovmy2girls]

So much to figure out! I am so overwhelmed.

Do you have to dress up every night for dinner?
Who do you tip? I have read about the tipping for everyone? Who?

Any newbie info would be appreciated.

Looking at the basic 4 night cruise.

 

[CraftyMouse]

So much to figure out! I am so overwhelmed.

Do you have to dress up every night for dinner?
Who do you tip? I have read about the tipping for everyone? Who?

Any newbie info would be appreciated.

Looking at the basic 4 night cruise.

Okay...breathe in...breathe out...breathe in...breathe out...ahhhhh, that's better!

Now, let's see...no, you don't have to dress up every night. I think people get really overworked (not you!) about the dress code on the ship. All you'll need are some nice (not jeans) pants and a nice shirt. It's really quite casual, just no jeans/shorts. I usually wear a pair of black or beige pants or capris and a camp-style shirt or knit top. DH wears Dockers and a polo shirt. If you go to Palo you'll need something a bit more dressy. They request resort casual.

On the cruise you will tip your stateroom host and your dining room server, assistant server and head waiter. It all comes to $10-11 per person, per day and I think you'll find that the services they provide are well worth it.

Feel free to ask any questions. There are lots of people here who are always willing to help!

Oh, and if you haven't done it yet go to www.disneycruiseline.com and watch the Podcasts on the main page. They have tons of helpful information and also show cruisers at dinner and at Palo so you can see what types of things are worn. I have them all downloaded to my iPod and watch them far too often...even though I've already been on a few DCL cruises!

 

[gydell]

Jeans are now allowed. I don't wear them but you do see a few people with them on.

 

[Hygiene99]

http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/


Use this handy caculator !!!

 

[birkner]

So much to figure out! I am so overwhelmed.

Do you have to dress up every night for dinner?
Who do you tip? I have read about the tipping for everyone? Who?

Any newbie info would be appreciated.

Looking at the basic 4 night cruise.

At the beginning of this thread there is a very helpful DIS DCL FAQ - Answers To All The Most Asked Questions Updated 9/9/07

Here is the link:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1002071

After your read that FAQ, you may have lots more questions but it is a good place to start.

You might also want to check out the Passporter which many people buy:

The Passporter link is:

http://www.passporter.com/

Hope this helps.

 

[crash2000]

So much to figure out! I am so overwhelmed.

Do you have to dress up every night for dinner?
Who do you tip? I have read about the tipping for everyone? Who?

Any newbie info would be appreciated.

Looking at the basic 4 night cruise.

check out the faq section on the disneycruise website...

 

[kcashner]

First, relax. It seems overwhelming at first, but you will be sent all the information you NEED several months in advance of your cruise. That said, you can learn a lot here, from a passporter, etc. that can make your cruise more enjoyable.

You never have to dress up. Since you are on a 4 day, you will not have formal night. A pair of black pants can be combined with different tops for several nights....ditto a swingy skirt, etc. I use black sandals rather than bringing dress shoes. Palo will require a tie and jacket for a man. The only part of the dress code that is enforced in the main dining rooms is that you must wear shoes and can't wear swimwear. They ask for no jeans.

Relax and have a great time!

 

[Tarabra]

You could do what we did back in '00 and just "wing it"!!! We didn't have the Disboards, Passporter or anything. We just went and had a ball. Somehow we were able to figure it all out. Don't put too much thought into it or you'll make yourself crazy. Just follow the boards for awhile and you'll figure it all out. Have fun!!

 

[CJDJ]

It was a great investment and all your questions will be answered. Makes it easy for you to relax. It helped us greatly! and were using it again for our second cruise. You can highllight things and just talk about it w/your family.

Carol

 

[jiminyC_fan]

You know what???? I took my very first DCL cruise back in 2000 without ANY research and it turned out perfect. Don't sweat a thing! Go with the flow!

 

[B9erSteve]

So much to figure out! I am so overwhelmed.

Do you have to dress up every night for dinner?
Who do you tip? I have read about the tipping for everyone? Who?

Any newbie info would be appreciated.

Looking at the basic 4 night cruise.

Well, the nice thing is that you are at the right place for planning for your vacation. You wil find out a lot of information here!

That said, I think that you will find that Disneyphiles tend to be a compulsive planning bunch. (Not that there's anything wrong with that! He says in a Seinfeldian manner) I'm right there with everyone else, obsessing over every detail. It makes for great vacations for my family, but a crazy type of behaviour for me.

 

[Ski-and-Sea]

It was a great investment and all your questions will be answered. Makes it easy for you to relax. It helped us greatly! and were using it again for our second cruise. You can highllight things and just talk about it w/your family.

Carol

Another vote for the Passporter Guide. Also DCL will send you a trip planning kit that is a guide-like book with terrific information. But definitely buy the Passporter Guide as it has a lot more detail.

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

Enjoy your cruise and look at past navigators for information on your cruise to help you plan.

Work a budget for shore trips and photos etc.

 

[Heather98012]

We're taking our first Disney cruise next May & it seems like a lot more work/research/planning than any other cruise we've done! But that's ok.

You know, when I was pregnant I was driving myself crazy reading, researching, etc. My best friend told me "Women have been having babies since long before the printing press was invented, so STOP reading; you're only freaking yourself out!" And she was right.

I think planning this trip is the same way. Someone could drive themselves insane trying to learn it all, plan everything, etc. But will that make their trip any better than someone who simply booked, paid, & walked onboard? Probably not. Sure, you might miss something, but you won't miss a meal, you won't miss a port of call, etc.

We all know we can't do everything on board in one trip. So, I'm choosing to acknowledge that fact & try to plan the best trip I can. Plus, it just gives me another reason to rebook another one!

Edited to add: I am totally anal & OCD, so I will try & take this to heart. But, I may end up freaking out about planning as well. We'll see what happens the closer we get to the day we leave!!

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Enjoy your cruise and look at past navigators for information on your cruise to help you plan.

Where can we find these?

Just a word about the Passporter . . . At this point, you might want to wait until the 2008 one comes out depending on when your cruise is. I went to order one and came to this conclusion.

 

[CraftyMouse]

Where can we find these?

Just a word about the Passporter . . . At this point, you might want to wait until the 2008 one comes out depending on when your cruise is. I went to order one and came to this conclusion.

Here...
http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/cr-stateroom-navigator.htm

FYI, the third post on this page is a DIS DCL FAQ. Lots of great information! The link above will take you directly to the Navigators page of the FAQ. Enjoy!

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Thanks for the link! I did read the FAQ but must have missed this somehow.

 

[cdndizzylizzy]

Have you read some trip reports? I found them enjoyable to read in the first place, and kept a notepad nearby to jot down hints and "things they would do differently next time". I had quite a list after a while... Some of the authors on this board have truly missed their calling. They could be published...

I agree with the thoughts of some other posters. I enjoy the DIS because it makes me think about our past and future cruises once or twice a week. I did not get disappointed one bit on our first cruise when all of the things that other cruisers did had not happened for us - we found our own Magic. On the other hand, so many little things that I picked up from reading the DIS made a difference in small ways - coloured highlighters, a clock, a nightlight, a door sign, shoe-holder storage, getting to the port early to ensure I got Palo ressies and that we had bathing suits on already so that we could swim in a pool with fewer kids in it - these were some of the many things that we learned and "actioned" because they made sense to us. But, I am sure we would still have booked again even if I had not known any of these things...

If you find Trip Reports that are for the same cruise that you are taking, you can also learn more about the different excursions and what others do in these ports...

Have fun with your planning!

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I think that the trip reports suggestion is a good one! I have only read a couple so far but it's so fun to read them and it gives you a better sense of what it will be like.