First time Cruise is booked! - many questions

[Niewoe]

We have booked our first DCL trip! We'll be sailing October 15 on the Magic out of NYC.

The staterooms we have booked are: 5638 (7A Navigator's Verandah) and 5639 (11B Inside Standard). We are concerned about the mixed reviews of these rooms and their location. They are in the aft of the ship, and some reviews talk about loud sounds at port and hearing Animator's Palate. Can anyone clarify?

Also, does the Navigator's verandah have a window that opens? Or is it completely enclosed? We're traveling with my mom and stepfather who are staying in this room. They really want to be able to have fresh air, which is why they chose the verandah.

Myself, DH and DS will be staying in the other room, which seems very small. Is it doable for 3 people?

I really like the idea of being on the same deck as the Oceaneer Lab as I think DS (9) is going to really enjoy that.

Also, we are seated in the later dining time. How does this impact parties and other activities? We are very excited about Pirate night and there will also be a Halloween party. Can anyone describe these experiences with relation to dining? Does dining even impact it?

I've been researching quite a bit and my head is spinning. It's nice that there is so much information, but I just need some direction as to where to start with planning the details of our trip, so any advice would be very much welcome.

VERY EXCITED for our cruise, but for the amount of money we are spending, I really want to make sure we are doing this right. This is really a once in a lifetime cruise with my parents, and I'd really like to make it nice, especially for my mom.

Thank you for your help!!

 

[FigmentIsTheBest]

We have booked our first DCL trip......
I can answer a few of your questions

Myself, DH and DS will be staying in the other room, which seems very small. Is it doable for 3 people?
Should be plenty of room for three.

I really like the idea of being on the same deck as the Oceaneer Lab as I think DS (9) is going to really enjoy that.

Also, we are seated in the later dining time. How does this impact parties and other activities? We are very excited about Pirate night and there will also be a Halloween party. Can anyone describe these experiences with relation to dining? Does dining even impact it?
No problem getting to the parties. They are set to start after the 2nd seating as they are for the entire ship. The dinner shows are a little different you would go to the first showing and then go to dinner.


I've been researching quite a bit and my head is spinning. It's nice that there is so much information, but I just need some direction as to where to start with planning the details of our trip, so any advice would be very much welcome.

VERY EXCITED for our cruise, but for the amount of money we are spending, I really want to make sure we are doing this right. This is really a once in a lifetime cruise with my parents, and I'd really like to make it nice, especially for my mom.


Really try to relax and enjoy it. On our first cruise we did not know anything before and had a great time. We have since gone on more. There is so much to do that you will always find something you did not have time for, so it is best to focus on what you can get in and have o great time.


Thank you for your help!!

Hope you have a fantastic cruise. When we went on our first cruise we were now sure if we would even like it. (My wife and I have both lived and worked onboard ships and we're sure we had enough of the sea.) Turned out we set up a longer week long cruise onboard and now is one of our favorite vacations.

Have a great time!

 

[dreadpiraterose]

I can't speak to the stateroom concerns.

About dining: In my experience doing 2nd dining on the Fantasy, all the parties and such take place after the 2nd dining seating so that everyone can participate. If there is a show, they run one for the 1st dining folks, and run it again for the 2nd dining folks. So if you do 2nd seating, you'd see the show before dinner. If you had 1st seating, you'd do the show after dinner. No need to worry there!

 

[anricat]

I can't answer all your questions, but here's what I can answer:

- The navigator's veranda is sort of like an enclosed veranda with an open porthole. There are some pictures here: http://disneycruiselineblog.com/2013/11/final-thoughts-reimagined-disney-magic/

- I've never stayed aft, only forward and mid. Sorry!

- All of the staterooms are plenty big enough for 3 people. We are also a family of three and we're more than comfortable in the staterooms.

- Staying in a location convenient to the clubs is really nice. We stayed on deck 6 last time, midship and we were just a quick walk down the stairs to the clubs and it was great. Especially with a DS9, you can allow him to check in/out (if you so choose) which is nice - he can just head right back to the room.

- It doesn't matter what dining time you have in terms of activities. We also prefer late dining and there's no problem doing all the stuff. Your show in the theatre will be opposite your dining time (while you're eating, early dining watches their show and vise versa). The pirate stuff will happen after and there are other activities in between.

Have fun! We did Halloween on the Magic this past October and had a blast. It was fantastic!

 

[Niewoe]

Hope you have a fantastic cruise. When we went on our first cruise we were now sure if we would even like it. (My wife and I have both lived and worked onboard ships and we're sure we had enough of the sea.) Turned out we set up a longer week long cruise onboard and now is one of our favorite vacations.

Have a great time!

Thank you!! Your feedback definitely helps!

I can't speak to the stateroom concerns.

About dining: In my experience doing 2nd dining on the Fantasy, all the parties and such take place after the 2nd dining seating so that everyone can participate. If there is a show, they run one for the 1st dining folks, and run it again for the 2nd dining folks. So if you do 2nd seating, you'd see the show before dinner. If you had 1st seating, you'd do the show after dinner. No need to worry there!

That's great to know... thank you! Did you enjoy the second dining on the Fantasy? I'm kind of coming around... might be nice to see the shows first.

I can't answer all your questions, but here's what I can answer:

- The navigator's veranda is sort of like an enclosed veranda with an open porthole. There are some pictures here: http://disneycruiselineblog.com/2013/11/final-thoughts-reimagined-disney-magic/

- I've never stayed aft, only forward and mid. Sorry!

- All of the staterooms are plenty big enough for 3 people. We are also a family of three and we're more than comfortable in the staterooms.

- Staying in a location convenient to the clubs is really nice. We stayed on deck 6 last time, midship and we were just a quick walk down the stairs to the clubs and it was great. Especially with a DS9, you can allow him to check in/out (if you so choose) which is nice - he can just head right back to the room.

- It doesn't matter what dining time you have in terms of activities. We also prefer late dining and there's no problem doing all the stuff. Your show in the theatre will be opposite your dining time (while you're eating, early dining watches their show and vise versa). The pirate stuff will happen after and there are other activities in between.

Have fun! We did Halloween on the Magic this past October and had a blast. It was fantastic!

It's so nice to find other families of 3 and hear of their experiences... thank you! Did you child have any issues with being "solo" in the Kid's Clubs? My DS is pretty comfortable no matter where he is, so I'm not too concerned. And I'm sure Disney has this covered as even siblings split up.


Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences... They have definitely made me less worried and more excited!

 

[cgolf]

Thank you!! Your feedback definitely helps!



That's great to know... thank you! Did you enjoy the second dining on the Fantasy? I'm kind of coming around... might be nice to see the shows first.



It's so nice to find other families of 3 and hear of their experiences... thank you! Did you child have any issues with being "solo" in the Kid's Clubs? My DS is pretty comfortable no matter where he is, so I'm not too concerned. And I'm sure Disney has this covered as even siblings split up.


Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences... They have definitely made me less worried and more excited!

We have sailed with our daughter many times and she absolutely did great in the clubs. We started going when she was 9 and on our last cruise it was her first cruise as an adult. She joked that she grew up on DCL. She is an introvert and definitely enjoyed spending time there and never had any complaints, except maybe we didn't cruise enough lol.

 

[anricat]

Yah, she does great. On our last cruise, it really helped to meet up with people on our cruise meet up group ahead of time. By the time we embarked, I had made friends with two people with daughters the same age. They met up on board and became fast friends. When she was going to the club, we would send a message through the Navigator app to her friends' parents and let them know she was headed there so that they could all play together. It was great. We exchanged addresses so that could remain pen pal friends.

I hope she can meet some friends on the next trip as well!

 

[dreadpiraterose]

Never had a problem with 2nd seating. Always enjoyed it!

 

[EnchantedRoses]

OMG, my family and I are the same cruise!!! First cruise for us as well!! Can't wait!