How to make the most of 3 night cruise?

[ladyofthetramp]

Taking a short Wish cruise next week. 3 days is really short. Not my favorite, but I think of it as an enhanced long weekend and usually come back feeling refreshed and happy even though it was brief. We try not to plan too much, lots of reading and relaxing with a sprinkle of fun things to do. Consult the navigator once on board, pick your fun stuff and then just relax!

 

[Drfate102]

Taking a short Wish cruise next week. 3 days is really short. Not my favorite, but I think of it as an enhanced long weekend and usually come back feeling refreshed and happy even though it was brief. We try not to plan too much, lots of reading and relaxing with a sprinkle of fun things to do. Consult the navigator once on board, pick your fun stuff and then just relax!

This is what we do for the 3 night cruises. We also usually just stay on the ship the entire time, even at Castaway, the ship is so quiet.

 

[Dug720]

Is future cruise credit the same as a placeholder?

Yes

And IMHO that is what they should call it since it's not guaranteeing you a cabin on your sailing of choice which, to me, is what a placeholder implies. I'm not sure if I'm more surprised or impressed that no one has called them on that yet - not able to get a cabin on the sailing they thought their place was being held for.

(Of course, I'm still holding out hope that they will eventually go back to allowing us the option to be able to book the actual date we want on board rather than get the certificate, contact our TA, our TA has to contact them, etc. I get that some people may not know what they want to book yet, but others of us do and the extra hoops are off-putting.)

 

[Mommb]

I completely agree that we should be able to book specific future cruises while onboard in addition to booking a discount that can be used for cruises that aren't yet available (or by people who haven't decided on their next cruise yet).

I do think "placeholder" is a reasonable way to describe a non-specific booking. It is holding my discount in place until I apply it to a specific cruise.

"Future cruise credit" implies that a specific amount of money is applied to/deducted from the cost of a future cruise. Technically this is correct because the $250 deposit applies to the fare for the new cruise, but the real value of an onboard booking is in the 10% discount, not the ability to pay part of the deposit before booking.

DCL uses the term "future cruise credit" to refer to applying money paid for a cancelled cruise to a future cruise if insurance purchased through DCL won't cover the claim. The term is also used when a cruise has major issues or is cancelled and affected guests are given an amount of money to apply to another cruise.

If people are confused by "placeholder" DCL could call it "future cruise discount," which would more clearly describe what it represents.

 

[Cfabar1]

we just did a 3 day cruise, and we loved it. it was the perfect amount of time to explore the ship, experience adventure, relax, and feel pampered and spoiled. in some ways we liked it more than our longer cruises, and we may stick to 3-4 nights moving forward.

the key is to find those relaxation times, those main activities, and remember the allure of the cruise is how easy it is supposed to be. don't keep things complicated, and do what you want to do, not what you think you need to do.

 

[Flcruising]

Spring 2024 Disney Dream - Ft. Lauderdale > Castaway Cay > Day at Sea. This is our first Disney cruise. DH, myself, DS 17, DD 14. We have late dining in MDRs. Stateroom is Deck 5 with extended verandah.

We wanted our first Disney cruise to be 4 - 5 days, but our schedules (and wallet) allowed for this opportunity for a 3 night cruise. Which may be long enough with such close quarters. The kids are light sleepers, and DH and I both snore. haha

What are some tips to help us make the most of our short time aboard? Our must-dos: DH wants to relax, eat, and drink. I want to enjoy family time since DH rarely gets a day off from work. Oh, and I "live to eat." I love food!! I hope to snag a Palo brunch if we can. DS wants to do Midship Detective Agency (especially the Muppets - big fan), see some shows, Pelican Plunge and the Aquaduck. He's a big Disney nerd and would prob do well with trivia. DD is not sure what she wants to do.. She's a big fan of Donald Duck and Marvel, although I'm not sure there will be much Marvel "content" on this sailing. Dressing up for Pirate Night piqued her interest somewhat. They also plan to check out Vibe during Open House.

Just looking for some tips on how we can maximize our time and not miss the important stuff. We understand it's hard to do it all, but like when we visit the parks, "there's always next time."

I really think the best tip I can offer is focus on your family. There are plenty of distractions that can take away from your family bonding. You can have alone time at home. You can read, have massages at home. With only 3 days you really want to go away feeling like your relationships were strengthened, love was expressed and it was a great family experience.
Let the activities fall as they will but to walk away really feeling this was superb focus on your family unit. Best tip I can offer.