Best DCL Planning resource?

[MommaBerd]

What do you think are some of the best planning resources (besides this board of course!) for a DCL cruise?

DH and I were supposed to cruise about 3 yrs ago but unfortunately had to cancel because of a family emergency. At that time I was using the Passporter guide, but as far as I can tell it hasn't been updated in a couple of years? Is it still good?

TIA!

 

[Justacruiser]

what kind of information are you looking for?

 

[JimmyV]

Frankly, you have found it. This board, and the one over at Cruise Critic, are the best of the best information that you will ever find on DCL. (Cruise Critic also has the advantage of some great links to "Ports of Call" facts and information that cannot be found here as well as a whole bunch of "generic cruise information", whereas here it is "all Disney all the time".) This board tends to be a bit more biased toward Disney, with many posters who have never sailed on any other cruise lines, whereas over on CC you will find posters with a broader range of experiences. Still, the bias here is easy to overlook in comparison to the tremendous information that you will find.

 

[MommaBerd]

I really need a resource on the *basics*, or at least someone to point me in the right direction. In particular, I'm looking for a timeline of when we schedule activities/do online registration/any other deadlines I need to know about. Also, I need to know about gratuities. I know I can search the boards or use Google; I was just hoping for a single resource that has this info. I just hate to ask basic questions that have probably been answered a million gazillion times. However, in typing this, I realized I can just go to the main wdwinfo.com site and look under Disney Cruise Line Planning, and hopefully that will answer most of my questions.

 

[TestingH2O]

Also use http://disneycruiselineblog.com/. Scott has booking window calculators, past Navigators, restaurant menus, breaking news and more. It's been a great resource for me.

 

[MommaBerd]

Also use http://disneycruiselineblog.com/. Scott has booking window calculators, past Navigators, restaurant menus, breaking news and more. It's been a great resource for me.

Yes - this is perfect!

 

[3fish]

Hi there,

This board is fantastic! I'm a seasoned cruiser on various ships and I have received valuable information and insight through DIS.
Here are a few tricks I've learned on this board.
1. Book Palo for brunch. If you do nothing else, do this!
2. Do bring t g e slotted amount of wine/beer on board. It's worth the stop. Purchase wine/beer on your port day.
3. Stay at the comfort suites in Nassau to take advantage of Atlantis.
3.Don't prepay gratuities. Why? Tips depend on level of service recieved and I want to control my tips.
4. Family of 5 or more joining you on your cruise? Hire a car service, it's worth every penny. You're on vacation!
5. Don't miss pirate night.
6. Don't miss the sail away party.
7. See the shows
8. Catch a movie
9. Ride the water slides on port days
10. BRING UN-OPENED SNACKS!

 

[3fish]

I have never felt so prepared for a cruise, and I've cruised a lot. I photocopied my passport, hotel, transportation, airline and disney docs. I then went to the Dollar tree and purchased an 8 1/2×5 coupon file with a rubber band enclosure that had 6 or so compartments. I labeled each compartment, passport, hotels, flight.... put the necessary docs in the appropriate slot and stuck it in my suitcase. I kerp my copies of our passports separate. I will purchase another for home, my mom is dog sitting for us.

Thank you so much for this wonderful type A idea. It's right up my alley!

 

[diznymom]

Definitely use your Passporter for the basic info. I have 2, and they are not much different. I have found that some of the port adventure descriptions are lacking, but the planning is great. It has great planning pages that you fill in the info to your specific cruise. I use Post-it tabs to mark pages.

I also like the Official Disney Cruise book (not sure of the actual name). It is colorful and an easy read.

Also, ask your questions here. If people get snippy b/c the question has already been asked, ignore them. I love answering questions that I know the answer to.