Disney Cruise

[Waldheim]

Hello ... We are thinking about a Disney Cruise next October with a 5 and 3 year old.

A few questions:

1. Are hurricanes a real threat during that time?
2. Is it best to book through travel agent or direct through Disney?
3. Is the extra money for the Family stateroom worth it?

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[ncligs]

If you post this on the Disney Cruise Line forum you will get plenty of answers.

 

[InsanelyMickey]

Welcome, Waldheim!

You might want to post this on the Disney Cruise Line Forum. There are many experienced cruisers over there who will be glad to help! I'm planning a cruise in December and I've received lots of good advice, suggestions, etc. over there.

I do know October is during hurricane season, and that there seems to be varying opinions on the travel agent vs. direct with Disney booking. I booked our Land/Sea package through a TA just because I really don't have much traveling experience and wanted to make sure everything was done right.

As for your third question, hopefully someone who has stayed in that category can help.

Have fun planning

 

[Misti]

Moving this over to the Cruise Line forum...

 

[westjones]

The ship will take a different route if the weather is bad. It usually doesn't happen, but if it is necessary, they will make a change.

Sometimes you can get a better deal through a TA. I booked through AAA the first time and was not happy with my own personal experience (others have had good experiences though, so not all AAA's are the same). I used DreamsUnlimited the last time and was very pleased and they offered a slightly less price than Disney.

As for the extra money for the room.....that is such a personal choice and depends a lot on your own financial situation. We spent VERY little time in our room, and were quite pleased with our Cat. 11 (we have been on three cruises now). So I don't think it is worth it. I would rather put the extra money to our next cruise! We do one every year on our daughters' birthday (twins) and next year we are actually going to do two (a birthday and Christmas cruise).

You will love your trip! It is the BEST....I mean it! THE BEST!!!! We had only planned to do it one time, and now we are hooked! We start dreaming of our next cruise as soon as the last one ends.
Debra

 

[Wishing on a star]

Debra,

LOVE the last paragraph of your post!
This is what first-timers like us need to hear!!!

 

[reveric]

Hi Waldheim!

I've only been on the Disney cruise once so there are others here who can provide much more information than me. But here are my thoughts on the family stateroom...

I'd say that if you can swing it than definately go for it. We too cruised with a 3 yo and 5 yo and nighttimes were so much nicer with a larger room and the open verandah. The kids would be in bed and asleep between 9 and 10 and usually my husband would go explore the ship and I would sit and have a drink on the verandah. Without a doubt the cruise would have been wonderful without the verandah but having it and the larger room really helped make the cruise extra magical.

The awesome thing is that from what I've heard and from what we saw on our one cruise, you can't go wrong on a Disney cruise! Category 1 or category 12 the ships are INCREDIBLE and no body can inspire awe in both children and adults the way Disney can!

 

[ruvidu]

The last two Western cruises have been diverted from their posted schedule but that is part of the mystique of Sept. and Oct. travel.
One thing about the rooms is that you get a split bath ( two half baths) with Cat. 10 and above. The Cat. 12 and 11 have only the single bath. With two children that may be somthing you might want to consider.
Try booking your cruise now with DCL at the lowest price they have for what you want. You can do this at their web site with a credit card. You can cancel withing 60 days of your cruise without any penalty. If you see somthing cheaper, cancel your DCL and go with the other agent. Always make sure you get a total figure because some agents will quote you al low ball figure without taxes and port charges and then surprise you.

I went ahead and looked it up for you. This is the price for a 7 day Eastern for 2 adults and 2 children. These prices include transfers from the airport and a travel insurance package but no air. Hope it helps,

Category 04: Deluxe Family Stateroom with Verandah
SAILING PARTY TOTAL=$4,647.40
Category 05: Deluxe Stateroom with Verandah
SAILING PARTY TOTAL=$4,247.40
Category 06: Deluxe Stateroom with Verandah
SAILING PARTY TOTAL=$3,947.40
Category 08: Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom
SAILING PARTY TOTAL=$3,447.40
Category 09: Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom
SAILING PARTY TOTAL=$3,247.40
Category 10: Deluxe Inside Stateroom
SAILING PARTY TOTAL=$3,147.40
Category 11: Standard Inside Stateroom
SAILING PARTY TOTAL=$3,047.40


Our next 7 day cruise will be in Oct. of 2004 of all goes well. We are hoping to go to Alaska next Sept. so we will miss DCL 7 day for 2003. We are doing a 4 day in May though.

Just my thoughts,

Russ

 

[Dave_from_Marietta]

Hurricane season is six months long (June 1 - November 30) but the peak of activity seems to be between mid-August and mid-October. As has been mentioned earlier in this thread, they will change course if there is a risk of encountering a hurricane. So you'll be safe but you might not visit the ports of call you were expecting to. If this would be a crushing disappointment for you (as it was for a recent DISer), don't book between mid-August and mid-October.

 

[Waldheim]

Thank you for all your replys!

Russ ... thank you for the work you did gathering the prices.

This is my first time to this site and your responses have been great!! I will be back often!!

 

[mmouse37]

waldheim.....WELCOME TO THE CRUISE BOARD!!!!

Here is a link to our recent cruise pics. It might give you a better idea of what's available on the ship and in port.

These were from our 7 day Western Magic cruise in August.

http://community.webshots.com/album/47984596ZcaNXp

http://community.webshots.com/album/48196942XWkiMx

Also, if you go to Cruise Line Trip Report Board on the DIS you will be able to read and see pics of other's cruises.

We have sailed 6 times already on DCL on 3, 4 and 7 day cruise. Any questions give a shout out.


MJ

 

[Susan in Maine]

I would suggest finding a local travel agent to book your cruise. You'll have lots of questions, and it will be really helpful to have an individual you can go an talk to.

And yes, hurricanes CAN be a problem! If you are doing a 7 day, there are ports to which the ship can divert. However, if you are only doing a 3 or 4 day, it can really be a problem - you may have few or no ports at all. This happened to us last fall when we did a 3 day Bahama cruise on RCL out of Miami. We only got to Nassau, and never got to their private Island. And this was the first weekend in November!

So, there is a reason why cruises are cheaper that time of year. If you want to be sure you don't have a hurricane, this isn't the best time of year to book.

 

[tstobb]

The family stateroom (cat 4) is only 36 square feet larger than the cat 5 & 6 rooms - this is to allow for the extra bed (murphy bed that pulls down from the wall) so that these rooms can sleep 5 people. The verandah is great but once you're hooked, it's hard to go backwards! The only difference between categories 5 & 6 is the location. Category 7 rooms are the same size but have " Navigator's Verandahs" (smaller, sometimes with obstructed views).

We've got some (took over 1400!) pictures posted at http://community.webshots.com/album/50789737EXVOMU of our September 7th 7 day eastern cruise that we took with our 3 children (9,7,4).

We booked online with Sue at http://www.mouseearvacations.com/ and were more than happy with the service & price ($100s less than DCL).

The children's programs on board are excellent (requirements are posted HERE and they issue a pager (1 per family) so if your little ones want to be picked up or if there is a problem they can get a hold of you.

 

[DisneyCruisers]

You've gotten some great replies, I just wanted to add a couple things. We just returned a week ago with a 3 and 5 year old. We spent more time in our category 6 room than we thought we would (and more than we wanted to, LOL).

We should have stayed at the Hyatt the night before the cruise. The first day, we had to get up at 4am to catch our flight. It made for a LONG LONG day for our kids who usually are up at 7am and in bed by 8. They were so over tired and never really caught up. We were in the room for nap/rest every afternoon to save our sanity -- the kids (esp. the 3yo) were so out of character and very moody. So, from 2ish-4ish every day, at least one of us sat on that blessed verandah while one or more kid napped!! We'd order room service, and one of us would run to the nearest bar to buy the drink of the day.

While we had a WONDERFUL WONDERFUL time and CAN'T WAIT to return, it was hard to experience our kids being so "not themselves". They were both overwhelmed by the heat, the size of the ship, the number of people, the "on the go" schedule and the kids club. The kids' club was wonderful, but the only thing I have to say is that it is somewhat dark (the counselors agreed) and the VERY enthusiastic counselors kind of freaked my kids out. If they had more time to warm up to them, it would have been different, but they really didn't ever want to go. I spent as much time there as they did, LOL!!!

All in all, it was truly WONDERful - and I'm already trying to plan our next one, LOL....

 

[DisneyCruisers]

You've gotten some great replies, I just wanted to add a couple things. We just returned a week ago with a 3 and 5 year old. We spent more time in our category 6 room than we thought we would (and more than we wanted to, LOL).

We should have stayed at the Hyatt the night before the cruise. The first day, we had to get up at 4am to catch our flight. It made for a LONG LONG day for our kids who usually are up at 7am and in bed by 8. They were so over tired and never really caught up. We were in the room for nap/rest every afternoon to save our sanity -- the kids (esp. the 3yo) were so out of character and very moody. So, from 2ish-4ish every day, at least one of us sat on that blessed verandah while one or more kid napped!! We'd order room service, and one of us would run to the nearest bar to buy the drink of the day.

While we had a WONDERFUL WONDERFUL time and CAN'T WAIT to return, it was hard to experience our kids being so "not themselves". They were both overwhelmed by the heat, the size of the ship, the number of people, the "on the go" schedule and the kids club. The kids' club was wonderful, but the only thing I have to say is that it is somewhat dark (the counselors agreed) and the VERY enthusiastic counselors kind of freaked my kids out. If they had more time to warm up to them, it would have been different, but they really didn't ever want to go. I spent as much time there as they did, LOL!!!

All in all, it was truly WONDERful - and I'm already trying to plan our next one, LOL....

PS: we booked just the cruise portion through Dreams Unlimited and were thrilled with their prices and especially their service. Will use them next time, too!