figmentnnemo
DVC: Saratoga Springs & BLT
- Joined
- Jun 17, 2007
- Messages
- 571
So sorry for your loss. The cruise will help you create new memories. And keep you very busy (or not, whatever your family prefers). Tell the cruise line the situation and they will respond above and beyond, making sure your family, especially the kids, have a good time.
Port Adventures are pretty good. In foreign ports, I always go with the excursion because you're in a foreign land and they guarantee you are getting back to the ship and Disney is very rigiourous with their pre screening of tour operators. So much so, they will not offer some excursions other lines do becuase the operator doesn't meet Disney standards
.
And as a "tourist" I worry about being ripped off, tut Disney doesn't seem to jack the prices as much as other lines. When we sailed with them in Alaska, I took an excursion solo (a crab fishing tour) and did some homework about it. DCL booked the ship exclusively for us, kept the numbers down and charged us exactly what the tour operator charged people booking thru them.
That being said, I feel a little different about American ports too. I have a bit less hesitation walking around on our own (you know everyone will speak English, take your money, cell phone will work etc...)
For example, in San Juan the is a group of DIS'ers who are planning to go to the Old Fort on our own. I'm a chicken when in port, but since this is an American port, I'm completely comfortable with that since we are going as a group.
In St. Thomas there are going to be a ridiculous amount of ships in port
, so yes, if you want to do an excursion, I would definitely book one with Disney. Otherwise you can get off the ship and walk around the main shopping area very easily, we dock right there. And you can see the ship at all times and it's easy to get on and off! You can even get off and go back on board for lunch.
I plan to hit the spa on St. Thomas day and enjoy a port day special.
Hope my two cents helps!
Port Adventures are pretty good. In foreign ports, I always go with the excursion because you're in a foreign land and they guarantee you are getting back to the ship and Disney is very rigiourous with their pre screening of tour operators. So much so, they will not offer some excursions other lines do becuase the operator doesn't meet Disney standards
.And as a "tourist" I worry about being ripped off, tut Disney doesn't seem to jack the prices as much as other lines. When we sailed with them in Alaska, I took an excursion solo (a crab fishing tour) and did some homework about it. DCL booked the ship exclusively for us, kept the numbers down and charged us exactly what the tour operator charged people booking thru them.
That being said, I feel a little different about American ports too. I have a bit less hesitation walking around on our own (you know everyone will speak English, take your money, cell phone will work etc...)
For example, in San Juan the is a group of DIS'ers who are planning to go to the Old Fort on our own. I'm a chicken when in port, but since this is an American port, I'm completely comfortable with that since we are going as a group.
In St. Thomas there are going to be a ridiculous amount of ships in port
, so yes, if you want to do an excursion, I would definitely book one with Disney. Otherwise you can get off the ship and walk around the main shopping area very easily, we dock right there. And you can see the ship at all times and it's easy to get on and off! You can even get off and go back on board for lunch.I plan to hit the spa on St. Thomas day and enjoy a port day special.
Hope my two cents helps!
thanks everyone for the warm welcome!
I have not updated my signature...our kids are 11 and 12. I had a look at the website for the cruisers and noticed that there are a few kids their age. This is good
I'm just starting to look at port adventures...are there any worth their money?
My DD wants to stay at YC. My DS says he's ok with a mod. I am leaning toward YC, but I am having a hard time justifying the extra cost. I'm typically frugal by nature. They love to swim, and we are canadian...so the cold really doesn't bug us that much if december is a bit chilly. It was back in 2010.
I would stay at WL, but that was where we stayed last time and Im afraid I will see DH everywhere.
Not sure how much I will be involved with all that is planned. My energy levels are not what they used to be. I think it is amazing and lovely that they are being planned, though. Never even knew this was done on cruises!
Tori
I received the invite on FB and wanted to make sure I was eligible to attend 
(Seriously though, I can usually get antibiotics when we need them 
)
under the tree, how will anyone else be able to walk around the lobby, or maybe even get on the boat? 
Hope this helps 
