Thinking of booking 1st DCL trip, tips you wish you had know on your 1st cruise.

[peimikes]

With the changes to DCL alcohol policies have made DCL far more appealing than in the past for my wife and I. So we have thought of adding a 4 day Bahamas cruise to our WDW trip in Oct 2016. What are some things you wish someone had let you know for your first DCL trip, or any other cruise. This will be a family trip so we will be traveling with our 9 year old daughter.

 

[Patsydust]

Hmmm, tough to say! So much to do and so many great things! I will say I went on my first cruise when I was 13 and I didn't do many of the shows (got addicted to the kids club) and my mom made me go to the last one and I was bummed I missed so many of the other shows! Since then I go to all shows and they are a great! I prefer the late dining seating and you can request which one you'd prefer (isn't always guaranteed though). So I would sit down and think out what works best for you because it can really make a difference. Don't forget some of the fun DCL culture stuff like Pirate Night (Dress up and have a blast!) and decorating your door with fun magnets and signs etc. (and if your really bold, google Fish Extending and see if that is for you!). Also if you are on one of the newer ships (Fantasy or Dream) I would try to plan the dining restaurant rotations (not sure if you can request it) but getting Animators pallet twice is the way to go. Not sure if a four day gets you a duplicate or not, but Animators is different on pirate night and it can be kinda cool, and if you only get animators on pirate night then you miss out on how it regularly is! For the Bahamas I didn't really enjoy getting off at Nassau, wish I had stayed on ship. Some of the shopping isn't great and dealing with the hasslers was not enjoyable at all, but it was still a step up from Mexico! Will never do that again! The ships a lot of fun and usually my sea are my favorite anyway! So much to do! My only tip that I stress you follow is that you have fun and don't worry about fitting every single little thing it, just relax and enjoy what you can! DCL is totally magical and fantastical!

 

[plutos1fan]

Hi,

The biggest advice I can give you since its sounds like you are in the beginning states of planning a first DCL cruise is to compare prices on cruise if you can. The prices can vary week to week even if it is the identical ports and length of cruise. You can ave a good amount of money by comparing cruises! I wish you the best as you plan your cruise.

 

[sambycat]

i'm assuming you mean the alcohol policy is what makes you more likely to cruise now? not sure what you meant, but (since that is the hot button change at the moment) there are more restrictive drink policies on all the other cruise lines - not sure if thats what you meant about that one!

otherwise, i had read passports cruise guide prior. all i really wish i had grasped was to rebook something on board, we've cruised yearly since. otherwise, all the tidbits and tips, IMHO, were "too much" for a first cruise. have a great time!

 

[A_Princess'_Daddy]

If you have never been on a cruise before, keep in mind that many people will claim that the ship is so big you'll never feel it moving and that you won't get seasick. I don't know you, and don't know whether you get motion sick, but I can say with 100% certainty that in all my cruises I have never felt the ship not moving and, if I had not taken preventative steps to avoid motion sickness, it would have been a disaster.

Therefore, to answer your question, I wish people had not told me that I'll never feel the ship move, because I was not prepared for the fact that it was alway clearly moving beneath my feet!

 

[professorandmom]

My suggestion relates to the DIS boards: they are an incredible wealth of tips and ideas...they also can promote angst! Hot button issues like whether you need permission from a non-custodial parent, whether you will need a passport, etc can cause distress. Remember when Sarah Palin said Paul Revere rang bells - and people changed Wikipedia to be sure it said that Paul Revere rang bells...the same is true on the boards. Some one will ask a question. For example, "will your room steward do x." People will answer definitively. "Yes." others will post "No way" You may wonder what is the right answer...when, in truth, there may be no right answer available.

 

[over50visits]

Hold on to your wallet. There's a list here of almost 50 ways Disney wants to separate you from your money (photos, for example). You can have a wonderful, spectacular, memory-filled cruise and not have to spend again as much as you spent on your cruise fare. So much is included with your fare, you can't begin to do it all. And there is my second tip, don't even think of trying to do it all. Pick what looks like fun, relax, and relish.

 

[CrawfordMomof2]

My suggestion relates to the DIS boards: they are an incredible wealth of tips and ideas...they also can promote angst! Hot button issues like whether you need permission from a non-custodial parent, whether you will need a passport, etc can cause distress. Remember when Sarah Palin said Paul Revere rang bells - and people changed Wikipedia to be sure it said that Paul Revere rang bells...the same is true on the boards. Some one will ask a question. For example, "will your room steward do x." People will answer definitively. "Yes." others will post "No way" You may wonder what is the right answer...when, in truth, there may be no right answer available.

Very well said.

 

[bumbershoot]

My suggestion relates to the DIS boards: they are an incredible wealth of tips and ideas...they also can promote angst! Hot button issues like whether you need permission from a non-custodial parent, whether you will need a passport, etc can cause distress. Remember when Sarah Palin said Paul Revere rang bells - and people changed Wikipedia to be sure it said that Paul Revere rang bells...the same is true on the boards. Some one will ask a question. For example, "will your room steward do x." People will answer definitively. "Yes." others will post "No way" You may wonder what is the right answer...when, in truth, there may be no right answer available.

But what do those have to do with passports or notarized permission?

If you're asked for proof that you can take your kid, you're going to need that. Why not get it?

If you have an emergency and need to fly home, you're going to need a passport. You'll be waiting in an office and paying lots of money while you just want to be on a plane. If that's unappealing to you, no matter how unlikely it might be for it to happen, why not get a passport?


Whether or not a room attendant is going to do something is hardly on the same level as those. If you need that note, if you need that passports, you NEED those things.


OP, not sure if you're the same one who said the same-ish thing the other day, but either way, there WILL be drinking on your cruise! There will be people getting bottles of wine, having lots of beer, buying umpteen drinks of the day. Just because people will be paying more for those drinks doesn't mean they aren't going to be getting those drinks. If you are booking this because you think you're not going to see people drinking, don't book it. Please.


If you do book it, read the Navigators when you get them. The time you spent reading through them and planning things out will save you time and hassle (and disappointment when you get home and read them and realize that you missed this that and the other, etc).

 

[gismo1554]

slightly confused by the comment about the drinks policy as are others. Never noticed anymore drunks on DCL than on any cruiseline (but haven't been on the party one lol). People can still however purchase alcohol and bring wine onboard so they aren't becomign a dry ship or anything so I don't think that the very very rare drunken exploits that people report on here (never seen anything anywhere near as bad as those) will change.

I however would definitely try and get a Midship cabin as that way you notice a lot less of the ship movement. Also mid deck numbers always a good idea i.e. on the old ships deck 6 is quite a good one (decks above water go from 2-9). Haven't been on the Dream/Fantasy so not sure on these but this is true on the older ships. It just reduces the amount of movement which is good if you do get any motion sickness.

Also as others have said shop around. Usually the price might be the same but a lot of travel agents will offer incentives such as onboard credit and these can vary depending on the cruise.

Also don't believe you wont get any motion sickness either as I think a lot of people assume they wont. I use the Sea sick bands and these work wonderfully for anything (although maybe its psycological as never tried without). I just always think you should prepare!

 

[afyoung]

We took our first ever cruise last November. It was a 3 night on the Dream and we loved it. We are going on a 7N on the Fantasy in a month. I read a lot of information on Pinterest and found a blog DixieDelightsOnline.com to be very helpful. The writer of that blog loves Disney and writes wonderful trip reviews with little tips that worked for her family. I really felt like I "was in the know" by the time we got to our ship from reading her information. The important thing to remember is to take everyone's advice for what it is- just advice. What works for one family may not work for yours.

That being said here are some things I was glad to know. There are pictures in the Port terminal with characters. Get in line for this instead of the insanely long kids club line. You can preregister your kids for the kids club online, and after your first lunch onboard the ship you can pop up to the kids club and get the magic bands and all the stuff handled in about 15 minutes, and be able to check out everything in the kids club right then- all before your stateroom is ready. Pack a daybag with swimsuits, sunscreen and other important items you will need before your luggage makes it to your room. It could be late. We lucked out and our luggage was at our room at 1:30 when we were allowed into the halls to go to our rooms. There are several things that could have played a factor in this, so I will be testing these theories on our next trip. Be prepared to not be able to do every single thing you want to do. The ship is huge, there are tons of activities available plus port excursions. We chose the must do things for us and then filled in the time with whatever we saw that we wanted to do. We went with the hopes we would love the cruise and made sure we had the funds available to book a future trip while onboard because you get a decent discount and extra onboard credits. I know for our family we have a budget of spending money for trips, this future cruise money had to be worked into our spending money budget because we don't use credit cards due to our personal financial strategies. I was glad we planned for this. Use a Disney certified travel agent. Since you are familiar with Disney, you probably know this, but it really was a great thing for us. Plus, our travel agent gave us extra onboard credits for both cruises. Our onboard credits for this next trip are paying for a dolphin encounter excursion. If you choose to buy one of those fancy fruity drinks or souvenir beer mugs while onboard for the refill benefits- you don't have to carry around the glass. They will give you a chip to trade in at the bar every time you need a refill. At the end of the trip you can go back and trade your chip in for a clean glass in a box for safer travels. The deck parties are exciting but loud and crowded. My youngest doesn't like that much noise. We ended up sitting at the tables between Flo's and the hot tub during the parties on deck. We could still see most of the big screen and hear things, but it was less noisy. This was a great spot to view the fireworks show too. Away from the main crowd, but perfect views of the show.

Things I didn't plan well for...We took too much luggage in general, but especailly carry on. We were doing the cruise and had a few days in Orlando afterwards, so I packed for a week. I should have left the clothes for the land part of the trip packed in the car. I was so paranoid about needing something before we got access to our luggage that I carried a heavy bag as a carry on and my husband also carried a big bag. We ended up not needing anything except some medications that he takes regularly and our swimsuits. I forgot to make sure we had the extra battery for our camera when we left the ship in Nassau. We missed some really great pictures because of this. Because I had not packed strategically before the trip, we opened and unpacked all of our suitcases. This means that on the last night when I should have been out enjoying the ship I was in the room packing up all of our ridiculous suitcases before 10pm. Normally I pack so much better, but this was not the case and so for this next trip I am planning the suitcase situation better. So maybe keep in mind the suitcases need to be ready to go on the last night, and use some down time before dinner to make sure you handle that. The shops on the ship are not open when you are in port. You will not be able to take your daughter down to get that Ariel shirt that she "needs" in the morning because you are in port. We were on a Very Merrytime Cruise. The first night was the lighting of the Christmas tree. We didn't really plan to attend. My son was in the kids club and I was on my way to get him to get ready for bed. I got to the atrium. Santa was there. There was hot chocolate and cookies and SNOW. Sweet goodness it snowed on the ship in the middle of the ocean. I have heard this happens at MK too, but I have never seen it. At that point I realized that when something was happening in the atrium it would be worth our time to check it out.

Enjoy your trip have a good time.

 

[mevelandry]

Hi,

The biggest advice I can give you since its sounds like you are in the beginning states of planning a first DCL cruise is to compare prices on cruise if you can. The prices can vary week to week even if it is the identical ports and length of cruise. You can ave a good amount of money by comparing cruises! I wish you the best as you plan your cruise.

Strongly agree. Ex: 4 nights departing from Miami on the Wonder is less expensive than 4 nights departing from Port Canaveral on the Dream.

 

[gumbypee]

nothing wrong with Mexico either. I had a wonderful cruise there. very lovely places that I went.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

-To book an 8A stateroom on the Fantasy or Dream. Loooooove this type of room! So spacious. (If you want a verandah, though, this wouldn't be helpful.)

-That you don't have to do Mid-Ship Detective Agency all at once. You can get the card and just do it as you see the artwork throughout your cruise. Or specifically allot some time looking for it. Or do a combination of the two, which is what we did on our last cruise. (On our first DCL cruise we skipped it because we thought it would take up too much time.)

-That the two coffee shops have "free" pastries you can get without buying a paid drink.

 

[ladypiph]

With the changes to DCL alcohol policies have made DCL far more appealing than in the past for my wife and I. So we have thought of adding a 4 day Bahamas cruise to our WDW trip in Oct 2016. What are some things you wish someone had let you know for your first DCL trip, or any other cruise. This will be a family trip so we will be traveling with our 9 year old daughter.

Take your time and do lots of research, Pinterest, DisBoards, disneycruiselineblog.com, and of course Disney cruise's main website are all great resources. When in doubt call DCL directly. I wish someone had told me before my first cruise that three nights would not be enough to really enjoy the boat itself. I would recommend 4 nights or longer that way you get a sea day to explore the ship. Dress up for pirate night its awesome don't miss the fireworks. Castaway Cay is a magical paradise spend as much time on the island as you can. If the budget permits purchase the picture package, my last cruise we walked away with 150 pictures and the CD costs about $195. I was able to make a very nice photo book. Set up a character call for your kids they will enjoy it. Try going during the holiday time (Halloween or Merrytime) Disney does the holidays right. Book as early as possible and you can find just about anything on YouTube. Parking at port is a little pricey but it is more convenient. Order the Disney cruise planning CD and booking with a TA (if it is easier for you) is a good idea as well. Set aside funds to re book on-board because you will cruise with Disney again.

 

[squirk]

I would echo that you can't do it all in one cruise, especially a 4-day. I mean, technically, you could do it all, I suppose, but you would be so overbooked that it might suck the fun out of the cruise and give you no time to relax.

Pick a small handfuls of "must-do"s, plan for those, and take everything else as it comes.

 

[JimmyV]

My suggestion relates to the DIS boards: they are an incredible wealth of tips and ideas...they also can promote angst!

Best. Advice. Ever. Dis Boards and Cruise Critic are great resources, and should be consulted. But don't let them overwhelm you. There are people who have cruised 20+ times and have all the "tricks of the trade" down to a science. What to pack for Pirate Night. How to decorate your cabin. The whole "fish extender" thing. And on and on. You cannot become an expert before you first step on board the ship, and it would be torture to try. You can quickly suffer from "paralysis by over analysis". Sometimes you want to learn things organically as they unfold in front of you. That does not mean that you shouldn't do homework. Just don't try to "copy" what others are doing.

Moving on to more mundane things...
Your cabin will NOT be ready for you when you first get on board, (unless you board on the late side...but being your first cruise, you will no doubt want and try to get on board as quickly as possible.) It's not like a hotel where you get your key and go straight to your room. (At least, not on DCL). You may have several hours where you are on the ship, but not allowed to go to your cabin. This means two things that are somewhat contradictory. 1. Pack limited carry-on luggage. Whatever you are carrying when you board, you will have to lug around until you get to your cabin. You don't want to be a pack mule as you wander around the ship. 2. (And somewhat opposite), try to have enough stuff with you such that you can enjoy some activities before you get to your cabin. Want to hang out at the pool or take a dip? Make sure you have sunscreen, a swim suit and maybe a hair brush with you so that you can enjoy the pool area and maybe change back into regular clothes before you get to your cabin.

As mentioned above, the Bahamian itinerary is not the most interesting. You may want to consider staying on board while at port. Totally personal view. But other than a nice snorkeling trip I took this year, there is nothing on Nassau that I have any great desire to do again. You shouldn't be overcome by FOMO in Nassau. The most fun might be on the ship.

And I don't know if this is feasible for you, but don't go into this thinking that: "Oh. I'll just tack on a 4 day cruise to our WDW vacation." The two vacations are totally different. If you are really excited by the idea of a cruise, I would give serious thought to planning a separate vacation to scratch that itch, make it longer than 4 days, and go someplace other than the Bahamas. The incremental cost increase to do a 7 day in the Caribbean is more than worth it. My first DCL cruise (Magic inaugural cruise in '98) was a short "odd on" to a WDW vacation, and when it was over, I wished that I had: a) booked a longer cruise that was a vacation unto itself; and b) gone someplace other than Castaway Cay and Nassau. This may or may not describe you. But you asked for "things I wish I had known" and for me, this is a biggie.

 

[jlynch924]

I'll echo what several people have mentioned: DIS boards. I wasn't aware of this resource until after my first cruise and I wish I would have known what valuable information could be found here. Of course, you're now already aware. Search the threads, take away what is useful and leave the rest. Above all, enjoy!

 

[godde8ss]

slightly confused by the comment about the drinks policy as are others. !

I'm with you...I read the title thinking, maybe I can get some good tips here...Then read the OP and thought, was this a passive aggressive way to stir the pot? Seems like it was trying to lure those who try and give great advice to the novice DCL cruisers, and hoping for some heated debate...Just my impression.

 

[girlbomb]

Took our first ever cruise in July! Wish I'd known:

How strong the air conditioning was inside the ship. I hadn't brought enough long pants or light sweaters and I was often cold.

How long it takes to eat at Palo or Remy. Had dinner at both; thought I was going to fall asleep on the table both times.

How long it takes for shore excursions to get underway. We have no kids, but other peoples' kids were getting IMPATIENT. It can be an hour between the time you muster and the time you arrive at your location.

How much fun it is when there's music and dancing in the atrium -- so nice just to lean over the railing and watch.

How badly I'd want to do it again.