Eeeeeek! A week until my first cruise! Questions!

[Albertan mom]

I am so excited!!!

In one week we will be getting on the Dream for our first cruise!

Anything I need to know before I board? Any tips, comments, suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I have heard of people taking a Bonine (sp?) or a Dramamine each morning of the cruise. Is this a good thing to do? Does it make you sleepy?

When we are in Castaway Cay and Nassau, what do we need to take off the boat with us? Our ID? Do we need cash for on Castaway Cay? Do you get a card to charge to your stateroom? Or just use your personal credit card?
We have been to WDW many times, do you get a card that is like the KTTK card to get into your room, charge things, etc..?

Any make-sure-you-do-it things on the Dream? My DD20 and I love Disney history and stuff. I am sure walking around we will find many great things. Any not to miss little treasures to seek out?

I am confused by dress code still! Are we supposed to dress up for the evening meals? Or are shorts/nice shirt/flip flops ok?

With tipping, where do we leave the tips for the serving staff, room staff, etc..?

Thanks for all your answers!

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

I am so excited!!!

In one week we will be getting on the Dream for our first cruise!

Anything I need to know before I board? Any tips, comments, suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I have heard of people taking a Bonine (sp?) or a Dramamine each morning of the cruise. Is this a good thing to do? Does it make you sleepy?

When we are in Castaway Cay and Nassau, what do we need to take off the boat with us? Our ID? Do we need cash for on Castaway Cay? Do you get a card to charge to your stateroom? Or just use your personal credit card?
We have been to WDW many times, do you get a card that is like the KTTK card to get into your room, charge things, etc..?

Any make-sure-you-do-it things on the Dream? My DD20 and I love Disney history and stuff. I am sure walking around we will find many great things. Any not to miss little treasures to seek out?

I am confused by dress code still! Are we supposed to dress up for the evening meals? Or are shorts/nice shirt/flip flops ok?

With tipping, where do we leave the tips for the serving staff, room staff, etc..?

Thanks for all your answers!

I'll just address a few of your questions here and let the even more experienced cruisers touch on others!

OK....on the motion sickness issue. Everyone is so different on this, but unless the seas are particularly rough I have never found the meds worth the drowsiness I get. I did use the wristbands once, and they seemed to help a bit without any sleepiness, of course. Overall I think the boats feel so stable that I rarely notice the motion. Again, everyone is different on this so if you've had trouble in the past, be prepared. Also be aware that the medical center on the boat offers seasick pills for free (at least on my previous cruises they did), so if you forget them, don't worry.

For CC and Nassau....every time you get off/on the boat you'll need your KTTW card (yes, just like the parks - opens your door, pays for your charges, etc) and an ID. You'll need very little cash on CC because you can charge most things to your room with your card. If you want to buy anything at the post office on the island (you can mail yourself a postcard home with a CC postmark on it!) you'll need cash for that.

Dress code....mostly personal preference. On a 7 night trip you'll have a formal night and a semi formal night. On formal nights you'll see anything from tuxes and gowns to khakis and polos and capris for the ladies and all of those are fine. For semi formal night, think business casual. But it's really up to you - on any night, as long as you are comfortable and meet the requirements (nice shorts, no swimwear, no flip flops, etc) you'll be fine. We like to dress up a little for dinner most nights, but many do not and everyone fits in just fine.

Tipping.... You can prepay the standard gratuities prior to cruising. If you do that you'll get envelopes and "tickets" in your room on the last full sailing day, then you just put the tickets into the envelops and take them to your servers, cabin attendant, etc the last night. You can always add additional gratuities in cash for exceptional service above the standard amount. If you don't prepay I believe the standard tip amounts are automatically charged to your onboard account when you sail, but you can remove those, adjust them, etc as you like at Guest Services. (Experienced cruisers, correct me if I am wrong on that - I always prepay so I forget the process if you don't!)

Hope some of this helps! If you and DD are Disney fans and love the history, be sure to check out some of the trivia contests and CM talks. You're going to have a teriffic time. ENJOY!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Tips.

http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com/

 

[mevelandry]

I take Gravol Natural Sources (it's basically ginger pills) during the day and it doesn't make me sleep at all... and normal Gravol (same concept as Dramamine) about 1 hour before I go to sleep. The drowsiness will help to have a good night sleep.

My advice: Don't buy water packages, food or wine packages on the "DCL gifts" before going on board. Water is free at the soda station and there are free food everywhere. And we turned out to be tired of drinking alcohol before the end of our 3 nights cruise. Drinking one or two glasses during at dinner would have cost us less than the bottles that we bought.

 

[robhawk]

I take the Bonine the night before the cruise and before I go to bed each night on the cruise.
We like to dress on the nice side at dinner. Khakis and polo for me & sundress or capris for my bride. Shorts are fine though.

 

[bcwife76]

Bonine is not available in Canada (at least not over the counter) so maybe go to your local drugstore and ask the pharmacist what they recommend. I am prone to seasickness, as is my youngest. I have seabands for both of us but will still go to my local Shoppers Drug Mart before our trip to ask the pharmacist what they might recommend.

 

[gumbypee]

Is there an Art of Theme Ship tour? There was when I was on Magic October 2012 and it gave lots of fun facts and tidbits.

This was different from the getting acquainted with ship tour


Again it's been so long since I cruised.... Can you still drop something off at guest services to have things signed? This is a neat menento

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

Is there an Art of Theme Ship tour? There was when I was on Magic October 2012 and it gave lots of fun facts and tidbits.

This was different from the getting acquainted with ship tour


Again it's been so long since I cruised.... Can you still drop something off at guest services to have things signed? This is a neat menento

Yes, and yes! On the Fantasy it was listed in the Navigator and started in Meridian. You were mainly taken into Remy and Palo, but still very interesting info about art and even wine!

We had pillow cases and a photo mat signed two years ago. We just dropped them off at Guest Services when we first boarded, in an appropriate envelope with the sharpies and fabric markers in the colors we wanted used. We also made sure to indicate which way to position to the matte (horizontal or vertical) since we knew what format we would need. Looked really cute and worked out perfectly!

 

[kiford]

Tipping.... You can prepay the standard gratuities prior to cruising. If you do that you'll get envelopes and "tickets" in your room on the last full sailing day, then you just put the tickets into the envelops and take them to your servers, cabin attendant, etc the last night. You can always add additional gratuities in cash for exceptional service above the standard amount. If you don't prepay I believe the standard tip amounts are automatically charged to your onboard account when you sail, but you can remove those, adjust them, etc as you like at Guest Services. (Experienced cruisers, correct me if I am wrong on that - I always prepay so I forget the process if you don't!)

It's pretty much the same process regardless of whether you prepay or not. If you prepay, you essentially just have a credit on your account for the amount you've prepaid (usually the standard amount). You can still increase or decrease as you choose even if you've prepaid. The servers and attendant don't get it until the last day however you pay.

We went on our first DCL cruise knowing virtually nothing about anything other than Palo was an adult-only dining venue you could book for one night (and you couldn't book online in those days). DCL walks you through pretty much everything. The daily Navigator will give you a lot of information on ports, time changes, dining times and locations (for breakfast, etc.), activities, movies, and pretty much everything else. If you go in knowing nothing, you'll still do fine. Just recognize that you'll never get to do everything. Eight cruises and we still haven't. Just don't sweat it and go with the flow.

 

[PhillyCruiser]

Recently off Dream (4/17-20)... Our 1st DCL!!
DH is prone to seasickness so he put on a D patch while on board but didn't suffer one bit! Kids didn't even know the ship was actually moving until we walked out onto our veranda & said: "See! We're moving!" LOL

On CC, every family member will need to show their KTTW card; adults (18+) will need photo i.d. (DH & I used our U.S. Driver's Licenses) I carried all cards & i.d. in my lanyard & easily showed them to CM's at re-boarding, instead of having each family member fumble/look for their i.d.

Dress code: we did a 3-Nite. I wore "blinged-out" flip flops with linen capris & a nice top. Never got a second look. On Palo Nite, DH & I enjoyed a lite appetizer in the MDR with the kids while they had their dinner. I put a pair of "Diva Heels" in my backpack, dropped the kids at the Club & changed footwear in the elevator! (No flip flops allowed at Palo or Remy... Blinged out or not! LOL)

My 1st-timer tips: (Disclaimer: the following is just "my 2 cents", my personal take-away from our fantastic cruise

* Got a veranda? Be sure to SIT ON IT for at least 30 minutes each day (15 in the a.m & 15 in the p.m) with coffee or cocktail... Your choice!

* Use a backpack! Upgrade to something a little nicer than your standard nylon variety that you'll feel good wearing at both CC & at Palo.

* Do NOT miss Animator's!! I won't spoil it for you, but we LOVED it!

* At the MDR's, resist the urge to say: "stop writing on the table!" The CM's encouraged "table linen artistry"! Writing on table linens is (**gasp!!**) welcome & encouraged because everything is washable! Who knew?? (I finally stopped cringing on Day 2... Then I got my own crayon & went nuts!!) Apparently, DCL thinks this type of behavior can be good for the soul!

* Go 'Go Pro'! If possible, get a GoPro! DH & I went back & forth on this one and finally just did it! I strapped it to my forehead (SO "un"Diva-like!!) & went down AquaDuck with both of my kids! Screaming, laughing, recording. Priceless!! Our DS8 & DH found Sunken Mickey while snorkling on CC... And captured it all on GoPro. Our DS, who does NOT dance... & our DD6.5 both "Busted A Move" at the Pirate Party & we caught it all on our GoPro! Small, waterproof...perfect for a family vacation! (IMHO...)

* Get to Pirate Night 30-min early, grab chairs (they'll be neatly stacked), sit facing port side (if I remember correctly) and don't move! You'll have front-row seats to all the action... before the throngs arrive!

* Kids' Club. 3 words: Take. Them. NOW! They'll love it & you won't know what to do with yourself: "Kids are at Oceaneer's... What do we do now??"

* Embrace DCL's liberal BYO policy! It'll save you a bundle... And you can use that $$ at Shutters... Like we did!

* HAVE FUN!!!! We did the FE exchange - fantastic! Put a Mickey Magnet on our door: kids LOVED IT! Don't stress! Don't try to do it ALL! Just do what you feel like doing & enjoy it!!!

 

[Albertan mom]

Wow, thanks everyone for your great tips!

My son bought a go-pro, he is so excited to use it! Glad to hear it worked out well for you!

What does MDR stand for?

The Photo Mat is a great idea! How fun!

I asked at the pharmacy here and they don't have Dramamine or Bonine. Only Gravol, which makes you sleepy. I will look in Orlando for some when we arrive.

For those that do-Why do you take them at night, and not in the morning?

We didn't book the fancy meals, so don't have to worry about dressing up for that.

I am excited about Trivia! Where is that held?

 

[MelSpees]

Trivia and other games and activities are listed in the Navigator. You will receive one on boarding and one in your cabin each evening. Look it over when you first get on and each evening. They give you all the activities for each day. If you look it over in the evening you can plan for the next day. Some people use highlighters to mark the activities they want to do. It is also on the Disney Navigator app. I haven't used the app yet, but hear it's great. It's a separate wifi hook-up on the ship that doesn't cost anything.

 

[mevelandry]

Recently off Dream (4/17-20)... Our 1st DCL!!
DH is prone to seasickness so he put on a D patch while on board but didn't suffer one bit! Kids didn't even know the ship was actually moving until we walked out onto our veranda & said: "See! We're moving!" LOL

On CC, every family member will need to show their KTTW card; adults (18+) will need photo i.d. (DH & I used our U.S. Driver's Licenses) I carried all cards & i.d. in my lanyard & easily showed them to CM's at re-boarding, instead of having each family member fumble/look for their i.d.

Dress code: we did a 3-Nite. I wore "blinged-out" flip flops with linen capris & a nice top. Never got a second look. On Palo Nite, DH & I enjoyed a lite appetizer in the MDR with the kids while they had their dinner. I put a pair of "Diva Heels" in my backpack, dropped the kids at the Club & changed footwear in the elevator! (No flip flops allowed at Palo or Remy... Blinged out or not! LOL)

My 1st-timer tips: (Disclaimer: the following is just "my 2 cents", my personal take-away from our fantastic cruise

* Got a veranda? Be sure to SIT ON IT for at least 30 minutes each day (15 in the a.m & 15 in the p.m) with coffee or cocktail... Your choice!

* Use a backpack! Upgrade to something a little nicer than your standard nylon variety that you'll feel good wearing at both CC & at Palo.

* Do NOT miss Animator's!! I won't spoil it for you, but we LOVED it!

* At the MDR's, resist the urge to say: "stop writing on the table!" The CM's encouraged "table linen artistry"! Writing on table linens is (**gasp!!**) welcome & encouraged because everything is washable! Who knew?? (I finally stopped cringing on Day 2... Then I got my own crayon & went nuts!!) Apparently, DCL thinks this type of behavior can be good for the soul!

* Go 'Go Pro'! If possible, get a GoPro! DH & I went back & forth on this one and finally just did it! I strapped it to my forehead (SO "un"Diva-like!!) & went down AquaDuck with both of my kids! Screaming, laughing, recording. Priceless!! Our DS8 & DH found Sunken Mickey while snorkling on CC... And captured it all on GoPro. Our DS, who does NOT dance... & our DD6.5 both "Busted A Move" at the Pirate Party & we caught it all on our GoPro! Small, waterproof...perfect for a family vacation! (IMHO...)

* Get to Pirate Night 30-min early, grab chairs (they'll be neatly stacked), sit facing port side (if I remember correctly) and don't move! You'll have front-row seats to all the action... before the throngs arrive!

* Kids' Club. 3 words: Take. Them. NOW! They'll love it & you won't know what to do with yourself: "Kids are at Oceaneer's... What do we do now??"

* Embrace DCL's liberal BYO policy! It'll save you a bundle... And you can use that $$ at Shutters... Like we did!

* HAVE FUN!!!! We did the FE exchange - fantastic! Put a Mickey Magnet on our door: kids LOVED IT! Don't stress! Don't try to do it ALL! Just do what you feel like doing & enjoy it!!!

We were on the same cruise!!!

We have been looking for Pirate Night but found no one on the decks... At what time did it start?

 

[mevelandry]

Wow, thanks everyone for your great tips!

My son bought a go-pro, he is so excited to use it! Glad to hear it worked out well for you!

What does MDR stand for?

The Photo Mat is a great idea! How fun!

I asked at the pharmacy here and they don't have Dramamine or Bonine. Only Gravol, which makes you sleepy. I will look in Orlando for some when we arrive.

For those that do-Why do you take them at night, and not in the morning?

We didn't book the fancy meals, so don't have to worry about dressing up for that.

I am excited about Trivia! Where is that held?

You can order the non-sleepy gravol (ginger) online... Or go to another pharmacy if you can, they might have it. It's usually with the stomach medication like Pepto Bismol etc, not behind the counter.

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

Wow, thanks everyone for your great tips!

My son bought a go-pro, he is so excited to use it! Glad to hear it worked out well for you!

What does MDR stand for?

The Photo Mat is a great idea! How fun!

I asked at the pharmacy here and they don't have Dramamine or Bonine. Only Gravol, which makes you sleepy. I will look in Orlando for some when we arrive.

For those that do-Why do you take them at night, and not in the morning?

We didn't book the fancy meals, so don't have to worry about dressing up for that.

I am excited about Trivia! Where is that held?

MDR = Main Dining Room (aka the three themed restaurants that comprise your assigned dining rotation - Royal Court (R), Animators Palette (A) and Enchanted Garden (E)). When you get into your room the first day you'll find a ticket that indicates your assigned rotation, then you'll know which restaurants you'll be eating in for each evening. On a 7 nt sailing I believe the second night will be formal night and the fifth night will be semi-formal night, regardless of which MDR you are in.

 

[delta0413]

Wow, thanks everyone for your great tips!

My son bought a go-pro, he is so excited to use it! Glad to hear it worked out well for you!

What does MDR stand for?

The Photo Mat is a great idea! How fun!

I asked at the pharmacy here and they don't have Dramamine or Bonine. Only Gravol, which makes you sleepy. I will look in Orlando for some when we arrive.

For those that do-Why do you take them at night, and not in the morning?

We didn't book the fancy meals, so don't have to worry about dressing up for that.

I am excited about Trivia! Where is that held?

MDR = Main Dining Room

Have a blast!

 

[perditax]

Recently off Dream (4/17-20)... Our 1st DCL!!
DH is prone to seasickness so he put on a D patch while on board but didn't suffer one bit! Kids didn't even know the ship was actually moving until we walked out onto our veranda & said: "See! We're moving!" LOL

Can you tell me what you mean by a 'D patch'? Do you mean the scopalomine patches?

 

[Sil452]

Wow, thanks everyone for your great tips!

My son bought a go-pro, he is so excited to use it! Glad to hear it worked out well for you!

What does MDR stand for?
MDR stands for Main Dining Room. You will have a rotation for the dining rooms.
The Photo Mat is a great idea! How fun!
We dropped off a photo mat and sharpie at Guest Services also. Made a great souvenir for one of our cruise photos.
I asked at the pharmacy here and they don't have Dramamine or Bonine. Only Gravol, which makes you sleepy. I will look in Orlando for some when we arrive.

For those that do-Why do you take them at night, and not in the morning?
We each took one Dramamine each night before bed, starting the night before the cruise. Our pharmacist said that was what his family did on cruises. It made for a good night's sleep and we were not drowsy during the day. Of course, other than one night where there was some bad weather, we never really felt the ship move.
We didn't book the fancy meals, so don't have to worry about dressing up for that.

I am excited about Trivia! Where is that held?
Trivia was in the D Lounge I think. Your Navigator you get each day will say when and where it is though.

 

[PhillyCruiser]

Can you tell me what you mean by a 'D patch'? Do you mean the scopalomine patches?

I'm "old school" and call any motion sickness meds "Dramamine" (which I don't think comes in a patch). DH uses Transderm Scop, which he's able to get from our family MD. Works every time!

 

[PhillyCruiser]

We were on the same cruise!!!

We have been looking for Pirate Night but found no one on the decks... At what time did it start?

From our Personal Navigator: