A few questions about our next cruise (which one to choose?)

[Dug720]

When you book, assuming both dinner seatings are open you can pick which of those you want (5:45 or 8:15) - so if you don't think you'll be hungry at 5:45 select the 8:15 slot. If one of those "sells out" it's usually the earlier one.

 

[mike888]

Do you think an UberX can hold 2 large luggages (31'' x 17.9'' x 12.8'') + 1 small luggage (21.7'' x 15.7'' x 9'') + a backpack ?

 

[mike888]

Another question (after Uber) :

There's one aspect I forgot to consider: the weather!
I see online that September isn't the most recommended month to go to the Bahamas and co. (rain, risk of hurricanes, etc.).
What are your thoughts on this?

 

[RedHead0186]

Do you think an UberX can hold 2 large luggages (31'' x 17.9'' x 12.8'') + 1 small luggage (21.7'' x 15.7'' x 9'') + a backpack ?

I wouldn't count on it. Those are typically your standard 4-door sedans. Two large suitcases may or may not fit in the trunk, and then you'd still have to deal with the smaller suitcase and the passengers themselves.

 

[RedHead0186]

Another question (after Uber) :

There's one aspect I forgot to consider: the weather!
I see online that September isn't the most recommended month to go to the Bahamas and co. (rain, risk of hurricanes, etc.).
What are your thoughts on this?

I've sailed in September once before and have two more September trips scheduled. Yes, there's an outside chance there'll be a hurricane, but DCL keeps you very safe and will avoid the storms. You might have a particular port skipped or swapped, and in very rare cases the sailing may be canceled. I have no issues with sailing in September.

 

[Shellyred8]

Another question (after Uber) :

There's one aspect I forgot to consider: the weather!
I see online that September isn't the most recommended month to go to the Bahamas and co. (rain, risk of hurricanes, etc.).
What are your thoughts on this?

Get Trip Insurance.
The risk of hurricanes in Sept is pretty high. Having trip insurance will help minimize any financial costs that might come up because of a hurricane. I would recommend looking at a third party for trip insurance and not going with Disney's trip insurance. You can get more/better coverage for less from a third party.
In regards to Safety in the event of a hurricane, as someone else mentioned, Disney will do all it can to keep you safe and go around the bad weather. Also keep in mind that if there is bad weather, they may change ports.

 

[o&smom]

Thank you so much for all your explanations!
Now, let's think...

Highly recommend you watch videos on YouTube about the Dream and the Wish. You can get a feel for each one and what you think will be more enjoyable for you. We much prefer the layout of the Dream, but the Wish is newer and a very pretty ship. Have a great cruise!

 

[WildernessMickey]

Since this is your first time sailing with Disney, I would recommend sailing out of Port Canaveral on the Wish. It is a very pretty ship, and newer, but mostly I think it would be so much easier to sail out of Port Canaveral and it is much closer to Disneyworld.
The Dream is also a beautiful ship so if you go that route it will still be a nice experience.
Bon Voyage!

 

[jimmymc]

So, we'll definitely find out, but I wanted to get your opinion on these two cruises? Do you have a preference and why? And regarding the islands, which do you prefer?

- I personally lean towards the Wish, mainly because you're already staying in Orlando. Port Canaveral is a much easier transfer, Disney will even pick you up at Coronado. You could take a train or rental car down to Ft. Lauderdale the day before or of the cruise and get on the Dream, but that's a lot of effort when there's another ship just a quick transfer away. Haven't been to Lookout Cay yet, but I think both private destinations are very nice.

Is three days enough to fully enjoy them? Is it better to spend the night before near the boarding point?

-Only if you stay on the ship during your Nassau day, which is always a decent choice anyway. You'll get a nice dinner and show every night, plus a good number of character meet n greets and other activities and games all cruise. If you have something you want to do in Nassau, I would really recommend a 4 or 5 night cruise with a sea day or two.

As for meals, are they buffets or table service?

-All 3 are available as table service or room service, breakfast and lunch at the buffet, lunch and dinner at quick service. The themed dinners in the main table service restaurants are a big attraction of Disney cruise line, and I'd highly recommend you go to all of them. There will be an early and late dinner time, plus two show times in the main theater to accommodate both dinner seatings.

 

[mike888]

Thanks for your answers!
Well, we're making progress slowly but surely...

- So, the cruise we'd like is the 3-night cruise departing from Port Canaveral on the Wish (September 19th to 22nd).
- The cabin would be a VGT (GTY). We're well aware that no changes or cancellations are possible. We'll try to book as late as possible, but we don't want everything to be full before then!
- We'll rely on the "luck" factor regarding the weather.

Are there any particular things we should pay attention to before booking?

 

[Mommb]

Thanks for your answers!
Well, we're making progress slowly but surely...

- So, the cruise we'd like is the 3-night cruise departing from Port Canaveral on the Wish (September 19th to 22nd).
- The cabin would be a VGT (GTY). We're well aware that no changes or cancellations are possible. We'll try to book as late as possible, but we don't want everything to be full before then!
- We'll rely on the "luck" factor regarding the weather.

Are there any particular things we should pay attention to before booking?

GTY rates may go away before the ship is entirely full, so you won't want to wait too long. You can book onboard activities and shore excursions starting 75 days before the cruise, so you may want to book a few days before that (to make sure your reservation shows as paid in full).

 

[holula]

GTY rates may go away before the ship is entirely full, so you won't want to wait too long. You can book onboard activities and shore excursions starting 75 days before the cruise, so you may want to book a few days before that (to make sure your reservation shows as paid in full).

The 75 days will have already passed for that cruise, I’m sailing September 22 and first time cruisers could book last night for activities.

 

[mike888]

GTY rates may go away before the ship is entirely full, so you won't want to wait too long. You can book onboard activities and shore excursions starting 75 days before the cruise, so you may want to book a few days before that (to make sure your reservation shows as paid in full).

Regarding booking "onboard activities and shore excursions", when/where is this done?
And more specifically, which activities do I need to book?

 

[Mommb]

The 75 days will have already passed for that cruise, I’m sailing September 22 and first time cruisers could book last night for activities.

You're right -- I keep thinking it's still June. Sorry about that.

Regarding booking "onboard activities and shore excursions", when/where is this done?
And more specifically, which activities do I need to book?

There is nothing you need to book -- you can have a great cruise without adding anything.
If you want to, you can sign up for these activities for an additional fee, if they are still available:

• group activities in Nassau and at Castaway Cay
• dinner for adults at Palo Steakhouse or Enchante
• spa treatments
• beverage tastings

Once you are paid in full (and your booking window is open, which for September 19 it is), you should be able to go to the Disney Cruise website or app, sign in using your Disney login (or create one if you don't have one already), enter your booking number, select your reservation, and access My Plans by scrolling down on the DCL app or going to Cruise Activities on the website. Activities for each day will be listed in a few categories, which are something like Port Adventures, Onboard Fun, and Dining.

 

[mike888]

Thank you for your interesting message; I'm only responding now because I've been away for the past two days.

From what you wrote, these are the only things you need to book in advance, so... And what do you mean by group activities on the islands?
I think we'll book this weekend. We'll all keep our fingers crossed that there won't be a hurricane or anything during our cruise!

 

[RedHead0186]

Thank you for your interesting message; I'm only responding now because I've been away for the past two days.

From what you wrote, these are the only things you need to book in advance, so... And what do you mean by group activities on the islands?
I think we'll book this weekend. We'll all keep our fingers crossed that there won't be a hurricane or anything during our cruise!

"Group activities" on the islands are essentially excursions. Parasailing and kayaking on Castaway Cay are two examples. In Nassau that could be tours (boats, buses, etc.).

 

[mike888]

Okay !

Well, we're unsure about which ship to choose... According to the recently posted survey, the Wish is the least popular of the ships (and according to reviews I've read, this is for reasons such as the rather limited adult area, lack of elevators, nightclubs scattered throughout with noise issues, etc.).
Question: Are there a lot of children on cruises at this time of year (around September 20th)?

Otherwise, there's another cruise that departs from Port Canaval on September 19th and lasts 5 days; the ship is the Magic (quite old, though).... It could work for us, but we'd have to make significant changes to the rest of our stay in Orlando.

In short, we're not sure what to do! Is this Wish really "unfriendly"?

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Are there a lot of children on cruises at this time of year (around September 20th)?

Disney cruises are never kid free, but September is definitely a lower kid season with parents not wanting to pull school age kids in the first month of the new school year. That said, since the Wish 3 nights are all Fri-Mon, parents are probably going to be more tolerant of pulling kids for a long weekend versus a cruise that requires more time off school.

Otherwise, there's another cruise that departs from Port Canaval on September 19th and lasts 5 days; the ship is the Magic (quite old, though).... It could work for us, but we'd have to make significant changes to the rest of our stay in Orlando.

We loved our stay on the Magic. It's the oldest and smaller, but we liked that smaller meant it was easier to get from one end to the other quickly. And, if you're specifically concerned about adult spaces, her adult pool deck and evening hours areas are both excellent.

Is this Wish really "unfriendly"?

So, interestingly, if you only poll first time cruisers, people really like the Wish. She's very different from the original 4 and I think a lot of DCL regulars were unhappy with the changes because they were so used to the layouts of the older ships. Also, the fact that she only runs 3 or 4 night cruises is a big drawback for a lot of people. You'll see folks on here saying they prefer a longer sailing quite regularly and that's just not an option with the Wish.

Having sailed all 3 of the ships you're suggesting, incluing out of both ports, here's my personal opinion:

If you hadn't already set up your Orlando portion of the trip, I'd pick 5 nights on the Magic over 3 nights on any ship in the fleet. 3 nights is short and can feel like you're rushing to experience everything.

Given that this is really an Orlando trip with a bonus cruise, I'd pick the 3 night on the Wish. Getting to Canaveral is going to be much easier than Everglades and, even if she is the lowest rated Disney ship, the Wish is still really lovely with tons of fun and you get to experience Castaway.

If you do like Disney cruising, the Dream and her sister ship the Fantasy are the ones of late that do the European itineraries, so you could potentially experience that class of ship much closer to home in the future.

 

[mike888]

Thanks for this informative comment!
It's true that we haven't really thought about Disney cruises in Europe (so we'd have to go from Belgium to England, Italy, or even Spain). Are these European cruises exactly the same, on board the ship, as the cruises we've been talking about in this thread since the beginning?

 

[holula]

Thanks for this informative comment!
It's true that we haven't really thought about Disney cruises in Europe (so we'd have to go from Belgium to England, Italy, or even Spain). Are these European cruises exactly the same, on board the ship, as the cruises we've been talking about in this thread since the beginning?

Identical except a) a lot more Brits on the cruises from the UK b) no fireworks on pirate night c) some itineraries don’t have a pirate night.

I agree with everything that @TheOneWithTheTriplets said in the post above. I really think the itineraries the Wish sails is a huge negative (which leads to poorer reviews) as mostly people love the Treasure and they’re basically the same ship other than paint.