FIRST CRUISE ANXIETY!!

[Shelby Schroepfer]

I am planning our first cruise. We are taking a break from WDW for 2020 and can't stay away from the Disney so we thought a 4 night Disney Cruise should do the trick. Right now we are looking at October, November, and December dates. Pretty much not limited to any certain date and can pick from them all. Definitely more interested in the cruises that do stop at Castaway Cay, that's our one hard choice that we MUST do. Halloween vs Christmas doesn't really sway us either way since we do love both. My concerns are, how late can we book? We would be most comfortable booking around February-March of 2020 due to having to pay the deposit and not just 200$ like a WDW stay. We do have a TA who is more than willing to book for us and answer questions but she has only cruised once herself so I wanted to hear from regulars. We would be flying in the day before, getting a cheap hotel, and then boarding the next day. I am confused about transportation, seems very expensive to use Disney Transport, would Uber/renting a car be cheaper? We are 2 adults and 1 child so not a lot of us. Not sure where we would fly in until we decide on a cruise. Probably wouldn't do any excursions because as our first time ever cruising, the ship will be super overwhelming and exciting for us and we wanna see it all! Sorry this was long I am super nervous about a cruise. We've done WDW 4 times and I feel pretty much like a pro when it comes to planning it but a cruise has me lost.


When is the best time to go between October, November and December?
Am I ok waiting until February or March of 2020 to book?

Any websites or links you can direct me to for first time cruisers? I have watched Tim Tracker cruise vlogs and Blair Lamb as well and learned a lot!

 

[Dug720]

December will have you all the way out of hurricane season (they CAN still happen, just less frequent. October would be your highest probability out of those months with November slightly lower.

Unless you're looking at Thanksgiving or Christmas week, you should be ok waiting - just know the prices could increase between now and then.

As far as planning, a cruise requires FAR less planning than a WDW trip.

 

[Shelby Schroepfer]

December will have you all the way out of hurricane season (they CAN still happen, just less frequent. October would be your highest probability out of those months with November slightly lower.

Unless you're looking at Thanksgiving or Christmas week, you should be ok waiting - just know the prices could increase between now and then.

As far as planning, a cruise requires FAR less planning than a WDW trip.

That is SO comforting. I truly do love the planning process but I feel like I know so little that we will miss out on stuff due to not knowing it exists? If that even makes sense. The November cruise is actually the cheapest one on my list so was probably our first choice so that's good to hear about hurricane season! I will definitely be getting the insurance no matter what just because cruises are so unexpected!

 

[lklgoodman]

I would probably pick December since it's at the very end of hurricane season, however you don't really hear about too many hurricanes in Oct. or Nov. You can book anytime, but the longer you wait means there is more of a chance the stateroom category you want could be sold out. Also the price of cruise could be more than it is now. We are also a family of 2 adults and 1 child. We usually cruise in Jan. because the cruises are cheaper at that time of year. We always do 7nights. We use Goport.com get a hotel and transport package. They have a ton of hotels to choose from at different prices. We've used them 3 times and are using them again for our upcoming cruise. We can stay in a nice hotel and get all transportation before and after the cruise for slightly more than just Disney transport would cost. This board is a great place to get info.

 

[Shelby Schroepfer]

I would probably pick December since it's at the very end of hurricane season, however you don't really hear about too many hurricanes in Oct. or Nov. You can book anytime, but the longer you wait means there is more of a chance the stateroom category you want could be sold out. Also the price of cruise could be more than it is now. We are also a family of 2 adults and 1 child. We usually cruise in Jan. because the cruises are cheaper at that time of year. We always do 7nights. We use Goport.com get a hotel and transport package. They have a ton of hotels to choose from at different prices. We've used them 3 times and are using them again for our upcoming cruise. We can stay in a nice hotel and get all transportation before and after the cruise for slightly more than just Disney transport would cost. This board is a great place to get info.

Is the Goport.com only for Port Canaveral? The one we are looking at in December has Miami as the port. So which airport would we fly in to?

 

[Dug720]

That is SO comforting. I truly do love the planning process but I feel like I know so little that we will miss out on stuff due to not knowing it exists? If that even makes sense. The November cruise is actually the cheapest one on my list so was probably our first choice so that's good to hear about hurricane season! I will definitely be getting the insurance no matter what just because cruises are so unexpected!

The biggest thing is to know and accept that you CANNOT do it all. There is physically no way - unless you are Hermione Granger and have a time turner.

 

[lklgoodman]

Is the Goport.com only for Port Canaveral? The one we are looking at in December has Miami as the port. So which airport would we fly in to?

Yes, sorry it is. I always forget that DCL sails out of Miami that time of year. We haven't sailed out of Miami, so don't know about the airports.

Another tip, if you haven't looked at the trip reports on here, you can find some that sail from Miami to get info. Trip report link is at top of this board.

 

[Marc D]

Is the Goport.com only for Port Canaveral? The one we are looking at in December has Miami as the port. So which airport would we fly in to?

If sailing out of Miami, you can in Fort Lauderdale or Miami airport (or a combination of both since it is sometimes cheaper to fly out of the other airport) and still use Uber/Lyft/taxis or a car service to get around.

Of course, the sooner you book, the lower your cruise fare will be. It might not make a lot of difference on Dream cruises, but it could change a lot on Magic out of Miami. That’s unless you want to take a chance and book a restricted fare where you do not pick a cabin. Those become available only a few weeks in advance IF the ship is not sold out. In your case, I would book immediately or as soon as possible. The deposit will be 20% of the cruise fare. For a 4-nights cruise, it will not be 200$ but could be less than 500$ if you pick an outside cabin.

 

[MomOTwins]

The other factor with waiting to book is that main dining (5:45pm) often fills up early, and with a child, you might not want to stay up for late dining (8:15pm). I learned that the hard way when I had to move a cruise 6 months ahead and had to be waitlisted for main dining. Feb or March might be early enough but you just never know. I did get in off the waitlist though, but it was stressful!

Also, there are differences between the Magic and the Dream, so which 4-day cruise you choose may depend on what you want from the ships. I'd suggest looking at the DCL website for some of the differences in terms of shows, pools, and restaurants.

 

[fredandkell]

For your first cruise, I truly don't think it matters what itinerary or ship you book (the exceptions being the port heavy itineraries like Europe). Pick a time and port that works for you in the Caribbean, and book it. For 3 people on a 4-day cruise, the 20% deposit shouldn't be much more than say, $500, unless you do a super expensive concierge-type room. The deposit is 100% refundable until your pay-in-full date, which depending on room type, is roughly 3 months-ish before your cruise. You don't have to plan a THING for your first Disney cruise, esp. a 4-day Bahamas. Don't book any shore excursions, etc. as there is plenty to do on the ship and at Castaway Cay for "free" (well, included). Very, very different than the parks. For 3 people, you can probably rent a car (two one-ways) cheaper than the Disney bus. This is very easy to do, shuttles are right outside the port and effortless, and this allows you to stop for wine/groceries/medicine/snacks/whatever you need.

Edited to add: I definitely recommend late November or early December (the non holiday weeks). October is still prone to hurricanes. Whatever you do, don't book in September. I have had two cruises that have either been completely disrupted/rerouted or made me totally stress from being booked in September. Never again.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Hurricanes happen in October. On the Fantasy October 2012 and ran right into Hurricane Sandy.
Start saving now and tell your family you want Disney Gift Cards for the holidays.

 

[Corwin]

I would not wait to book. For the most part, normal unrestricted fares only go up. We usually book as soon as we pick our dates, often as much as 18 months in advance.

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

We usually book about 18 months out but we did do a hey why don't we go try a Miami cruise in 6 months once. We like to study the ship and decide on the room and book that one. There are so many sites you can google without naming them on here but as someone suggested go read the trip reports. You can read all you want on Castaway Cay but what if it rains that day? That happened to us on our last cruise. Look for cruise meets and roll calls, and right at the top of this page abut the middle clic on the Disney Cruise tab. There is a ton of information there. Really as someone else said there is a lot less planning do do for a cruise. Pay, figure out how to get to the port and back to the parks or airport. Disney transport is expensive but it's so relaxing to get off the ship and be ushered to the bus and less than an hour later you are at the park or airport but there are other companies as well or car rentals. And when you've read enough that your eyes are crossed, you tube We've been on 3 cruises, booked our fourth for next summer and we are still learning new things. My wife and I should have been TA's we absolutely love the research and fun of planning a cruise and excursions.

 

[Bonnie1222]

Hurricanes happen in October. On the Fantasy October 2012 and ran right into Hurricane Sandy.

Don't forget more recent... Matthew and Michael too.

 

[Shelby Schroepfer]

For your first cruise, I truly don't think it matters what itinerary or ship you book (the exceptions being the port heavy itineraries like Europe). Pick a time and port that works for you in the Caribbean, and book it. For 3 people on a 4-day cruise, the 20% deposit shouldn't be much more than say, $500, unless you do a super expensive concierge-type room. The deposit is 100% refundable until your pay-in-full date, which depending on room type, is roughly 3 months-ish before your cruise. You don't have to plan a THING for your first Disney cruise, esp. a 4-day Bahamas. Don't book any shore excursions, etc. as there is plenty to do on the ship and at Castaway Cay for "free" (well, included). Very, very different than the parks. For 3 people, you can probably rent a car (two one-ways) cheaper than the Disney bus. This is very easy to do, shuttles are right outside the port and effortless, and this allows you to stop for wine/groceries/medicine/snacks/whatever you need.

Edited to add: I definitely recommend late November or early December (the non holiday weeks). October is still prone to hurricanes. Whatever you do, don't book in September. I have had two cruises that have either been completely disrupted/rerouted or made me totally stress from being booked in September. Never again.

Thank you so much for this! I think we have settled on December 3-7th on the Magic out of Miami. After watching a few vlogs and reading some reviews, we are not booking any excursions! There is so much that my daughter wants to see and do on the ship like shows and characters and she LOVES the idea of free ice cream (eye roll), and me and hubby truly love sitting by the pool and watching her have a good time. We are hoping to pay our deposit within the next month! It ended up being just over 500$ which is totally fine. And as far as the transportation I think what we will do is rent a one way twice, because we MIGHT have enough time to stop by disney springs after we disembark. Would you suggest for a family who have ONLY flown twice, and ONLY to Disney using the ME, to fly into MCO? I don't know if I feel comfortable with a "new" airport, even if the flight is a bit cheaper. But distance wise, is MCO the right choice for a Miami port?

 

[Shelby Schroepfer]

Thank you all for your advice. I am less nervous and more excited! We have pretty much decided on the Very Merrytime cruise December 3rd-7th on the Magic, 5 day 4 night. I am hoping to book within the next month or 2 and then watch for flights!

 

[fredandkell]

Thank you so much for this! I think we have settled on December 3-7th on the Magic out of Miami. After watching a few vlogs and reading some reviews, we are not booking any excursions! There is so much that my daughter wants to see and do on the ship like shows and characters and she LOVES the idea of free ice cream (eye roll), and me and hubby truly love sitting by the pool and watching her have a good time. We are hoping to pay our deposit within the next month! It ended up being just over 500$ which is totally fine. And as far as the transportation I think what we will do is rent a one way twice, because we MIGHT have enough time to stop by disney springs after we disembark. Would you suggest for a family who have ONLY flown twice, and ONLY to Disney using the ME, to fly into MCO? I don't know if I feel comfortable with a "new" airport, even if the flight is a bit cheaper. But distance wise, is MCO the right choice for a Miami port?

If you cruise out of Miami, I would recommend flying to the Miami airport and then just taking a taxi both ways. It is very easy and it is way closer from the Miami airport to the Miami port then it is from the Orlando airport to port Canaveral. There is no need to rent a car in Miami in my humble opinion. Of course, as you said, if you want to do a day before or after in Disney World that is always an option. If you do that, you might consider flying into Miami, taking a taxi to the Port, after you’re done cruising, pick up a one-way rental, driving to Orlando and keeping the car until you are ready to leave, and then flying home from Orlando. There is no reason to book a round-trip ticket if you intend on visiting both Miami and Orlando. Booking two one-way tickets would save you a lot of driving time.

 

[lklgoodman]

Thank you so much for this! I think we have settled on December 3-7th on the Magic out of Miami. After watching a few vlogs and reading some reviews, we are not booking any excursions! There is so much that my daughter wants to see and do on the ship like shows and characters and she LOVES the idea of free ice cream (eye roll), and me and hubby truly love sitting by the pool and watching her have a good time. We are hoping to pay our deposit within the next month! It ended up being just over 500$ which is totally fine. And as far as the transportation I think what we will do is rent a one way twice, because we MIGHT have enough time to stop by disney springs after we disembark. Would you suggest for a family who have ONLY flown twice, and ONLY to Disney using the ME, to fly into MCO? I don't know if I feel comfortable with a "new" airport, even if the flight is a bit cheaper. But distance wise, is MCO the right choice for a Miami port?

We haven't cruised out of Miami, only out of PC. I'm not sure how far away Miami is from the Orlando airport, but I think it's a few hours drive. If you fly into MCO you will have to rent a car to get to Miami. Disney doesn't provide transport from MCO to Miami.

Edited to add, I may have misunderstood you're post, I thought you were asking about taking Disney transport from MCO to Miami, but after reading again, it looks like you are renting a car.

 

[3monkeys4me]

Would you suggest for a family who have ONLY flown twice, and ONLY to Disney using the ME, to fly into MCO? I don't know if I feel comfortable with a "new" airport, even if the flight is a bit cheaper. But distance wise, is MCO the right choice for a Miami port?

It is a 3+ hour drive from Miami to MCO, so I wouldn't recommend it. Really, airports aren't much different from each other around the world. I think FLL is slightly easier than Miami to navigate, but I would fly into one of those airports and use Uber or Lyft for transportation if you don't want to rent a car.

 

[Shelby Schroepfer]

If you cruise out of Miami, I would recommend flying to the Miami airport and then just taking a taxi both ways. It is very easy and it is way closer from the Miami airport to the Miami port then it is from the Orlando airport to port Canaveral. There is no need to rent a car in Miami in my humble opinion. Of course, as you said, if you want to do a day before or after in Disney World that is always an option. If you do that, you might consider flying into Miami, taking a taxi to the Port, after you’re done cruising, pick up a one-way rental, driving to Orlando and keeping the car until you are ready to leave, and then flying home from Orlando. There is no reason to book a round-trip ticket if you intend on visiting both Miami and Orlando. Booking two one-way tickets would save you a lot of driving time.

This might take some practice on my end as I'm NOT a seasoned flyer and pretty much just booked the cheapest flight I saw both times we flew that was a straight shot. It makes me nervous to think of booking 2 one ways but possibly worth it? Maybe we should scrap disney springs though. We just are antsy about "missing" disney doing a cruise vs parks but I think I'm learning that I will get my fair share of Disney.