Choosing a First Cruise

[lunaland]

Hi!
We are Seattle area Disneyland Annual Passholders getting ready to try cruising for the first time. I had a plan, but now I'm starting to second guess it. We are: childless friends in our 20s who like Disney a little too much We've traveled together to Disneyland for 5 years now, and spent 2 weeks in Orlando last December doing WDW/SW/DC/USO/beach. I've wanted to cruise for years now but Alli has said no. Then we drove by Port Canaveral and saw the Dream. I made a comment about giving up and going alone. She says- oh wait you want to go on a Disney cruise? I'll go on a Disney cruise. What??! What other kind of cruise would I want to go on? Now, Alli gets carsick, seasick, trainsick, plainsick, and Star Tours sick. So she's worried. I don't blame her, but I've read up on this and I think we can mitigate it. So, just to be sure this was something we enjoyed our plan is a 4 night on the Dream to test the waters. We'd fly in a few days early to stay at AKL, go to Epcot (non-negotiable for Alli), do a Christmas party, go to Discovery Cove. BUT I recently found a 7 night cruise on the Magic out of Miami for pretty much the same rate as our 4 night on the Dream. It seems a shame not to get those extra 3 nights for 'free' essentially. The downfall being what if Alli is miserable for 7 nights instead of 4? Also being out of Miami it eleminates the pre-cruise WDW portion of the trip. Which actually makes the 7 night end up costing half the cost of the 4 night. That said, I'm not deciding based on cost. Alli is rightfully nervous about a longer cruise. She's also not pleased about skipping her beloved Epcot. I'm anxious to try DCL, and worried we'll regret the shorter cruise once onboard. I would be sad to skip Candlelight though, as we've made a point to see it each year. Help?

Denise

 

[jeepnjudy]

You will get many different responses on here so this is mine...stick with the 4 day cruise since it is your first cruise and you are not sure how your friend will respond to the sea. Enjoy the time you get to spend at WDW as well. If you really like the 4 day and your friend does well with mitigating the sea sicknesses, then save your pennies like we do and book a longer cruise for next time. Just my humble opinion.

 

[dclpluto]

First day cruise you don't want a 4 day I will say 7 day minimum. A cruise ship is very different than car sick going on rides sick etc. a cruise ship is like a floating city.

 

[ludari]

I've completed 8 Disney Cruises in 5 years and last week I finally sailed on the Disney Dream to complete my goal of sailing on all of Disney's Ships. Anyway, my Dream cruise was the shortest I've been on and although I know my way around and know what I want to do it still did not seem like enough time. However combing my cruise with a five day park visit help make up for the short cruise. If you prefer the longer cruise your friend can definitely take some type of medication to reduce or eliminate seasickness (unfortunately I do not get seasick so I cannot recommend what works best). You need to definitely look at what you preference such as ports, shows on the ships (I prefer the shows on the Magic verses the Dream), compare cost (cruise, park tickets, hotel, flight, etc.), timeframe (remember that this is the last year for the Osborne Festival of Lights so that may carry some weight on your decision as well), ship amenities (the Dream has better public areas, bars/nightclubs, and Aquaduck, more pools, larger spa area, etc). If you have any specific questions feel free and PM me. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Hi!
We are Seattle area Disneyland Annual Passholders getting ready to try cruising for the first time. I had a plan, but now I'm starting to second guess it. We are: childless friends in our 20s who like Disney a little too much We've traveled together to Disneyland for 5 years now, and spent 2 weeks in Orlando last December doing WDW/SW/DC/USO/beach. I've wanted to cruise for years now but Alli has said no. Then we drove by Port Canaveral and saw the Dream. I made a comment about giving up and going alone. She says- oh wait you want to go on a Disney cruise? I'll go on a Disney cruise. What??! What other kind of cruise would I want to go on? Now, Alli gets carsick, seasick, trainsick, plainsick, and Star Tours sick. So she's worried. I don't blame her, but I've read up on this and I think we can mitigate it. So, just to be sure this was something we enjoyed our plan is a 4 night on the Dream to test the waters. We'd fly in a few days early to stay at AKL, go to Epcot (non-negotiable for Alli), do a Christmas party, go to Discovery Cove. BUT I recently found a 7 night cruise on the Magic out of Miami for pretty much the same rate as our 4 night on the Dream. It seems a shame not to get those extra 3 nights for 'free' essentially. The downfall being what if Alli is miserable for 7 nights instead of 4? Also being out of Miami it eleminates the pre-cruise WDW portion of the trip. Which actually makes the 7 night end up costing half the cost of the 4 night. That said, I'm not deciding based on cost. Alli is rightfully nervous about a longer cruise. She's also not pleased about skipping her beloved Epcot. I'm anxious to try DCL, and worried we'll regret the shorter cruise once onboard. I would be sad to skip Candlelight though, as we've made a point to see it each year. Help?

Denise

I agree 100% with @jeepnjudy, test the waters with the 4 day. If you end up loving it, you can book a 7 day Alaska cruise next out of Vancouver.

If you book a future cruise, or at least a placeholder, while you're on the ship, you will receive a 10% discount.

As far as motion sickness goes: my wife is in the same boat, (pun intended). Our first cruise she tried the patch by Dr. recommendation, it worked for sickness but made her very light headed, but she only weighs about 105. On our other cruises she she just used Bonine, (uses it also when we travel by air and car), and she was totally fine.

 

[ForMyBoys]

I vote for a 4-day. Our first cruise was a split park stay and 4 day cruise and it was one of the best vacations ever.

 

[cruisehopeful]

If she takes Bonine daily, she will likely be fine. They also have unlimited peppermint tea on board, which has helped me a lot, but Bonine has been the best for me. My husband swears by ginger pills.

 

[clten]

I personally think 4 days is too short. But I think do think it is a good length to test if you enjoy cruising, especially if seasickness is a concern. So if I were in your position, I'd do a few days at WDW and then do the 4 day Dream cruise. That way you can still get in some of the activities you enjoy and won't feel you've sacrificed them for a cruise.

As far as the motion sickness, there are medications as others recommended. I recommend bringing along some form of ginger. Also, try to select a mid-ship cabin if you can, that helps with the motion.

 

[lunaland]

First let me say thank you all so much for the responses!

You will get many different responses on here so this is mine...stick with the 4 day cruise since it is your first cruise and you are not sure how your friend will respond to the sea. Enjoy the time you get to spend at WDW as well. If you really like the 4 day and your friend does well with mitigating the sea sicknesses, then save your pennies like we do and book a longer cruise for next time. Just my humble opinion.

We actually knew going in to this cruise that if we enjoyed it, we would book another onboard. Additionally, my Mom spent part of her childhood in Alaska and is always talking about seeing it again. We are a few hours from Vancouver, so there are potentially two trips in the future. If this goes well!

First day cruise you don't want a 4 day I will say 7 day minimum. A cruise ship is very different than car sick going on rides sick etc. a cruise ship is like a floating city.

Thats exactly what I tell her! I think (hope) she will be ok. She gets sick on the ferries here, but of course they are smaller even though they are big boats.

I've completed 8 Disney Cruises in 5 years and last week I finally sailed on the Disney Dream to complete my goal of sailing on all of Disney's Ships. Anyway, my Dream cruise was the shortest I've been on and although I know my way around and know what I want to do it still did not seem like enough time. However combing my cruise with a five day park visit help make up for the short cruise. If you prefer the longer cruise your friend can definitely take some type of medication to reduce or eliminate seasickness (unfortunately I do not get seasick so I cannot recommend what works best). You need to definitely look at what you preference such as ports, shows on the ships (I prefer the shows on the Magic verses the Dream), compare cost (cruise, park tickets, hotel, flight, etc.), timeframe (remember that this is the last year for the Osborne Festival of Lights so that may carry some weight on your decision as well), ship amenities (the Dream has better public areas, bars/nightclubs, and Aquaduck, more pools, larger spa area, etc). If you have any specific questions feel free and PM me. Good luck with your decision.

You know I never thought about the ships being that different!! I kind of assumed they all had the same shows/public areas/etc. I know the Dream and Fantasy are bigger but I thought that was just more rooms. Oops. That might actually make a difference! I'm going to have to investigate further. I don't drink, and Alli doesn't drink much, but we do want to take advantage of a lot of the other amenities. We mostly planned to see the shows, shop, relax, do some spa treatments, do the rainforest spa, ideally both Remy and Palo, waterslides sound good too. As for ports, the Dream stops at Nassau and Castaway Cay like always. I've always wanted to go to Atlantis so I thought we'd go there, and it sounds great simply to relax at Castaway Cay. The Magic stops in Key West (another place I'd love to see but no clue what we'd actually do), Cozmul (we'd probably stay on the ship), Grand Cayman (sounds great) and Castaway Cay (relax). Cost wise, the Magic wins hands down. But we'll break our Candlelight tradition and Alli won't be happy skipping Epcot at all. Oh, and this is actually for next December, so sadly we'll miss the Osborne lights. We're saying 'goodbye for now' to Disneyland in a few weeks for our annual December trip. I tried to talk Alli into flying out first to Florida to see them when we found out it was the last year, then on to our planned DLR trip but 3 flights was a dealbreaker for her.

I agree 100% with @jeepnjudy, test the waters with the 4 day. If you end up loving it, you can book a 7 day Alaska cruise next out of Vancouver.

If you book a future cruise, or at least a placeholder, while you're on the ship, you will receive a 10% discount.

As far as motion sickness goes: my wife is in the same boat, (pun intended). Our first cruise she tried the patch by Dr. recommendation, it worked for sickness but made her very light headed, but she only weighs about 105. On our other cruises she she just used Bonine, (uses it also when we travel by air and car), and she was totally fine.

We are definitely looking at those Alaska cruises! Vancouver is just a few hours away, we've driven up just for the day several times. That sure cuts down on the hassle, plus no planes needed. Sad for me, I love flying but very very happy for Alli! Plus my Mom has wanted to go back to Alaska for years, she spent part of her childhood there. So even if Alli is a no-go on cruising I might still get to go I'll have to ask her if she's tried Bonine, I know she uses Drammamine sometimes but it just makes her fall asleep. Is Bonine non-drowsy?

I vote for a 4-day. Our first cruise was a split park stay and 4 day cruise and it was one of the best vacations ever.

That's what we were hoping when we first made our plans. To take the highlights from last years trip, condense it down and stick it at the beginning of the cruise. So even if we hated the cruise (I don't think we will!) We'd still have a great trip. Now I'm just second guessing that plan.

If she takes Bonine daily, she will likely be fine. They also have unlimited peppermint tea on board, which has helped me a lot, but Bonine has been the best for me. My husband swears by ginger pills.

I know she hasn't tried those! Maybe I'll have her take some before our flight to the DLR and see if it helps. Thanks, great idea!

I personally think 4 days is too short. But I think do think it is a good length to test if you enjoy cruising, especially if seasickness is a concern. So if I were in your position, I'd do a few days at WDW and then do the 4 day Dream cruise. That way you can still get in some of the activities you enjoy and won't feel you've sacrificed them for a cruise.

As far as the motion sickness, there are medications as others recommended. I recommend bringing along some form of ginger. Also, try to select a mid-ship cabin if you can, that helps with the motion.

This definitely seems to be most people's vote, and it was our original plan. I also think its what Alli would prefer, but its sometimes hard to tell because she's a people pleaser. Maybe I shouldn't doubt my original plan....

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We are definitely looking at those Alaska cruises! Vancouver is just a few hours away, we've driven up just for the day several times. That sure cuts down on the hassle, plus no planes needed. Sad for me, I love flying but very very happy for Alli! Plus my Mom has wanted to go back to Alaska for years, she spent part of her childhood there. So even if Alli is a no-go on cruising I might still get to go I'll have to ask her if she's tried Bonine, I know she uses Drammamine sometimes but it just makes her fall asleep. Is Bonine non-drowsy?

Bonine is non-drowsy, that's why she prefers it to Dramamine.

 

[hoffman1]

I think the 4 day will be perfect for you! It is enough to give you a good feel for cruising. That is what we started with because my husband was pretty adamant that he would not like cruising. He only agreed to go so that I would stop nagging him. He was afraid of being sick and of being in the middle of the ocean where you can't see any land.
Now, he loves it more than I do!

 

[hardis5]

The DW gets sea sick (has felt on 4 sailings thus far) and found using Bonine best combined with added ginger ale or green apples for when worst. Found that she needed to start the day before the cruise and take for the day after (as sea legs followed her for a few days after once back on land stopping the meds).

I'd second a 4-day as best to try combined with what you both will enjoy as an add-on to a WDW stay.

 

[asunutgirl]

Anything that moves makes me ill as well. (I can't do Space Mtn anymore, sadly.) I have no issue cruising but I use the patch. The main side effect for me is a dry mouth. I just make sure I drink a lot of water and I use a biotene (sp?) rinse that helps as well. I take Bonine for 3 days prior to sailing to get meds in my system. Then I switch to the patch the day we board. I can't do the ginger - it actually makes me nauseous!

I've heard people say that they don't feel the motion of the ship at all. I think it depends on the weather. I always feel the ship moving some - in 2012 we sailed in between 2 hurricanes and there were 50 mph winds that day. We were certainly moving more but I did fine because I had the patch on.

I've done 3 day, 4 day and 7 day cruises without incident. I think it also depends on where you are sailing (I will never do a transatlantic). I'd also recommend picking an itinerary with more days in port and less days at sea.

 

[bethy]

We are from Seattle, just did our first cruise, love DL, etc etc. I was terribly worried about seasickness. Your two best options:

Time at WDW plus 4 day cruise

Time at WDW plus 7 day cruise (the drive is not that bad, btdt last month)

but in your situation I'd do the time at WDW no matter what.

Bonine worked like a charm for me. Take it 1-2 days before travelling and continue 1-2 days after you return. Sea bands are also miracle workers

 

[dotfurio]

I get motion sickness in cars, trains, and star tours . I take a hefty dose of Xanax on planes so I haven't noticed any motion sickness there.

We got a room mid-ship because I heard that was best for motion sickness. I also wore sea bands. As it turned out I didn't need meds. I never felt really nauseous, but I had my moments where I just didn't feel much like eating due to the motion, I'm sure. I also found if I had an outside view, I had to sit facing the direction the ship was travelling or else I started getting queasy. We were on an Alaska cruise, and people said there's less sea-sickness because it's mostly inside passage, so that may have been a factor that got me through.

 

[Flossbolna]

I don't drink, and Alli doesn't drink much, but we do want to take advantage of a lot of the other amenities. We mostly planned to see the shows, shop, relax, do some spa treatments, do the rainforest spa, ideally both Remy and Palo, waterslides sound good too.

With these interests, I think you will enjoy the Dream for your first cruise very much. The Magic has no Remy. The rainforest room on the Magic/Wonder is not nearly as nice as the one on the Dream/Fantasy. The AquaDuck is far more interesting as a waterslide than the AquaDunk. The newer ships have more public spaces to just sit and relax. However, if the adult pool is very important to you, there the Magic/Wonder win out over the newer ships by far!

I still love the Magic and the Wonder and will still cruise them. But I think they are better ships for cruises where you go to a lot of ports.

Oh, one thing I forgot: If you are a fan of Tangled, then the Magic will be your ship as it has the new Tangled show.

 

[griffindesign]

I wanted to add my encouragement not to worry about her motion sickness. Just have her come prepared with some options. I get extremely motion sick in cars, on rides, in imax movies, etc and have been successful with seabands and ginger capsules ( she may want to try ginger before the cruise to make sure she can tolerate it. I do fine and so do my kids, but dh feels slightly nauseous after. ) I usually take a ginger capsule the morning of embarkation and then once each day for the first few days of a longer cruise. Also start with 2 sea bands. Generally it gets better after a couple of days and I can use only one sea band. On our last cruise I forgot to take the ginger and thought I could get away starting with 1 seaband, and the first night was the roughest we've ever had ( like not able to stand up straight or walk straight down the hallway). It started as we were eating dinner and I felt weird but not nauseous. We went back to the room, and I took ginger and put on my other sea band and made it through fine. I have also since heard of motion eaze which is an oil combination you put behind your ears. I will be adding this to my arsenal for our 14 night ebta in May And have complete confidence I will be fine!

 

[MunFam]

I get extremely sea sick. I used to get sick doing the Seattle-Bremmerton Ferry crossing each day if I did not sit outside with the wind in my face and it sucked doing that in the snow! Ha

I have even gotten sea sick fishing from docks and when we were still tied up at the port in Miami before our 15 day WBPC cruise on the Wonder.

One of my best tricks (after lots and lots of cruising in crazy rough seas) is to buy little portable fans and use those. I have even hung the little hand held ones from a string/magnet from the ceiling to dangle in my face at night while sleeping.

We were deck 2 midship and it was wonderful. No movement, even in the rough seas. I did feel awful in the aft restaurants and in the theaters.

I think having a solid supply of tricks to combat the motion sickness is key. Fans, meds, bands, snacks, drinks. (I packed my own gingerale because they charge for it everywhere except dinner and lunch in the MDR)

Don't let the sea sickness keep you from cruising! I do say go for the longer cruise...even our 15 day was too short.

 

[Muskegon78]

I suggest a 7 day

 

[lunaland]

Thank you everyone!! Especially for the motion sickness tips. We are going to try some of them out in a few weeks at Disneyland Between the drive to the airport, flight, and Star Tours hopefully we'll get an idea of what might work for the Cruise.

We did end up deciding to stick with our original plan. I think the dealbreaker was really missing out on WDW pre-cruise, especially for Alli. While I must admit I would have loved to tack WDW onto the longer cruise, I can't miss that many days at work this year since I'm trying something else new and spending a week at Disney's Hilton Head resort in the Spring But if this Dream Cruise is a success- I think we can each book another cruise onboard? I could see this becoming a bad habit!