Great unknown tips or secrets!

[Pam Floyd]

Yes, I read thru the WHOLE thread. What fun!!

Additions:

1. You're going to LOVE this guy http://www.geocities.com/Calgon1/

2. This could be nonsense, but I've been told that any type of processed foods can hurt or even KILL the beautiful fishies. So, if you want to be Ariel and have fish circling you when you're snorkling, get corn tortillas. Put them in your pockets. The crumbs dribble out and you become a roving food machine. The fish love it. Be careful feeding by hand.. wear scuba gloves or prepare to get bit. The fish can be rather... aggressive. Not that you'll get eaten alive or anything... I just got a couple little cuts on my fingers, but blood in the water ... probably isn't a good thing. ha ha ha

3. Bring lil bubble holders for bubbles on the sail away. Great fun for the kids.. ok.. I probably enjoy it as much or more than my kid. I give.

4. Water bottles... make them the BIG MOUTHed kind so you can get the ice in there too. Quite nicer really.

Thank you everbuddy for alla the vunderful tippage!!

 

[ldb1030]

subbing!

 

[DLW8]

Thanks for all the great tips everyone, I just booked our first Disney Cruise TODAY, I'm already making lists of tips and we don't go until December 2009!!! I love to plan (and I love ziplock bags), so this thread is right up my alley!!!

 

[debsters41]

bumping for more fabulous tips!

 

[extremeplanner]

Just got back Thursday night..............bring your own hair dryer if your hair is thick or holds water! I spent way tooooo long trying to dry mine and DD!!

 

[fltink]

I'm sure if you're a Disney fan you already know this one.......but just in case....

Bring your own gum! Disney Cruise Line, just like Walt Disney World, does not sell gum anywhere. We actually found gum to be a lifesaver on long excursions, as it does keep your mouth from drying out and getting stinky. And believe it or not, it seemed to combat motion sickness a little, as well. I think it's because it is constantly popping your ears and your inner ear is where motion sickness begins. Just a thought.

 

[tchoney]

We love homemade ice cream sandwiches!

We would go to Goofy's Galley and get chocolate chip cookies and put ice cream on them, top with another cookie and YUMMY - an ice cream sandwich! If Goofy's doesn't have soft, fresh cookies available, order them from room service and carry them to Goofy's Galley to load up with ice cream!

 

[KimK2006]

Subscribing. Great thread!!

 

[SpinDisc]

::bump::

Subscribing.

 

[Nette]

If you're into serious swimming/snorkeling, remember a t-shirt to put over your swimsuit. On my first cruise, I had a nasty burn on my back--hard to reach for sunscreen repeat applications and this is the part that was up while snorkeling! I still keep that shirt as my snorkeling shirt!

Ok, I know that's waaaay back at the beginning, but I wanted to offer this idea instead...

I always wear a white long sleeve button down shirt over my suit. Even swimming. Best part about it is it dries fast... but it also protects your arms, and is plenty cool enough to just hang out in.

 

[starlawyermom]

This is one of the best threads I have read. We don't sail until May, 2009 (first time cruisers), but good to know all these tips way in advance.

Thanks to all!!!

 

[fltink]

A couple of other tips....

- If you are doing the Western Caribbean, and you want to do the Dolphin Swim in Cozumel, you get a MUCH more interactive experience if you book it through the park itself. See, the only package Disney offers is the one where you get to stand in the water with the dolphins and pat them, watch them do tricks, etc. But if you book through the park, you also have the option of actually swimming holding onto the dolphins fins (belly to belly) or having two dolphins push you out of the water on their noses. We booked right through the park and had the BEST time! The people that we met on board who had booked through Disney were so jealous!

- Don't be shy about your dining preferences and about trying stuff. The servers are not at all bothered if you decide to order three different entrees to try, or if you want one of the side dishes that comes with the steak, to come with your fish instead. The servers and chefs are incredibly accomodating!

- This one may have been mentioned before, but it's worth bringing up again... if you are looking for something special to do for the awesome crew members onboard, who make your trip so magical, before sailing, purchase some Wal-Mart Gift Cards to give out as an additional tip. The crew members rarely get to shop and when they do, Wal-Mart is one of the only places they have access to. Another great idea is to bring aboard some non-melty candy like Twizlers, gum, Mike and Ikes, etc, to hand out to those crew member who go above and beyond. They have very limited food options onboard and candy is always greeted with open hands! )

 

[trekygirl26]

This one might be pretty basic, but we have found that the fridge isn't always as cold as we would like it to be. So we have our stateroom host fill up our ice bucket and we put it in the fridge. Helps keep the ice from melting so quickly and also get the fridge colder so your not drinking lukewarm or semi cool drinks!

 

[retiredkid]

This one might be pretty basic, but we have found that the fridge isn't always as cold as we would like it to be. So we have our stateroom host fill up our ice bucket and we put it in the fridge. Helps keep the ice from melting so quickly and also get the fridge colder so your not drinking lukewarm or semi cool drinks!

we did that too. I filled baggies with extra ice to keep in the fridge. It's actually not a fridge, but a cooler. In that it doesn't cool stuff down, just insulates the cooled stuff. (did that make any sense?)

 

[HoosierFrog]

Reading through other forums I noticed that many people found it less expensive to get a room at Atlantis or a closer hotel that offers free tickets into the Atlantis waterpark. I can imagine this works well for a family vacation, considering the price of the adventure excursion is $155 per person and I have seen rooms booked for around $120. Looking through current prices, there is a comfort suites within a block that gives free access to the water park for about $240 (including taxes) a night. This would work well for a family of 3 or more I think. With two it may not be worth the additional set up. You would still need to calculate in cab fare and lunch to figure if this will work for you. I apologize for not linking to the forum and giving propper credit where due, still new to DISboards.

Sept 25, 2008 will be my wife's and my first cruise. We decided we'd leave the little one (19 months) at home this trip. It's a short 3 day trip, but much needed. I'm hoping all works well, since we just made it easy and booked through DCL. Worried, especially about the same day flight, but I figure Disney knows what they are doing.

 

[Princess123]

Tiny tip. We just completed a cruise (not DCL but Celebrity).
We brought LED candles with us for gentle light in the cabin (and a night light, which everyone knows about, for the bath). They were great. Low light, little flicker, romantic and no fires!
I got them at Michaels. With the 40% off coupons that they often give, they were 6 for $6.

We did something like this. We went to the dollar store and got those glow sticks they last about 12 hours, so they are perfect for the night time. Then we just throw them away.

 

[jship210]

Do pack a highliter to highlite the Daily Navagator things you want to attend, also a pack of post-its or small dry erase board to leave notes for others in cabin,. We bring a magnetic one of the inside of the cabin door to tell our two DS where we are and they tell us where they will be.

Big Tip; Have a positive attitude It's vacation, leave work behind, it'll be there when you get back, most of the passengers have Disney Attitude too.

Enjoy and don't take yourself too serious.

 

[suezyq50]

Great thread! I didn't see anything for the coffee addict. I like to bring my own mug and stroll the deck in the morning.

 

[mobopolo]

Reading through other forums I noticed that many people found it less expensive to get a room at Atlantis or a closer hotel that offers free tickets into the Atlantis waterpark. I can imagine this works well for a family vacation, considering the price of the adventure excursion is $155 per person and I have seen rooms booked for around $120. Looking through current prices, there is a comfort suites within a block that gives free access to the water park for about $240 (including taxes) a night. This would work well for a family of 3 or more I think. With two it may not be worth the additional set up. You would still need to calculate in cab fare and lunch to figure if this will work for you. I apologize for not linking to the forum and giving propper credit where due, still new to DISboards.

Sept 25, 2008 will be my wife's and my first cruise. We decided we'd leave the little one (19 months) at home this trip. It's a short 3 day trip, but much needed. I'm hoping all works well, since we just made it easy and booked through DCL. Worried, especially about the same day flight, but I figure Disney knows what they are doing.

Thank you! Thank you! I just priced this out for our family of four. The Atlantis Adventure was going to cost us $570!!! I'm really going to look into this tip. Thanks again!

 

[ScrapperKimmyD]

this is a great thread!