I have a million questions...apologizing in advance...Fantasy cruise for group and pretrip to park

[texasgingerbread]

How many people in the room? What's the cost difference? Location of 4A vs 5?

I have 6 rooms in 4A...not worried about price difference as I am worried about being on Deck 10 under the pool. Most rooms 4 some with 3. It looks like 2 of them are under carpet (info from another thread) so the other ones are not so great. I am worried about noise.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I have 6 rooms in 4A...not worried about price difference as I am worried about being on Deck 10 under the pool. Most rooms 4 some with 3. It looks like 2 of them are under carpet (info from another thread) so the other ones are not so great. I am worried about noise.

If you're worried about noise from the pool area, then I'd suggest you look into moving the rooms.

We were on deck 10 and 9 on consecutive cruises. Deck 9 (with staterooms on all sides, above and below) was far more noisy than deck 10 (under the starboard entrance area to Cabanas).

Of course, as I said, all that can vary from cruise to cruise. There's no set "this room is noisier than that room" situation.

 

[texasgingerbread]

Thanks PrincessShmoo

 

[twodogs]

Would you invest in a VIP Tour Guide since you only have one day in the park? Post trip is not gonna happen. I would need 3 of them because it looks like it maxes out at 10 people. Hopefully our one child under 3 (yes only one) won't count since I have 31. Or would you not invest and just focus on MK. I have 3 families who have never done Disney! (gasp) I'm sad they will only see it for a day. Thus trying to get the night before.

I have done the VIP Tour Guide in the past, and it is awesome, but they are very strict with the 10 person limit. Even "infants" count towards the 10 people, per Disney. So the 3 year old is going to count. You will either need 4 guides (!!) or have to leave the 3 year old with a sitter at the hotel? Probably not optimal but that is the policy. I loved the VIP day, but it is very fast paced (or I guess you could be slow paced, but that wasn't a good use of my money, to me). It may not be the ideal way for a person who has never been to the parks to do it, as you typically go ride to ride, and then go behind the scenes to get in a van to go between parks. There is not a lot of "soaking in" the Magic with slow strolling through the parks, as most people are using the guides to get quick access to rides via the human fastpass that the guide represents. VIP seating at shows and parades may be important to your group, and that is included. You could also split up into groups with like minded ride preferences (or all stay together, I think the groups are up to 40) and do one of the other Ultimate VIP tours that are priced per person, so you wouldn't have to pay an incremental $3000-4200 ($400-600/hour/guide, minimum of 7 hours) for one additional child. They are $299/person, and so for 31 people, that would be $9300, versus at least $12,000-$16,800 for 4 VIP guides. With that many people, you may essentially have the Ultimate VIP tour to yourselves, and save some money along the way (Ultimate Day for Young Families VIP tour or Ultimate Day of thrills VIP tour). The Ultimate tours also include lunch for everyone, which makes a bigger difference in the price between this and the regular VIP tours, especially for 31 people!!! https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/vip-tour-services/ If budget is not a concern, go for 4 VIP guides and have a blast!!

 

[Quellman]

The cruise doesn't have a memory maker component. The cruise line uses an outside company. A photo package only includes the people in that stateroom (and any immediate family minors in another room). There are discounts for multiple packages. I think @PrincessShmoo understands the photo package better than most. But the gist is, if at least one person who has the photo package is in the actual photo, then that photo is included in the package. I guess it just boils down to how many photos you plan on having taken on the ship. Generally characters, formal/semi formal/captains gala nights, and sometimes they walk around through dinner. I don't know if they would accommodate 31 folks anywhere else but the stairs anyway.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

But the gist is, if at least one person who has the photo package is in the actual photo, then that photo is included in the package.

Quellman is right, and because of this, the photo package might actually be a good value for your group since any photo that has a covered person in it is included. There is a 15% discount if you order the "all digital" photo package for one stateroom before you sail. That makes it like $300 for the 7 day cruise. Plus, if you want to add additional staterooms to the package, you can do that once you are on board at 50% off the normal rate (without the 15% discount) so those would be like $150 each. I'm not saying you should do all 9 staterooms, after all, as Quellman said if minor children are in another cabin, they are already included, but if you buy the package for two or three cabins (say the main adults in each family unit) you can probably get almost all of your pictures covered, since one of them or their children will be in almost any combination of photo you care to take. When you divide that cost between all the families, and share the USBs around afterwards, you will end up with a lot of pictures for not too much money.

In addition to poses with the characters, and the formal poses, they also have boarding photos, photographers at several of the dinners (remember to sit next to different people as they often take the pictures in pairs based on who is sitting next to whom), and on Castaway Cay, both as you come off the ship and later in the water. Plus, if at any time during your trip, you decide you aren't getting enough good photos (you decide what that means for you) you can always cancel your photo package and get a full refund.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Plus, if you want to add additional staterooms to the package, you can do that once you are on board at 50% off the normal rate (without the 15% discount) so those would be like $150 each.

Each room that purchases the full digital package can add one additional room for the same package at 50% off. You can't get 8 half-price packages with one full cost purchase.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Right. Sorry. That is what I meant to say. Poor choice of words.