I have tons of questions, please...

[lovemygoofy]

Hi Cruisers,

My dh has asked that I plan our very first cruise . We love all things disney so only seems natural to go DCL. However, I know nothing about cruising and how to book. What do ya'll reccommend for some new cruisers looking to relax before the next deployment? We were thinking a 4 day would be the best for us. Oh yeah, we are hoping to find something for the first two weeks of July. My dh won't get any other time off due to army conflicts. We need to know about where to sleep, best place for motionsickness (trying to prevent that). Some good excursions should we choose to get our lazy butts off the boat or the beaches I'm sorry if I start becoming a pest but I have tons of questions and need experienced people. Do you know if there is a good guide book about DCL?

TIA

 

[UGAFan0829]

Well, I can't answer ALL your questions, but I will help you with what I can.
As far as the length of your trip...I would recommend the 4 night. My husband and I recently went on our first cruise, 3 nights, and it seemed too short...so if you can go for thr 4-nighter.
As far as the best place to be for motion sickness, I don't know that for sure. We had a stateroom on deck 7, aft (which means at the back of the ship). However, we did overhear other cruisers say that midship was the best place to be. The seas were rough and we could feel them in our room, but neither myself or the DH got sick. Since it was our first cruise I really don't know if anywhere else on the ship would have been any better.
As far as excursions, in Nassau we did the Dolphin Encounter and it was wonderful. I would highly recommend it. It is a little more expensive than some of the other excursions, but IMHO, we got our value for the money. For CC excursions, we had booked the Glass Bottom Boat tour, but it got cancelled due to the winds and the sea conditions. We did rent snorkeling gear and that was fun, and we also rented an aqua-trike which was a lot of fun!
As far as where to book, I went directly through DCL, but I know there are many people here who use TA's and I'm sure they can recommend someone to you. Dreams Unlimited is one that's mentioned a lot, and they are a sponsor of this board, so that might be one to think about.
I know I didn't answer all your questions, but I helped with what I could if there's anything else...just ask!

 

[lovemygoofy]

Thank you so much UGAFan!! You at least got me started and replied I don't ask for more than that sometimes.

Anyone got an idea how much $$$ we are talking in general for the cruise and inccidentals. I'm guessing it depends on where you want to sleep at night. Some moderately priced levels would be great but then again I guess we wouldn't know the difference being new..lol

 

[videoman]

I will try to help also....The Passporters Guide to DCL is a very informative book and really should be able to answer all of your questions (can buy on Amazon.com too)

If you can....I would try the 7 day cruise....I have only done the 7 day and I'm still looking for more days to squeeze in.

Excursions depend on if you are going on the Western or EAstern, each itinery has different excursions...we have swam with the dolphins and loved it! also swam w/the stingrays and that was pretty great too!

I have only stayed midship on deck 2 and I have never had problems w/motion sickness, but, thankfully, I really have been lucky with calm seas each time we sailed.

Between the passporter and this board you will be very informed and will have a great time.

Relax & enjoy!!

Barb

 

[mackymaddyconnorsmom]

The best place for seasickness is down low and in. I checked into thoroughly to prevent it. One good excursion is the banana boat is Castaway Cay and the big pedal bikes looked like a lot of fun. They werent using them the day we(pedal boats) were there because of the wind. The Royal Dolphin Swim is excellent. Book the Royal Swim by yourself. It is cheaper and you can swim with the dolphins that way

 

[Lynderella]

You can go to allseastravel.com and look at some prices for 3,4, and 7-day cruises. Prices vary a lot based on travel dates. We booked through Dreams Unlimited and were very happy with them, but they will only send quotes based on your travel dates. All seas web site will allow you to look at prices and decide what works for your budget.

Good luck!

 

[skyhawk]

Hi Barb,

I see you can't stay away from here either!

Mike

 

[JC Butterfly]

Welcome to the cruise boards. I agree that the Passporter would be a good book if you want a "hard copy" of something to look at but as far as quick info at your fingertips, this board is it! It will be easier to answer your questions if you post each one as a seperate post (more replies that way).

HOW TO BOOK

I agree that going to Allseastravel.com is a great starting point. They are a reputable travel agency on these boards so if you want to go ahead and book with them that would be fine. I've also had great luck with Dreams Unlimited (sponsor of these boards).

If you are thinking July of this year. You should realize that Disney only has two ships. The Wonder (which does the 3 & 4 day cruises) and the Magic (which does the week long cruises). For this summer season, the Magic is going to be on the West Coast doing some special Mexican cruises in honor of Disneyland's birthday. Because of this, the Wonder (which is in it's peak season in July) has been booked even more fully by people who didn't want to go to Mexico. So in other words, expect to pay premium prices to go this July.

With Disney, generally the farther in advance you can book, the better your rate can be (based on season). So since this July is only 5 months out you will pay quite a bit more than if you try to book for July of 2006.


WHERE TO SLEEP

Categories 12, 11, and 10 will be the cheapest. These are all inside staterooms so there is no outside light coming in. Many people that cruise find that they don't spend that much time in their room anyway so that it makes sense to book the cheapest you can and save money for other things. If you prefer it to be very, very, dark when you sleep these are the rooms for you!

The price for these rooms from All Seas $3300 - $3500 for 2

Categories 8 & 9 are rooms with a large porthole to see outside. This does not let the outside air in, but does allow your room to see natural light and in essence you get a "view". These rooms will be roughly the same size as a category 10.

Price range July 2005 $3900-$4100

Category 7 has a Naviagator's verandah. It is a mostly enclosed verandah where you can experience the ocean air. You do have to be standing in order to see out the opening though since it's mostly enclosed.
Price range July 2005 $5000

Category 5 & 6 are rooms with verandahs. Some have solid metal walls some have clear plexiglass but there would be room for both of you to stand out here and enjoy the ocean air.
Price range July 2005 $5200-$5500

Category 4 is a family sized room, cat 1 ,2, & 3 are suites.

Remember that no matter which category you book, you still are elibile to eat the same meals in the same restaurants, see the same shows, people in lower categories are not second class (or third class) citizens!

For seasickness, many people recommend being as low in the boat as possible and mid-ship (less likely to feel the motion as you are closer to center of gravity).

If you go to the Disney Cruise Line website you can check out deck plans and see what categories are available and where.


SHORE EXCURSIONS

Quite a variety to choose from with prices from $35 - $250 per person, give us a better idea of what you had in mind.

 

[videoman]

Hi Barb,

I see you can't stay away from here either!

Mike



Hey Mike.....I am truly obssesed!!!! (I really should be working, but I can't help myself!)