My Parents Got Their Cabin Assignment - A Little Bummed

[Christine]

Well, my parents got their documents yesterday for their 7/24/2004 Magic Cruise. When they booked they were not allowed to choose a cabin--only got a GTY room for Category 9. The documents came and they were assigned to Deck 1. My mom seems pretty bummed out because she got one of the rooms with the small portholes versus the room with the one large one. She is worried about her claustrophobia. I can't remember her cabin number but she says she is somewhere in the middle of the deck.

Also, she was not able to get her dining time to the early slot. She is traveling with my kids. All of us are early birds. Our normal waking times during the week (including my kids) is about 5:00 a.m. So, even on vacation, sleeping until 7:30 a.m. is a luxury. Due to this, they will all probably be sleeping in their dinner plates.

Is there anything we can do. It's just tough to put out that kind of money for a vacation (over $6K) and then have these two things happen. Honestly, the cabin probably WON'T be that big of a deal, but the dining time is probably going to be a problem for them.

 

[mostyn17]

Yes there is...when you get on the ship, you can see and most times change your dining rotation and/or seating time. Just try to be one of the first on the ship so you will have a better chance getting what you want.

Someone else can help out on where to go...that i'm not sure of. I think it's one of the adult night clubs.....

Hope you have a nice cruise...

Travis

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

Christine - just know that your parents will have a wonderful cruise! When they board, go to dining change area to see if there is any way they can get reassigned to early seating. It won't be likely considering the time of year they are traveling.
Remember they can always have a "snack" at Plutos, Scoops or the Pizza area. And they can order a cheese platter from room service to eat while getting dressed for the early show.

As a side note for others - This is another example of why so many people stress to others that they should book early and book a room they will be happy with. Sometimes only GTY is available, but if you really want a certain deck or room, don't hope for an upgrade by booking GTY....book what you are happy with. If GTY is the only thing available from your TA, you can always see if another TA can get you a specific room and then change your resssies.

But truly Christine, it will be a magical time no matter what deck or dinner!!!

Best wishes

 

[princessmomma]

Sorry about the cabin assignment, but those are the risks of booking a GTY cabin.

 

[Christine]

Originally posted by princessmomma
Sorry about the cabin assignment, but those are the risks of booking a GTY cabin.

Well, unfortunately we weren't given a choice.

As I said, I think she will "get over" the room thing. The dinner assignment has really gotten her. It's not a matter of being hungry, I just don't think they will be enjoying their evening meal that much. And I know my son will literally fall asleep at the table. We normally eat dinner around 5:00 p.m. and in bed by 9:00. My son can't make it past 10:00 on the weekends. I know that, of course, they will force themselves to get through the meal and then they will go immediately back to the room and sleep. Who wants to do that??? I think she'd feel LOADS better if she could get that seating time changed.

 

[LakeAriel]

What's GTY?

 

[Chattyaholic]

Did they book their cruise late? Is that why they didn't have a choice in stateroom?

We have always booked early and always choose what stateroom we want. I would hate not knowing what room we were going to have!! Big bummer!!

 

[Christine]

Originally posted by Chattyaholic
Did they book their cruise late? Is that why they didn't have a choice in stateroom?

I guess you could say they booked late. They booked in March 2004 for a July 2004 cruise. This was done because my parents decided to watch my kids for me during the time that my day care provider was on vacation (I had no daycare). So, my parents hate to sit around the house and they wanted to go somewhere with the kids. Thought they would try the cruise since WDW is too hot in late-July and WAY too crowded. Felt the ship would be more manageable that time of year. So, they pretty much paid top dollar for the cruise. But we knew that going in--just had hoped for better.

LakeAriel-- "GTY" means that you are guaranteed a stateroom in the price category you paid for; however, you can't get a room assignment when you pay your money.

 

[maryisme]

Christine,

I'm not sure how old your kids are but if they are anything like my DD they will be okay. We are a family of early risers and early dinners also. When we went on our first cruise we booked late and could only get late dining. We were worried about it also. We pictured our DD, 5 at the time, falling asleep at dinner. We couldn't have been more wrong!! She had boundless energy. She just loved being in the clubs with her new friends - it put her in what we now call "disney mode". She was very much awake, enough so that she would go back to the clubs after dinner. We even allowed her to have dinner at the club a night or two. they fed the kids around 6:00 pm. Tell your Mom not to worry too much.

Also, as others have been saying, get to the port early. She will have a better chance at changing to early if she does. As far as her cabin goes, when she arrives at the port she could also ask if there are any other cabins available. Perhaps another category 9 on deck 2 will open up. You just never know. She could also see if another category is available.

She has options! She and your kids will have a wonderful time even if she remains on deck one with late seating.

Good luck!!

Mary

 

[Christine]

Thanks Mary! That makes me feel a bit better. My kids are 12 (DD) and 9 (DS). I'm not worried at all about DD--she can be a real party-goer. DS is a different story. He absolutely poops out at Disney World. The last time we went, he was evening having a rough time at the 7:00 dinner. Then he was so exhausted he wet the bed every night--he never does that at home. He was just so tired he coudn't wake up. I've taken him to weddings that are in the evening and by the time we get to dinner, he asleep on my lap!! Real exciting fellow isn't he?? Well, he is a bit older now so maybe he'll hang a little better. I'll pass on to my parents that they somehow need to get to the dining arrangements place ASAP!

 

[DuncanLL]

You can also start helping them get ready for the later schedule by gradually changing your routine at home between now and the cruise. Eat dinner a little later, have them stay up later and see if they'll sleep until 7 in the mornings.

We've been on 6 Disney cruises - kids were 3 and 6 on the 1st one - and we've always had late dinner. The last couple of years, the kids have wanted to stay in the clubs until they close... We spend meal and showtimes as a family and let them choose their activities at other times. A lot of the Lab activities start at 9:45/10:00, right after late dinner.

Linda

 

[Zandy595]

Changes in dining assignments may be requested between 1:00pm and 3:30pm in WaveBands, Deck 3 Forward.

If you think your DS might have a bedwetting problem on the cruise, don't forget to pack him some Goodnites.

 

[Christine]

Originally posted by DuncanLL
You can also start helping them get ready for the later schedule by gradually changing your routine at home between now and the cruise. Eat dinner a little later, have them stay up later and see if they'll sleep until 7 in the mornings.

Linda,
Unfortunately, we all have to go to work and my kids go to daycare. We are out of the house every morning at around 5:45. No way to change that fact!

 

[buzz&woody'smom]

Sorry about your parents frustration. I really think it will be fine. You really are not in the cabin much anyway there is just so much to do. Also not sure if they booked with DCL directly or used a TA but have the TA notify DCL of their request for early dining and many times it can be cleared before the ship sails. Of course if not they need to request as soon as they board.

I am sure they will all have a great time!!!





SUPPORTING MY HUSBAND AND ALL ARMED FORCES FIGHTING FOR OUR COUNTRY................WE SUPPORT BUSH!

 

[mmouse37]

I have stayed on Deck 1 in the area where your parents are and they will be fine. The rooms are not at all claustrophobic. The two port holes are fine and let in tons of light. Every single passenger deck looks exactly the same in decor. The Deck 1 rooms are just as spacious as the Deck 2 rooms. As an added bonus, Deck 1 is the most conveninet deck for coming and going from shore excursions...while everyone else is waiting for elevators or walking flights of stairs...they just need to walk down the hall!!!

As you said, she is more worried about the dining situation....as others have said just have her go the dining changing area ASAP and I bet they can accomodate her.

Good luck.

MJ

 

[outahere]

If eating early is a must, there is always Topsiders. I think they open around 6:30pm. Their nightly menu has some of the same items as the main dining rooms and most of the service is sit down, not buffet style.

I too would recommend getting on board early and going to talk with the CMs who are responsible for dining change requests.

 

[mickeyboat]

If your kids enjoy the clubs, they can eat with the club, which eats fairly early. Also, there is a good chance that they will be able to accomodate you at dining changes, don't lose hope. If worse comes to worst, the adults may have a nice meal in the dining room while the kids stay at the clubs. Don't let this ruin the trip! P.S. we were on the wait list for early seating. When we go to the ship, we found we had been switched.

In addition, we were in 1048 for our cruise in March. We really liked it! It is extremely quiet since there are few rooms down there. It is extremely convenient, go up two flights of stairs and you are on Deck 3. We had a lot of extra crew interation because Deck 1 is where the crew enter their private areas. We even saw some crew running a fire drill one day. When we came into the area, they all had to stop what they were doing and kneel down until we passed. My kids loved it!

The best thing about Deck 1 is that it is so close to where you leave the ship in ports. When we came back from our shore time, we were hot and exhausted, we got to our rooms in a snap, while everyone else had to trudge up the stairs or wait for an elevator.

Finally, the two portholes were fine, no claustrophobia for us and DH is claustrophobic! It was nice to have a porthole for each kis to look out.

Besides, how much time do they want to spend in the room, anyway. Most of the time they will be there they will be sleeping!

Hope to hear they had a wonderful time!

Denae

 

[Christine]

Danae,
Thanks, I just found out my parent's stateroom is 1060. I hope that is a good location.

 

[justmestace]

My son was 8 when we cruised the first time. We had late dinner, even though at home we usually eat early. We wanted more time in the ports.
I was worred he wouldn't last all night too.
What ended up happening is that he fell asleep after we got back from our excursions, and we missed the early show, but by dinner, he was awake again and had a blast.
I wasn't too upset about missing the shows. My husband had said he'd stay with my son, and DD andI could go to the shows, but we didn't. She and I walked around the nearly empty ship, taking videos and pictures. It was wonderful!
(The ship seemed empty because everyone was either at dinner or at the show)
So, if they can't change their seating, this may be a good suggestion!
They WILL love it though!!!!!

 

[Dizzyworld]

Our 2nd cruise the children were DS9 and DD7. We had the late seating, but happy to be on board with a FL rate. ( We went with friends.) My DS is the same way about going to bed. What we did was gave them a little snack and brought them back to the room to shower and change for the evening. After the shower, we had "quiet time." And most of the time they fell off to sleep for a short nap. Ah, the sea air will do this to you. He was able, and willing, to go for the evening.

Good luck.