First time cruiser...overwhelmed with the planning!

[lvnjden4ever]

192 days until our first Disney Cruise and I am just lost with all of this planning.

From trip insurance, flights, hotel reservations, passports, ground transportation, and excursions...I am going crazy with all the details! I am an inherent list maker and planner...so I have list after list of options...but I really have no idea what I'm doing here. This is our first trip as a family out of state...heck we only every go to Disneyland 2 times a year because it's what we know! So this will be a huge step out of our comfort zone (we were going to go to Hawaii...but we wouldn't be even more lost, just choosing what islands to visit was confusing. We figured at least with a cruise, they are taking us to the ports and we are just along for the ride).

Anyways, enough rambling. We are going to a 4 night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Dream. Plan is to arrive at MCO the day before.

My main dilemma right now is, do we travel straight to a hotel nearby Port Canaveral or stay at the Hyatt inside of MCO and travel to the port the day of departure? Which is more practical in terms of overall cost and convenience? If we stay near the port, how do we get there? Taxi? What's a good hotel near the port? If we stay at the Hyatt, should we use the DCL bus or use privately hired transportation? (We are a family of 5). I have read about the fly, stay, and cruise packages near the port also.

I'm just at a loss as to what is the best option.

Probably the first inquiry of many in the next 192 days...

Thanks in advanced!

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

192 days until our first Disney Cruise and I am just lost with all of this planning.

From trip insurance, flights, hotel reservations, passports, ground transportation, and excursions...I am going crazy with all the details! I am an inherent list maker and planner...so I have list after list of options...but I really have no idea what I'm doing here. This is our first trip as a family out of state...heck we only every go to Disneyland 2 times a year because it's what we know! So this will be a huge step out of our comfort zone (we were going to go to Hawaii...but we wouldn't be even more lost, just choosing what islands to visit was confusing. We figured at least with a cruise, they are taking us to the ports and we are just along for the ride).

Anyways, enough rambling. We are going to a 4 night Bahamian cruise on the Disney Dream. Plan is to arrive at MCO the day before.

My main dilemma right now is, do we travel straight to a hotel nearby Port Canaveral or stay at the Hyatt inside of MCO and travel to the port the day of departure? Which is more practical in terms of overall cost and convenience? If we stay near the port, how do we get there? Taxi? What's a good hotel near the port? If we stay at the Hyatt, should we use the DCL bus or use privately hired transportation? (We are a family of 5). I have read about the fly, stay, and cruise packages near the port also.

I'm just at a loss as to what is the best option.

Probably the first inquiry of many in the next 192 days...

Thanks in advanced!

First off, breathe. We've found cruises are the least stressful vacations available.

To answer your question specifically, for a first timer I would stay at the Hyatt and take the DCL shuttle. You can certainly to a fiscally more economical choice, but for a first timer it's the most stress free way to do it. DCL walks you through the entire process do it's super stress free. Also, when you do your online checkin in advance, (75 days????) for new cruisers you'll probably get a later Port Arrival Time , (PAT), which means you'll have to get on the ship later. If you do the DCL shuttle from MCO, that PAT won't matter because you'll be on one of their busses so they'll let you in when you get there. I believe the first bus leaves MCO around 9:00 am.

Just another thought on the overwhelming matter, if you read these boards a lot you'll probably think you have to plan the heck out of your cruise to have a great time. Nothing could be further from the truth. We just got off the Wonder this morning and the only thing we planned in advance was a sea plane excursion in Victoria, we had a fantastic time just doing stuff listed in the Navigator each day. This was our 4th cruise and still haven't come close to "doing it all," which is good news and bad news, the good news being we have to take more cruises!

The one thing I would say you must do on board is visit the future cruise desk and book a place holder cruise do you can receive a 10% discount on the next cruise. It only costs $200 and you have 2 years from that date to start your cruise. If you decide not to cruise you can cancel and get your money back. I hope you enjoy your cruise.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Do yourself a big favor and get the Passporter DCL book.

IT will answer many of the questions you have.

Then use these boards for personal information, fine tune things.

 

[thumpie's mom]

Sounds like you are on the West Coast, same as my family. Staying at the Hyatt is a great option, especially for your first trip. Unless you are lucky enough to get a direct flight, by the time you get to Orlando, it is late afternoon/early evening. It is so easy to get off the plane, get your luggage, walk a little distance and you are at the front desk checking in. When you check in, tell them you are on DCL and they will give you the instructions for the morning. There are plenty of dining options and I believe they have a pool. The next morning, you set out your luggage (Disney will send you special luggage tags), it is picked up and the next time you see will be in your cabin. There are plenty of Disney cast members around to help you get down to the bus area. The DCL bus picks you up and takes you directly to the port and you can check in. It really is easy-let Disney do all the work! Have a wonderful cruise!

 

[jrabbit]

First off ... Don't Stress It
Second ... You Can't Do It All - Especially on a 4 nighter
Third ... You Can't Eat It All - but try some foods outside of your comfort zone - don't worry if you don't like it, your waiter will bring you something else (for FREE - well you've already paid for it).

the hardest part of a Disney Cruise is deciding what NOT to do!!! The Personal Navigator that is delivered every evening will give you the run down of the next day's activities, times and locations.

Pre Cruise

• Stay at the Orlando Hyatt - OR at a WDW resort and take the DCL bus to the port. By staying at the Hyatt you can arrive at the Ship earlier than from WDW. DCL will take your "checked luggage" from the hotel to outside your stateroom
• Remember to keep with you in a carry on your meds, anything you will need before 5pm (so possibly a change of clothes for dinner and a swimsuit, sunscreen, etc)

Cruise

• You need your government issued photo ID if you are 16 (maybe it's 18) years old or older, Use a Drivers license to get on/off of ship (because its easy to carry). In addition you will need either an official birth certificate or a passport.
• Credit Card or other way of paying off "incidentals" on the cruise: Shore Excursions, Gratuities, Adult Beverages, Kids Beverages (smoothies, etc), Souvenirs, Spa and/or many other things that carry an additional charge.
• Sun Screen - the sun IS different there than where you are from. Use it faithfully

Port Adventures

• What do you want to do in Ports? Since you are on a 4 nighter, you don't have to work to hard at this.
• You should get off of the ship in the Nassau - I assume you've never been there before. Look at DCL's port adventures - yep you will pay more, but you don't have to figure out all of the logistics (transportation to/from where you want to spend the day is a big one).
• Castaway Cay: we treat this as a beach day, as such, there are no plans. If you want to go Parasailing, or stingrays or one of the other "real" excursions you should pre book. If you think that you want to snorkel, use the floats, ride a bike you can wait until you get to the island to rent the equipment (that way you can check out the weather and water before deciding what you will do.

Fun Stuff - wing it
Do you want to do an expensive massage or other spa treatment? you can prebook or wait until you board to decide (but the pre bookers might have taken all available slots)
Do the adults want to do a mixology class - you reserve those once you've boarded the ship (carry a fee)
Kids Clubs: are included in the cruise fare - unless you have an under 3 year old. Those spots carry a fee and you can pre book some time slots
Shows: there are nightly shows in the Walt Disney Theater - times are opposite of dinner times.
Shows: there are "shows/activities" in-between your dinner seating and WDT show time. Mostly geared to families. I really enjoy these activities.
Shows: Movies in the other theater and in your stateroom
Shows: the Adults Only show in the entertainment district (by "adult" I mean, still pretty family friendly - they only go as far as "Disney Dirty" - and the District is restricted to adults only after 9pm - so no kiddos allowed)
Activities throughout the day and night: Trivia, learn to draw the characters, character meet and greats, talks, seminars, etc
Mid Ship Detective Agency - fun for the whole family - and it helps you find your way around the ship
Pool Deck: there's the pools (adult and family), the AquaDuck, the sports court and mini golf

Dinning
for Dinner You will be assigned a restaurant for each night of the cruise. Don't sweat this. You will be given a table in a restaurant - and you will visit all 3 of them on your cruise. Let DCL assign you a rotation - there's no reason to figure out what the "perfect" rotation is!!
Breakfast and lunches: there will always be the buffet. Some of the MDR's will be open for a sit down breakfast or lunch. And there's a lot of other options up on pool deck.

 

[littleblackegg]

There is no such thing as a perfect trip, and people who try to create perfection seem to make themselves miserable in the process. This is a vacation! Relax. Get whatever reservations you have to get early like the adults-only dinners and night-time shows and whatever shore excursions are must do. Chill and park it on a lounger and watch the ocean. Send the offspring to Disney day care and have some adult time. Get a pedicure. Go wild and get a facial! Keep reading, you'll get an idea of what you might want to do, but nothing is set in stone. It's those darn rigid schedules that seem to put everyone on edge. Skip lunch and eat a sandwich by the pool. Who cares? You can live on a rigid schedule when you are dead. Vacation is for the living!

 

[Weedy]

The best thing to do is look at the Navaigator (daily newsletter) everyday. It will list all the activites happening everyday. You will reveive one when you check in at the port and then every night in your cabin. Or you can download the app. The app will begin to work when you arrive at the terminal for your cruise.
Here is a link that has old Navaigators. It will give you an idea of events: http://disneycruiselineblog.com/personal-navigators/

Make sure you check it over the day you board it will list important things such as Prince and Princess tickets (no extra charge), Character Breakfast (no extra charge)
How to logon to get a little Free wifi.

The Navaigator is your best frienf)

 

[gumbypee]

There is no such thing as a perfect trip, and people who try to create perfection seem to make themselves miserable in the process. This is a vacation! Relax. Get whatever reservations you have to get early like the adults-only dinners and night-time shows and whatever shore excursions are must do. Chill and park it on a lounger and watch the ocean. Send the offspring to Disney day care and have some adult time. Get a pedicure. Go wild and get a facial! Keep reading, you'll get an idea of what you might want to do, but nothing is set in stone. It's those darn rigid schedules that seem to put everyone on edge. Skip lunch and eat a sandwich by the pool. Who cares? You can live on a rigid schedule when you are dead. Vacation is for the living!

reservations for night time shows??? on Disney?

 

[littleblackegg]

reservations for night time shows??? on Disney?

Don't you have to reserve spots for the dinner time shows? Or are those in your rotation? I don't go to them frequently snout to remember!

 

[gumbypee]

Don't you have to reserve spots for the dinner time shows? Or are those in your rotation? I don't go to them frequently snout to remember!

Not on DCL, you just go to the theater at showtime and sit! They aren't "dining shows" like on some other lines that I do belive you have to reserve... they are just shows to watch opposite your dining time.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Relax! Cruising is the easiest vacation in the world. I'm a total non planner. I might get a reservation in Palo ahead of time and sometimes excursions, but otherwise, what happens...happens. We travel frequently and I usually manage to read up on where we are going on the plane there. But sometimes not. For me, it's more fun to wing it and see what happens. If you worry so much about what you are missing, then you will not enjoy what you are actually doing. I would recommend going to a hotel by the port, maybe on a Beach and enjoying that vibe ahead of time rather than stay at the Hyatt. You can relax, hace a drink and dinner on the water, sleep a little later the next morning. Renting a van for five people and then dropping it off the next morning on the way to the port is usually a cheaper option than paying 35 a person for Disney transportation. When we are leaving out of canaveral, we usually stay at the Disney Vero beach resort one or two nights ahead. It's a great place, right in the ocean and about an hour and half drive up the coast to the port.

 

[DisneyNDecember]

This is my first cruise as well, we are staying at the Hyatt MCO the night before & doing the DCL roundtrip transfers. So far, I am loving the not having to plan as much as I did with our prior Disneyworld vacations (because I have a major exam in 6 weeks & I am spending all my time on that).

My only question for everyone is we are 66 days out. Our Category 5E GTY room has not been assigned yet, at least I don't think.
I have been checking disney cruise website daily & I am checking on the "My Reservations" Page under the "Reservation Summary" tab, is that where I keep checking daily? Or should I be looking somewhere else to see when I get my room # assigned?

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

This is my first cruise as well, we are staying at the Hyatt MCO the night before & doing the DCL roundtrip transfers. So far, I am loving the not having to plan as much as I did with our prior Disneyworld vacations (because I have a major exam in 6 weeks & I am spending all my time on that).

My only question for everyone is we are 66 days out. Our Category 5E GTY room has not been assigned yet, at least I don't think.
I have been checking disney cruise website daily & I am checking on the "My Reservations" Page under the "Reservation Summary" tab, is that where I keep checking daily? Or should I be looking somewhere else to see when I get my room # assigned?

I've never done a GTY but I believe you are looking in the right place but they usually don't assign until about 3 weeks out and in addition to your online reservation they will mail you your confirmation. Enjoy your cruise.

 

[DisneyNDecember]

I've never done a GTY but I believe you are looking in the right place but they usually don't assign until about 3 weeks out and in addition to your online reservation they will mail you your confirmation. Enjoy your cruise.

i have my confirmation via email.
When you say they will mail me my confirmation, do you mean they will mail me something once my room # is assigned?
Thanks for all the help, I truly appreciate it.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

i have my confirmation via email.
When you say they will mail me my confirmation, do you mean they will mail me something once my room # is assigned?
Thanks for all the help, I truly appreciate it.

Sorry, I should have phrased that better. From what I recall reading they will mail (but I could be mistaking for email) your room number about 3 weeks prior to your cruise.

 

[DisneyNDecember]

Thank you !!! I also went ahead & emailed DCL on their website because I needed to ask for a table for two for just my son & myself since he has Autism/Aspergers & struggles with one on one communication with others. I went ahead & included the question about the room assignment as well.
Thanks again for the great information.

 

[texas disney mom]

I would not plan anything except to be on the ship on time. We planned for our first cruise last year and didnt do anything we'd planned. Forgot it all. The experience was completely overwhelming (in a good way) and just took over. We just let go. Craz y but we forgot to drop off our pillow cases to be signed (and I guess they dont even do that anymore now which makes it a real bummer). We didnt specifically line up for any characters. We stumbled upon bingo and went. stumbled upon a craft and went. Stumbled upon a meet and greet with the captain and went. Etc etc. Had to cancel palo becsuse of a difficult child and then called Palo another night and went. I dont think it is so difficult to get reservations there day of unless it is a holiday or unless you want a specific time. Went to most of the shows. And even though we had planned on doing "everything" on castaway key we ended up just sitting on the beach all day while the kids ran wild. We could not believe the day went by so quickly and that we hadnt done anything besides grab lunch at the bbq. We didnt even realize it was pirate night until we saw the bandanas on the bed. We went to palo that night and didnt even see it! Ours was also only a four night and I think when you do a four night on your first cruise it is almost impossible to do much. The experience is just so relaxing and there is so much to do. We are going back this christmas and not sure if we will do more or not!!

 

[texas disney mom]

This is my first cruise as well, we are staying at the Hyatt MCO the night before & doing the DCL roundtrip transfers. So far, I am loving the not having to plan as much as I did with our prior Disneyworld vacations (because I have a major exam in 6 weeks & I am spending all my time on that).

My only question for everyone is we are 66 days out. Our Category 5E GTY room has not been assigned yet, at least I don't think.
I have been checking disney cruise website daily & I am checking on the "My Reservations" Page under the "Reservation Summary" tab, is that where I keep checking daily? Or should I be looking somewhere else to see when I get my room # assigned?

We did gty last year and found out in October for December. Did not get upgrade but loved the roomanyway.

 

[texas disney mom]

We did gty last year and found out in October for December. Did not get upgrade but loved the roomanyway.

Forgot to mention they sent it over email as a new reservation confirmation. If you dont look at the details of the email you might just overlook it as duplicate info.

 

[DisneyNDecember]

Forgot to mention they sent it over email as a new reservation confirmation. If you dont look at the details of the email you might just overlook it as duplicate info.

Thank you.... I will keep my eyes open...