This will be our first cruise ever. September 21st can't get here soon enough. We are being brave and taking all 6 of our children. Yes I said 6. I have 4 girls ages 13, 9, 6 and 1; and 2 boys ages 12 and 5. Anyone have any good suggestions of what to do and what to expect?
I'm probably late at getting to this and should have been planning for months, but I've been busy working and working.
We are staying in 2 cabins on deck 8 hopefully its a good one. Not that we plan on being in the room that much.
Any tips and tricks will be greatly appreciated!
The Dejno Family of Kenosha Wisconsin
Welcome! My daughter is 9 - although she will turn 10 the first day of the cruise. This'll be her 5th
Disney cruise, and 10th cruise overall. If you'd like her to email your kids just let me know. We're actually leaving on Sunday for a Princess cruise to the Baltics, but she should have time before then to write if you'd like. We're traveling with some friends who'll have 2 more 10 year old girls, and 2 12 year old boys. We're all on deck 8 also!
One decision you'll have to make is whether or not you want your 8-12 year olds to be able to sign themselves in and out of the club. Since this is their first cruise, and they won't be on the ship long enough to really know their way around, you might not want do do that. But if you do, I can give you some tips on rules you might want to set with them up front.
We've never done a member cruise before, so I don't know what to expect there. But here are some standard tricks/tips:
Pack the kids' swimsuits in your carry ons so they can go swimming as soon as you board the ship.
Don't miss the Sailaway Party up on Deck 9 right after the lifeboat drill.
At
Castaway Cay, the further you go from the ship, the less crowded the beach becomes.
Bring an extension cord for the cabin.
If you are in inside cabins, they are dark 24/7 so you might want to bring a nightlight or glow in the dark alarm clock.
The times for character meet and greets will be in your daily navigator.
Oh, and bring different colored highlighters. Each night, before we go to bed my DD and I highlight the activities we plan on doing the next day. We use pink for her, yellow for me, and orange for things we both plan on doing. It makes it so easy the next day to see who is where.
Don't overpack. On this cruise you can get by with a swimsuit and cover up for all 3 days.
Do take a look at the shore excursions on Castaway Cay. Last time we were there we booked the package that includes snorkeling gear, a float and a bike rental. You can swap the gear around within your party so you have everything you need to last all day!
The kids can eat lunch and dinner in the clubs if they want to (or you want them to), which makes it so much easier for the parents to have some down
time.
Have you watched the
Disney Cruise Line DVD? It really captures the magical experience onboard.
One final tip. If you think there's any possibility you will be going on another Disney cruise at anytime, then book another one onboard. That will allow you to save 10% on your next cruise, plus you'll get an onboard credit - the size of the credit depends upon the length of the cruise. You can change the date/length of the cruise without losing your onboard booking benefit. Since there are 8 of you, I'd suggest just booking 2 cabins with 2 people in each room. Then you can add the others later after you solidify a date. If you have a Disney Visa card, then you'll have 6 months from the date of the deposit to pay off the card. So essentially this gives you 6 months of an interest free loan to decide on whether or not you even want to use the booking!
What I'll do is book a 4 night cruise for late 2009 (since the deposit is lower for a 3/4 night than a 7), then when the 2010 schedules come out, I'll change the reservation to the new date.
I'm sure that's enough for now!
Wendy
Happy Birthday Bill!
DD5 celebrates her 6th birthday during our cruise (September 23rd/At Sea day). I am still undecided on how to make that day "extra" special for her.
Any ideas?
