I just booked this cruise last week sort of spur of the moment- doing it with a girl friend and our two youngest children- 7 and 9. Leaving husband and two teenagers at home. Any and all helpful tips/suggestions greatly appreciated. Never cruised
dcl or with children before????
First of all don't let any of the dress code threads on the main board scare you. DCL is pretty laid back and you don't have to get all fancy if you don't want to. We are on a 4 night so there is a dress up optional night. You can go all out or just wear jeans and a nice top....or anything in between. As long as you don't look like you just rolled out of bed you should be fine. I am packing less this cruise. Capris/nice tops.
Encourage the kids to attend the clubs the first day/night...this is when most of the bonding takes place with other kids.
DCL allows you to bring your own alcohol onboard but it must be brought on in your carryons, not your checked luggage. You will be responsible for keeping your carryons with you until rooms are ready at about 1:30 or so. I always bring a rolling type of carryon to make it easier. I also keep with me my camera, cruise docs, medications...basically anything you can't do without until your luggage gets delivered (anytime up until 6:00 pm) but usually much earlier.
On the Dream, when you board, you will have the option of eating lunch at two places...Cabanas up on the pool deck (deck 11) or Enchanted Garden on Deck 2. Cabanas will have more variety. If you do opt to eat in EG know that while kid friendly foods like mac and cheese, hotdogs, etc. are not on the buffet for lunch you can ask your server for them and he/she will get them.
Have the kids do the Midship Dectective Agency scavenger hunt...it is a ton of fun.
If you want any pool time get there early in the mornings as mid-day (especially sea days) the pool area gets very crowded.
If you guys want to go on the Aquaduck you can bring your swimsuits in your carryons bag and change as soon as you board and have lunch or even wear your suits under your clothes. The AD is usually open as soon as you board and the lines are short then.
The cabins have real fridges (small but real) built into the desk so you can keep things cold if you bring anything onboard with you or want a yogurt from the buffet to keep in there for later.
The cabins also have a real full sized hair dryer so no need to pack one unless you are attached to your own. On the desk there is a special round outlet that fit the hairdryer. Do not plug anything else in there.
The ship is beautiful, the shows are wonderful..don't miss the Golden Mickeys..love that show!!!
There is complimentary 24 hour room service onboard so you want a bowl of soup or some cookies and milk at 2:00 am...no problem. Call RS and order. also, it is not on the RS menu but you can get Mickey Ice cream bars (like at WDW) free through room service. Just ask. Customary tip for CM delivering RS is $2 or so..more if you order a lot. I always bring singles with me for this purpose.
In the dining rooms you can order as much as you care to. Want two apps and 2 entrees and five desserts..no problem. You servers are there to please so ask them questions and they can recommend the best dish on the menus for that evening. The dining rooms are beautiful (my fav is Royal Court).
Explore the ship...get to know where things are. The adult lounges are very nice...there is one on the very top of the ship with fantastic views.
Walk all the way forward to the bow of the ship on Deck 13 and feel the wind in your hair. Deck 4 is a great place to relax away from the crowds. They have the old fashioned teak deck chairs (put out after the safety drill) and sitting there feeling the ocean breeze is wonderful. Deck 4 is also the running/walking deck.
The snacks in the Cove Cafe (deck 11) and Vista Cafe (deck 4) (coffee bars) in the glass cases are complimentary. Just ask the CM and they will get you what you want. They have different things at different times of the day. pastries, desserts, etc. They also have great specialty coffees (for a fee). If you like a Starbucks type coffee drink this is the place to get it. Ask for the punch card. buy 5 drinks and the next one is complimentary. they will punch the card each time you buy a drink there.
Get in line for character meets early. You can find out in the daily Navigator (ship newsletter) when/what characters will be out...also carry it around with you during the day so you know what is going on around the ship...very helpful.
One of my fav things to do while onboard is go see a movie!! The movie theatres is beautiful and we tend to go late at night. I like to bring chicken fingers and a soda with me. I also bring a few boxes of movie theatre sized candy with me onboard to bring to the show or movie (they do sell movie snacks but they are costly). Our grocery store usually has 10 boxes for $10. Love my Milk Duds or Junior mints!!! LOL!!
So much to do!!! Feel free to ask any specific questions if you have them. Just have fun and don't expect to be able to do everything in one cruise.
MJ