First-time Cruisers need HELP!!!!

[Kapp]

We have just gotten back from our WDW trip and want to start planning a 7 day Disney Cruise. None of us (myself, wife, 10 year old, 7 year old) have ever been on a cruise before and have no idea where to start! We would appreciate any and all suggestions, advice, warnings, etc. Here we go with the questions!

1) Any recommendations or ideas on whether to do the Western or Eastern cruise?

2) Any advice on what type of room and/or ship level to request? We will not have a lot of $$$ to throw around but would pay a bit more for some extra room and at least a view of the outside.

3) How dressed up are the fanciest dinners? Do I need to bring a suit or would a sports coat and tie work? What about for my wife??

4) What excursions are a "must do" for either cruise?

5) What are the peak seasons/months for the cruises?

6)Any ways to save on booking the cruise? We have used various methods (Disney Club, AAA, buying an annual pass just for room savings, teacher discount at the Dolphin, etc.) to save on our Disney World trips and would like to save some on a cruise.

7) Lastly, anything else we should watch out for in planning a cruise would be so appreciated!!!!

THANKS, in advance!!!!!

Kapp and Family

 

[CRB#33]

Originally posted by Kapp
1) Any recommendations or ideas on whether to do the Western or Eastern cruise?

I haven't been on either yet, only a 4 night. I really enjoyed our day at sea, so I chose the Eastern for our next cruise because it has 3 sea days. The Western has 2.

2) Any advice on what type of room and/or ship level to request? We will not have a lot of $$$ to throw around but would pay a bit more for some extra room and at least a view of the outside.

You could try for a secret porthole room. There numbers and more information about them are listed at www.castawayclub.com. You must book these super early though, they go fast.

3) How dressed up are the fanciest dinners? Do I need to bring a suit or would a sports coat and tie work? What about for my wife??

There is a formal and a semi-formal night on each 7 night cruise. Many men rent tuxes or wear a dark suit. Woman wear dressy or long dresses. Palo-the resturant you need to make reservations for...I would think a nice dress and a sport coat would be fine. Disney requests that you do not wear jeans/shorts/sneakers or swimsuits to any of their sit down restuarants. There is a tropical themed night and many people wear tropical garb! Looks like fun!

5) What are the peak seasons/months for the cruises?

Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, June and the beginning of July have the highest attendence.

6)Any ways to save on booking the cruise? We have used various methods (Disney Club, AAA, buying an annual pass just for room savings, teacher discount at the Dolphin, etc.) to save on our Disney World trips and would like to save some on a cruise.

No teacher discounts or annual pass discounts. I've heard people say they saved with AllSeas travel and Sams club. I use Dreams Unlimited, the sponsers of this board. I have always booked during one of their promotions and have gotten instant rebates and shipboard credits. Doesn't hurt to check for AAA discounts. Someone else may have more info on this.

DCL directly does seem to be the most expensive.

7) Lastly, anything else we should watch out for in planning a cruise would be so appreciated!!!!

These boards!!!! In addition to the above site, try also www.dcltribute.com. You can find the newest version of The Magical Cruise Guide which is a wonderful guide at http://wdwig.com/cruise.htm

Have fun planning


Kapp and Family

[/B][/QUOTE]

 

[shmoogrrrl]

1) Any recommendations or ideas on whether to do the Western or Eastern cruise?

That really depends on what you want. We have done both and love both. The Eastern has an extra day at sea so if you are more interested in the ship than you are the ports that might be the way to go.

I’d suggest looking on the Internet at the different ports and see which ones interest you. I’d say you couldn’t go wrong either way.

2) Any advice on what type of room and/or ship level to request? We will not have a lot of $$$ to throw around but would pay a bit more for some extra room and at least a view of the outside.

If it is in your budget, we are part of the Catagory 7 "Navigator's Verandah" fan club. We have had this level for all 4 of our cruises. It is less expensive than the regular balcony but the view and all is just as nice. We'd highly recommend it. *Added: Ack! I noticed that you have 4 in your family. The Catagory 7 rooms only sleep 3 so you'd need a catagory 6 if you want a balcony.

If you plan to book early, you could search the board for the secret porthole rooms and get those. I can't remember what catagory they are!

3) How dressed up are the fanciest dinners? Do I need to bring a suit or would a sports coat and tie work? What about for my wife??

My husband wears a tux for the formal evenings as do a lot of other men. Some, however, wear suits and you will find others in sports coats. If you can wear the suit (or rent the tux) it is a neat experience, but if you don't like that kind of thing, as long as you look nice I suspect you won't feel too out of place! They won't kick you out of the dining room! Your wife would be fine in anything from a Church-type dress to a floor-length formal!

4) What excursions are a "must do" for either cruise?

We LOVE the 5 Star St. John Snorkling excursion in St. Thomas. You have the ability to snorkle off the boat, or take a smaller boat to the shore to lay out on the beach, play in the slaoow water, or learn to snorkle in shallow water.

On the Western, my husband enjoyed the ruins tour at Cosumel.

5) What are the peak seasons/months for the cruises?

I don't have a clue about the peak, but I'd guess Spring Break, Christmas and Summer since the little kidlets are out of school. I know you can usually get the best rates in the fall and winter. Just remember that with the Fall comes hurricane season so you may get a mystery cruise that goes to different ports to avoid any storms in the area.

6)Any ways to save on booking the cruise? We have used various methods (Disney Club, AAA, buying an annual pass just for room savings, teacher discount at the Dolphin, etc.) to save on our Disney World trips and would like to save some on a cruise.

We love Dreams Unlimited (the sponsors of this board) and have had great luck with them. They will keep looking for a lower price, even after you book with them, and adjust your price if they find one.

7) Lastly, anything else we should watch out for in planning a cruise would be so appreciated!!!!

Don't get obsessed with the small details or you will make yourselves nutty. Take a deep breath and realize that you probably won't be able to do everything on the cruise on the first try so make a small list of things you just don't want to miss and consider anything else you fit in to be gravy.

As far as don't misses:

* Take some time to lay in one of the comfy chairs on deck 4 and watch the water go by on a sea day.

* Don't miss Palo's Chocolate Souffle. It is WAY too yummy!

* If you can save a little extra money get your wife (and yourself if you can!) a massage on Castaway Cay. We just love the open air Cabana massages. So amazingly relaxing. The massages on the ship are just as relaxing though, and a little less expensive! If you can't swing it though, it won't ruin your trip or anything.

* Get your family's picture taken with Mickey Mouse!


* Have a great time!!!

 

[kcashner]

I would highly recommend the "secret porthole" rooms to save money. They are an outside room with a porthole with a partially obstructed view. You pay for the price of an inside room. You spend very little time in the room anyhow, unless you want to dump the kids and have a romantic breakfast on the verandah of a cat. 6....

I've pointed out to DD that we can cruise 4 times in a cat 11 for the price of the cabins she'd like!

Cruising "off season" is a great way to save money. Rates are cheapest if you book early. Most of the time, rates go up as the cruise gets closer. In the event that the rate does go down, DCL will match the lower rate IF you request it. They're not gonna tell you that you paid too much (hee hee).

Eastern/Western is a personal preference. Look at the ports of call and the extra sea day on the Eastern to make your decision.

You can go as formal as you'd like, but a sports coat and tie will get your husband thru everything. Or, he can be in a tux. He won't be out of place either way. Some people really like to dress up (especially little girls!) others like to be more casual. The only "firm" rules are no shorts or jeans in the dining rooms at dinner at any age, and a jacket in Palo.

"must do" is relax and have fun. You can't possibly do it all on one trip.

Currently, there is an "onboard credit" available for bookings in Jan. I saw this advertised thru AAA, but usually when I've seen those ads, they are available thru any TA. On onboard credit is the one thing that can't be added later...it is available only at initial booking. So...this may be a reason to book sooner rather than later. You can cancel or change dates up to 60 days before the sailing with no penalty.

Read this forum, www.castawayclub.com, the DCL site....and dream with the rest of us.

Kathryn
number 10 Magic sailing in less than a month!!!!!

 

[jrabbit]

Any recommendations or ideas on whether to do the Western or Eastern cruise?

Both are enjoyable.

Eastern
On St. Maarten the beaches are very nice (you can do on your own if wanted), the snorkeling can be iffy because they get a lot of wind which kicks up the sand and reduces visability. The Golden Eagle Catamaran excursion always looks like fun (a bit pricey but sailing, swimming/beach and snorkeling in one package). There are some "nude" beaches on the French side of the island, but it's not a big deal really - we took a 8, 11 and 14 yo there and they are not raving sex fiends now. Orient Bay is a beautiful beach (clothing optional) and there are sections of the beach for families, topless and "the full monty", Just ask your cab to drop you off at the family beach.
St. Thomas has a lot of nice beaches and St. John's is great for snorkelinig (many excursions here). Trunk bay is a great place to snorkel - it's a national park with markers telling you what you are looking at.

Western
Key West - if you like "partying" it's the place to be. We took a snorkeling excursion and it was very good. Grand Cayman has the "not to be missed" excursion - Sting Ray City (we missed it and went on a snorkeling excursion instead). Our excursion was some of the best snorkeling we have ever had. We were in front of where the Magic was anchored. That was way cool. Cozumel = Carlos and Charlies for the partying crowd. Lots of very good snokeling here or just enjoy one of the many beaches. THere is also a fun sounding jeep trip through the "jungle" to a beach - it sounds like fun.

Which cruise to take is the first of many very difficult decisions you will have to make!

2) Any advice on what type of room and/or ship level to request?

For a family of 4 I would get at least a cat 10 room (split bath-sounds odd is GREAT). Remember, you are really buying the service / food / shows / entertainment. It is the same for ALL guests, so you might as well buy the cheapest room on the best ship - and you have picked the best ship - the Magic!! The cat 10 SPH rooms are a very good deal (only 6 on the ship). If you think that you need some outside light, the cat 9 rooms have a very large port hole. We started in a cat 11, cat 10, cat 10 sph, and cat 9. We didn't miss the outside light until we had an outside room (didn't know any better ). Now we sail cat 9's. Never had a veranda, so we don't miss it.

Second hard choice

How dressed up are the fanciest dinners? Do I need to bring a suit or would a sports coat and tie work? What about for my wife??

See the thread for the debate over formal wear. I'm a shirt and tie guy for formal and semi formal. I brought a suit once, wore the coat to the dinning room, took it off, ate dinner and carried it back to the room - so for me - never again!!To "formal" or not to "formal", that is the question!

What excursions are a "must do" for either cruise?

See answer to number one. For us snorkeling is the "must do" excursion - just deciding upon which on is the problem. If we go to St. Maarten again, I'm for trying the Golden Eagle and if we go to Grand Cayman, it's Sting Ray city for us (probably using someone other than DCL - I've liked the reviews of Nativeway)

What are the peak seasons/months for the cruises?

Maybe what you are asking, is when is it less crowded and the best deals. Obviously, hurricane season (Sept through Nov) is a prime time for hurricanes (the ship will divert around them-don't worry). January and February are also "off season". We took our kids out of school during MLK week in January and had the best weather of all of our cruises. August is hot, Hot, HOT (and humid - and did I say HOT! )

Any ways to save on booking the cruise?

BOOK EARLY and off season. Sometimes Dreams Unlimited and other TA's will have room credits and group discounts (even though you are not a group - if they get enough bookings on a sailing they will give a discount)

anything else we should watch out for in planning

Get the video from DCL, if you get the Travel Channel, they have some cruise shows: general, 4 or 5 different ships featured and some that are a full hour on a ship (yes there is one about DCL). The web sites that others have mentioned: CastawayClub.com, DCLTribute.com, wdwig.com/cruise.htm


Have fun. Ask questions. Don't be afraid of controversy - we all have our opinions and still like each other. Luv Ya, Mean It.

Once on the ship things not to miss:
The main shows in the Walt Disney Theater - Disney Dreams is not to be missed.
The family cabarette shows between dinner and the main WDT shows are a lot of fun (in Rockin' Bar D and Studio Sea)
Relaxing in a lounger (hardwood with blue padding) on Deck 4
Adults: Art of Entertaining series
Palo Brunch
Ice Carving demonstration on deck 9
Croissants (freshly made), the plane ones and the chocolate filled ones. White Chocolate covered Domes (and or Creame Brulee') for dessert in Lumiers.
Send a post card to home from each port you stopped in
Watching the ship dock at least once from deck 10 forward - so you can look down on the captian as he parallel parks a 967 foot long ship (if only I could park my car as easily )