Disney cruise????

[ssr4me]

Hi there,,,, we are fairly new to DVC and although we stayed at SSR last year this year is our 1st return back as dvc members.... CANT WAIT - counting the days down and dont miss a day on here reading about anything disney..haha. Anyway for next year i have been looking at discney cruise, we are going with family to SSR and using all our points for the 2 weeks there setp 09 but thinking about adding a 3 days Disney cruise to Bahamas - we would be paying cash for this, my questions are do you have any tips for the cruise? As DVC members would we get any kind of discount of the price?? I also read that all snacks are inc in the price, is this correct and how does that work? It would be me DH and DS 14 at the time would there be plenty for him to do.?? Any advice will be a great help!! thanks in advance

 

[bibbidibobbidiboo07]

Hello fellow northerners!

We did a Disney Cruise 7 night Western a couple of year ago and bought a great book which helped us - Passporters Disney Criuse Line and Its ports of call - you can get it on Amazon.

I think if I remeber correctly - you get free soft drinks, but need to use beverage station during the day. If you drink in the bars you for alcohol and at meal times. But food is avaiable all day pretty much. Even room service was included (limited choice but included none the less)

Would be glad to answer any other queries.

 

[ssr4me]

thanks for replying so quickly bibidibobidiboo07 (bet a spelt it wrong!!) How did u get from airport to port - did you take ME or take a car down there and park it up - how close is the car park to boat (walking distance??)

 

[bibbidibobbidiboo07]

We did it a long way round. We were staying at the Swan, thought we had transfer included to the port but didn't. As we had a hire car we took it back to the airport and got the cruise line bus from there and paid when we got there.

Taking the bus is easier I think, if your going from Saratoga much easier to just get on the bus and relax - happy cruising here we come. When we got off the ship we took the bus back to the airport, then hired a car drove to DTD checked luggage in using Virgins DTD check in and headed righ tinto Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day before heading back to the airport for flight home.

If we cruise again - which we are thinking of doing one in 2009, I would just book cruise line bus from hotel to port and back. Takes hassle out.

 

[bibbidibobbidiboo07]

Just re read your question - just use cruise line bus from airport if you have time to. Bear in mind cruise leaves at a set time, won't wait if your delayed. So I would stay over night before the cruise. Not so bad for going home if flight time is after lunch or if your staying on after cruise.

 

[Diznee4me]

The cruise is great! If you are a big Disney fan it is a must do. The entertainment is great! Your son will have pleanty of activities geared just for him and you will probably not see him very much. Don't worry he is safe in the Disney activity areas. It leaves you and your spouse free to do whatever you want. The nightly shows are unbelievable. We have done cruises, two 3 day and one day. The four day is better in my opinion just because you get to be more comfortable before it is over. Don't worry! It will be a blast for all Disney fans!

 

[Muushka]

do you have any tips for the cruise?

I am with the above poster, shoot for the 4 night cruise, 3 isn't quite long enough, 4 is great.

My other tip would be to book it as soon as you can because the price goes up as time goes on. Our cruise this Sept '08 was booked for us 14 months in advance. Our price is about $2500, it is now close to $4000. Even if you booked and canceled (hopefully no cancellation fees) it would be worth the hassle. Good luck!

 

[esbrick]

Hi! We have our DVC at SSR as well! This year we stayed Saturday night at SSR, Easter Sunday we started the Cruise and took the DCL Experss, came back to SSR on Thursday and went home on Saturday. It was a great experience! For more tips go to the Disney Cruise Line forum on Disboards. There is lots of great info there! I spent so many great nights planning and printing packing lists and tips before we went it was great! Definately get yourself a over the door shoe holder! It was the best piece of advice we received. Space is limited in the rooms and this helps to keep stuff organized and definately bring your own hairdryer! I learned the hard way not to forget it. There is so much stuff to read about but you will get it all on the DCL Forum. http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9:banana:

 

[mnra]

I have been on many disney cruises 2 7 day cruises 1 four day cruise and 1 three day cruise. If you can do the 4 day cruise you will enjoy two visit to castaway cay this year and it is worth it. My kids are now 18 18 and 21 and for there high school graduation present they wanted to do a cruise again. There is so much to do and see that your time will go by very quickly. you will not need to worry about your kids since they are well taken care of on the ship. Hopefully you will find time to relax and enjoy the trip yourself. I think the cabin selection is important even though I know some people don;t see it that way. It is very nice to sit late at night on a balconey with a glass of wine. We plan on doing another 7 day trip next year and can;t wait for it.

Make sure you see all the shows they are well worth it.

 

[kimberh]

We cruise a lot. I am one that doesn't believe in putting all my money into a cabin choice. We are going on a 7 day Disney cruise Aug 09. I am taking 11 people. It's the ship that I believe in not the cabin. I do believe in cabin location. We are on deck 7 midship inside. I cannot stand being in the front of the ship (forward) if there is rough water, this section of cabins will feel it. Now, the Disney ships are built to handle this.

We have done a 3 day, it is not long enough. With my grandchildren's school schedule and Disney's price structure, it is so hard to get a cruise at a good price in Dec that fits our schedule and price. We have to take so many people, so we had to settle for the 3 day.

See the shows, try to see the movies, the threatre has a awesome sound system. I was so impressed. The restaurants were wonderful! We are really looking forward to the 7 day. I purchased our trip cancellation insurance from a private provider, it saved us a lot. I was able to purchase a group plan. Any way to save a dollar. Parking at the Port is now $15.00 per day so keep this in mind if you rent a car. We drive, so we might look for a hotel that will let us keep the car in the parking lot and use their shuttle. We did this last year when we did another cruise.

We do shore excursions once in port. Decide ahead of time if you plan on doing this and plan on it for your budget.

Disney is adding a Fuel Surcharge the end of May for new bookings. If you are planning on doing a cruise, I would get it booked to save on the Fuel Surcharge.

 

[mnra]

deck 7 midship are very nice cabin;s the last few times we have cruised with 9 or 10 people and it is so much fun. we look forward this time to going and spending time in the adult pool area since everyone is finally over 18. try to make all the deck parties they are so fun. And don;t eat for a week before you go.lol. do they still let you on before noon on the boarding date. they did that last summer and it was so much fun.

enjoy

 

[lisa costa]

HI We did the Disney Crusie for 3 nights and used partial points. We used points for us and then paid out for our three children. It almost seems like it is cheaper to pay the cruise out then use your points, for the amount of points required. I also feel that the cabin you stay in is important, we are five people and my children are not little, while we had a family stateroom with verandah category 4, this year I was looking into the 1 bedroom suite category 3, we were very crowded and really didn't have much drawer or closet space for clothing. I also agree that the 4 night would be better as I felt that we never had enough time on the boat to really enjoy the boat. The boat itself is absolutely magnificent, the food is great and the shows are spectacular. The service is incredible ! All around A+

 

[kimberh]

deck 7 midship are very nice cabin;s the last few times we have cruised with 9 or 10 people and it is so much fun. we look forward this time to going and spending time in the adult pool area since everyone is finally over 18. try to make all the deck parties they are so fun. And don;t eat for a week before you go.lol. do they still let you on before noon on the boarding date.

enjoy

We always eat lunch as soon as we board any ship. I make everyone not eat breakfast. I tell them to board hungry! The food is great! We are taking all the kids, and Grands, I just can't wait!

 

[Inkmahm]

We've done the 4 night cruise twice and are booked to do the 7 night cruise with stop at St. Croix in 2009. We love the Disney Wonder and are looking forward to the Disney Magic.

There's lots to do for kids of all ages on a Disney cruise. No worries there.

More food than you can possibly eat is included in the cruise price.

There are no discounts for DVC members that I'm aware of.

 

[gorilla]

We did the 7 day cruise... best vacation we've ever been on so far! We got 3 cabins, and brought both our mothers to watch the kids late night

Taxi Tip: The taxis can be a bit crazy. When coming back from Megan's Bay you can kind of haggle with them on price. However if they have other people in their van going halfway to downtown, they won't haggle in front of them. They want to get $$ from them first before giving you a discount.

There is never enough time on Castaway Key!

See the shows!

 

[*KeepMovingForward*]

We have done the 4 day and 7 day cruises with DCL. Definitely had a great time. I wouldn't hestitate to go again. We used the Disney busees right from the airport to the port terminal. After our cruise the bus brought us to Disney for the rest of our vacation.

 

[KELLY]

We are intrested in a cruise next year also. We are thinking the 4 day and staying at ssr in a 1 bedroom for 10 nights. My girls will be 3 almost 4 and 1. Is there things to do for my 3 year old ?

 

[WALTSAGOD]

Hello fellow northerners!

We did a Disney Cruise 7 night Western a couple of year ago and bought a great book which helped us - Passporters Disney Criuse Line and Its ports of call - you can get it on Amazon.

I think if I remeber correctly - you get free soft drinks, but need to use beverage station during the day. If you drink in the bars you for alcohol and at meal times. But food is avaiable all day pretty much. Even room service was included (limited choice but included none the less)

Would be glad to answer any other queries.

The Passporters book is AWESOME!