Have you been on a Disney cruise?

[Gatordad]

I'd have to agree a little tiny bit -- DCL is way more expensive than the other cruiselines. If you really want the Disney experience, then you have to go with DCL. But, if you don't need Mickey, and you're just looking for a great cruise, nice ship, great service and food, then go with RCCL!! The Voyager and Freedom class ships are my favorites!

Its ok to agree with the Gatordad, he's only nuts sometimes.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

-all cruise lines give you a suggested amount to tip your servers and room steward. This is more of an expectation than a suggestion, so you should factor that in as a cost of the cruise. I have never had bad service from any cruise ship employee on any cruise-these poor folks work their butts off, and they basically work for tips, so they try their darnedest.

-the drink prices on DCL are comparable to what they charge at WDW- expensive! I think the other cruise lines are about the same. But, I really have to stress the beauty of being able to bring your own booze onto the DCL ships- you can have a fancy drink at the bar, but you can also mix your own in your cabin. As far as I know, no other cruise lines allow this.

-Yes, there are smoking areas on the DCL ships, and I think most of the others. There are a few ships that are smoke-free, but neither of the Disney ships is. I think you can also smoke on your veranda, but I think that they limit this to one side of the ship. We aren't smokers, so I can't tell you any more about that, sorry.

TCD

 

[clkelley]

They have no casino revenue, and they also serve cheap food.

The casino revenue is the ticket why the other cruise lines are less expensive.

We were told on a Carnival cruise back in 1990 that the passenger fares were pure profit.

They paid ALL of the operating costs with the casino and the bar!!

I don't know if they still do this, but we got on this deal on Carnival (Jubilee) where we booked a Category 2 cabin really early, we were guaranteed a Category 4 cabin, and ended up with the highest cabin available below the suites. (Outside double with a huge window!!)

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I'll chime in on the smoking question as DH is a smoker. Yes, you can smoke on your verandah if you have one. That's one of the reasons we got one!!

You may also smoke on Deck 9 on the starboard side of the ship by the adult pool. Which means you can dump the kids and go have a stogie. You may also smoke on the starboard side of the ship on Deck 4. This is the deck with the running laps going around it. I always found it humorous that DH is puffing away and joggers are running through it. See, running isn't healthy!!

They have great kid programs on the ship. DD did the "Friendship Rocks" program on the last sea day with the group and they all got free t-shirts. Yes, you heard right - Disney GAVE something away. I'm sure its factored in the cost of your cruise but it felt like a freebee.

Also, TCD is right about the tips. It works out to $12 per person/per day. You can charge them directly to your card or you can pay in cash. We charged it to the room as I didn't want to bring too much cash. You stick the receipt in an envelope that they give you and then you can hand them out. We typed the recommended amount for the dining room servers and extra for the stateroom hostess.
And yes, you get the same servers for the entire trip. I wasn't excited by our server but he was adequate. If I had a serious problem I would have complained. Mine didn't go out of his way to impress me. And I'm easy to impress.

 

[Just Beachy]

I've only cruised once, on RCCL, November 2007. We sailed on the Mariner of the Seas out of Port Canaveral on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise. I thought the ship was beautiful and huge! We were very happy with our dining room server. He was VERY funny and we enjoyed dinner immensely. The food was good and we were very lucky to have tablemates that we ended up spending much of the cruise with; 2 great couples from across the pond. We even did some island sight-seeing with them. We now exchange Christmas cards. Nice people!

I don't really drink all that much, but I had a glass of champagne one night... the cheapest glass was $18. The problem is that you don't pay for your drinks when you get them, they go on your "sea pass" (credit card). You should have seen dh and I looking at the bill on our cabin tv, trying to figure out how we could have spent so much! You don't realize how much the drinks cost, and then you start buying rounds....before you know it, your bill is $500!!! I did buy the soda card, which is a sticker they put on your sea pass so you can just get soda as much as you like. For me, it was worth the $40 or so.

We didn't do the shore excursions.... they can add up to a lot of $. We just hired a native driver to show us around. A lot cheaper, but you also risk the possibility of a problem that may prevent you from getting back to the ship on time.

My dh is a nice guy, but not real outgoing. We didn't do a lot of the "at sea day" activities. I think if I ever cruise again, I will have to go with a group of people. I think that would be a lot of fun!

I recommend watching all the cruise shows on the travel channel. They can be really informative. Also, go on websites like Cruise Critic. They have lots of reviews and tips. Keep in mind, some people will NEVER be satisfied. I'm glad I didn't listen to every bad reviewer as if it were gospel. The food on our cruise was really good. Our server and tablemates made dinner excellent!

Before I forget, I did get the motion sickness patch from my Dr. I wore them the whole time (yes, I'm a whimp). And I felt pretty much every wave, not a sick feeling, just felt it. I had to grab a rail now and then. At least it got dh to hold my hand again!

I would recommend also using a travel agent to book it. I hear we have one on this board... Rhonda or Roz or something like that.... It makes your first time a little less itimidating. Good luck! Sorry this was so long!

 

[Disney Campers]

Tipping is a sore topic with some. The trend is to impose a daily per person service fee which is divided up amoung dining and stateroom attendants etc. I personally prefer this method then the evelope process on the last day, if a specific crew member goes out of their way or made a special impression with us we will tip them some extra cash at the end.

The little incidentals can add up, especially if you like shore excursions or spa treatments, the bar bill can add up quick as well.

As far as casino's, i'm hoping the new disney ships have them,

 

[ntsammy5]

Nope - I've never had the desire to go on a cruise - I am afraid of the water - it dilutes my drinks.

 

[ntsammy5]

Its ok to agree with the Gatordad, he's only nuts sometimes.

That should read most of the time.

TOGA!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Im not at all opposed to tipping...my livelihood depends on tips...my wife and I have been in the service industry in some form or another most of our lives....I have to get some really bad service to consider leaving LESS than 15%....and usually tip 20% as the norm.

But Im still not exactly straight on how tipping works on the boats...are you supposed to wait till the end of the cruise and leave a lump sum? Or do you tip daily? Who do you hand the tip to...the server, the stateroom attendant(what the hecks a stateroom attendant?)Do I leave it in an envelope in my room as we are leaving? Is it 12 bucks a person in my party, or is it 3.50 per person in my party? I never thought tipping could be so confusing!!

 

[clkelley]

Im not at all opposed to tipping...my livelihood depends on tips...my wife and I have been in the service industry in some form or another most of our lives....I have to get some really bad service to consider leaving LESS than 15%....and usually tip 20% as the norm.

But Im still not exactly straight on how tipping works on the boats...are you supposed to wait till the end of the cruise and leave a lump sum? Or do you tip daily? Who do you hand the tip to...the server, the stateroom attendant(what the hecks a stateroom attendant?)Do I leave it in an envelope in my room as we are leaving? Is it 12 bucks a person in my party, or is it 3.50 per person in my party? I never thought tipping could be so confusing!!

In our cruise back in 1990 there were envelopes left in our room the day before the last day. They were labeled for each person you were expected to tip. There were also guidelines on the daily "cruise newsletter" telling the amount that was normal for each of those people. If I remember correctly, it was the room steward, your waiter, your waiters assistant, the Head Waiter, the Maitre D, and maybe 1 other person. We then placed cash in each of those envelopes according to the guidelines and left them somewhere (maybe at the pursers office) I forget. Back then things were not as computerized or credit card friendly as they are now. The only thing that we could "charge" on the ship were drinks with something they called a "sign and sail" card and that was your soft drinks and alcoholic drinks. They added an automatic 15% tip (which actually saved us lots of money cause I think soft drinks were 75 cents and we probably would have left a dollar for each one.)

Nowadays, I think everything is a lot more credit card friendly and your room key lets you charge everything including those tips. You can just fill out a form at the end of your cruise. As a matter of fact I think I read that if you don't put a credit card on file you had to leave cash at an office somewhere as nobody accepted cash on the ship. (Don't remember where I read it or even what cruise line).

 

[Disney Campers]

Basically tips are paid at the end of the cruise with the exception of room service and bar charges, as mentioned they automatically add in the gratuity for all bar charges and give you the option to add to it, room service is generally free but tips for the person who delivers it are customary in cash at the time of delivery. try this link to get an idea of what gratuities will cost you for any specific cruise line:

http://cruisetip.tpkeller.com

About the only place you can use cash is in the casino, everything else goes on your cruise card.

 

[Gatordad]

Im not at all opposed to tipping...my livelihood depends on tips...my wife and I have been in the service industry in some form or another most of our lives....I have to get some really bad service to consider leaving LESS than 15%....and usually tip 20% as the norm.

But Im still not exactly straight on how tipping works on the boats...are you supposed to wait till the end of the cruise and leave a lump sum? Or do you tip daily? Who do you hand the tip to...the server, the stateroom attendant(what the hecks a stateroom attendant?)Do I leave it in an envelope in my room as we are leaving? Is it 12 bucks a person in my party, or is it 3.50 per person in my party? I never thought tipping could be so confusing!!

you wait until the last night to tip. It's a magic trick that happens, the last night comes, and then the maitr'e D comes out of hiding.

You can pay with your cc or give the envelopes. And it's the amount, per person, per day. so if there's 3 people at dinner, it's $3.50x. If you think these boards are crazy, go to www.cruisecritic.com and look there. The people get into fights over whether you should wear a tux on formal night. It's fun getting them fired up over meaningless stuff.....

 

[Disney Campers]

you wait until the last night to tip. It's a magic trick that happens, the last night comes, and then the maitr'e D comes out of hiding.

You can pay with your cc or give the envelopes. And it's the amount, per person, per day. so if there's 3 people at dinner, it's $3.50x. If you think these boards are crazy, go to www.cruisecritic.com and look there. The people get into fights over whether you should wear a tux on formal night. It's fun getting them fired up over meaningless stuff.....

cruisecritic.com also known as cruise complainers, then there's the darkside of cruising at cruisebruise.com this lady never has a positive things to say about cruising.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

cruisecritic.com also known as cruise complainers, then there's the darkside of cruising at cruisebruise.com this lady never has a positive things to say about cruising.

Ohhhh, this sounds exciting. Need to go see what pot can get stirred over there.

I like cruisecritic for their ports of call boards. It gives me an idea of what to actually do once the ship docks.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

you wait until the last night to tip. It's a magic trick that happens, the last night comes, and then the maitr'e D comes out of hiding.

LOL! That is so true! On some cruises, there is also a "head" waiter, who also is never seen until it is time for the tips! However, the suggested amount of the tips for these people is never that much. Just factor it in as a cost of the cruise, and don't worry about it. It is quite funny, actually, that it happens on every cruise line.

TCD

 

[Gatordad]

Once in awhile, the head waiter will make a surprise appearance and take your lobster out of your shell for you.......

As for the soda cards, find a waiter that you like and only go to them. Give them a dollar here, a dollar there when you get the soda, or duke them with a nickel at the start of the day. I never have a problem getting 3-4 diet cokes at a time..... although Disney lets you get your own soda.

 

[Gatordad]

Ohhhh, this sounds exciting. Need to go see what pot can get stirred over there.

I like cruisecritic for their ports of call boards. It gives me an idea of what to actually do once the ship docks.

That site is the best, I've been banned so many times there for stirring the pot..... my next screen name should be Emeril...... the current one is big dog daddy.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

That site is the best, I've been banned so many times there for stirring the pot..... my next screen name should be Emeril...... the current one is big dog daddy.

Why doesn't this surprise me??

 

[Gatordad]

it's too easy over there to do it...... they are worse than any disney______ fill in the blank

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Big Dog Daddy....I like it!!!!

Man, you guys are bringing me to school.....Im learnong alot,and I wanna thank ya'll for answering all of my "Im a new moron, and dont know my butt from a hole in the ground when it come to cruising" questions....I do appreciate the time you guys are taking out for me.


Ok...so I have a general idea about tipping now...easy enough.

Now..Disney vs everyone else......is Disney the only cruiser that will allow 4 people in an inside state room (cheapest level)? You guys know Im a broke mo-fo and even the cheapest level is pretty much out of my range, so I have to cram as many of us as they allow into a room..I figure we wont be IN the room very much, anyway.

Now, it DOES seem like Disney is about twice as much as most other lines on most dates...but it seems like I would have to either(1) get two cabins, or (2) upgrade to a suite..and at that point, for my families situation...the cost of the cruise starts to even out. Throw in the "bring your own booze" and free softdrinks, and Disney suddenly doesnt seem to cost any more than most other lines. Am I right about this? If Im missing something...PLEASE let me know.

What do the other cruises offer as far as entertainment that doesnt involve gambling( I never gamble) or sitting in a bar (I personally dont drink anymore...though I may make an exception on a cruise,especially if I can bring my own). What is the "FAMILY DRAW" of the non-Disney lines?

Whats going on in Mexico?? Ive talked about cruising to some friends and family....and theyve all said NOT TO GO TO MEXICO....that their have been alot of American tourist murders???? WHats this all about? Has anyone else heard about this?