First Time sailing DCL – what you wish you knew?

[gpjacobs]

Remember that room service is free (tip of course). I always had a few croissants, coffee and juice dropped off in the morning for early risers. Also the All Hands on Deck cheese platter is a nice little snack in the middle of the day. You can also get Mickey bars. The Wish is quiet and really lovely early in the morning or very late at night.some meet and greets need reservations. They are free but need to be booked on the app. Try to see at least one show.we saw Aladdin and really enjoyed it. Kids can go into many in the bars in the daytime. Hook's Barbery has a cast member who makes really good bourbon drinks but only during certain times. You have to ask. You don't need to get a service to order one.

My husband loves bourbon. We'll def. need to check it out. Thanks for the tip!

 

[gpjacobs]

Kindred spirit - I had a DL spreadsheet for our December trip, with tabs just for dining! (Granted, this was partially b/c I had to note which places were the better options for gluten-free food.)

Def. kindred spirits! We ate at so many sit-down options during our last DL visit because I'm gluten-free. (My admittedly overly detailed review is here, which shows you the level of planning I typically put in for a Disney vacation.) And this is precisely why I was lovingly voluntold to be the group trip planner.

 

[Duke07]

What about booking like BBB for our kiddo? We hoped to do this, esp. as we're on a Halloween at Seas sailing. Fun to get the princess treatment and be all dressed up for the evening.

I'd love to but they're all booked up...so that's one more thing that we're likely not doing.

 

[TikiRob]

Go see my man Bagus at the ice cream counter. Funny dude that plays ice cream pranks.

 

[gpjacobs]

I'd love to but they're all booked up...so that's one more thing that we're likely not doing.

Really!?! Is this similar to cabanas and Palo, where you can't get a reservation unless you're Platinum and/or Concierge? I hope not as my kiddo would be heartbroken ...

 

[RedHead0186]

Really!?! Is this similar to cabanas and Palo, where you can't get a reservation unless you're Platinum and/or Concierge? I hope not as my kiddo would be heartbroken ...

This depends a lot on the sailing. If it's a rarer/special itinerary, then the ship will likely have a higher number of platinum people, which will make it harder for gold and silver members (and newbies) to get reservations to Palo/Remy/BBB/etc. Concierge will have a fairly set number, since there's only a certain number of concierge rooms on each ship (though the Wish does have a higher percentage of concierge rooms compared to the others).

I was silver for an eastern Caribbean to St. Maarten and Puerto Rico last September (which isn't a super common itinerary) and we were able to get Palo dinner when our booking window opened, no problem (didn't try for BBB but I think it was open). Couldn't get Palo brunch, but that was because of the 'glitch' the website has when trying to book smaller parties (it wasn't sold out, but it didn't like that we were a party of 3 so we got the error message).

So, yes, while being a lower tier CC member can be a bit annoying, it doesn't mean you won't get what you're looking to book. It's not automatic that Platinum/Concierge will get everything (cabanas being a completely different story . . .).

 

[Duke07]

Really!?! Is this similar to cabanas and Palo, where you can't get a reservation unless you're Platinum and/or Concierge? I hope not as my kiddo would be heartbroken ...

There is absolutely nothing available to be booked that would be considered desirable for my sailing. It's frustrating and I check the app everyday, but to no avail.

I've heard it may be possible upon arrival as they keep some inventory open, but as a first timer, I'm not quite sure where to go or what to do (aside from access the ship wifi and check for bookings or go directly to BBB or the restaurants to check).

 

[RedHead0186]

There is absolutely nothing available to be booked that would be considered desirable for my sailing. It's frustrating and I check the app everyday, but to no avail.

I've heard it may be possible upon arrival as they keep some inventory open, but as a first timer, I'm not quite sure where to go or what to do (aside from access the ship wifi and check for bookings or go directly to BBB or the restaurants to check).

Keep checking back. People will cancel things as it gets closer and you may be able to book something that wasn't initially available. Once you get on the ship, if you want Palo or Remy, go to dining services, not directly to Palo/Remy (location changes based on which ship you're on; check the app and it'll tell you). If you want to book BBB or tastings or other things like that, go to guest services. You might be able to access the app when you're waiting in the cruise terminal; if you can, check to see if you can book anything there.

 

[Carohs]

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but door decorations are so fun! On DCL especially people put up all sort of magnetized decor and you may feel left out if you don't plan to bring some in advance. Fish extenders I don't participate in personally.

Yes, the pools are small.

I thought we were gonna be able to "see" Cabo on our first cruise. Now I have learned not to expect so much from just few hours at a port and have decided that beach days are perfectly acceptable on a cruising vacation.

There wasn't much I wish I knew after the first cruise other than I wish I knew how much I would love cruising because I would have done it so much sooner! I'm not a planner but also get easily bored. DCL plans out all the activities and all you have to do is show up if you want. Sometimes it's fun just to watch others participate from the sidelines too.

Remember to download a book to your kindle ahead of time. My kids love to dive into the people soup, and this is a perfect opportunity to catch up on some reading. The only thing to note is that funnel vision is usually on and the movies are hard to tune out (for me).

And remember to enjoy it! Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in what there is to do, you forget hey we're in the middle of the ocean. Balcony rooms are great, but I do wish I would remember to breathe in the ocean air and watch the waves go by more often.

 

[RedHead0186]

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but door decorations are so fun! On DCL especially people put up all sort of magnetized decor and you may feel left out if you don't plan to bring some in advance. Fish extenders I don't participate in personally.

Yes! If you're crafty you can make your own, otherwise Etsy has a ton (and they will personalize). It's also really fun to walk the halls to see how other people have decorated their doors; some people go all out!

 

[BabyYoda]

Just booked a 3-night sailing on the Wish to introduce our daughter to sailing – and it’s turned into a multiple family trip. And, suddenly, I’ve become the go-to travel planner, which I don’t mind … but I’m no expert. So I’m spending a lot of time on these boards, trying to get familiar with what’s unique to this cruise line and the Wish itself. Is there anything you wish you’d known prior to your first DCL sailing, on any ship or the Wish? Anything that would’ve made your vacation more magical, even if it was just a matter of expectation setting? Any pitfalls to avoid?

If it’s helpful, we’re sailing in two connected verandah cabins with the extended bump outs. Our daughter will be one week shy of 9 when we sail and our friends will have a 1.5 year old. I’m gluten-free (not by choice) but there are no other dietary restrictions. TIA for the help!

I just got back from my first DCL cruise and there were 13 of us, 8 adults and 5 kids aged 1-11. I wrote a detailed trip review but it was a 7-day on The Fantasy, but here were the main tips! (not sure if all of these will apply to you)

Tips and advice overall for the cruise

- When we boarded the first day we were advised to go eat at Animators Pallet, but next time we will definitely just go to Cabanas.

- The Diaper Dash is hysterical, I think it was on 2nd day at sea and they literally race non-walking babies to see who can crawl to their parents the fastest. It mostly turns into parents yelling at their babies to crawl towards them and the babies refusing to do so but it is so funny.

- If you like trivia, do early morning trivia (9am-11am) if you want a chance to win because very few people do the early ones.

- Deck 4 is a nice play to lay on deck chairs and lounge. (on the Fantasy)

- Meridian Bar on Deck 12 aft is a super nice bar that faces out the back of the ship. (it's next to Palo and Remy on the Fantasy)

- Get to the big night-time shows (especially Frozen) at LEAST 20 minutes early to secure spots. They don’t allow saving seats although most families try. Frozen essentially turned into standing room only, although the other shows were somewhat less crowded.

- Dress up for Pirate Night! Almost everyone on board dresses up big time and it is so much fun! Bring glow sticks if you really want to be popular! Deck 12 was a good spot to see the fireworks.

- Lots of people decorate their doors with magnets and use “fish extenders”, which is a little sort of basket thing where you can drop/receive little gifts to other people on the ship. I couldn't believe how many people decorated their doors, and even though we also did, we decided we should have done even more!

- Take lots of photos because the official photo packages are insanely priced ($150 for 10 photos I think it was).

- You can rent tubes/floats and snorkel equipment the day of on Castaway Cay even if you don’t book beforehand.

- You don’t have to go to the rotational dining restaurants, and you can always eat at the pool.

- Cabanas is a great spot for breakfast and lunch.

- At the bars on level 4 (maybe others), you can buy a bottle of wine and they will save it for you if you don’t finish it. I was told a bottle is 5 glasses and you are only paying for 4 up front, and you can have say one glass and then the next day go to the bar and say “hey I have a bottle under X name” and they pull it out and fill you up!

- Participate in the games and game shows as much as you can and you will meet other people on the ship and make new friends! We played the very first night and people came up to us every day on the ship and even at the airport on the way home saying how much they enjoyed it!

- Fly to Orlando the day before so you don’t have to worry about possible delays and missing the cruise! We stayed at the Sheraton Orlando Airport the night before and took a large van to the cruise terminal and it worked great!

- The adults only section of the pool at the very front of the ship is a great place for adults to relax, and at night it's very uncrowded!

- If the excursion/onboard activity you want is booked when you try to book it months out, check it every week or so as it may open up! Make sure to check again while on the ship, as many of the mixology classes and drink tastings that sold out instantly opened up while on board!

Tips from my Mom:

• Of course …. Get as early as possible embarkation time.
  
  
• If you have kids…. Definitely do the door decoration and pin trading.
  
  
• Go to the Aqua Duck (the long tube slide) during a dinner that you can skip. (no lines!)
  
• If you want to be at poolside, send someone early to get lounge chairs.
  
• Take advantage of late night adult entertainment and D Lounge activities for kids.
  
  
• Don’t bother with the embarkation day kids club open house - it’s so crowded and overwhelming and closes right before the first dinner anyway. Especially if you have very little kids.
  
  
• If you have a 10 year old you can give them special permission to go to Edge if you sign a waiver. Also, have your kids download the app so they can message you, if they don’t have a tablet or phone put a white board outside the room so they can write where they are and you can write where you are.

Gluten Free

Also we had several gluten allergies along with an egg/tree nut and dairy, and I knew Disney was good but it was even better than I hoped! The first day the waiters will get to know you and they will understand all your allergies and on our cruise they had us allergy-people order the night before so our food would come out same time as everyone else the next day. They could make almost any dish allergy friendly for us, including desert! (just tell them to bring whatever they can do!)

Also, it's not advertised that I could see but at the pool restaurants (pizza, chicken nuggets, burgers, hot dogs) they can do almost all of that GF as well, just tell the person at the counter and a manager will come over and take your order and bring your food out special! (keep in mind it does take longer, maybe 10-15 mins). This also goes for Cabanas Buffet (or whatever it's called on The Wish), just tell a staff member your allergy and a manager will come over and take your order and there are TONS of GF options. My advice here is to take a tour of the buffet first and see what you'd like, and then ask the manager if they can do that GF (they probably can).

You're gunna love it!!!

 

[Kingkonig]

Keep checking back. People will cancel things as it gets closer and you may be able to book something that wasn't initially available. Once you get on the ship, if you want Palo or Remy, go to dining services, not directly to Palo/Remy (location changes based on which ship you're on; check the app and it'll tell you). If you want to book BBB or tastings or other things like that, go to guest services. You might be able to access the app when you're waiting in the cruise terminal; if you can, check to see if you can book anything there.

Exactly. I’ve got a cruise coming up this weekend, and while Palo/Remy Brunch is still all sold out, I was able to get both dinners for the cruise just by checking back every day. It really seems to be just persistence, especially compared to NCL that I’m used to. With NCL it was just “Call and see if the cruise consultant can get you in” or “wait till on board and all of the sudden 80% are now available”

 

[Weedy]

Check your phone plan before you leave to see what countries it covers. Some don’t cover the Bahamas.
When the ship is at sea make sure to keep your phone in airplane mode!!

 

[BabyYoda]

Check your phone plan before you leave to see what countries it covers. Some don’t cover the Bahamas.
When the ship is at sea make sure to keep your phone in airplane mode!!

I'm not sure if this is the case for everyone, but my iPhone was receiving messages on iMessage and WhatsApp that I could respond to, even without buying the wifi plan and just being on the main free Disney Guest wifi. I was also getting all push notifications like emails, news, etc, but could not open them.

 

[RedHead0186]

I'm not sure if this is the case for everyone, but my iPhone was receiving messages on iMessage and WhatsApp that I could respond to, even without buying the wifi plan and just being on the main free Disney Guest wifi. I was also getting all push notifications like emails, news, etc, but could not open them.

That's by design (getting messages through iMessage and WhatsApp on the main DCL wifi). You can use those without purchasing any of the wifi plans. I can't speak to the push notification thing, though I've heard others have also had that happen.