Disney Cruise Must Do's??

[TeachersRock]

Even though it is not listed on the room service menu, order a Mickey ice cream bar!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Yes the one "must do" that you don't have planned on here is room service. Room service is free so order whatever the hell you want whenever you want it. We always had them bring us crackers and cheese and wed have that with wine on the veranda. i also ordered room service breakfast items like a muffin or two since one or two of us would always wake up early

This was going to be my suggestion. So many hotels these days don't have room service, and those that do are so expensive and/or take so long. Ordering a little something while you are prepping for the evening meal/show, or late at night is such a treat.

But since that has been mentioned, I'll say, spend some time in the adult areas. Great place to relax and soak it in. People think of DCL as all about the kids, but it is definitely for adults too!

And the Activities in the lounges were fun too, like Majority Rules, where they ask you questions, and you have to write down what you think most other people are going to say. Silly, but fun.

 

[Southern Sweetie]

The things we always do are eat, watch the shows, swim. We also enjoy the sail away party and hearing the ship blow its horn. There are special dessert cake and pie you can get from room service. We like to do the character meet and greets.
Fun but not as relaxing we join fish extender group and decorate our door.

 

[Laundress]

When the opportunities presents itself take the time to chit chat with the cast members. We have met some lovely people.

 

[jrabbit]

My DW (witness trouble, call DW) and I are about to experience our first DCL vacation in a few short weeks. We are sailing on the Wonder for the 4 night Bahamas cruise. We are super excited, but as mostly WDW vets, we are a little less familiar with "sailing the high seas". So, we reach out to you DCL vets and ask, what are your MUST DO cruise experiences? We have Palo reserved at 6 on Pirate night, in hopes it's enough time to eat a better meal but still enjoy the fun of the party (good?). We also have the Castaway Cay extreme getaway package and Bahamas by land and sea excursion booked. Thanks for any input, everyone!

I just got off of the Wonder a few days ago. Our cruise was from Galveston to San Juan - so by no means a "normal" cruise. On our cruise the Pirate Night Festivities occurred between 7:30 and 8:15pm (between the dinner seatings) INCLUDING the Fireworks. If that's the schedule for your cruise and you want to be a party of the "sail away party with Pirate costumes" I think that you will be cutting it close with your Palo reservations. It seems to me that dinners are closer to 2 hours for a nice paced dinner vs 1.5 hours which feel much more rushed. Fireworks went off about 8:05 or a little later (had to get the wind across the ship correct before shooting them off).

Have FUN!!

 

[jrabbit]

Other things to consider especially since this is your first (of many) DCL cruises ...

• NOT doing Palo for Dinner (Palo IS Great - it might be to late to book, but Brunch is our favorite), so you don't miss out on a MDR. Tiana's Place is Fantastic, Animators is fun to watch change or your animation, and Triton's is the "boring" classy place
• 7:30pm Cadillac Lounge for Aaron L on the piano. We relaxed in there every night (except for Pirate's where we wished we were there instead of at the pirate party)
• "Late Night" in Azure at 9:45 and 10:45 for the entertainer's adult show with the "game shows" in between like: Match Your Mate, Say What!?, Majority Rules, etc
• Wind Ping Pong (regular ping pong, but with breezes to mess with the ball) up on Deck 10 while the ship is sailing (the tables are behind the wind screen and now there is a cover over the area so it's not as challenging as it was 10+ years ago)
• Snacks in Cove Cafe - they are 1) FREE and 2) much better than whats served in Cabanas for lunch
• Unless you have mobility issues, Take The Stairs. The Elevators are busy, and the kids (both attended and unattended) love playing in them and pushing all of the buttons. You get to eat more desserts that way!
• Try and stay active (voice of experience here from this last trip). Try and walk a mile or two every day. Deck 4 has a walking / running track with 3 laps = 1 mile. Keep track of your starting lifeboat station - its really easy to get confused has to how many laps you've done. Or walk laps up on deck 10. will take more than 3 laps to be a mile, but it will also be an obstacle course.

and then there are my three rules for a DCL cruise ...

1. You can't EAT it ALL, but it is time to try new foods
2. You can't DO it ALL, but sleep is for after the cruise
3. Sunscreen, completely and frequently - the sun IS different in the Caribbean than at home.

and finally, Do You KNOW Where Your Documentation Is? (Passport, Birth Certificate, Photo ID) and Is It Available?
Get It - NOW!!! 'cause if it is in the Bank's vault and it's the weekend or a holiday, you are out of luck. Over the past 17 years, there have been many people that missed this step and missed the ship.

 

[Kontos]

Order room service warm cookies and milk at least one night

Do all cookies from room service come warm or do you have to specifically request warm cookies?

 

[CamColt]

While I agree with much of what has been said, especially about relaxing and not trying to do it all, I would highly suggest if you see any evening show, make it Disney Dreams. Being regulars in the park and now sailing DCL, I assume you are are serious Disney fans. I don't know how many times I've seen this show but I tear up every time. It is surely a do not miss.

 

[NDFAN89]

Do all cookies from room service come warm or do you have to specifically request warm cookies?

You have to request they be warmed

 

[bbn1122]

Take in a movie or two at the Buena Vista Theatre. First run movies. If Disney has a movie coming out that week or day, it will be shown on that cruise.

Get up early one morning walk the deck. Beautiful ocean views. And great to do this at night too.

And I agree just relax take all in.

 

[frostymom]

how much do the tastings cost? Other than the Navigator is there anywhere to find out about these things?

 

[dragynally]

how much do the tastings cost? Other than the Navigator is there anywhere to find out about these things?

Mixology was $20-30. I can't remember the exact price.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

how much do the tastings cost? Other than the Navigator is there anywhere to find out about these things?

This is from a fairly recent Fantasy cruise:
http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=191


The Navigator will direct you where to sign up for them, more specific information is available there.