First time DCL questions

[gelatoni fan]

My family is in the beginning stages of planning a Disney Cruise and I have some questions:

1. How critical is it to book things 75 days in advance? If we book one of those last minute VGT deals, will everything be booked up? I'm mostly interested in the DCL exclusive things like character breakfast as opposed to excursions that you can do even when not on a Disney Cruise.

2. How easy is it to meet every single character in every one of their outfits on a single cruise? Are there roaming characters without a time in the app that will be hard to track down or characters that only appear very rarely at exactly the same time as other rare characters?

3. Are they doing pin trading on the ships right now?

4. For cruises to Castaway Cay, I see they have the Dream, Wish and Fantasy. Which ship or specific routes are best?

5. Will there still be activities on the ship during port days or is it pretty much expected that everyone will be off the ship?

6. How early do they open up the theater for shows and how early should I arrive if I want to be like in the center of the 2nd row? I'm thinking I may need to do 2nd dinner so that I can arrive early to the theater to get good spots for the 1st show.

7. Any must do activities that people commonly miss? We're probably skipping the meals and classes that cost extra but would be interested in other activities.

Thanks in advance!

 

[NJMomto2]

My family is in the beginning stages of planning a Disney Cruise and I have some questions:

1. How critical is it to book things 75 days in advance? If we book one of those last minute VGT deals, will everything be booked up? I'm mostly interested in the DCL exclusive things like character breakfast as opposed to excursions that you can do even when not on a Disney Cruise.

sooner the better - everything will be booked up

2. How easy is it to meet every single character in every one of their outfits on a single cruise? Are there roaming characters without a time in the app that will be hard to track down or characters that only appear very rarely at exactly the same time as other rare characters?

They are all scheduled and on the app. But some may overlap so may be hard to see them all.

3. Are they doing pin trading on the ships right now?

Stores yes I believe

4. For cruises to Castaway Cay, I see they have the Dream, Wish and Fantasy. Which ship or specific routes are best?

Wish is best ship then Dream

5. Will there still be activities on the ship during port days or is it pretty much expected that everyone will be off the ship?

some but less

6. How early do they open up the theater for shows and how early should I arrive if I want to be like in the center of the 2nd row? I'm thinking I may need to do 2nd dinner so that I can arrive early to the theater to get good spots for the 1st show.

20-30 min before

7. Any must do activities that people commonly miss? We're probably skipping the meals and classes that cost extra but would be interested in other activities.

Sail away party!!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Cheburashka]

1. Most character meets and other activities onboard are not by reservation. A few are, like a princess tea (big upcharge, too), but you can meet princesses without reservations. Imo the character breakfast isn't as good (in terms of character interaction) as the character breakfasts on land. I wouldn't let those things be dealbreakers as there will still be a lot of Disney magic without them. Also, I think only the longer cruises have character breakfasts, but again, not worth planning the cruise around imo.

2. Scheduled times. There are a ton of these, so getting every one would have to be your sole mission of the cruise. Getting at least one picture with each major character would be easy, though.

3. They used to have an officer's pin trading event pre-Covid, but still haven't brought it back, unfortunately. Some cruise groups that are organized via social media have their own pin exchanges and fish extender exchanges (where cruisers exchange small gifts with each other via "fish extenders" they hang from the fish or seahorse note-holder outside their stateroom.) You might find open pin exchange boards posted on people's stateroom doors. I advise you not to create a "tell me about fish extenders" thread on these boards, as it will ignite a toxic debate.

4. Avoid the Wish imo. Dream & Fantasy are great. Fantasy has intermittent vibration problems in the aft, so avoid sailing aft on Fantasy.

5. There are activities but at a slower pace. Lots of people stay onboard at every port except Castaway Cay.

6. 30 minutes

7. Go bike riding at Castaway Cay. There is always availability for bike rental. When you book it in advance, it looks like you have to be there at a certain time, but you don't. You drop in any time to get your bikes, and drop the bikes off at any time. They're on island time.

Decorate your stateroom door with a character magnet that fits around the porthole-shaped door number. You can find these on Etsy.

You're welcome.

 

[Flying Fish]

I do not think there is anything much more exciting than booking your first DCL cruise, except maybe the next 25 cruises. You'll love it and you'll keep coming back. The previous two replies have hit most of the high notes, so I won't repeat what they've said except to add a couple of comments.

As I said, you'll probably love it, so you'll have plenty of additional cruises to meet the characters you miss. Don't sweat it. You'll see them walking around the ship sometimes and be able to wave, and you'll find time to get in line to meet a couple of them. There is going to be so much happening that you won't have time or even want to meet them all on one cruise. Don't sweat it and enjoy the trip - you'll see what I mean when you get there.

I also agree the character breakfasts are not as great on the ships for some reason - we quit going to those a while ago. Not sure what makes them different, but they don't seem as magical for some reason. You should go once if it works in your schedule, but I wouldn't go out of my way for this one.

The Wish will shine if she's your first cruise. If you go on anything else first, I think you'll notice all the design missteps. I wouldn't recommend her if you're going soon, since there is still a premium being charged for the newest ship. You can't go wrong with the Dream or Fantasy, although the Fantasy does have longer sailings. (Lots of people will advise you against a longer cruise as your first cruise in case you hate cruising).

You shouldn't worry too much about getting to the shows right at the 30 minute mark. As long as you're not arriving right at show time you'll find decent seats somewhere in the theater. The theaters aren't that big, but 30 minutes if you want those great seats. No matter which dinner you do, you will have time to get to the show.

A nice bike ride or leisurely stroll around CC is something that you should definitely do. It's just so nice to be on that beautiful island, relaxing, and enjoying some "down time." People are always worrying about what "to do," when just relaxing is sometimes the most overlooked and most important thing we can do.

When are you thinking about going?

 

[Travel60]

Previous responses have answered your questions so I'll just chime in with some chill. This is not WDW....hours of planning NOT needed. Getting to theaters early NOT needed (BTW - seat saving highly discouraged). All the seats are great. If you are out and about on the ship you will see many characters without having your head buried in the app. We have taken many cruises without paying extra for anything (except maybe special beverages).

I like late dining because it gives me more time for activities before getting cleaned up for dinner. DH likes early dinner because he doesn't like to be so full late in the evening. Depending on age of your kids, you can decide but getting to theaters early should not be a factor.

I choose my cruises based on itinerary, not ship. They are all wonderful.

 

[Pixarfans]

choose my cruises based on itinerary, not ship. They are all wonderful.

I’ll 2nd this. They are all different but all Disney. Haven’t been on the Wish but can’t wait (honestly don’t care about all the negativity around it).

Also, I wish I knew to chill more for planning my first cruise.

 

[Lizgistix]

I'm silver Castaway Club and when my 90 day booking window opened, nearly everything was already booked.
At the 30 day window, bookings for the Royal Gathering went fast.

 

[auntlynne]

Character Breakfasts are just restarting - but they are typically in 7+ day cruises. Agreed, this is not like at the parks. Everyone on the cruise was assigned a day for this breakfast.

Ship / itinerary / length of cruise is based on your family travel preferences and budget.

My first cruise was on the Wonder. And I continue to like the twin Wonder and Magic ships to this day.

If you are fans of water features, look at what slides and pools are on each ship. Check out the evening show offerings (they are very consistent over time. Each has 2 or 3 high-quality shows, with extra nights filled in additional family-friendly acts).

If you have children interested in the kids’ clubs, take a look at those.

The Dream? has an activity called the Midship Detective Agency.

All the ships have a Pirate Night. Most have fireworks that night (not in Alaska). No reservations required.

If you enjoy first-run Disney-owned movies, there are movie theaters on all ships.

Castaway Cay is a major reason I have for cruising Disney; it is a very peaceful day at the beach - no extra fees required.

Happy Cruising!

 

[Clarkson U]

My family is in the beginning stages of planning a Disney Cruise and I have some questions:

1. How critical is it to book things 75 days in advance? If we book one of those last minute VGT deals, will everything be booked up? I'm mostly interested in the DCL exclusive things like character breakfast as opposed to excursions that you can do even when not on a Disney Cruise.

2. How easy is it to meet every single character in every one of their outfits on a single cruise? Are there roaming characters without a time in the app that will be hard to track down or characters that only appear very rarely at exactly the same time as other rare characters?

3. Are they doing pin trading on the ships right now?

4. For cruises to Castaway Cay, I see they have the Dream, Wish and Fantasy. Which ship or specific routes are best?

5. Will there still be activities on the ship during port days or is it pretty much expected that everyone will be off the ship?

6. How early do they open up the theater for shows and how early should I arrive if I want to be like in the center of the 2nd row? I'm thinking I may need to do 2nd dinner so that I can arrive early to the theater to get good spots for the 1st show.

7. Any must do activities that people commonly miss? We're probably skipping the meals and classes that cost extra but would be interested in other activities.

Thanks in advance!

All great questions with a lot of great answers already given. Most of the Wish today does not offer VGT type rooms yet as it is new. For those you may need the Dream or Fantasy.

We like the Fantasy and its Western Carib itinerary offers you plenty of ports, plus sea days plus Castaway Cay day! Sort of like the best of all three worlds. Plus 7 days gives you plenty of time to explore the ship and do all the things you want to do. You can even stay on at one port if you want in this versions

Characters are everywhere. We have been playing shuffleboard before when goofy comes out and starts playing with us and then hangs out for a few pics. Not planned but just happens. You won’t miss out on character greetings at all on a 7 night sailing. Plus you can get some great pics also, try to do a fancy brunch at Palo etc.

Fantasy gives good deals right now for FL residents or on many VGT type rooms for selected sailings.

Good luck and enjoy it.

 

[Flying Fish]

i think the consensus here is don't worry about things being full. We have sailed other lines and are total Disney converts. Usually we plan nothing and just go with the flow. There is always something you can do without any thought or planning and as Clarkson said, you won't be able to avoid the characters. Even when our kids aren't around, it is such a fun moment to get a wave from Mickey or a high five from Pluto.

Save some money by booking the VGT if you can and just go jump on the ship. You'll be glad you did.

 

[gelatoni fan]

Thank you everybody who responded. I've gone on a couple cruises before with other companies and know that I'm more of a theme park person. It seems I may be overthinking some things and it'll be fine to just take the VGT price.

I have looked into Castaway Club a bit and I was wondering if every single person on the cruise earns a sailing credit towards Castaway Club or if it's only one person per stateroom. I'm comfortable using Disney apps but some of my relatives may be a bit new to it. It would be a shame if they missed out on activities or future perks for being less smartphone savvy.

 

[Flying Fish]

Everyone earns credit and will get his own castaway club number

 

[Lilsia]

Thank you everybody who responded. I've gone on a couple cruises before with other companies and know that I'm more of a theme park person. It seems I may be overthinking some things and it'll be fine to just take the VGT price.

I have looked into Castaway Club a bit and I was wondering if every single person on the cruise earns a sailing credit towards Castaway Club or if it's only one person per stateroom. I'm comfortable using Disney apps but some of my relatives may be a bit new to it. It would be a shame if they missed out on activities or future perks for being less smartphone savvy.

Everyone that sails with Disney becomes a Castaway Club member. There are children that are already platinum level.

 

[auntlynne]

Thank you everybody who responded. I've gone on a couple cruises before with other companies and know that I'm more of a theme park person. It seems I may be overthinking some things and it'll be fine to just take the VGT price.

I have looked into Castaway Club a bit and I was wondering if every single person on the cruise earns a sailing credit towards Castaway Club or if it's only one person per stateroom. I'm comfortable using Disney apps but some of my relatives may be a bit new to it. It would be a shame if they missed out on activities or future perks for being less smartphone savvy.

It will certainly help if they can use an app. That said, the TV was showing the activities when I sailed in April. Someone who is better at apps may just need to help; perhaps a buddy system or pen and paper to remember plans.