Looking At Doing A Cruise And Have A Ton Of Questions

[ironpig70]

okay we are thinking of maybe doing a cruise next year and i went online and read a ton of stuff but still am left with alot of questions


1) we are a family of 5 so we will need a level 4 room(per disney cruise) which puts us in the dolphin/swan(would be a 4 day land 3 day cruise) is there a way to get an even cheaper hotel???


2) while on the cruise i see food is included now is this just 3 meals a day or any and all food???

3) is there mandatory tipping like "x" percentage or is it what you feel like giving????

4) 4 days is not enough time to see wdw and we would like to do 7 so could i book the first 3 on my own and then just taxi it over to the next hotel or would it be better to just to add it on to the same hotel we'd get for the cruise???


and generallly anything else that may be helpful this would be our first cruise and we may have to mortgage the farm to do so, so i'd like to get the most bang for the buck.

 

[samily]

To answer a couple of your questions:

All meals & snacks are included. The exceptions are packaged snacks outside the theatres and through room service (candy, bottled water, etc.) and Palo the adult only restaurant carries a 15.00 per person surcharge - Palo is by reservation only. You will be assigned a dining time for dinner only, lunch & breakfast are at your leisure. If you choose not to attend your assigned dining time there are counter service options on deck 9 and room service & on certain nights the Beach Blanket buffet is open for a sit down dinner. Alcoholic beverages are also extra, as are the specialty coffees at the adult only Cove Cafe . Softdrinks are included at all meals and at the 24hr drink station on deck 9. You will be charged for them if ordered at a bar or through room service. Room service is included (with the exception of prepackaged snacks, soft drinks, bottled water, etc). There is ALOT of food/drink available that you would be able to not spend any extra if you choose not to.

The recommended tip amount comes out to be about 11.00 per person (including children)/ per day. Tips are usually passed out on the last night. Room service and Palo tips are done at time of service.

Here are a few other things that would be extra if yu choose them:

excursions
internet
arcade
laundry
spa
photos
shopping/souvenirs

There are a few threads on here that list the extras in more detail - you may want to try a search...

A nice souvenir which doesn't cost anything is to drop off a pillowcase, tshirt or photo matte at guest services the first night on board - it will be returned to you on your last night with all the characters autographs. Also the last night the kids club have a fun "graduation" ceremony and each child participating receives a tshirt and Mickey ears graduation cap.

Hope this helps - have fun planning!

 

[123Disney]

We are booking our 3 night cruise and 10 nights at WDW seperately. I know there are some checking in perks, but we prefer to spend more time at Disney. We also decide which hotel we want to stay in. It works for us.

 

[RKB]

If you were to book your own cruise you could get two adjoining rooms, or rooms across the hall from each other depending on your kid's ages. This would be alot less money and would free you up to book any hotel you want for however many days you want. We always go to WDW after the cruise and just take the Disney cruise bus to the hotel, then use Magical Express (free) to get back to the airport when we leave to go home.

Looks like someone else already answered the food and tipping questions.

Have fun planning!

 

[eva]

okay we are thinking of maybe doing a cruise next year and i went online and read a ton of stuff but still am left with alot of questions


1) we are a family of 5 so we will need a level 4 room(per disney cruise) which puts us in the dolphin/swan(would be a 4 day land 3 day cruise) is there a way to get an even cheaper hotel???
Well, you could also do two connecting category 10 staterooms. This will give you more space and two bathrooms. Usually this is cheaper than a category 4. You will have to pay for two adults in each room. But it still seems to be quite a bit cheaper.

2) while on the cruise i see food is included now is this just 3 meals a day or any and all food???
Most food is included. You can eat at meal times and snack however you want throughout the day. There are usually dessert buffets and such late at night too. On the pool deck there is pizza, burgers, sanwiches, etc. that is free of charge to munch on. Most items from room service are free too. There are just a few food items that cost anything. Soda is free on the pool deck at the beverage station, but they will charge you for it through room service. As ironpig70 said, you will pay for alcoholic beverages, specialty drinks, and packaged food items. But you can even call room service and order Mickey bars and cookies for a snack and pay nothing. Palo (the adult only restraurant) has a service charge of $15 a person. But all other restaurant meals are free.

3) is there mandatory tipping like "x" percentage or is it what you feel like giving????
While tipping is not mandatory, it is recommended. And to be honest, it is expected. The serving staff is mainly paid by tips. DCL provides a chart to determine the tip amounts for you. The list amount is per person. For a family of five recommended total tips would run $162.50 for a 3-day cruise and $381.25 for a 7-day cruise.

4) 4 days is not enough time to see wdw and we would like to do 7 so could i book the first 3 on my own and then just taxi it over to the next hotel or would it be better to just to add it on to the same hotel we'd get for the cruise???
You can normally get a better deal by booking the cruise and hotel separate. This also allows you to book exactly the hotel accomodations that you want. So if you end up wanting a category 4 for the cruise, you could still book a moderate or pop hotel. You might price it each way and see what is best for you.

and generallly anything else that may be helpful this would be our first cruise and we may have to mortgage the farm to do so, so i'd like to get the most bang for the buck.

Hope that helps a bit. I always recommend the "Passporter's Field Guide to the Disney Cruise Line." It gives a great overview to all Disney cruises and has everything from tip charts to layouts of the ships, and reviews on shore excursions.

 

[scrapperjill]

Okay...I think for the most part all of your questions were answered...but I'll try and add a few things.

1) we are a family of 5 so we will need a level 4 room(per disney cruise) which puts us in the dolphin/swan(would be a 4 day land 3 day cruise) is there a way to get an even cheaper hotel??? As mentioned already...you may be better off booking TWO connecting rooms than doing the cat 4....more space and less $$. Another option would be to NOT do the Land Sea package and book a three OR four night cruise seperatly then just plan a WDW vacation to before or after your cruise. I'd highly suggest doing the FOUR night cruise if not the 7 nighter


2) while on the cruise i see food is included now is this just 3 meals a day or any and all food??? Yes most ALL food is included... Breakfast, lunch and dinner PLUS you have lots of options for other food though out the day up on deck 10 and throuhg room service (yep...room service is included for FREE 24 hours a day)...of course there are a FEW things with room service that do have a charge...like soda, bottled water, alochol, and candy. Palo the adults only resturant (that you NEED a reservation for has a charge per person...but it's TOTALLY worth doing (they have brunch on select days as well as dinner)

I think it's easer to list the things that are NOT free than what is... because most everything is already included in your cruise fare. Things that have a charge... ALL adult beverages, smoothies, soda that's ordered at a bar or pool/deck side (free at all sit down meals and at the self serve beverage station on deck 10) bottled water, Palo service charge, espressos and speclity coffee drinks. I'm sure there are a few more items but this is a good start.

In short...you'll be able to eat from the time you wake till you go to bed....for no additional fees if you like. There's not a shortage of food. Even when your at Disney's island (Castaway Cay)...

3) is there mandatory tipping like "x" percentage or is it what you feel like giving???? Tipping isn't mandatory. And unlike some other cruise lines it's left up to you. You are given a sheet with a break down of who should be tiped and suggested amounts (per person/per day). At the end of the cruise you'll be given envelops with insturction on what to do with them. Of course with all tipping it's really up to you if you wish to tip more or less than the suggested amounts.

4) 4 days is not enough time to see wdw and we would like to do 7 so could i book the first 3 on my own and then just taxi it over to the next hotel or would it be better to just to add it on to the same hotel we'd get for the cruise??? That's totally up to you. You may find a hotel that could save you a great deal...but you'll also be spending valuable time packing up your things and moving from one location to the next. I'd look into the cost of booking each portion on your own...that way you could book your vacation at WDW for how ever long you wanted at what ever hotel/resort you choose...then do the cruise. This is what we've done in the past....however we've only done the 7 night cruise with a few days at WDW before and after. By booking each seperatly you'll be able to select each portion to suite what you REALLy want.

and generallly anything else that may be helpful this would be our first cruise and we may have to mortgage the farm to do so, so i'd like to get the most bang for the buck.

Get active on the forum....looks like your well on your way with that one You'll learn ALOT of valuable information. And ask lots of questions Number ONE tip....Pack LITE !!! You won't need as much stuff as you think you may. Don't over plan or try to do everything...take it easy, relax and have fun. Research the ports your cruise is going to so you have an idea of what there is to do. Also alot of the times you can book excursions on your own for less $$ than what the ship offers...you just have to research

 

[dizziedupbaby0127]

okay we are thinking of maybe doing a cruise next year and i went online and read a ton of stuff but still am left with alot of questions


1) we are a family of 5 so we will need a level 4 room(per disney cruise) which puts us in the dolphin/swan(would be a 4 day land 3 day cruise) is there a way to get an even cheaper hotel???
I agree with the idea of booking 2 cat 10 with connecting rooms. When I was in the process of booking our land/sea I didnt hear great things about Swan/Dolphin. Because they are privately owned but act as a Disney resort things are different there.


4) 4 days is not enough time to see wdw and we would like to do 7 so could i book the first 3 on my own and then just taxi it over to the next hotel or would it be better to just to add it on to the same hotel we'd get for the cruise???

I am doing a 4land/3 sea for my honeymoon and we know that the 4 days wont be enough. So we are adding a seperate ressie for All star music for 2 additional days.

We liked the land/sea package because it actually was ALOT cheaper for us Dec 14th-21st 2008, and we are getting to stay in a much nicer resort then we would normally be able to afford. We will be at the POLY for the land part of our trip.

We also added the Disney Dining Plan for the land part of the vacation. It is about 39.99 a night per adult and includes 1 table service meal and 1 counter service meal and 1 snack a day.

Because we added the DDP we needed to book the pre-plan hotel night seperate. If you do not do the DDP you can add pre-nights and these i believe can be either at the same resort or a different resort.

The catch in booking seperatly is that you wont recieve your park tickets till the day you check into your package resort. We just plan on doing things like DTD, Mini-golf and the water parks on these days, so we have 4 full days at the parks.

Feel Free to PM me if you have more questions

 

[lovetotravel07]

We are doing 4 nights in one Disney hotel, a three-night with two Category 10 connecting (first was going with Cat 4 but with two teen girls wanted extra makeup/dressing/bag space and two bathrooms!), then 4 nights in a different hotel.

Getting rental car first night (have to stay off premises due to flights). Then town car to Cruise ship. Then renting car at cruise ship for 4 nights and return to airport.

We find me booking everything on my own for the most part saves us money on every vacation. Also bus/van transportation with 3 or more in your family is more than taxi/town car and very inconvenient. You have to squeeze in bus seat, put luggage under bus, and stop at other hotels before yours.

The Magic Express is not free to the Cruise Ship you would have to pay for transfers. They are $69.00 round trip per person for us that would be $280 and the town car would be $230.00 we are only doing it one way.