Newbie

[immalemon]

This is my first cruise ever! I am so excited, and feel so lost at the same time. I am trying to plan everything so we do not waste anytime trying to figure it all out there. How did you guys do it for your first trip? We are doing a 3night land/4 night cruise. It will be myself, my mom, and my 4 year old daughter. I would appreciate any suggestions on stuff. We are going on April 15. Anyone know about the weather this month, too? Thanks in advance.

Thanks, Amanda

 

[jrabbit]

Welcome Aboard . And what a way to spend your tax refund!!

For our first cruise we winged it. Didn't have a clue about these boards. After many cruises, we know what works for our family.

As far as determining what you might want to do and what to expect I would start by reading several of the trip reports on the cruise trip report board.

As far as general (and specific information) you should reference these web sites:
Castaway Club (they've been on over 35 DCL cruises!! - we've lost count)
Dave's Disney Cruise Line Tribute Site
Magical Disney Cruise Guide (click on one of the links on the left of the page
The Official Disney Cruise Line Web Site

And then finally, when you have more specific questions (tipping, dress code, excursions, etc, etc, etc) be sure to ask them here because You've Got Questions, We've Got Answers!!

Here's the best advice anyone can give:
*Don't stress too much on the details.
*Don't know everything there is to know about the cruise because you want to be overjoyed by the magic that happens and not constently be looking for it in specific places and times (surprises are nice!!)
*Relax and have fun. You can't do it all (thats why there WILL be a next time) so don't try!!!

Now here are a few details...
*There is lunch on the ship on embarkation day
*There are characters in the terminal before boarding
*They take your picture just before you board the ship. We've always purchased it because it's a great rememberance of the trip.
*Take the stairs - you'll gain less weight, be able to eat more and get to where you are going faster than by taking the lifts (elevators)
*Remember to tip everyone you are supposed to tip - they are working very, very hard to make this a memorable vacation

 

[clh2]

Welcome to the DIS!

With your trip coming up so quickly - your DD will have plenty of time to interact with the princesses on the ship - so if you have any character meals scheduled at WDW, - you may want to rethink them - particularly if money is tight! My big exception to this is the Crystal Palace - since Pooh and his friends do not cruise. We did too many character meals, which really took a big chunk of time out of our day and our ride time.

Also - on the ship - the CM's are very generous about letting you take your own photos of your own family with the characters. So bring lots of memory or film!

If your DD has a princess or Minnie Mouse costume, by all means bring it! The real characters love the children in costumes!

Be sure to ask any of your questions here! You most likely will get several different answers - just pick the one that makes the most sense for your family.

 

[tkd lisa]

Welcome to DIS! In answer to your question, I read these boards.....a lot!!! I also really enjoyed reading the trip reports, as it just gave me an idea what it would be like, without flooding the board with a million questions. Not that questions are bad, but I didn't even know where to start!

Now there's a book that wasn't available for our first cruise, and it's worth reading. It's the Passporter Guide to Disney Cruise Line by Dave Marx and Jennifer Watson. They also have a forum, but it's mainly WDW, not the cruise. You can check out their site for specifics, www.passporter.com

Have a great time!

 

[Tera]

Hey immalemon and Welcome!!! You will find everything you need to know about the DCL on this board. We don't sail for another year, but I feel I've got all the bases covered for our trip so far.

What part of CO are you in? We're in Littleton

 

[immalemon]

Thank you guys! And, I am in Lakewood, my mom in Grand Lake. So I am not far from you. I work in Centennial, so I am around you all the time I do have one question. I was told by Disney that their transportion will pick us up at 11:45 to go to the port. we will arive at approx 12:45 and they do not allow people on the boat untill 1. Should we take alternate transportation to get their sooner, only cause I really do want to book a couple of things. Let me know what you guys think is best! Thanks!

 

[Tera]

immalemom - Cool! You'll have to tell me all about your trip when you get back. Since I haven't done a cruise yet, hopefully someone else can answer your question.

Good luck and have a great trip!!

 

[DisneyTish]

We will also be sailing on 4/15 for our first cruise. Several other people sailing on that date have been chatting in the cruise meet forum. Your welcome to join the conversations and fun...just find the 4/15 threads. We are so excited and love to talk about our upcoming trip.

We are going to WDW first as well but we are driving ourselves so we can get there earlier than those coming on DCL buses. Not sure that this is the best thing to do but I just more comfortable getting someplace early even if I have to wait.

See you there!

 

[clh2]

You may want to look into taking a town car over to the port. The port opens around 10:30. The wait goes very quickly.

The boarding starts about noon, although the time varies, and is pretty dependent on DCL getting the ship cleaned up after the previous cruisers left. Lunch is available immediately upon boarding, with my family - if we wouldn't be getting to the port on DCL buses until about 1:30 or 2, we would have needed to buy lunch somewhere at the hotel before we headed on the buses.