Best Disney ship for Marvel themed fun

[IMMkXLVI]

There is absolutely no drink packages on DCL. There is also no casino. I would do some more research before booking to make sure you will like this experience.

If you do decide to book, I highly suggest joining the Facebook group for your sailing. You will find a lot of information there.

We don't gamble but we do like wine and mixed drinks when we cruise. It isn't a deal breaker, just something we usually look forward to on a cruise. A chance to taste test all those drinks we heard about or saw mentioned on TV but don't ever order at a restaurant. I saw we can bring a limited quantity of wine with us so there is that at least. Are Disney ships dry? I just figured since WDW has way more alcohol than I expected at a Disney park, the ships would have options. Again, not a big deal.

Thanks for the FB tip. I'll explore that. I think we're going to book it. I have it reserved with one day to pay so I can call Disney tomorrow. For some reason the reservation added NMN to my name. I think it auto populated from when I was filling out a government form online, that field required NMN for middle name since I don't use it on my official ID.

 

[dreamer17555]

The Disney ships definitely serve alcohol. It’s just a pay per drink. They do have a drink of the day that is cheaper. You might enjoy some of the alcohol tasting classes. Mixology I believe is currently $45 per person and they make around five drinks

 

[dcassetta]

MDAS is simply amazing. I will argue it has the best deck\firework show of any DCL has offered. In the past there has been a Dr. Strange show in the Walt Disney theater and tons (and I do mean tons) of character meets (with Groot being my favorite). It is simply on another level for Marvel fans and I would argue is better than Avenger Campus at DCL.

However if schedules don't work and they can't miss school it is what it is.

Destiny will have Marvel touches but I doubt it will compare with MDAS but as you mentioned since you haven't done a MDAS you won't really know what you are missing out on.

We have done three MDAS cruises and I would agree with the above. Just an amazing experience. I think the program works well whether you are a casual Marvel fan, or someone with much more knowledge. On each of our cruises, they had special guests talking about their work with Marvel, both the films and the comics.

The deck show is perhaps my favorite experience of all of my Disney cruises. Just the way they use the whole ship and the way they time the fireworks makes it a really special experience.

The performer that’s done Hawkeye always is fun to interact with. He likes to be on the fifth floor, so that he can keep an eye on everything!

 

[IMMkXLVI]

How does it work with gratuities on a Disney cruise?


EDIT:
Found it. https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/...ies/?msockid=056ee7b2fb9b68553e4bf347fa896989
Similar to other cruise lines.

 

[Mommb]

The trip protection leaves me with questions though. The below excerpt is from the reservations page. I italicized and put in bold the lines which have me concerned about the implication.

Add the Disney Cruise Line Vacation Protection Plan​

Enjoy some peace of mind with a plan that helps protect your dream vacation. The Disney Cruise Line Vacation Protection Plan includes travel insurance benefits, a 24-hour helpline, and a Cancel for Any Reason cruise credit feature

•  Cancel for Any Reason Credit Feature - Non-Insurance Feature Provided by Disney Cruise Line
•  Travel Insurance - Underwritten by Arch Insurance Company
•  Trip Cancellation/Interruption (*up to the total cost of your trip - not to exceed $20,000 per person)
•  Trip Delay (Up to $500)
•  Baggage Loss (up to $3,000) and Baggage Delay (up to $500)
•  Emergency Medical/Dental (up to $20,000)
•  Emergency Medical Transportation (up to $30,000)

*Only expenses booked through Disney Cruise Line will be covered.
The Cancel For Any Reason cruise credit feature is equal to 75% of the non-refundable cancellation fee imposed by Disney for your use toward a future cruise. Credits are valid for one year from issue date, are not transferrable, and have no cash value. To be eligible for credits, notification of cancellation must be given to Disney Cruise Line prior to the ships’ departure and a cancellation claim must be filed. If the credit is applied to a cruise booking of lesser value, the credit will be considered used, and the difference will not be carried forward or redeemed for cash. Credit may not be used toward deposit. If, after credit is applied to a booking, that booking is cancelled, the credit will not be carried forward to any other booking. Credit is non-commissionable to travel agents. Residents of Minnesota, Missouri and New York are not required to purchase the Disney Cruise Line protection in order to access the cancel for any reason credit feature. Please contact 1-888-722-2195 for details. Guests younger than age 18 must have parent or guardian permission to call.

"Only expenses booked through Disney Cruise Line will be covered" means that if you have booked your own airfare, pre-cruise hotel stay, private shore excursions, or other parts of your trip and are unable to take the cruise or use those parts, the DCL insurance will not reimburse you for cancellation fees for those parts of the trip. This is part of the reason why some people book travel insurance through a separate company that will cover all parts of the trip, from the time you leave home to the time you return. If you're driving to the port, not staying overnight before or after the cruise, and not booking non-cancellable private excursions (or if you're will to cover the expense of these yourself if you need to cancel), this may not be a concern for you.

The "Cancel for Any Reason" feature is offered by Disney Cruise to people who purchase insurance through them, but isn't provided through the insurance company. The insurance will reimburse you for cancellation for reasons such as a medical problem that prevents you from traveling, a disaster that makes your home uninhabitable right before the trip, or a traffic accident on your way to the port. If you cancel your trip for a reason that is not covered (for example, your pet sitter cancels or your child's sports team makes the state finals and the game will be during your cruise) and the insurance company rejects your claim, then Disney Cruise will give you a credit of up to 75% of the amount paid and not refunded when you cancel the cruise. (Right before departure, the cancellation fee is the full cruise fare; it may be 25% or 50% of the fare depending on when the cancellation was made.) You can apply this credit to another cruise within 1 year.

You can purchase insurance through Disney Cruise (or cancel insurance you have purchased but not used) up until the final payment date for your cruise. If you're not sure whether this plan is the best choice for your family, you can look at other plans. Other plans may charge extra for a "Cancel for Any Reason" feature, but they may also cover a higher amount for medical costs/medical transportation during the cruise.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

Generally speaking, if disembarkation starts at 8am, how long does it take to get off the ship? Assuming you are ready at 8am to walk off.

 

[disney2you]

Generally speaking, if disembarkation starts at 8am, how long does it take to get off the ship? Assuming you are ready at 8am to walk off.

I recommend doing the early debarkation, you do miss breakfast but you miss a crazy line of people as well. I did that on the Wish and Fantasy and even then there is a short line forming for it well beforehand. Otherwise you get little character tags for your luggage and you have to wait for your character to be called to get off the ship. The main issue I found with that is that by then the line is crazy and even finding the end of it is a challenge. Did that on the Wonder and line kept double backing and it was just chaos to get off. If you do early you can be off the ship by 7:22am, and on the Wonder we were off by 9:30am (but could be later or earlier depending on when you are called).

 

[IMMkXLVI]

Okay, all booked and paid! Yay! We'll get to experience one MDAS, just in time to see it go away. We'll probably miss it in the future but have fond memories of the one trip we did get to enjoy. That said, I'm booking some fun stuff. The mixology class, that should be a good one. The Remy dinner sounds enticing, too bad the kids are barred. Our kids would have LOVED it. On that note, we got the late dinner time of 8:15, what happens if you show up at say, 9pm? are you SOL because you missed the 8:15 time?

 

[GhostHost24]

I know you just booked, but still wanted to give my opinion..

I did MDAS on the Dream just this past Feb, and it was my first DCL cruise as well. As a huge Marvel nerd I had a great time. There are characters everywhere. And on the seas day that Marvel day actually takes place, it's fantastic. So many character meet and greets. There's also Marvel quizzes all day, they show the movies all day, there's a marvel themed dinner (which isn't special though, just a special marvel menu).

I got to get a Meet and Greet pic with Thor, Groot and Gamora, Ironman, Spiderman, Cap, Shang Chi, Doctor Strange, and also Chip and Dale dressed as Thor and Loki

There were many others you could go to, but I wanted to be selective

 

[IMMkXLVI]

I know there is a FB page and I'll eventually check it out (I'm not a huge FB user/fan) but I wanted to ask this here while it's an active thread. Can I use BJs discounted Disney gift cards for the ship board activities I've booked? or does Disney bill my Disney CC on file right away?

 

[Mommb]

On that note, we got the late dinner time of 8:15, what happens if you show up at say, 9pm? are you SOL because you missed the 8:15 time?

You should show up within a few minutes of your assigned dining time, especially if you have table mates. Servers don’t like taking orders until everyone is at the table. The courses are paced in the kitchen so that everyone is served at about the same time. Getting an appetizer or entree an hour later than everyone else may be possible but challenging for the staff.

 

[Mommb]

I know there is a FB page and I'll eventually check it out (I'm not a huge FB user/fan) but I wanted to ask this here while it's an active thread. Can I use BJs discounted Disney gift cards for the ship board activities I've booked? or does Disney bill my Disney CC on file right away?

Your card on file will be charged when you reach a certain amount (I think around $800). You can go to Guest Services at any time and pay all or some of your current balance with your gift card. You can also use the gift card to purchase onboard credit before the cruise, which will be used before your credit card is charged.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

You should show up within a few minutes of your assigned dining time, especially if you have table mates. Servers don’t like taking orders until everyone is at the table. The courses are paced in the kitchen so that everyone is served at about the same time. Getting an appetizer or entree an hour later than everyone else may be possible but challenging for the staff.

There is one night where we'd be late, early isn't an option. Just curious if they will say sorry regrettably, we can't seat you.

 

[GhostHost24]

There is one night where we'd be late, early isn't an option. Just curious if they will say sorry regrettably, we can't seat you.

Don't think so. But if you know ahead of time maybe talk to your wait staff letting them know. See what they recommend or say.

 

[dreamer17555]

There is one night where we'd be late, early isn't an option. Just curious if they will say sorry regrettably, we can't seat you.

45 minutes late is likely to be an issue. I will suggest pool deck food or room service that night. Can I ask why you will be late?

 

[IMMkXLVI]

45 minutes late is likely to be an issue. I will suggest pool deck food or room service that night. Can I ask why you will be late?

There is one night where we have a Remy reservation but they won't seat anyone under 18 so our kids will be either in the cabin, at one of the kids areas or in the theatre. Thinking about dinner and a healthy meal will be the last thing they have on their mind. After Remy, we will connect with them and make sure they eat but it won't be until 9:15 ish. I forgot about room service. That was a good suggestion if we can get them to return to the cabin at a select time. If our assigned dinner time is 8:15, does that mean we couldn't order room service until 8:15 as well?

 

[Mommb]

You can order room service at any time. The options are different from the dinner menu.

Another option: If your kids are old enough to go to the theater and back to the room on their own, then they could also go to dinner at the scheduled time on their own. My kids liked feeling grown up and dining without us while my husband and I were at Palo. We told them we'd get a report from our server on how they behaved -- they did fine.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

You can order room service at any time. The options are different from the dinner menu.

Another option: If your kids are old enough to go to the theater and back to the room on their own, then they could also go to dinner at the scheduled time on their own. My kids liked feeling grown up and dining without us while my husband and I were at Palo. We told them we'd get a report from our server on how they behaved -- they did fine.

I thought about that but wasn't sure if the age to dine at the other restaurants is 18 as well.
I will have to borrow that one, about getting a report. When our son got to the age of not believing in Santa anymore, I added an esim to an old phone, set the number as a contact under the name "Santa", and sent texts about how this or that and then my wife would reply while he was looking at my phone. He isn't tech savvy enough yet to catch on. Plus I dressed in a Santa suit that year, made sure the secret camera in the family room caught me looking stealthy. I used software to make it grainy and hard to see my face. He totally bought it, along with our affirmations. He knows I can log in and see everything he orders at school lunch on days we don't send him in with lunch. I think they'll buy the whole "report" notion. lol

 

[dreamer17555]

Its not even a report notion- Your servers for main dining are the same the entire cruise so they can 100% let you know how they did or didn't do. In fact you can let them know the night before that it will just be the kids dining.

 

[IMMkXLVI]

Its not even a report notion- Your servers for main dining are the same the entire cruise so they can 100% let you know how they did or didn't do. In fact you can let them know the night before that it will just be the kids dining.

How's communication amongst family members? I read the Disney app works onboard (just not with the outside w/o a data package) but does it allow texting between devices? Is there a different Disney app for the cruises vs the theme parks? I don't see anything in the Disney World app that seems to be cruise related.

EDIT
There IS a different app. Oh joy. I just love adding apps to my already cluttered phone!