I've had the opportunity to go on a handful of Disney Cruises and here's my little list of things to keep in mind:
*Do Make time for all the shows! You will have time to go to them no matter which dining time you have. Some of them I like more than others, but I've never left a show thinking "that was the worst hour (or so) that I'll never get back!"...
* It really doesn't matter what your dining rotation is. You will get to experience everything and on some cruise lengths, more than once. Don't worry about requesting a server... they *should* all be outstanding and if they aren't then that is why they have managers... don't be afraid to kindly address any concerns with a manager right away so they have appropriate time to fix your concern and take care of you!
*for the ice cream stations on the pool deck, go to the soda machine and grab a big cup and fill THAT with ice cream instead of the little tiny cones they offer! Then go into the buffets and get fruit or other yummy goodies they may have as toppings!
*If you can, wait till the ship is at a port to do the Aqua Duck, the lines are generally much shorter (not ALWAYS the case) or in my personal experience non existent while the ship is at castaway!
* Bring something (pillow case, vinyalmation, photo matte, etc) to leave at guest services with a package of sharpies to have the characters sign it! My husband and I did this on the Dream. We are in our 20s and don't have any kids, but it was our favorite souvineer from the ship and best yet... it was FREE!
* Palo Brunch is SO good! The chicken Parm was the best I had in any of the dining rooms and the dessert buffet was heavenly. WELL WORTH the 20 bucks per person to eat there in my opinion!! I can't speak for Palo Dinner since I haven't done that yet but I hear outstanding things about it.
* Something to keep in mind, Disney Cast Members will do everything in their power to make your experience memorable and magical but please please please, don't ASK for "magical" things to happen. Should you note it on your reservation if you have something you are celebrating- definitely! But.... don't "expect" things to happen because of it. You will only get disappointed and it's not worth it! I used to work at Disney and I can't begin to tell you the number of times guests were upset because they "expected" magical moments. Do cast members do them, by all means YES! do they do them for every single guest? No. They wouldn't be extra special then
Think good vibes, smile and enjoy your vacation!!! You deserve it!!! And if something extra magical happens then boy, do you have an awesome story to tell those back home!
* If you can, participate in a fish extender! They are a lot of fun!
* Play Bingo, once! It's expensive, so if you can afford it play until your hearts content! It's fun if you like games and the cast members that work it are pretty funny most of the time
* Go to the adults only shows! They can be hysterical!
* "Meet" people online before you sail! That way, you'll already know some people on the same sailing as you. You could link reservations and possibly sit with them at dinner like my husband and I did, or simply have a couple new friends to grab an after dinner cocktail with! Or hang out at the pools with, so on.
* Remember to smile, your on vacation!
* Don't forget sunscreen!!! I don't really burn that easily and I don't know what it is about Castaway, but I can apply sunscreen generously about every half hour and I burn to a CRISP every time I'm there. I just so happen to think Castaway is worth it lol but... seriously... don't take it for granted. Gob it on! A lot of it!
* Speaking of Castaway, from what I hear, the earlier that you hit the island, the lower the tides will be... IDK how true this is but hubs and I hit the adult beach right when the ship docked and we could walk for QUITE a ways out into the ocean and the water was only up to our waist. A couple hours later, it had rose significantly. I'm sure a lot of factors go into this though... but something to maybe keep in mind.
And finally.... I know "it's Disney" and people expect perfection and rightfully so... the cast does everything they can for everyone they can. Please remember so say please and thank you and flash them a sincere smile every now and then. Stop them and talk to them about how much fun you've been having, what your favorite thing has been so far, what you're looking forward to.... talk to them about where they are from, why they wanted to work for
DCL... talk to them about their families.... doing this has been one of the most fun things for me!! You always hear that tipping is so important and that is VERY TRUE if you feel the service was worth it but when I was working at WDW, a simple guest smile would MAKE MY DAY! a simple "thank you!" would make me work even harder for the next guest and boy oh boy do those DCL cast work LONG hours and like EVERY day of the week!! Just keep that in mind and who knows, you could be the provider of a magical moment for a cast!
ABOVE ALL ELSE... Have a WONDERFUL cruise:good vibes