First time cruisers, need some tips

[ReneeH]

My hubby and I with our 2 girls 13 and 15 are going on our first ever cruise. 4 days in October on the wonder.

Anyone have some pointers, please feel free.
Ideas about using 2 way radios?
what to wear for October? light or dark colors?
Best day for Palo?
should I pass on Freeport and stay on boat?
any problems with birth Cert.
any problems with film though x ray mashine ? I read on another posting.
Best sunscreen to use?
what to miss and what not to pass up?

any tips are a help
thank you
Renee H

 

[dswatson]

Allright DISers, let's do a "top five" list of what should be done first once we get on board on Saturday morning. Thanks.

 

[Favorite Auntie]

*Make sure you wear your bathing suits under your clothes when you get on the ship. That way you will be among the first to get to enjoy the pools! And this may be the quietest that you see the pools.

*Make dinner reservations at Palo, you will not be disappointed. Make sure to get the chocolate souffle...yum!

*Enjoy the lunch buffet.....yum....shrimp!

*If you want to enjoy any treatments at the spa, make the reservations. Also, if the girls want their hair braided, make those reservations.

* Sit back and ENJOY!!!

 

[BethC1952]

Wear light colors...regardless of the time of year, it's still warm in Nassau!

We used Johnson's Water Babies #45, which is waterproof. I applied it in the morning before I left my room, and frequently throughout the day, every day. I never got any kind of sunburn. I've had skin cancer, so I'm really very careful about things like that.

We didn't go to Palo on either of our two cruises. That's just a personal preference. We eat out a lot (we're just two adults, a "post-kids" family!), and frequently at fine-dining places, so the hustle and bustle of the dining rooms on the ship, and the companionship of our table-mates is a change for us, and we enjoy it tremendously.

We both have passports, so there were no birth certificate problems.

We're not "spa people" so I can't give you any insight there!

We enjoyed the evening shows very much, particularly Disney Dreams on the last night. Even my tough old husband teared up at the end!

My biggest piece of advice is relax and have a good time. Don't rush around trying to do everything. Leave a reason to take more cruises!

You'll love the cruise!

Beth

 

[kamgen]

Go to Palo! (we think the last night is the best)

Go to the Spa (we recommend the Surial Bath and the Spa Taster)

Participate in some of the nightly activities (this is vacation, live it up!)

Pass on Freeport and enjoy the smaller crowds onboard!

Eat as much as you want, when you want! (again, this is a vacation..enjoy it!)

And finally, don't miss out on two things...early morning walks on deck 10 before 8am...and late night walks when the crowds are gone and the sky is dark...beautiful!

 

[TeensMom]

Make sure your kids get involved in the teen activities at Common Ground. On the first night there is a "411" information session - THEY SHOULD GO. This is when a lot of the kids meet on-board friends and yours don't want to miss out. There are daily activities, dance parties, swim parties, etc. We haven't done the 4 day in a few years but when we did, there was a teen "junkanoo" in Nassau - a party barge that took the kids on a 2-3 hour floating dance party. Mine loved it.

I enjoyed walking around the straw market in Nassau. We did a bus tour that I found sort of hot and boring. We went back to the ship then I left and went walking/shopping. Enjoyed being around the people. Some people hate it so "to each his own".

I thought the spa prices were a bit high compared to the day spa near me (and a bit of a non-Disney snobbery in the air) - plus I kept myself busy on board doing the aerobics class, using the exercise equipment and, oh, yeah, eating.

We enjoyed Palos and I second the vote for the chocolate souffle (OK another 100 laps around deck 4).

DH and I are not "night life" people - generally in bed by 10 - but we loved the night life on the ship. We hung out mostly at the "Rocking D Bar" on the Magic - not sure what the comparable is on the Wonder. Seldom got in before 1 am.

 

[hydster]

Welcome to the world of cruising first off!~

For clothes..we went in November last year and a cold front went through and we had to wear jeans and sweatshirts because it was so cold and windy. They actually kept us from boarding the ship for about 10 min because the wind had moved it away from the gangplank so always be prepared and take one set of warmer clothes...to buy them is so expensive on vacation. I would bring mostly light colors though for when you get to Nassau and Freeport and probably CC it will probably be warm. It rained off and on during our cc day and it was cool in Nassau but really nice in Freeport.

We have smaller kids so we didnt do Palo so I cant help there.

We didnt do a spa treatment so I cant help you there either but I dont know when we would have fit it in on a 4 day anyway.

We got off at Freeport and did a dolphin encounter and thought Freeport was a great place although others differ there. I would at least get off if you have never been there for an hour or two just to experience it and then if you hate it get back on board.

We didnt take 2 way radios and personally they sound like a hassle to me. I have heard people using post it notes in your cabin which sounded like a good idea. We tried to use the radios while in Disneyland one year but we couldnt hear on them well because everyone had them.

We (hubby and I) have passports but the kids had B/C at the time (now have passports as well) and they did fine with the Birth Certificates. Our state gives out credit card size ones that are laminated thus no raised seal and we didnt have a single problem with them but decided it wasnt worth the stress so we bit the bullet and got all of us passports.

We hand carry our film in a film case and they hand checked it for us both at the airport and at the Disney port.

As for sunscreen I would go for something along the 30-45 spf lines and reapply it alot. Any brand should work. We used one called NO-Ad and it was great! If your girls get their hair braided make sure you put sunscreen on their scalp or they will fry and that HURTS!

Our dont miss or dont pass ups were Animators Palate with the show thing..it is great! Dont miss Disney Dreams that was really good (we left CC early and went to watch the matinee one and it was 1/2 empty and nice to be able to sit where we wanted and not fight people) Dont miss the characters roaming around the boat. They are alot of fun and personable. Dopey played air hockey with our 3 year old in the arcade for about 15 min and he thought he had died and gone to heaven. Dont miss the sail away party...it is alot of fun for the kids. Other than that relax and dont stress if you dont get everything done you wanted to do. We have yet to do it all on a cruise either with the kids or without so do what sounds fun and relax!

Heidi

 

[Morgsmom]

1. Go to Palo -- (try to get Angeline from France; she was truly the best.) We went the last night of the 4 night cruise and LOVED it. I'd go on first night of cruise and do your repeat restaurant on the last night (UNLESS it is Animator's in which case the light show is not done again on the last night.) If you go on the first night and you really enjoy it, you can put yourselves on the cancellation list for another night. It's worth it.

2. Ditto on the stay on the ship on the Freeport day.

3. No one has mentioned yet -- BOOGIE off of the ship on Castaway Cay immediately and score a great spot on the beach, esp. if you want a hammock.

4. I, too, found the spa prices REALLY high, even for Disney.

5. Go to the shows; you'll be glad you did. Your kids will probably enjoy Hercules more than Dreams..
Have fun!

 

[Julma]

Two-way radios - We used ours all the time. They worked really well. Gave the kids freedom and kept my nerves at ease.

Spa - We did the Surial Bath and liked it. We got the week pass to the Rainforest and loved it. Also, you can use the spa showers at any time. They are great and the towels are huge. With two teens in your room this may save your sanity.

Palo - We loved this as well. We did the brunch on Thursday of a seven day. The only problem was by then I was "fooded out". I think I would try it earlier in the week. Dinner was wonderful.

If you get off early at Castaway Cays walk down pretty far. People tend to grab the first seats they see and these areas fill up quickly. We walked down to the Conched Out Bar and there was a little niche with a few lounge chairs, a few smaller chairs with a table and a hammock. It was great.

 

[jgalecpa]

Here is a post where I had summarized all the best tips over a long period. Hope it helps


http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=388591

Jim

 

[SeaGirl]

1. If you're able, drive yourself to Port Canaveal instead of using DIsney Transportation. THe Disney Transportation wasn't scheduled to leave our Disney resort until 12:45 p.m. We drove ourselves (we had rented a car during our stay because we went during high season and didn't want to deal with long lines at park close time) and we were ON THE SHIP at 12:15! We gained a whole two hours over the Resort folks to enjoy the ship and relax...

2. Make reservations at Palo. I recommend making the reservation the night that the Variety Show is in the Walt Disney World Theatre. You don't want to miss Hercules or Disney Dreams. Staff said that they recommend dining at Palo on the night you're at Nassau.... We ended up dining our first night (3-night cruise) because we didn't want to miss the two shows I mentioned. Get the chocolate souffle with vanilla bean sauce.....

3. Hand carry your film in a big ziploc bag and ask to have it hand-inspected. I did this with disposable cameras and videotape too.

4. No problems using birth certificate and drivers license for ID. Just make sure you put it in a ziploc bag or something in case it gets wet. Must have the raised seal on the birth cert. too, not a copy.

5. Instead of buying a two-way radio, we used our cell phones to communicate. We got on a "national" plan for a few extra dollars so we could call each other free with no roaming charges.

6. After you get on the ship, provided it's before 1 p.m., do these things first:

Eat lunch
Check to see if your stateroom is ready

Send kids to the pool while you make Palo Reservations

About 30-45 minutes before safety drill (3-3:15) I started getting my kids ready for dinner (showers, etc) so all four of us wouldn't be trying to get ready all at once. We did the safety drill and immediately after went to Deck 10 for the Sail Away Celebration. After that was over, we went back to Stateroom (around 5:10 or so) where DH and me got ready for our 6 p.m. dinner seating. We were able to do everything and not feel rushed getting ready for dinner.

7. Make it a habit each night of your cruise to go to Shutters to see your pictures for the day. I would go BEFORE dinner if you can, when it's least crowded (we went about 5:30 each night). If you have an 8 p.m. seating, I would probably go at 7 p.m. while the 6 p.m. crowd is still eating or wait until the next morning. It's a madhouse there!

8. Skip the "mandatory" embarkation talk in the Walt Disney Theatre the evening before you return. Totally unnecessary. They replay it on the stateroom TV's over and over again. It's a half hour you can use to do something else. They make it sound like someone from your party HAS to attend, but it's hogwash. Just watch it on your stateroom TV.


9. Don't do the Blue Lagoon excursion on Nassau. Castaway Cay is much better. Waste of money in my opinion. Instead, I wish we would have stayed on the ship and just done minimal time in Nassau.

10. At Castaway Cay we went back to the ship around 2:30. Pools were virtually empty............

 

[Debozo]

Definately a plus with kids. The Motorolas come in a 2-pack for about $50 and work great, on ship and in the parks.

 

[brack]

While Disney has "pro" photographers for character shots there are always cast members available who will use your camera to also take photos. Bring a good 35mm camera with a flash that will be easy for someone to use. The pictures that the "pros" take are very good but can add up to some big bucks. Buy only the ones you really like and use your camera for the rest.

Be sure to carry your camera everywhere on board because the characters will appear anywhere, at anytime. I have some very good shots of Goofy late at night on the outside of deck 4!

 

[aprilgail2]

Stay on the ship in Nassau instead of Freeport. Freeport has a really nice resort there called Our Lucaya, beautiful pool and a few feet from the beach. Nassau is a real dump and full of people just begging for your money and to braid your hair. If you walk though one row at the straw market you really don't have to go down any others, they are all the same!
I've never had any problem with my film going through the xray machine.

 

[Highland Lass]

Could someone help me please.

I am coming to Florida with my family in December from Scotland.

Since we are splitting into 2 groups....men to golf......ladies to shop and cruise......we thought a couple of cell phones would be a good idea. However I have noticed on these boards that some people have had difficulty getting phone reception in the parks.

So can anyone advise me on this. I'm told phoned are available for hire in the airport, or should we buy 2 inexpensive cell phones when we arrive ?

Any help here from anyone would be very much appreciated.

 

[Cindyluwho]

Don't forget to bring a wrap or light sweater to go with your evening dresses at dinner. The ship is quite cold (at least to me) with the air conditioning and our first cruise on the Magic I didn't think to bring a wrap. I looked kinda Goofy in my beautiful dresses with my tattered but very comfy Tommy sweatshirt. And most of all, sit back and enjoy the cruise, our first time we lounged so much and really relaxed. The second cruise we took dance lessons in the morning; fruit carving, napkin folding, cocktail classes in the afternoons. There's so much to do/or not do you'll never be bored.