1st time cruisers and it's a last minute booking. Can anyone share some important tips, strategies..

[Tulip2796]

We literally just booked a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise and we leave in 3 weeks. We have 2 boys, ages 6 and 2. We've never, ever, ever cruised. I don't even know where to begin. We are so excited but I'm overwhelmed. What are some key things that we should bring, or know? Helpful tips to help things run smoothly. And, I keep reading about door decorating and other traditions that other people know about but I have no clue! What are these traditions?

Also, booking so close to sailings are all the good excursions all full? Should we only book excursions through Disney or through outside companies too? So much.

Any help will be very much appreciated. Everyone I've asked says that a Disney cruise is amazing and I want to make it super special for my boys. Thanks!

 

[phinz]

My tips:

1. Don't try and do everything the first time. You'll be back.
2. Don't try and be everywhere the first time. You'll be back.
3. Don't try and see everything the first time. You'll be back.
4. Relax. Have fun. Do what you want to do without pressure. You'll be back.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We literally just booked a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise and we leave in 3 weeks. We have 2 boys, ages 6 and 2. We've never, ever, ever cruised. I don't even know where to begin. We are so excited but I'm overwhelmed. What are some key things that we should bring, or know? Helpful tips to help things run smoothly. And, I keep reading about door decorating and other traditions that other people know about but I have no clue! What are these traditions?

Also, booking so close to sailings are all the good excursions all full? Should we only book excursions through Disney or through outside companies too? So much.

Any help will be very much appreciated. Everyone I've asked says that a Disney cruise is amazing and I want to make it super special for my boys. Thanks!

First - take a breath.

The biggest tip I can give you - don't try to do everything, you can't. Just read the Navigator (daily activity guide) each night and line up what you want to do the next day. Don't over schedule. Allow for some down time. And just go with the flow.

Don't overpack. People aren't going to remember that you wore that shirt twice. Or those shorts.

The first time we visit a port we book excursions through the cruise line. Subsequent visits, we either do it ourselves, or book a different excursion. We really have no complaints about ship excursions. Some people don't care for them.

Door decorating (magnets only, no adhesives) is a fun thing to do. But certainly not required.

Be sure to bring sun screen. And sunburn relief products.

Always keep your camera in hand, ready to go. You never know when you may run into some random Disney character (no underground tunnels as at WDW to just pop up where they are going to have a meet). Check and see if there is still availability for any of the meet & greets that you can book in advance (Princesses; Frozen; character breakfast) if they are of interest to you. You'll find those under the "Onboard Fun" tab on the excursions page.

 

[FigmentSpark]

With a 2 year old, does she have to pre-book nursery time or is it drop in/drop off?

 

[DisneyEcho]

Be thankful your first Disney cruise will be a 7-night one. Mine was a 4-night cruise and that's way too short! Enjoy and Bon voyage!

 

[jwei]

Download the Disney cruise app, it is helpful to save your favorite activities so you know when and where they will be, and plan your schedule around. It is your mobile navigator.

I agree that don't try to do or see everything because that is impossible. Bring your pirate costumes, bring your own mugs for drinks.

Door decorating is fun and I highly recommend it, however it may be too late to order from profession designers. You could still DIY if you want. For first time cruisers it may be easier to book excursions through Disney. If the excursions you want are not available online, ask them once you board the ship. Have fun!

 

[jwei]

With a 2 year old, does she have to pre-book nursery time or is it drop in/drop off?

They accept walk-in but reservation is suggested.

 

[kathi]

Go online and find copies of old Navigators for your ship/itinerary. That will give you a good idea of the kinds of activities on the ship each day.

Understand you will not be able to do everything - think about what sounds the most fun and then have a secondary list of things you would like to try if you have time. That way you can manage your own expectations.

DO NOT OVERPACK - seriously pack your bags, then take everything back out and put 1/2 of it away. You can wear the same panst/shorts/skirts more than once and change out shirts. You can wear a shirt to dinner and then wear it again during the next day. You do not need a lot of fancy clothes. You can dress up for dinner or brunch if you like, but the rest of the day is very casual. There are laundry rooms on the ship and they are easy to use.

Google the Disney Cruise Door Magnets - you will see lots of ideas. It's fun to decorate your door and it's fun to walk around looking at other doors. It's certainly not something you have to do and you will not be lame if you don't do it on your first cruise.

Ask questions here - there are so many helpful and knowledgable folks who will help you!

 

[lbus42]

Relax, its a vacation.

As PrincessSchmoo said. "don't try to do everything, you can't". You will see why when you see your first Navigator. It is like a TV guide. There are so many activities to do at any given time. You and your family will have to choose which ones you want to do. I suggest bringing a different colored highlighter for every member of your family. Every evening you will get a Navigator for the next day. Every member of your family can highlight what they want to do and you can either separate or do things as a family.

Relax, its a vacation.

Bring sunscreen. At least 30 SPF. Also bring Aloe for sunburns and DEET for mosquitos. Bring a small first aid kit, containing bandaids, anti-acids, anti-diarreah meds, bonine, aspirin, etc... You can purchase this stuff on board, but the supply is small and it is expensive.

Relax its a vacation.

There is another thread on here "Lady B's Cruise Designs". If you ask her nicely, she might be able to rush you some magnet designs for your door. You then only have to print them out and glue them onto magnet material. Alternatively, there will be some magnets available for purchase both on board and online.

Relax, its a vacation.

I recommend going to the Disney shows in the Walt Disney theater, especially Aladdin and Wishes. They are of quite high quality and your family will enjoy them.

Relax, its a vacation.

Since the cruise is so close, you probably got 2nd dining seating (around 8pm). If you want to try for 1st seating (5:30 ish), there will be a designated time and place on embarkation day where you can request it.

Relax, enjoy your vacation.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We literally just booked a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise and we leave in 3 weeks. We have 2 boys, ages 6 and 2. We've never, ever, ever cruised. I don't even know where to begin. We are so excited but I'm overwhelmed. What are some key things that we should bring, or know? Helpful tips to help things run smoothly. And, I keep reading about door decorating and other traditions that other people know about but I have no clue! What are these traditions?

Also, booking so close to sailings are all the good excursions all full? Should we only book excursions through Disney or through outside companies too? So much.

Any help will be very much appreciated. Everyone I've asked says that a Disney cruise is amazing and I want to make it super special for my boys. Thanks!

If you are flying into MCO I recommend doing Disney transfers to/from the airport. They are more expensive than renting a car or private transfers but they walk you through everything and you literally do not have to think about a thing.

If doing excursions, since this is your first cruise I would definitely agree with @PrincessShmoo and book through DCL, once again they will hold your hand through everything and you do not have to think about anything.

Relax and enjoy this vacation and be sure to take some time to take a nap on the lounge chairs on deck 5 promenade on a sea day, you'll be hooked for life on cruising.

My other piece of advice is turn off your phone and unplug from from texts, email and social media, make this week about you and your family only, everyone else can wait to hear from when you get back!

 

[Laine Anderson]

We literally just booked a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise and we leave in 3 weeks. We have 2 boys, ages 6 and 2. We've never, ever, ever cruised. I don't even know where to begin. We are so excited but I'm overwhelmed. What are some key things that we should bring, or know? Helpful tips to help things run smoothly. And, I keep reading about door decorating and other traditions that other people know about but I have no clue! What are these traditions?

Also, booking so close to sailings are all the good excursions all full? Should we only book excursions through Disney or through outside companies too? So much.

Any help will be very much appreciated. Everyone I've asked says that a Disney cruise is amazing and I want to make it super special for my boys. Thanks!

Be sure to download the Disney Cruise app so you can see what's going on at any time during your trip. You won't need to pay for wifi to use the app and you can chat with anyone else in your group that also has the app.

Photos: if you have any photos taken by the Shutters crew, be sure to go to the Shutters 'store'. Log onto any kiosk and make sure all the photos in your account are there, there's a search feature you can use. If you want to buy any photos, go ahead and select them and put them into your cart and buy them mid-day on your last day before disembarkation or right around dinner time at the latest. They are open until 11pm but if you wait til after dinner to buy photos or search for any missing from your account, you'll be there forever.

I haven't heard many good things about booking excursions through any cruise ship. I'd venture on your own and book separately, but honestly, with young kids with you, it might be more fun allowing them to enjoy the ship when everyone else gets off. Fewer crowds in the pools, shorter lines for any water slides and there are still some character meets you can do.

Speaking of characters, go to the port adventures desk as soon as you board if there are any specific characters you want to see that require tickets. It was Anna and Elsa on our trip last time, and these are free, just not that many tickets available.

You can buy magnets to decorate your door, have some made on Etsy or by other DISers and then just print onto magnet pages at home. We got mickey ears made with our daughters' favorite characters, cut them out and used them. So cute.

The other tradition is called the Fish Extender Gift exchange, just google it to get the lowdown. At this point it might be too late to be added to a group, but you never know. There should be a meet board here on the DIS specific to your cruise date and ship where you can find the organizer. The organizer is just another cruiser, it's not something done professionally by Disney, just other Disney fans like you.

Have fun!

 

[TrySomethingNew]

Lots of good advice above. Will add that with a 2 yo, maybe bring some preferred detergent (they only have powder on board), and dryer sheets if you use them. Don't overpack, but my kids (esp my oldest) were rather messy kids and my DH had a knack for giving them things like chocolate ice cream while they had a new shirt (usually white or light) on. Anyway, that is what I would have had to plan for. Machines are quite large for stacked and on board a ship. I used 1/2 packet of the liquid Tide travel packs and it was enough for our loads. Of course, your kids and or husband may be neater/cleaner/more observant than mine. We've also used the onboard service (pay per item) and were very happy with that if you prefer that.

Kids meds: Tylenol/Ibuprofen, or whatever you might typically use (again based on my experiences with one of my kids in particular).

Your meds/eyeglasses, whatever is not easily replaced.

If you like nice family photos, just plan some basic coordinated outfits (at least not clashing!) because you'll have a few choices each night in the lobby to get pics taken with different backgrounds. They come out nicely. Our first cruise photos are our favorites because we were having a great time and it shows in the pictures.

Have a great time!! I've really wanted to go in the Fantasy, but haven't been able to make that happen yet!

 

[cruizincathi]

You are paying for the ship, so enjoy the ship! Play mini golf, do Midship Detective game, watch a movie in the theater and then on deck 11, ride the Aquaduck, see the shows, eat ice cream everyday, take advantage of photo opps, and meet the characters. Your kids will likely enjoy the kids club, so let them! Bring something pirate(as simple as you need to in the short time frame you have)and dress up for Pirate Night. Watch the fireworks!

You will have 3 ports plus Castaway Cay. I would tell you to pick 1 for an excursion. You can get off the ship and stroll the shops in port if you want some of the "culture", but if you try too much, your kids may rebel by port 3 You can get back on the ship for lunch and then enjoy having the ship to yourself for all listed above. You'll want to get off at Castaway Cay, also. It is a "not to miss", especially on your first time. As others have said, this won't be your last cruise, so more ports can be explored next time.

One of the best parts about cruising is that you don't have to pack and go from port to port. The ship does that for you. Enjoy your week together. Childhood lasts for such a short time so make memories

 

[Imahikergirl]

Bring a day bag (carry-on) for embarkation. Make sure your meds and paperwork (with IDs) are in that bag. As well, essentials for the afternoon. You could wait until dinner for your checked bags, so a change of clothes may be appropriate for your family as well as swim gear. Don't pack towels - at all, there are plenty provided. There are suggested lists on the board, keep in mind that a favorite irreplaceable stuffy is more important to pack than tons of clothes etc. They have stores for most things and ports if not on ship.

You may want to think about booking another cruise on board. You get 10% off the next cruise, a smaller deposit plus on board credit (different rules for concierge though). Or at least a placeholder that'll save you the 10% on a future cruise (within 2 years of current cruise) with a small refundable deposit.

Have fun and don't over schedule and wear yourselves out.

 

[summerskye]

We literally just booked a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise and we leave in 3 weeks. We have 2 boys, ages 6 and 2. We've never, ever, ever cruised. I don't even know where to begin. We are so excited but I'm overwhelmed. What are some key things that we should bring, or know? Helpful tips to help things run smoothly. And, I keep reading about door decorating and other traditions that other people know about but I have no clue! What are these traditions?

Also, booking so close to sailings are all the good excursions all full? Should we only book excursions through Disney or through outside companies too? So much.

Any help will be very much appreciated. Everyone I've asked says that a Disney cruise is amazing and I want to make it super special for my boys. Thanks!

Welcome to the best place Disney related...(other than the world, land or DLC)

Congrats on the cruise. We too are on this same cruise. We have been counting down for a long long time. It's our 1st cruise so i don't have any tips. The best advice would be read these boards and ask. Everyone is super helpful and they love to share. See ya real soon.. i know kinda goofy...

 

[Tulip2796]

Thank you everyone! We are really excited! Less than 3 weeks to go. Reading lots of old posts to try to get more info. I understand now why people book so far in advance, there's lots to figure out! We're driving to the port, so at least I don't have to worry about getting on a plane and managing all that, otherwise I'd really be in trouble

 

[Donna M]

Since you have been reading old posts, you have probably read the packing lists. On our first 3 night cruise we (2 adults) had a regular suitcase and 2 carry-ons. We had plenty of shelf space and didn't use a lot of what was packed, no need for duck tape (I thought that was funny, but I was a newbie.)

I have since been on additional 3,4 nighters and a 7 night cruise and will be cruising again in Oct. We only travel with carry-ons now, and I still have some clothes that don't get worn.

Most of our time is spent in a bathing suit.

Using a Disney excursion takes away the stress of the possibility of missing the ship since they will hold it for all their excursion people to get back.

Just remember the paperwork, id's, and bathing suits, and have a great time. Don't stress about it.

 

[Macprincess]

If you wish to book Palo's or Remy's for an adult night out and it's unavailable via online booking in advance don't fret about this. Look over the Navigator they give you at check in. This will inform you where to go once on board to book. Do so promptly and odds are you will be able to get in as they hold back a few reservations. As soon as you do this head to the nursery to add this time frame for your two year old.

Also, don't be hesitant to go to guest services to see if you can wait list for excursions that might be full. As Florida residents we booked our last three cruises with very short notice. The last one was less then a week out. We were able to get just about everything we wanted to do...Our motto is as long as we have our passports, credit card, and the availability of a cold frosty adult beverage we can make a DCL cruise fabulous no matter what.

Seriously the easiest and best vacations for my family. I've even done a last minute DCL with my three children alone.

Enjoy!

 

[mom+3girls]

Try and relax. Don't over do it before the cruise or on the cruise. Don't over plan.
If you need diapers pack them, they will be very expensive on the ship.
Have your 6 year old in his swimming trunks when you board the ship he might want to enjoy the pool and it's hard to change in those bathrooms. Pack lots of sunscreen.
And speaking from experience take along some Neosporin and hydrocortisone cream, you never know when you are going to need it, and yes a small tube of hydrocortisone cream on the ship in 2009 was like 9 bucks.
The ship's deck can be very hot so make sure you have some flip flops.
Take a light weight sweater or jacket, the dinning rooms and theaters can be chilly.
Have a wonderful time.

 

[Tulip2796]

Bring a day bag (carry-on) for embarkation. Make sure your meds and paperwork (with IDs) are in that bag. As well, essentials for the afternoon. You could wait until dinner for your checked bags, so a change of clothes may be appropriate for your family as well as swim gear. Don't pack towels - at all, there are plenty provided. There are suggested lists on the board, keep in mind that a favorite irreplaceable stuffy is more important to pack than tons of clothes etc. They have stores for most things and ports if not on ship.

You may want to think about booking another cruise on board. You get 10% off the next cruise, a smaller deposit plus on board credit (different rules for concierge though). Or at least a placeholder that'll save you the 10% on a future cruise (within 2 years of current cruise) with a small refundable deposit.

Have fun and don't over schedule and wear yourselves out.

The day bag idea is so helpful, thank you! I never would have known that!