@Bonnie1222 -
Apologies for the delay in responding, I was trying to find a link for you. Could not find it easily here so went out to the
Disney Cruise Line Blog. Here is a link to the Navigators from the DVC Member cruise in Sept 2016 out of New York to Canada. These show you the mix of some of the regular
DCL onboard activities along with the special DVC member cruise sessions. There is a mix of talk vs Q&A. You can also see that some sessions are repeated, as there are overlaps, so there are opportunities to attend both of them if desired...or repeat a session if you really like one! You asked about meeting with DVC leadership; there has been a session to do so on each of the cruises I’ve been on.
http://disneycruiselineblog.com/201...dvc-member-cruise-new-york-september-28-2016/
There are not scheduled specific meet & greet sessions with the special guests. It is either chatting with them during a session, before or after a session if they have time, or else random encounters on ship. Sometimes there is an unexpected meet & greet, though - ie on the NYC cruise was Auliʻi Cravalho, the voice of Moana. After each of her sessions, she did a meet & greet for pictures and autographs & had picture cards of herself that she signed for people; this was not in the navigators. For the session about the Lava short, I went up to the director afterwards, down by the Stage, and he signed the Lava lobby card they had given each of us in our staterooms the night before; there were only 3 or 4 other people there with me.
Re gifts - there are lots of different things, sometimes themed to the cruise. There are always pins, which are different from those sold in the shops. We’ve received a themed matted print. We’ve gotten t-shirts, Born in China out of NYC & Inside Out from Alaska. Board Games themed to DVC, as
@keaster mentioned - Life, Clue, Scrabble, Monopoly - different one each cruise. Also, insulated tumblers, a knit cap & scarf in Alaska, mini binoculars in Alaska on the day we were cruising Tracy Arm which were great. In NYC there was a lighter scarf & a pair of socks. One night we had special sweets in our cabins again themed, or some magnets.
Stopping by the DVC member desk, they had additional giveaways each day like nice luggage straps or lip balm. Also in NYC we got a set of coasters and a great lap robe/ blanket that had fleece on one side, thicker than a throw. For Alaska we got a mini totem pole figurine with the fab four Disney characters. One day we had a string bag with an assortment of Disney or Pixar movie items; this was when we got the T-shirts. Very special thing on the NYC cruise - each cabin got a copy of the Beauty & the Beast 25th anniversary blu-ray autographed by Don Hahn. He likely had a bit of a sore hand by the end of the cruise as he mentioned he was signing them all on board!
Someone said on a thread to bring an extra suitcase or be sure to have a lot of room to bring things back, and they were not kidding!! We also got these large soft canvas tote bags, almost the size of a small suitcase, which are great to help carry all of the goodies off the ship if needed.
Hope this helps. If you go out to eBay and search DVC Member Cruise, you can see several of the items from different member cruises that folks are selling. A lot of things are one per person, so couples or cabins can end up with duplicates. Maybe one or two times, the item is one per cabin.
One other comment - I’d not go on a member cruise only for the member aspect, unless the itinerary was also of interest. Ie as much as I’ve enjoyed the member cruises, I am not on this year’s & did not go last year. I’m on the west coast & could not justify the cost for only four nights & only goes to
castaway Cay this year. However, as
@keaster commented, they liked the Castaway Cay double dip; this is a great example of personal choice as a factor. In 2017, I debated for six months after I booked whether to go to the Caribbean but the ports did not really excite me too much; I ended up canceling my booking and don’t regret that decision. I’m looking forward to next years itineraries so will have to see what I end up with. California coast is appealing because I don’t have to fly both ways & can drive to San Diego. With NYC, I love both New York and Boston, & Bermuda looks interesting. Decisions, decisions.....
