First time cruiser with Disney Cruise Line...

[tlovesdis]

Hi all,

I am a huge Disney fan, been to Disneyland more times than I can count and to WDW 5 times in the last 7 years! I love all things Disney! My BFF and I are finally going to do a Disney cruise on the Dream in April 2023.

Give me your best tip/tips for a first timer on DCL!!!

Looking forward to hearing all the good stuff!

Thanks
Tina

 

[Cruising Engineer]

Don't overpack
Don't even think you can do it all on one cruise (One DCL ship is like one day at WDW ... you can't do it all but have to come back for more)

 

[auntlynne]

My first cruise was on Disney. I booked it knowing practically nothing about cruising and even less about NCL (Edit - DCL). My knowledge came from watching the Love Boat - and the sinking of the Titanic. Had a great time; didn’t know if I was missing anything.

The #1 piece of information that would have come in handy is onboard booking for a future cruise. I ended up sailing 5 months later and would have enjoyed a 10% discount.

Serenity Bay (adults only) on Castaway Cay has a different lunch menu than Cookie’s Too on the family side.

If you enjoy beach time - especially private beach time - stay on the island after the crowds have gone back to the ship around 3 or 3:30 (All aboard usually being around 4:30). The island is practically deserted.

Castaway Cay sometimes offers merchandise not found on the ship. If you see something you like, buy it - but don’t wait until the end of the day; the shops seem to close early.

Somewhat obvious - but go to the shows; they are really well done. In other words, Disney quality.

Bring a clothes pin to keep curtains closed.

Bring a blanket or take one from your room when going to the movies in Buena Vista Theater.

For that matter, bring some form of outerwear. The air conditioning is very good.

Complementary snacks are usually available in Cove Cafe, in a glass case. Just ask. No need to purchase anything.

You can ask for a salad, tossed or Caesar, at any dinner.

Same thing for Mickey Bars, with or without sprinkles.

You don’t have to order from each course on the menu, and can double up if you want a variety.

And have a great cruise.

Plan on sailing with Disney again.

 

[jkburns]

Tina:
Congratulations! You and yours are in for some real magic! You have lots of time to review these posts and I promise you will learn a lot here. My biggest piece of advice: don't forget you're on vacation. It's easy to get caught up in over planning, over packing, over thinking, etc.

Stay close to this Board - most of us are really friendly and are here to help.

 

[MomOTwins]

Book a placeholder onboard for a future cruise (can do this in the app once on the ship). You will pay a $250 deposit that can be applied to the future cruise fare and you’ll save 10% on that cruise.

 

[Disgal1115]

Does anyone have a screenshots of the activity schedules? Is that how it works? First time cruiser here too and want to have an idea of what the plans for the day will entail!

 

[Calantha]

Does anyone have a screenshots of the activity schedules?

Here’s a recent posting from someone on the Dream: https://www.disboards.com/threads/done-complete-4-night-disney-dream-navigator.3851261/.

My PSA is that you will see at the top it says daily activities and character greetings …that bar scrolls and it gives you other times for the restaurants and pools, etc.! Took me two days to figure that out.

 

[Disgal1115]

thank you! Exactly what I was looking for!

 

[Lizgistix]

Give me your best tip/tips for a first timer on DCL!!!

Get a verandah stateroom! I loved being able sit out there day or night and just take in the view.
Also, my personal tip from one first timer to another: get the Disney room decoration package. It comes with a door magnet, window cling, hanging decorations, and a beach towel. It's super cute and set the mood for the rest of the cruise. Heck, I left them up all weekend. I moved them into the corners but they were up the entire time. (room attendant sets it up for you)
I also sprung for a water package. It was nice to have some bottles of water in the room for taking medicine or for early morning/late night sipping.

And don't be disappointed if you don't get a Castaway Club lanyard like you see everyone else wearing. You'll get it on your second cruise. If you didn't bring one from home, you can buy one at the stores on the ship.

 

[Beaker314]

Decorate your door!

We have been on other cruise lines and walking back to your room is a long slog since everything looks the same. On Disney people personalize their doors with magnets. Having decorations for your door makes it easier to find your room as well as bringing joy to those walking down hallways. The doors are magnetic so you can either bring things which are already magnets or buy some magnets to glue onto the back of whatever you want. There are sites out there where people have made some fantastic designs which fit perfectly around the door number. We got a few of them, printed them out, laminated them, then hot glued a magnet to the back. Here is our door on a Star Wars day at sea.

 

[ChicosWife]

My first cruise was on Disney. I booked it knowing practically nothing about cruising and even less about NCL (Edit - DCL). My knowledge came from watching the Love Boat - and the sinking of the Titanic. Had a great time; didn’t know if I was missing anything.

The #1 piece of information that would have come in handy is onboard booking for a future cruise. I ended up sailing 5 months later and would have enjoyed a 10% discount.

Serenity Bay (adults only) on Castaway Cay has a different lunch menu than Cookie’s Too on the family side.

If you enjoy beach time - especially private beach time - stay on the island after the crowds have gone back to the ship around 3 or 3:30 (All aboard usually being around 4:30). The island is practically deserted.

Castaway Cay sometimes offers merchandise not found on the ship. If you see something you like, buy it - but don’t wait until the end of the day; the shops seem to close early.

Somewhat obvious - but go to the shows; they are really well done. In other words, Disney quality.

Bring a clothes pin to keep curtains closed.

Bring a blanket or take one from your room when going to the movies in Buena Vista Theater.

For that matter, bring some form of outerwear. The air conditioning is very good.

Complementary snacks are usually available in Cove Cafe, in a glass case. Just ask. No need to purchase anything.

You can ask for a salad, tossed or Caesar, at any dinner.

Same thing for Mickey Bars, with or without sprinkles.

You don’t have to order from each course on the menu, and can double up if you want a variety.

And have a great cruise.

Plan on sailing with Disney again.

What they said!