a few questions from first time cruiser

[CheriePenguin]

We are planning to book our very first cruise and are very excited, but also have lots of questions! Some things I've seen conflicting answers to and was hoping for some answers from all of you experienced cruisers.
It's a 3-night cruise, late Oct. on the Dream, and we're planning to stay at POR several nights for a WDW part of a trip as well.

1) What time do you need to be at the port?

2) How long does it take to get from WDW to the port? From the port to the airport (MCO)? (We're not certain yet if we will be renting a car, and if we do, we're not sure if we would keep the car to use to get to the airport).

3) Is the Disney/Mears shuttle (port to airport) worth the $35/p for the convenience of having bags checked through. Am I correct that if you take that shuttle you check bags at the port and are done with them until you arrive home?

3) What is the earliest safe time to have a scheduled flight home?

4) What is the true / enforced dress code requirement for dinners in the main dining rooms (not including Remy or Palo)? Are you really not supposed to wear tennis shoes or t-shirts? We always make a few neat Disney shirts for the trip. I know you can eat at the buffet places, but there are only 3 nights and it would be neat to see and experience each of the 3 dining rooms. Or can you eat at Enchanted Garden and the Royal one at breakfast or lunch and get a similar experience? I can get away with sandals, but my boys don't even all own dress shoes, and we really don't want to have to dress fancy every night.

I'm sure we'll have tons more questions as we go along, but those were the most pressing ones right now. Thanks so much for your help!

 

[erionm]

1) What time do you need to be at the port?

All aboard is typically 3:45 pm. There's a mandatory safety drill which starts at 4 pm.

2) How long does it take to get from WDW to the port? From the port to the airport (MCO)? (We're not certain yet if we will be renting a car, and if we do, we're not sure if we would keep the car to use to get to the airport).

MCO to PC: around 45 minutes
WDW to PC: an hour to an hour and 15 minutes

 

[TigerTown]

... Am I correct that if you take that shuttle you check bags at the port and are done with them until you arrive home?

This is only true if you are flying with a carrier that allows you to check in on the ship. We flew Southwest and could not use this service. We had to carry our own bags.

 

[jdb in AZ]

We are planning to book our very first cruise and are very excited, but also have lots of questions! Some things I've seen conflicting answers to and was hoping for some answers from all of you experienced cruisers.
It's a 3-night cruise, late Oct. on the Dream, and we're planning to stay at POR several nights for a WDW part of a trip as well.

1) What time do you need to be at the port?

2) How long does it take to get from WDW to the port? From the port to the airport (MCO)? (We're not certain yet if we will be renting a car, and if we do, we're not sure if we would keep the car to use to get to the airport).

3) Is the Disney/Mears shuttle (port to airport) worth the $35/p for the convenience of having bags checked through. Am I correct that if you take that shuttle you check bags at the port and are done with them until you arrive home?

3) What is the earliest safe time to have a scheduled flight home?

4) What is the true / enforced dress code requirement for dinners in the main dining rooms (not including Remy or Palo)? Are you really not supposed to wear tennis shoes or t-shirts? We always make a few neat Disney shirts for the trip. I know you can eat at the buffet places, but there are only 3 nights and it would be neat to see and experience each of the 3 dining rooms. Or can you eat at Enchanted Garden and the Royal one at breakfast or lunch and get a similar experience? I can get away with sandals, but my boys don't even all own dress shoes, and we really don't want to have to dress fancy every night.

I'm sure we'll have tons more questions as we go along, but those were the most pressing ones right now. Thanks so much for your help!

1. You need to be at the port before 3 p.m. Earlier if you want to each the lunch you've paid for.
2. What airline are you flying? Currently the participating airlines include:

Alaska Airlines
American Airlines
Delta
JetBlue
United - no Ted
U S Airways (which recently merged with American)

3. DCL recommends flights after 11:30 a.m.
4. Tennis shoes and t-shirts are fine. Pretty much anything except bathing suits. Breakfast in the main dining rooms will give you the ambience, but it's a different experience at night.

 

[CamColt]

As for dress code, pretty much anything goes. Its not uncommon to see shorts tshirts and sneakers, however you will also see many guests that dress for dinner. Although DCL's site states no swimwear or tank tops, I have actually seen both.

 

[CheriePenguin]

Thank you so much for all your replies already!

We're looking at Southwest, though haven't booked yet. So that is good to know - I don't think I'd do the Mears shuttle if it didn't get us the bag check in perk.

And lunch and a little extra time on the ship sounds like a good plan. I was trying to figure out if we'd be able to plan any last minute things at WDW - like rope drop and a few short wait rides, or a nice breakfast somewhere - and if I should get the extra day on our tickets (since it's quite minimal once you get past 4-5 days). And for the lunch, was it Enchanted Garden that was recommended as opposed to Cabanas which is usually very crowded? I'm slowly trying to learn all the right names and terms!

And I'm glad to hear that tennies and t-shirts (and even shorts) will be allowed in the main dining rooms. That's what I thought was true for Disney cruises, at least aside from a semi-formal dress up night. But then I was reading conflicting things.

 

[scootch]

Thank you so much for all your replies already!

We're looking at Southwest, though haven't booked yet. So that is good to know - I don't think I'd do the Mears shuttle if it didn't get us the bag check in perk.

And lunch and a little extra time on the ship sounds like a good plan. I was trying to figure out if we'd be able to plan any last minute things at WDW - like rope drop and a few short wait rides, or a nice breakfast somewhere - and if I should get the extra day on our tickets (since it's quite minimal once you get past 4-5 days). And for the lunch, was it Enchanted Garden that was recommended as opposed to Cabanas which is usually very crowded? I'm slowly trying to learn all the right names and terms!

And I'm glad to hear that tennies and t-shirts (and even shorts) will be allowed in the main dining rooms. That's what I thought was true for Disney cruises, at least aside from a semi-formal dress up night. But then I was reading conflicting things.

I think the Enchanted vs Cabanas is a split vote. We prefer Cabanas on embarkation. We do enjoy Enchanted for breakfast most mornings. The earlier you can get to port the better as the tickets for meet/greets do run out, so the sooner you can get in those lines the better. Yes, just about anything for dinner. One thing is your don't always get to select your tablemates, so even though I prefer cruise casual..... I bring a few nicer things in case they are dressed up. Prefer to wear sandals rather than my tennis shoes for a bit nicer look.

 

[CheriePenguin]

Thanks! BTW - are there meet/greets for the fab 5, etc.? The only things I've seen mentioned in trip reports are the princesses. My 3 boys won't be into those! (I'll have to drag my oldest to some characters to get him in a few pics though!)

 

[CamColt]

Mickey and Pluto are usually available for pictures on Castaway Cay. I'm sure there are other character opportunities, during the cruise and on the island, but those 2 stand out as ones I've seen multiple times when walking to the beach.

 

[CheriePenguin]

I thought of another question - something that makes me a little bit nervous. I've heard they can deny you entry on the ship if you are sick. Has that ever happened to any of you? How sick do you have to be for that to happen?

We haven't exactly had a good track record with not getting sick while at Disney World - most trips someone has come down with something. The boys are all a bit older now (youngest will be 5), so hopefully not always sticking their hands in their mouths like when they were little. And we'll try to be vigilant with hand cleaner and wipes.

What do you do if they don't let you board? All just find a hotel to pass the remaining days, one parent stay with sick child and the others board, work to get a new earlier flight home ??? We'll make sure we have some sort of trip insurance, but I'm worried. I'm excited about this awesome trip and there's this little nagging thought in the back of my mind that at the last minute it won't happen.

 

[CheriePenguin]

Oldest DS also wants to know if there is hot chocolate at the drink station, and is that open 24/7?

Another DS wants to know about ice cream flavors at Eye Scream - is it just vanilla, chocolate, and swirl? (They are super excited about the prospect of unlimited ice cream - though I said the SHIP doesn't limit it but we will ;-) )

 

[EmbracingChaos]

I think the Enchanted vs Cabanas is a split vote. We prefer Cabanas on embarkation. We do enjoy Enchanted for breakfast most mornings. The earlier you can get to port the better as the tickets for meet/greets do run out, so the sooner you can get in those lines the better. Yes, just about anything for dinner. One thing is your don't always get to select your tablemates, so even though I prefer cruise casual..... I bring a few nicer things in case they are dressed up. Prefer to wear sandals rather than my tennis shoes for a bit nicer look.

Thank you! This is helpful. There is so much to learn.

 

[diznymom]

There is hot chocolate (Nestle powder packets) available on board at the drink station, which is open 24 hrs. You can bring your own packets if you like a different brand.

There are other flavors of ice cream available. I know they have banana sometimes, but don't remember the other flavors (I don't eat ice cream - dairy intolerance)
I really like your "Mom rules trump Disney's" rules (I have those also).

 

[tink1970]

I think other than the chocolate/vanilla/choc&van swirl there is usually some fruity flavor or 2 combo--I honestly don't know b/c I only eat chocolate alone OR steal 2 jumbo chocolate chip cookies from Cabanas at lunch (or order from room service but the ones at lunch are better IMHO for whatever reason) and make an ice cream sandwich with the vanilla (this I also do at Castaway Cay and it's even better-nowI know that this difference is totally in my mind ).

As for illness, there is a health form Disney has one member of the family fill out. So I'm sure that can lead to some screening and possibly delay or denial if you say YES to running a high fever or something (I don't remember exactly what is on it). Happily ,the past 2 times I've been on a cruise and ill it's been migraine related (well, happily for everyone else I guess :I ). I think there are 3 very general questions such as "has anyone in your party thrown up/run a high fever/ lost a body part in the past 24 hrs?" or something like that.

The hot chocolate packets are available unless they run out (did on our first Alaska cruise I believe). Also I stole a trick from a 10(?) yr old who would use 2 of them and then add water...much better flavor (but in case you didn't notice I have a bit of a chocolate issue).

As for dressing at dinner, essentially anything goes but remember they do crank up the air conditioning so this Florida girl usually has on skirts or pants and a sweater b/c it's so cold

In Remy/Palo the hostess stand lady is sort of the dragon guarding the castle...if she's doing her job, she WILL enforce their very minimal dress code (which I believe is no jeans/flipflops, etc). As I said, I'm always dressed to protect (against the a/c) so have never had an issue!

Hope this helps!

 

[tink1970]

Correction to my above--looks like in Palo, technically for men it is still dress pants and dress shirt, whereas for women it's dressy pants/skirt/dress
Remy, I believe, is slightly more formal for men

Apologies for the misinformation (I was remembering brunch in Palo in Jan...)

 

[CheriePenguin]

Thanks so much! I don't think we'll be doing Remy or Palo. And I tend to get chilly in A/C as well, so I'll remember to pack for that as well. The cookie-wich idea sounds awesome!

 

[CheriePenguin]

Thanks! BTW - are there meet/greets for the fab 5, etc.? The only things I've seen mentioned in trip reports are the princesses. My 3 boys won't be into those! (I'll have to drag my oldest to some characters to get him in a few pics though!)

Thought of an additional question along this line - is Duffy on the ship? Seems like it would be a perfect tie-in with his back story and sailor theme! Do they have much Duffy merchandise on the ship?

 

[NHDisneyFan]

Last week on the Dream the eye scream was vanilla/choc but one machine was banana and strawberry. I layered chocolate and strawberry. We also found the dining rooms to be warm, maybe it is the time of the year.

 

[CheriePenguin]

Another question!
Is the DCL app (Navigator I believe?) mostly for texting/chatting, plus checking the schedule?
How well has it worked for you with: ipod touch 4, ipod touch 6, Android phone, Android tablet?
Is it better or worse or equivalent to the Wave phones for communicating between multiple family members?

 

[NHDisneyFan]

That is exactly what it is for. We used a touch, iPhone 6s, iPhone 5 and Android with no issues. In fact we received notifications of new messages, thought we were going to have to manually check. Seemed a lot easier than a wave phone. App specific Disney emojis too.