Beginning to think about a cruise

[Haley R]

Hi everyone. DH and I have never even been on a cruise before and are in the beginning process of looking at some options. We haven't decided on a set destination yet, but have talked about Alaska or Europe. I would be fine trying the Caribbean, too.

My main thing is to get some basic information about Disney Cruises. DH is also being a hard one to sell on Disney since it has a higher price point, but I love everything Disney and we've gone to the World the last 3 years so if anyone can give me good reasons for us to choose Disney cruises over other brands please feel free to! Thanks!!

Also, how early in advance would we have to book? We are trying to look at this summer, but maybe it's too late for that.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi everyone. DH and I have never even been on a cruise before and are in the beginning process of looking at some options. We haven't decided on a set destination yet, but have talked about Alaska or Europe. I would be fine trying the Caribbean, too.

My main thing is to get some basic information about Disney Cruises. DH is also being a hard one to sell on Disney since it has a higher price point, but I love everything Disney and we've gone to the World the last 3 years so if anyone can give me good reasons for us to choose Disney cruises over other brands please feel free to! Thanks!!

Also, how early in advance would we have to book? We are trying to look at this summer, but maybe it's too late for that.

As long as there are rooms available onboard, you can book. Many people book as soon as itineraries are released (around 15-18 months out). Othesr wait until much closer to the sail date. The biggest issues with booking later are not getting the room you want, or not getting the dinner seating you want. Or, possibly, excursions could be full.

We prefer Disney to the others mostly because of the entertainment, and the service.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

You can always book last minute, but for cheapest prices/best cabin selection (what room on the ship you will be staying on) you want to book opening day or as close as possible. To the surprise of many people not used to booking DCL summer 2019 is already open for booking. So you could end up booking 18 months from your cruise date.

As far as why we choose Disney. Because we know the standard we are getting. We know the activities will be enjoyable to us since we like Disney, and the service is top tier. Plus it's just Disney.

Alaska, well we did out first cruise of any kind to Alaska on the Disney Wonder. You can check it out here, along with all our decision making and booking process. http://frequentlyaskeddisneyblog.com/disney-alaska-cruise-part-1/

If you have more detailed questions go ahead and post and I will be happy to answer them.

 

[CanuckOnaBoat]

what i've learned:

1) best way to get what you want for the best price: book opening day when itineraries are released - the next release of itineraries will be in May - and they will be for cruises starting in September 2019.
2) using a travel agent can help you get on board credit.

as for this summer - not too late - just depends on what you can pay (i would bet Caribbean would be cheaper than alaska and europe - those two seem to be premium destinations) The others on the board should be able to tell you the dates that tend not to sell and therefore would still be at a lower price than more popular dates.

Ask on the board for someone to share the link to the information of the opening date prices so you can compare what you are looking at.

my two cents: Do ALASKA!! or Europe. We did our first Disney cruise to Alaska - i'm not sure what was more awesome the Disney experience or Alaska. This year we are doing Europe on Disney. Europe is very port intensive - so it leaves less time to enjoy the ship. I regret doing an itinerary with only 1 sea day.

 

[MelSpees]

If you look at this thread https://www.disboards.com/threads/current-gt-mto-flr-discounts.3244232/ at the end of the thread you can see what the current special rates are. You can sometimes get a great rate on a cruise using a GT rate. This is a restricted rate. Once you book it you cannot change it. It is a lower rate that gives you a cabin in the category you choose (Inside, Oceanview, Veranda) but your specific cabin will be assigned close to the cruise date. I'm sure you can find more in-depth information by searching the boards here. Good luck and enjoy your cruise. We love Disney cruises as adults without young children.

 

[Haley R]

You can always book last minute, but for cheapest prices/best cabin selection (what room on the ship you will be staying on) you want to book opening day or as close as possible. To the surprise of many people not used to booking DCL summer 2019 is already open for booking. So you could end up booking 18 months from your cruise date.

As far as why we choose Disney. Because we know the standard we are getting. We know the activities will be enjoyable to us since we like Disney, and the service is top tier. Plus it's just Disney.

Alaska, well we did out first cruise of any kind to Alaska on the Disney Wonder. You can check it out here, along with all our decision making and booking process. http://frequentlyaskeddisneyblog.com/disney-alaska-cruise-part-1/

If you have more detailed questions go ahead and post and I will be happy to answer them.

I guess where I'm at right now is gathering general information.

1. The best time of year to go? I am a substitute teacher and my husband gets lots of vacation and we have no kids so we really can go at any time of year.
2. Is one ship better than the other?
3. I think we would probably go with an Inside Room to save money. How do you choose where your room is at?
4. Are most things included in the price?
5. I'm leaning more towards Caribbean, but I could see DH saying Alaska. Is there a good price range to expect for those destinations say for 4-5 nights?

Thank you!

 

[Haley R]

what i've learned:

1) best way to get what you want for the best price: book opening day when itineraries are released - the next release of itineraries will be in May - and they will be for cruises starting in September 2019.
2) using a travel agent can help you get on board credit.

as for this summer - not too late - just depends on what you can pay (i would bet Caribbean would be cheaper than alaska and europe - those two seem to be premium destinations) The others on the board should be able to tell you the dates that tend not to sell and therefore would still be at a lower price than more popular dates.

Ask on the board for someone to share the link to the information of the opening date prices so you can compare what you are looking at.

my two cents: Do ALASKA!! or Europe. We did our first Disney cruise to Alaska - i'm not sure what was more awesome the Disney experience or Alaska. This year we are doing Europe on Disney. Europe is very port intensive - so it leaves less time to enjoy the ship. I regret doing an itinerary with only 1 sea day.

I started looking at all seas travel. Is that a good one to go through? I see that they have some decently cheap prices for October/November cruises this year, but I'm just not sure what a good price really is. I see as low as $1600 for November 2, but it's the lowest category. It says Category 11C and I honestly don't know what that means lol

 

[Haley R]

If you look at this thread https://www.disboards.com/threads/current-gt-mto-flr-discounts.3244232/ at the end of the thread you can see what the current special rates are. You can sometimes get a great rate on a cruise using a GT rate. This is a restricted rate. Once you book it you cannot change it. It is a lower rate that gives you a cabin in the category you choose (Inside, Oceanview, Veranda) but your specific cabin will be assigned close to the cruise date. I'm sure you can find more in-depth information by searching the boards here. Good luck and enjoy your cruise. We love Disney cruises as adults without young children.

I don't know if I really understand the GT rates. Is that booking through Disney?

 

[Keels]

I did an Alaskan cruise last year (not Disney) and it was AMAZING. Because of our climate and the shifting of the glaciers, the experience you can have in Alaska and its untouched beauty won't be around for forever.

Whereas the Caribbean and the beaches are always going to be there in their over-touristy (sorry, my opinion) form for years and years to come.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I guess where I'm at right now is gathering general information.

1. The best time of year to go? I am a substitute teacher and my husband gets lots of vacation and we have no kids so we really can go at any time of year.
2. Is one ship better than the other?
3. I think we would probably go with an Inside Room to save money. How do you choose where your room is at?
4. Are most things included in the price?
5. I'm leaning more towards Caribbean, but I could see DH saying Alaska. Is there a good price range to expect for those destinations say for 4-5 nights?

Thank you!

1. "Best" time, depends on the itinerary you're looking at. Caribbean, pretty much OK anytime of year. Alaska - summer. Europe - also the summer.
2. Each ship is unique. Dream & Fantasy newer, Magic & Wonder the DCL classic ships.
3. When you make your reservation, you can select a specific room.
4. Meals (except adult dining), shows, most activities onboard (except tastings) all included. Sodas at meals and from the 24/7 drink station on the pool deck, also included. Excursions cost extra. Alcoholic drinks - extra cost.
5. Alaska cruises tend to be higher than Caribbean cruises.

I don't know if I really understand the GT rates. Is that booking through Disney?

OK, there are 2 different types of guarantee rooms.

One - when a certain percentage of rooms within a category have been booked, that category will go GTY. You can still select that category of room, but cannot select a specific room. DCL will assign you a room of that category or higher at a later date. There's no price difference in booking a GTY category room, vs a specific room within a category.

Two - *GT. As a cruise get closer, if it isn't selling as well as DCL would like, they will offer *GT rooms. With these, you select a type of room - Interior (IGT); Oceanview (OGT); or Verandah (VGT). DCL will assign you to a room within your type or better later. Usually a lower price than the prevailing price of the cruise at the time, but often higher than opening day prices. And you generally must pay in full at time of booking, with no refunds.

 

[Haley R]

1. "Best" time, depends on the itinerary you're looking at. Caribbean, pretty much OK anytime of year. Alaska - summer. Europe - also the summer.
2. Each ship is unique. Dream & Fantasy newer, Magic & Wonder the DCL classic ships.
3. When you make your reservation, you can select a specific room.
4. Meals (except adult dining), shows, most activities onboard (except tastings) all included. Sodas at meals and from the 24/7 drink station on the pool deck, also included. Excursions cost extra. Alcoholic drinks - extra cost.
5. Alaska cruises tend to be higher than Caribbean cruises.

OK, there are 2 different types of guarantee rooms.

One - when a certain percentage of rooms within a category have been booked, that category will go GTY. You can still select that category of room, but cannot select a specific room. DCL will assign you a room of that category or higher at a later date. There's no price difference in booking a GTY category room, vs a specific room within a category.

Two - *GT. As a cruise get closer, if it isn't selling as well as DCL would like, they will offer *GT rooms. With these, you select a type of room - Interior (IGT); Oceanview (OGT); or Verandah (VGT). DCL will assign you to a room within your type or better later. Usually a lower price than the prevailing price of the cruise at the time, but often higher than opening day prices. And you generally must pay in full at time of booking, with no refunds.

Thank you so much for helping me out! DH and I have a lot of decisions to make and things to look through. I have some more questions for you lol

1. What kind of things are different on an Alaskan cruise compared to a Caribbean cruise?
2. How do you know which room to select? Are there ones that are better in certain areas of the ship?
3. How do the meals work? I know you can pick early or late dining. Do you have to pick your restaurant ahead of time?

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll think of some more lol

 

[Haley R]

I did an Alaskan cruise last year (not Disney) and it was AMAZING. Because of our climate and the shifting of the glaciers, the experience you can have in Alaska and its untouched beauty won't be around for forever.

Whereas the Caribbean and the beaches are always going to be there in their over-touristy (sorry, my opinion) form for years and years to come.

I actually just said something along those lines to DH tonight about how Alaska might not look the way it does for much longer. However, we just got done with a super fast paced, short Disney World trip and the idea of relaxing on the beach sounds fantastic to me. I'm just not sure it's something we would want to do in the summer when it will already be hot in the Midwest.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thank you so much for helping me out! DH and I have a lot of decisions to make and things to look through. I have some more questions for you lol

1. What kind of things are different on an Alaskan cruise compared to a Caribbean cruise?
2. How do you know which room to select? Are there ones that are better in certain areas of the ship?
3. How do the meals work? I know you can pick early or late dining. Do you have to pick your restaurant ahead of time?

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll think of some more lol

1. Caribbean - sunshine, beaches and water activities. Alaska - vast, mountainous views, woods, possible bear/whale sightings, cooler weather, generally.
2. The generally accepted thought is that room that are located midships and lower have less movement. But, in basically calm conditions, any room onboard is fine.
3. You will be assigned to a dinner seating - main (5:45) or late (8:30), and a specific table number. You may or may not be seated with others (unless you're Concierge, or make a request to be seated alone). You are also assigned to a specific dining rotation. All cruisers will dine in all 3 dining rooms during the cruise.

 

[Haley R]

1. Caribbean - sunshine, beaches and water activities. Alaska - vast, mountainous views, woods, possible bear/whale sightings, cooler weather, generally.
2. The generally accepted thought is that room that are located midships and lower have less movement. But, in basically calm conditions, any room onboard is fine.
3. You will be assigned to a dinner seating - main (5:45) or late (8:30), and a specific table number. You may or may not be seated with others (unless you're Concierge, or make a request to be seated alone). You are also assigned to a specific dining rotation. All cruisers will dine in all 3 dining rooms during the cruise.

Okay that makes more sense about the dining. I was really confused and kind of stuck in the whole 180 day ADR situation at the World. My next question is about excursions. Are they usually worth the extra $$ and can you give me some examples of good ones to try?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Okay that makes more sense about the dining. I was really confused and kind of stuck in the whole 180 day ADR situation at the World. My next question is about excursions. Are they usually worth the extra $$ and can you give me some examples of good ones to try?

We always take an excursion the first time we visit any port. Usually one of the basic "have a look around/get acquainted" tours. Some people book independently. We usually book ship's excursions. Either option is fine.

In suggesting excursions - I usually avoid it. I don't know you. I don't know your interests. Or your toleration for active/inactive excursions. I'd suggest having a look at the excursions on the DCL website that have been offered in the past for the cruises you're interested in to see if anything looks good to you.

 

[Keels]

I actually just said something along those lines to DH tonight about how Alaska might not look the way it does for much longer. However, we just got done with a super fast paced, short Disney World trip and the idea of relaxing on the beach sounds fantastic to me. I'm just not sure it's something we would want to do in the summer when it will already be hot in the Midwest.

I live in Texas, so summer is surface of the sun hot here. Alaska in August was a delightful respite from the weather back home!

I also enjoyed the excursion options - they were things that I could really only do in Alaska ... salmon fishing, whale watching, hiking a glacier, etc. On top of that, we also did the tender off the ship that gets RIGHT NEXT to the major glacier you cruise in to if you do a Tracy Arm/Glacier Bay cruise.

And Alaskan cruises can be super relaxing ... we went straight to the hot tub in the adults-only area after our glacier tender and watched the beauty of Alaska pass us by.

We spent a lot of down time on our veranda reading, or in the lounges on watching the beautiful scenery pass us by.

I've already said we're doing Alaska every summer as long as we can afford it!

 

[Haley R]

We always take an excursion the first time we visit any port. Usually one of the basic "have a look around/get acquainted" tours. Some people book independently. We usually book ship's excursions. Either option is fine.

In suggesting excursions - I usually avoid it. I don't know you. I don't know your interests. Or your toleration for active/inactive excursions. I'd suggest having a look at the excursions on the DCL website that have been offered in the past for the cruises you're interested in to see if anything looks good to you.

Okay I’ll go take a look. Thank you!

 

[Haley R]

I live in Texas, so summer is surface of the sun hot here. Alaska in August was a delightful respite from the weather back home!

I also enjoyed the excursion options - they were things that I could really only do in Alaska ... salmon fishing, whale watching, hiking a glacier, etc. On top of that, we also did the tender off the ship that gets RIGHT NEXT to the major glacier you cruise in to if you do a Tracy Arm/Glacier Bay cruise.

And Alaskan cruises can be super relaxing ... we went straight to the hot tub in the adults-only area after our glacier tender and watched the beauty of Alaska pass us by.

We spent a lot of down time on our veranda reading, or in the lounges on watching the beautiful scenery pass us by.

I've already said we're doing Alaska every summer as long as we can afford it!

Whale watching and glacier hiking both sound fun. Were those through Disney? And were they pretty expensive? Dh and I are active so we like to do things that keep us moving.

We may look into European cruises as well but I’m a little nervous to see the price tag that comes with that.

 

[Keels]

Whale watching and glacier hiking both sound fun. Were those through Disney? And were they pretty expensive? Dh and I are active so we like to do things that keep us moving.

We may look into European cruises as well but I’m a little nervous to see the price tag that comes with that.

We actually cruised Alaska on Celebrity (my husband wants a casino), but we did all of our excursions outside of the cruise line with local providers that were far better and less expensive than what is offered on the cruise lines.

Whale Watching was $79/pp and the Glacier Hike was roughly the same amount.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

I guess where I'm at right now is gathering general information.

1. The best time of year to go? I am a substitute teacher and my husband gets lots of vacation and we have no kids so we really can go at any time of year.
2. Is one ship better than the other?
3. I think we would probably go with an Inside Room to save money. How do you choose where your room is at?
4. Are most things included in the price?
5. I'm leaning more towards Caribbean, but I could see DH saying Alaska. Is there a good price range to expect for those destinations say for 4-5 nights?

Thank you!

1. If you can go when schools are still in session it lowers prices and the amount of people/kids onboard the ship. If you have a specific place you want to sail, (Alaska, Europe etc) those are only offered during the "summer". Look at offered dates though, Disney Alaskan Cruises can run from before Memorial day in May to September. Schools are def. in session then.

2. Everyone has an opinion on ships. Magic and Wonder are basically the same (minor differences) and Fantasy and Dream are basically the same. Magic and Wonder are smaller. This means less people, they do have a few less activities (mainly missing onboard mini golf, sports simulators, mid ship detective agency (a mystery game played as a hunt around the ship) and public spaces can be smaller or different (Spa on Magic vs. Spa on Dream, both haves spas mind you). My suggestion is to pick where you want to cruise to, and take whatever ship that is.

3. I'd suggestion looking at a ship layout map. Look at what rooms you want (or if your cruising soon what rooms are available in each category (which you can do on DCL site and just act like you are buying a cruise and choose a room and it will show you whats open) ) and then see what else is around, above and below them. Do you want to have a room that has a connecting door to another room even though you don't need it? Do you really want to be right over the Large theater? Do you want to be at the end of a hall way or in the middle? Right next to an elevator? On the Magic and Wonder you really won't be that far away from anything, so you might not need to consider the walking as much. That being said you may consider if walking from deck 2 to deck 9 for free drinks is an issues or not for you? Do you want to be closer to the spa or the night club areas?

4. Main Meals, Breakfast, Lunch, Sit Down dinner (if you choose to go) buffets, non-alcoholic drinks (minus the drink of the day or speciality drinks like lattes) most classes, groups activities onboard the ship, and most room service items are included. Not included are excursions off the ship, alcohol, alcohol classes, eating at the fancy up-charge restaurant, anything at the spa (the gym is free though even though its located inside the spa), some food items like popcorn at the movies (but you can bring a plate of chicken wings from the buffet for free....) canned sodas (but are free at the drink station), a few items in room service, and tipping. Suggested tipping minimum is $12.00 per person per day, so $24.00 per day for the two of you. Plus extras for room service etc.

5. Prices range from how close to the booking window or time of sail you book, how popular or not popular the cruise is etc. Not much help but anywhere from $2000-$13,000 for an inside stateroom exists!

I started looking at all seas travel. Is that a good one to go through? I see that they have some decently cheap prices for October/November cruises this year, but I'm just not sure what a good price really is. I see as low as $1600 for November 2, but it's the lowest category. It says Category 11C and I honestly don't know what that means lol

I believe this was already explained. But in my words, Higher numbers means less desirable (to some people) room types, and A is in a "better" location on the ship then a "C" room in the same number. We loved our inside stateroom (an 11) on our Alaskan cruise. It's all in what you like

Thank you so much for helping me out! DH and I have a lot of decisions to make and things to look through. I have some more questions for you lol

1. What kind of things are different on an Alaskan cruise compared to a Caribbean cruise?
2. How do you know which room to select? Are there ones that are better in certain areas of the ship?
3. How do the meals work? I know you can pick early or late dining. Do you have to pick your restaurant ahead of time?

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll think of some more lol

1. Alaskan cruise is the views! You are traveling on the inside passage so you are very close to land all the time other then the first and last sea days. You can see animals, towns etc. The views are stunning all the time. The sun also doesn't set till very late. After 9:30pm. And it isn't dark dark until well into 10:30s. Yup. And the sun is up long before we ever were, so like 5ish? You have some pretty unique Port Adventures (Disney's term for excursions off the ship conducted through them) like dog sledding, helicopter out to walk on a glacier- We LOVED this- flying in a float plane to a remote lodge to eat fresh caught salmon and have lemonade with glacier ice cubes - yup it was awesome- and even seeing a rainforest!

2. See above.

3. You are assigned a dining order something like ALRALRA on the Magic. It's listed on your keycard when you board the ship. For a 7 night cruise you would start in Animators Palate, then go to Lumier's, then Rapunzel's Royal Table. And repeat. Ending in Animators Palate. Your serving team, table number, and possible table mates (you can be assigned to sit with other cruisers) go with you each night to the different restraints. As a note you are not required to eat at any of these dinners. You can go to the buffet each night, eat at the quick service food windows near the pools, or order room service. Most people eat in the dining rooms each night however. Menus change each night so you won't get bored of the same food.

Hope that helps you decide if Disney is right for you. It's a big and tough choice and can be overwhelming. Keep at it.