Questions???Any help welcomed!

[jekclk]

First off LOVE the disboards! New to the cruise boards!

We will be party of 7 celebrating graduations from high school june 2009!
Parents along with our twin 18 year old grads two of thier friends 18 and our 15 year old daughter. (all girls)
We have not booked yet and feel maybe disney is the safe way to go.
The kids r easy going calm kids not wild at all! They want to celebrate but still want us around-amazing!

Questions:
Are the kids to old? R we to old?
Is June a safe time to go weather wise?
How is the water meaning waves??
Wich is better the Eastern or Western cruise?
Leaning toward balcony is it worth the upgrade?
Can u have a connecting room to balcony room that is a standard stateroom?
Can u prepay the tips?
Is there a place to park the car at the port? How much does that run?

Thanks for any help!
Cristy

 

[CraftyMouse]

Questions:
Are the kids to old? R we to old?
Goodness gracious...NO! DH and I are in our mid-40s and our kids are 13 & 16. We all love cruising on DCL and I don't anticipate that changing anytime soon.

Is June a safe time to go weather wise?
It is the beginning of hurricane season, but the ship will alter its course to avoid any storms so yes, you'll be fine!

How is the water meaning waves??
It will probably be just fine. The only thing that might cause increased waves would be any forming storms, but it's the beginning of the season so I wouldn't worry about it.

Wich is better the Eastern or Western cruise?
It really is personal preference, but we prefer the Western. We just like the ports better. I'd suggest researching the ports on both the Eastern and Western and choosing the itinerary that sounds best to you. Keep in mind that the Eastern has 3 sea days & 2 ports (plus Castaway Cay) while the Western has 2 sea days and 3 ports (plus CC).

Leaning toward balcony is it worth the upgrade?
We don't think so. We have cruised in inside cabins, cabins with a porthole and cabins with a verandah. I would cruise in an inside cabin every time but DH likes the natural light so we book a porthole stateroom. There is so much to do on board that we don't feel the increased fare (at least $1000 more for the verandah) to be worth it. Others will have differing opinions but that's how we feel.

Can u have a connecting room to balcony room that is a standard stateroom?
No, there are none like that. You can have them side by side but not connecting. You can also do a verandah stateroom with an inside stateroom across the hall to save more money. Unless you are dead set on the verandah I'd suggest connecting Category 9 (porthole) staterooms on Deck 2 (go for something between Midship & Aft). Deck 2 is a fantastic location and our favorite deck on the ship (we've stayed on 2, 5, 6, & 7).

Can u prepay the tips?
Yes, you can do this by calling DCL or your TA.

Is there a place to park the car at the port? How much does that run?
Yes, there is a lot right at the terminal. It is $15 per day, payable when you enter the lot. They accept cash and credit cards.

Thanks for any help!
Cristy

Happy Cruising!

 

[MassDisLovers]

We've done several cruises with our kids. We do love Disney, but to be honest, I think Royal Caribbean is a better choice for the ages of your kids. Disney is absolutely wonderful when the kids are young , great when they are older (we sail in a week with our DD 15 and 18) but the RC cruises we've taken seem to have a lot more to do for the later teenage years. The rock climbing walls, ice skating, variety of shows (not all Disney related) teen dance clubs, sports deck with mini-golf etc. are great. I'll probably have lots of people mad at me for saying this but......it's my opinion. Plus, RC is much cheaper than Disney, and with all those girls you'll certainly be spending some quality shopping time on the islands, so you can use the extra $$$ !

 

[jekclk]

Thanks so much for the quick info CraftyMouse!

 

[jekclk]

MassDisLovers i've been torn between Disney and RC!! The girls r 18 and i guess will be excluded from all the "teen" spots but i feel they arent ready for the "adult" seen. Dont remember where i read it but i read that the RC hot spots were very packed and busy? I guess the major issue for me is thier safety roaming around on the ship. We have no experience with cruising and the people that have been went as adults only. Thanks for the info!
Cristy

 

[CraftyMouse]

MassDisLovers i've been torn between Disney and RC!! The girls r 18 and i guess will be excluded from all the "teen" spots but i feel they arent ready for the "adult" seen. Dont remember where i read it but i read that the RC hot spots were very packed and busy? I guess the major issue for me is thier safety roaming around on the ship. We have no experience with cruising and the people that have been went as adults only. Thanks for the info!
Cristy

The "adult scene" on DCL is fairly tame. I wouldn't hesitate to let my DD have access to the adult clubs on DCL when she is 18. I think that DCL attracts less of a "party" crowd than other ships do. I've also felt very safe allowing my teenage kids to have "roaming privileges" on board (with guidelines, of course).

 

[jekclk]

I do believe we will be going with Disney for our first cruise. Cat. 9 was looking better in prices. I do like the idea of having a window lol. I know we are looking into june 2009 after graduation. We need to narrow down wich one. Thanks!
Cristy ---im sure i will be asking lots of questions!!!--Do they have the pirate night on 7 night cruises?

 

[FairyGrandmother]

We are going on the June 20, 09 Eastern (Tortula) cruise. We are taking my 2 DGDs age 14 and 9 . It has been shaping up to be a good cruise . You can check out to cruise meets under (June 20, 2009 Magic). We chose this one because we wanted the extra day at sea. There is so much to do on the ship that we want more time to do it. I for one am taking the cruise to be on the ship and not for the ports, you don't have much time in any of them and deciding what to do with your limited time is hard. I would sugest you look at the different iteneries and find excersions you would like to do and make your choice based on that . My first cruise was on RCL and I really enjoyed it. But for me I think that DCL will be better right now.
Magie

 

[nzdisneymom]

Do they have the pirate night on 7 night cruises?

Absolutely! And it can be great fun getting together a pirate costume! I bet the girls would have a great time with it!

 

[jekclk]

Who knows we may be on the June 20th trip!!! We def. will be doing research on the ports! Im glad they have the pirate night!
Thanks,
Cristy

 

[Andrew DEREK UK]

I personally feel a verandah is well worth it for cruises of 7 nights and over, for 3/4 nights, you will not be in the room long and will only use it to sleep and dress, so inside is fine save the money.

But on any cruise of 7 nights or more, waking up to your own view on the sea, looking out as you arrive in port, breakfast on the verandah, looking at the sealife, having natural light, getting fresh air in your room, a verandah does come into its own, it depends on your budget.

I love my Cat 4's and watching the sea life from it.

 

[frdeb1999]

All my dd's now (19, 17 and 13) about freak out on me when I mention even trying another cruise line. We all love disney and they do it great no matter what the age! We choose to go with the cat 9s as we're rarely in the room and the window is more then enough for us.