First DCL Cruise Questions

danceintherain

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Oct 2, 2007
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We're, hopefully, going on our first Disney cruise next month. It's a Make-a-Wish trip for my youngest, a cancer survivor (he wanted to "drive Mickey Mouse's boat to the beach") and we still don't have all the details. Honestly, after 3 years of waiting, I'm not sure I believe it will actually happen. In any case, our wish granter has been non-communicative since Tuesday. I figured I could at least get my Disney related questions answered....
Right now, we've been told that we'll be on a 5-night cruise on the Disney Fantasy in May.
We're a family of 6. 2A, 2DA, 2DK....the kids are DS15, DD12, DS9, DS6.

1. MagicBand+ - we have one for my husband and our youngest kiddo (the Wish kid) because our last Disney trip was their first (or first in a LONG time) the rest of us have regular MagicBand (removed pucks really...). Are their bands locked to them for the cruise, or could we transfer them to someone else? It probably doesn't matter a ton, but one of my older kids may benefit from having their room key on their wrist, rather than on a lanyard. It just doesn't seem practical to spend $40 to give them that option.
Are the bands that can be borrowed from the Oceaneer's Club fully functioning (interactive elements etc) or do they only work for entering/exiting the kid's clubs? Does this even matter as much on the Fantasy?

2. Is there anywhere I can see a full schedule of activities in advance? Or even a general idea of "Karaoke is usually daily at 3PM." or "The teen club does this on day 4 at 6PM" or examples from past sailings. I would like to go into it with a general idea of "this would be a good time to force DD to spend an hour with me." Getting the people in my family to sit down daily to make a "plan" isn't likely. I might be able to pull it off during breakfast, but I don't really anticipate we will all attend breakfast at the same time.
What time does the personal navigator populate in the app? Will I be able to look at the whole week on Day 1...or will I have to wait until the morning of etc?

3. If I'm given a choice for seating time for dinner, which should I choose? At home, we typically put the little boys to bed at 7:30PM, but I tend to be a little more flexible on vacation? Has the "Dine & Play" option been added back to all sailings?

4. Any tips for general beaching on our trip? Our youngest will literally sit in the sand for hours as happy as a clam. Is there any area we should target for loungers/hammocks where we can watch him, but still have access to ample shade, and not a long walk to snacks and drinks? DH doesn't handle heat well, and from my understanding there are no air-conditioned areas on either of Disney's private islands. He hasn't been to the beach since 2012. I really want him to get to experience the beach with his beach-loving babies, but he'll stay on the ship if he thinks he'll overheat. He'll be bringing froggtoggs and filling a cooler with ice whenever he can, but any additional "keeping cool" tips would be helpful.

5. Last, but possibly most importantly, is there anywhere on the boat where I can get diet/zero Dr. Pepper or Pibb Xtra?
 
Sorry your family has been through so much. I’m hoping this will be the magical experience you all deserve!

1) I believe the bands can be adjusting anyone on the ship. The kids club bands are just for kids club. Teens will need laynards for the teen club any.

2) search navigators and Disney cruise line blog (it’s not a Disney site). There is a ton of information and you can get a sense of the daily schedule. Just remember it will change. Also when you get on ship you can see all the activities for the trip in the app

3) if given the option I would choose early. If not, it will all be fun anyway!

4) the chairs have umbrellas so that helps. Bring sand toys. Bring water bottles and refill and lots of sunscreen.

5) not sure where on boat. You can bring some on though.
 

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