What I would do/not do next cruise

[tweis]

I have 7 months before my cruise, what if I over buy gift cards to use? Would I get a refund of money in cash or right back on the gift card?

It will be refunded to the gift cards. It is also very important to remember that when paying for a cruise with gift cards. If you have to cancel the gift cards get refunded which is fine if you don't need cash back I guess.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have 7 months before my cruise, what if I over buy gift cards to use? Would I get a refund of money in cash or right back on the gift card?

Any onboard credit you have because of gift cards must be credited back to a gift card, so keep one handy.

 

[SoCaOC-Mom]

I would buy travel insurance! I'm still kicking myself for the $3000 ER bill in Nassau.

I would bring air freshener for the bathroom.

I would bring mousse or hair gel to scrunch my hair. I have straight hair and the humidity made it frizzy.

I would see all of the shows, and get there early for a good seat.

Oh no. I am sorry to read this. I hope everything turned out okay.

 

[pchyjewels]

Back onto the card.

Nancy

I believe you have 90 days to return unused cards. This is target general return policy.

 

[neg58]

I believe you have 90 days to return unused cards. This is target general return policy.

Can you return gift cards? Maybe with the original receipt, but I'd make sure before you buy too many if this is a concern of yours. I would bet they'd have to check each one for the balance. If you purchased it with a Red Card credit card, it would be refunded to that card; I'm not sure what they would do with a debit card. Since I use a credit card and pay within 25 days, I'd then have a big credit on my Red Card!

I just buy what I know I'll use, or can use at the parks if my cruise is cancelled.

Nancy

 

[Jugglemom]

I have 7 months before my cruise, what if I over buy gift cards to use? Would I get a refund of money in cash or right back on the gift card?

I don't understand. Is there some sort of discount if you buy with gift cards? What is the difference between paying the cruise with a gift card and putting it on your regular card? I am clearly missing something

 

[DillWaters]

I don't understand. Is there some sort of discount if you buy with gift cards? What is the difference between paying the cruise with a gift card and putting it on your regular card? I am clearly missing something

People often get perks from their loyalty cards. For example, you can use a Target Red Card to buy the Disney gift cards at a 5% discount.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I don't understand. Is there some sort of discount if you buy with gift cards? What is the difference between paying the cruise with a gift card and putting it on your regular card? I am clearly missing something

The break isn't in using the gift cards, exactly. But at some places (like Target) you can get a discount by using your Red Card to purchase the Disney gift cards. With the red card, anything you purchase with it is 5% less. So a $50 Disney gift card costs $47.50. Small savings, but if you buy enough, it could mount up.

 

[jmarsh]

I don't understand. Is there some sort of discount if you buy with gift cards? What is the difference between paying the cruise with a gift card and putting it on your regular card? I am clearly missing something

I buy my GC at Target, with my Red Card, and I save 5% on everything I purchase. I paid off my cruise with GC and saved 60$ this way. I'm planning on buying $1000 more for spending money between cruise and WDW... So that will be more savings

 

[Jugglemom]

I buy my GC at Target, with my Red Card, and I save 5% on everything I purchase. I paid off my cruise with GC and saved 60$ this way. I'm planning on buying $1000 more for spending money between cruise and WDW... So that will be more savings

Ahh...I see...

 

[southlake]

The clockface is not lit, so you can't see the time when the room is dark.

Is this the case on the Fantasy, too?

Things I will not do:

-wait till the last minute to book nursery time - we tried but were unable to get any adult time due to the nursery being at capacity

When can you book nursery time? Do you have to do it on the ship?

Things I wouldn't do:

1. FE Exchange...too expensive and time consuming to deliver gifts. So much stuff to bring home.
   

This is exactly why I'm not participating in FE. I just can't imagine packing more things than I need to, have enough scheduling to worry about than finding someone else's cabin to deliver gifts, and bringing more random stuff home that I did not choose!

 

[disneyholic family]

updating after my 4 day dream cruise

Things i would do again (in no particular order):
1. rainforest room - we only "discovered" it on the last sea day and enjoyed it so much we would definitely do it again, but this time i would buy the pass for the entire cruise

2. the interactive game - a lot of fun

3. eat breakfast/lunch in the royal palace

4. bike on castaway cay

5. go to the theater shows - all were great

6. go to the adult comedy show, but get there early enough to get a decent seat

7. get a concierge suite

Things i would do that i didn't have a chance to do on the last cruise:
1. ride the aqua duck (when we finally went to try it, it was closed down due to the high winds)

2. eat at Remy - my mom and i really wanted to, but my sister didn't so we skipped it

3. go to the various games and whatever, that i didn't get a chance to go to

4. i would hang out on my balcony and veg ....this is my favorite thing to do, but we didn't really have a chance on this cruise due to the high winds.

5. participate in more of the dis meets - i managed to get to the first one, but i think there were multiple get togethers that i wasn't able to attend as i was with non-disers who weren't interested.

Things i would skip
1. i would not go to palo brunch again - we were very disappointed in both the food and the service. The food and service in the MDRs was far superior. In fact, our MDR server was outstanding!!!

2. I wouldn't get off the ship in nassau (i wouldn't have but my mom and sister wanted to)

3. i wouldn't get a cabana - it was great for my mom and sister, but if i were on a cruise with DH, i would definitely skip it....no need for us...

 

[Purplejewel]

THINGS I WOULD DO:
1. Pre-Order a bottle of wine (Santa Margarieta Pinot Grigio to be exact) to
be waiting for me in my room upon arrival. I enjoyed having a glass of
wine while getting dressed for dinner on several nights.

2. Take advantage of all the great photo opportunities - I got so many great
photos from my last cruise that we ordered the CD and all the prints.

3. Not wait until the last night to have a before dinner drink in Oh La La (the
Champagne Bar). I really enjoyed their champagne cocktails.

4. Get up early one morning and grab a double-person lounge chair at the
adult-only pool to enjoy for a few hours while it is still not crowded.

5. Eat at more of the lunch buffets. I only ate one lunch buffet on my most
recent 7-day cruise and missed out on alot of the themed buffets.

6. Go to all the "Anyone Can Cook" classes. I went to two on my last cruise
and they were very informative and fun.

7. Go to the gift stores on board early and make purchases before they sell
out of items. On my last cruise, I choose to "think about" a few items
and then they had sold out by the time I made up my mind to buy them.

8. Go to the coffee bars a few times. I was so full most of the time on my
last cruise, I didn't even think about ordering a speciality coffee.

9. Try the Drink of the Day each day. On my last cruise, I tried them on
several days and enjoyed them. I would probably have liked all of them if
I had tried them. And they are a great price!

10. Get one of the specialty priced deals at the spa on a sea day again. I
got one on my last cruise and it was amazing and did not cost as much
money as pre-booking a spa treatment before the cruise.

11. Definitely do the Remy Brunch again. Amazing!!! I would also do the
Champagne pairing again - it was fantastic!!!

12. Pre-book another cruise while on-board to get the 10% off and OBC.

13. Enjoy my balcony more.

14. Ride the Aquaduck more than twice.

15. Do mini-golf. Did it on my last cruise and it was quite fun.

16. Go to the gym more than twice. Aim for at least every other day.

17. Not be afraid to order a food item at dinner that is not on that night's
dinner menu. I really enjoyed the Black Truffle Pasta Purses on the first
cruise night and wanted to have them again but was too nervous to ask
for them even though I knew the server would be able to get them for me.

THINGS I WOULD NOT DO:
1. Go parasailing in the pouring rain at Cataway Cay. Did that on my last
cruise and it was miserable. Next time, I will just be out the money.

2. Think about the cruise ending before the last day. Easy to say
but hard to do.

3. Eat so much. Also, easy to say and hard to do.

 

[tweis]

I don't understand. Is there some sort of discount if you buy with gift cards? What is the difference between paying the cruise with a gift card and putting it on your regular card? I am clearly missing something

I buy GCs at Kroger and earn fuel points and save up to $1 off per gallon of gas up to 35 gallons per fill up. Very good savings for us.

 

[tictoc]

I buy GCs at Kroger and earn fuel points and save up to $1 off per gallon of gas up to 35 gallons per fill up. Very good savings for us.

Right now you can do up to two dollars off per gallon. When the cards are 4X fuel points one 500 dollar card saves you 70 dollars!

 

[KingRichard]

Right now you can do up to two dollars off per gallon. When the cards are 4X fuel points one 500 dollar card saves you 70 dollars!

Not sure where it is $2 per gallon?

Not to many people have 35 gallon tanks?

 

[tictoc]

Not sure where it is $2 per gallon?

Not to many people have 35 gallon tanks?

The gas at Krogers costs the normal price but if you have the accumulated credit on your Kroger plus card you can get $2 discount per gallon for up to 35 gallons. We have 4 drivers and cars in our house so we just fill two up at a time to get the full 35 gallon discount.

 

[dznystar]

I buy GCs at Kroger and earn fuel points and save up to $1 off per gallon of gas up to 35 gallons per fill up. Very good savings for us.

do they have disney gift cards or are you just buying visa/mc ones?

 

[tweis]

do they have disney gift cards or are you just buying visa/mc ones?

They have Disney and they have the ones that you can load anywhere from $15-$500 on them instead of just the $25 and $50 cards that Target has. It saves us alot. My DH and I fill up our tanks at the same time to get the most savings.

 

[tweis]

Right now you can do up to two dollars off per gallon. When the cards are 4X fuel points one 500 dollar card saves you 70 dollars!

I know. It's great isn't it

My DH and I fill up at the same time to save even more.