Cruise advice needed!

[OrlandoMagic]

We are looking at adding a cruise to the end of our planned holiday next year. The current plan is to stay onsite at a disney resort next September for 11/14 nights (depending on funds!) and then go on the 3 night Disney cruise to the Bahamas.

Can anyone give us some advice as this will be the first time for us! Will Disney provide transfers from our resort to the port and then from the port back to the airport?

I also see that dining is included in the price of the cruise, is this all your meals, drinks and snacks included?

Do we have to book the complete package on the one site or can I book my resort with Disney UK and my cruise with another company (depending on deals?).

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[Neoshoegal]

Transport is not included. You can include it though, but it isn't really cheap. If you are hiring a car from Orlando airport, it's probably more economical to drop it off at Cape Canaveral. All the car hire places have free shuttle busses to the cruise ships.

Food and all snacks are included. Drinks: only non alcoholic, but you can bring your own wine onboard (but there is a corking charge if you want to use it in the restaurant, free in your cabin).

You can book the cruise seperate with whomever you want. We did it direct with the Disney Cruise Line on their website.

 

[wayneg]

Link to transport options. $69pp return on the DCL coach. http://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/cruise-new/cr-transportation.htm

We have never used them, always hire a car, used to park at the port but with increased parking fees($15/day) and high rental costs its far cheaper to drop at a local rental depot and collect another after the cruise, although not as bad for a 3 day cruise, longer the cruise it can get pricey leaving a car stood.

Price of cruise should be same wherever you book, they have a fixed price policy but you might get an extra $25/50 On board credit by using an agent like DreamsUnlmitedtravel.com (who we use)
UK agents are usually way more expensive, book direct or US agent.

Just ask anything you want to know, many of us love Disney cruising
You need to go August & cruise with us, quite a few from UK going, list here

 

[Disneymad]

Don't forget to need to factor in gratuities too. You need to tip your dining room server and assistant, the head server, and your Stateroom Host (aka housekeeping). You can charge your tips at any time at guest services and they'll print out little receipts for you and you just pop those into the envelope you're given which you hand out on your last night/morning. I recommend that you don't leave this till the last night else you have to queue up for ages as everyone else is trying to do the same thing!

For a 3 night cruise this is currently $36 per person.

Another note about drinks. As mentioned alcholic drinks are not included (though I should add, it's not just wine you're allowed to take on board, you can take spirits or even beer, though has to be carried in hand luggage), note that unlike elsewhere in the States 15% tips are automatically included on the check so don't slip up and double tip for no reason if you do buy your drinks from the bar.

Cruising is great fun, I'm sure you'll love it

 

[wayneg]

note that unlike elsewhere in the States 15% tips are automatically included on the check so don't slip up and double tip for no reason if you do buy your drinks from the bar.

Cruising is great fun, I'm sure you'll love it

Double tipping does get you stronger drinks though and the odd freebie if lucky(we were). We tipped the 15% included plus $1-2 everytime we called the barman over. We were very well looked after, also if busy we were served quickly compared to others. Ontop of this I also gave him a $20 tip on our last evening. I am not a big tipper but I will tip well for good service and think nothing of reducing or removing tips for average/poor service.
Our last cruise I increased the dining room servers tip, reduced the assistant and halfed the stateroom host(always been exceptional on past cruises). Tip what you feel they are worth.
A guide for cruise tipping.
http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/

 

[kristieuk]

I would definitely recommend booking through an agent - eg Dreams Unlimited - since you will get an onboard credit. It may only be $50 or $100 on a 3 day cruise, but our this year pays for our tips, so it's really only alcolholic drinks we expect to have to budget for.

There is a wealth of information over on the cruise boards, just lurk a little and you will learn a lot! But generally, all food and soft drinks from the drinks machines, even room service are included.

Our first cruise was a 3 day, and although many people say it is too short, it is a great way to test the water so to speak. We loved it, it well exceeded my expectations and we can't wait for our 7 day this year.

One tip for Nassau if you are interested in Atlantis is to book a room at the Comfort Suites - it includes a pass to Atlantis and for us was by far the cheapest way to enjoy the beach pools and slides for the day.

Enjoy your planning

 

[~Piglet~]

We did our first Disney Cruise last month and really enjoyed it

We booked through Dreams Unlimited and had no problems at all, they kept us informed and we had a $50 OBC too. We took DCL transportation one way to the port, $105 for the three of us, yes we could have got there cheaper but for convenience we used DCL - luggage collected from POR 8am, we left POR at 11.30am, boarded ship around 1.30pm and luggage was already waiting for us On our return from Port Canaveral we had pre-booked a car with Budget, who were great (especially as I had booked for the day after by mistake ).

 

[OrlandoMagic]

Thanks so much for all the advice so far guys, bit of information overload! But all sounds really exciting!

Is there a DVD or brochure I can order from the Disney site to give me a better idea of what to expect?

 

[wayneg]

Thanks so much for all the advice so far guys, bit of information overload! But all sounds really exciting!

Is there a DVD or brochure I can order from the Disney site to give me a better idea of what to expect?

There is but they say they don't ship to UK. Some have managed it some have not.
Just read the DisneyCruiseline site, DIS cruise section and ask questions.
Have you looked at prices and dates available yet? Sometimes the 4 nights are very similar price to 3 nights.

 

[2Tiggies]

If you did the cruise at the end of your Disney stay (i.e. flew back immediately afterwards), can you get a transfer directly from the ship to the airport? When in August are you all going?

You've got me thinking now Although not sure my daughter will handle the August heat - she's complaining now and we're in Scotland. Seriously!

 

[tink too]

If you did the cruise at the end of your Disney stay (i.e. flew back immediately afterwards), can you get a transfer directly from the ship to the airport?

Yes, you can take DCL transportation either back to WDW or to MCO.

 

[~Piglet~]

Is there a DVD or brochure I can order from the Disney site to give me a better idea of what to expect?

Saw this on youtube

 

[mazz1]

you have already been given great advice so i'm not going to repeat a lot of it

just wanted to add there's a big downside to disney crusing
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and that is ?

it's highly addictive

 

[OrlandoMagic]

Saw this on youtube

Thanks for the link, I totally forgot about Youtube!

 

[OrlandoMagic]

I think I might put a deposit down with DU who gave me the following quote for 2 of us on the 3 Night Bahamas Cruise,

Trip date: 22/09/11 - 25/09/11
Ship: Disney Dream
Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom With Verandah
CAT 6B Stateroom 7182
Shipboard Credit: $125
DCL Roundtrip Transfers
Cost: $1,115.44 (Approx £744)

Looks like a great deal to me, what do you guys think? The Disney Dream artwork looks so nice, looking forward to the first photos and vidios being posted!

Just need to work out if I have enough money to put down the deposit when I get paid tomorrow!

 

[wayneg]

Personally I would not pay extra for a verandah, we were upgraded free on our 1st cruise and used it for 10 mins in 4 days so wouldn't pay for it now but others won't sail without a verandah. We are looking forward to seeing the virtual porthole on the Dream.
Saying that the difference in price is not that great on a 3 nighter $895.44 inside $1,115.44 verandah, $220 and you would lose $50 OBC.
The difference for us on the 4 nighter in August is $500, when doing the 7 nighters it usually $1,000+

Get it booked, you will love it.

 

[OrlandoMagic]

Personally I would not pay extra for a verandah, we were upgraded free on our 1st cruise and used it for 10 mins in 4 days so wouldn't pay for it now but others won't sail without a verandah. We are looking forward to seeing the virtual porthole on the Dream.
Saying that the difference in price is not that great on a 3 nighter $895.44 inside $1,115.44 verandah, $220 and you would lose $50 OBC.
The difference for us on the 4 nighter in August is $500, when doing the 7 nighters it usually $1,000+

Get it booked, you will love it.

I suffer from claustrophobia so in a small room I need to be able to have a window I can open or better still a balcony, otherwise I would have booked a room with a virtual porthole as they look so cool!

I think the verandah we were quoted is whitewalled, are these a lot worse than the clear ones?

 

[wayneg]

I think the verandah we were quoted is whitewalled, are these a lot worse than the clear ones?

We had the solid wall type, how much extra is the clear one? you really need to ask someone thats experienced both, I am sure it will have been asked numerous times on the cruise forum if you do some searching, although they may be different on Dream, not looked onto verandahs at all.

 

[tinkandonaldfans]

i have booked ourselves onto the disney dream on the 22nd Sept for 3 nights! I booked a verandah stateroom with the plexiglass wall! We are going out to Disney to get married and this will be out time without the family so wanted to pay the extra!

the price sounds good to me! i can't wait for our cruise- i've never been on one!

 

[OrlandoMagic]

Does anyone know if you can change your dinner seating and add transfers to your booking after you have put your deposit down?

Thanks!