Necessities for first Cruise

[Cruisinonlydisney]

The best tip I can give after several Disney cruises is to bring with you a used gift card from anywhere, attach magnetic strip tape to the back of it, and it will attach to the wall next to the light switch, which requires a card of that size to operate the cabin lights, This will prevent you from having to take your cruise card in and out of your lanyard all the time to make your lights work!

 

[Peaseblossom36]

While he is swimming I doubt he would wear the rashguard, But maybe. I will definitely ask.

Otherwise, he tends to run around with a hat everywhere when he is not swimming to protect his bald head. Honestly my husband and I tend to re apply fairly often. It's my kids that are the problem. They inherited my Olive skin tone.
that is fairly burn resistant and take it for granted. My stinker of a teenager was in bandcamp all summer and didn't use the sun block I sent with him once. He came back bloody dark . All my conversations with him about skin cancer went straight through one ear and out the other.

Any particular reef safe sunblock you found you loved? I tend to use mineral based on my face because otherwise I get a burning sensation near my eyes.

That's how my husband is, he just tans and it takes a lot for him to burn. We all have pretty sensitive skin and use Sun Bum. It's mineral based and works really well, rubs in great and doesn't leave a terrible residue.

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

We only live 6 hours from the port. So honestly, we were probably just going to drive down day of. Since we are first time cruisers I figured we will probably get later boarding group.

Not sure if this has been stated but it won't hurt to reiterate this:

There's a lot of road from Point A to Point B for six hours worth of travel. Still consider going at least a day early because you never know what could happen day of.

On my first cruise I got an 1130 arrival time. Granted this was during covid protocols. But you could get lucky.

 

[KrzyKtty101]

Not sure if this has been stated but it won't hurt to reiterate this:

There's a lot of road from Point A to Point B for six hours worth of travel. Still consider going at least a day early because you never know what could happen day of.

On my first cruise I got an 1130 arrival time. Granted this was during covid protocols. But you could get lucky.

We ended up getting a hotel near the port that we can leave our car at.

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

There was something I wanted to add about DisneyBand +...oh yeah, I got onr for my upcoming trip on the Fantasy. I mainly got it because I don't like doing pool activities wearing a lanyard or leaving it on a lounger (even if I put it in a portable travel lockbox). If that isn't a concern, I wouldn't get them for this trip unlesd you just want some extra souvenirs.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

There was something I wanted to add about DisneyBand +...oh yeah, I got onr for my upcoming trip on the Fantasy. I mainly got it because I don't like doing pool activities wearing a lanyard or leaving it on a lounger (even if I put it in a portable travel lockbox). If that isn't a concern, I wouldn't get them for this trip unlesd you just want some extra souvenirs.

You do realize that the KKTW card can get wet, right? I just stash it in my swimsuit.

 

[Unvoiced_Apollo]

You do realize that the KKTW card can get wet, right? I just stash it in my swimsuit.

Yes. I don't like keeping things in my swimsuit pockets either.

 

[jimmymc]

Aside from paying off your cruise, there isn't much to do between now and your booking window. Figure out any excursions or activities you'd like to book at 75 days to make sure you have the best chance of getting them, start tracking flight prices, and book pre-stay hotels if you haven't yet.

For things to bring, I have an international converter that doubles as a USB hub. It's really nice on ships, because the European or British outlet becomes a 4 way USB hub while leaving the US outlets free for bigger things. Have a bag that isn't too nice but is large enough to hold your passport, some cash, a water bottle, and sunscreen for port days. For packing, even my huge suitcase that's the largest size airlines allow you to check fits under the bed, so pack like you normally would for a vacation where there isn't a convenient store nearby, meaning bring your own sunscreen, toothpaste, advil, tums, and other OTC medicines you use. The closet has limited space for hanging things, but plenty of shelves and drawers for folded stuff.

 

[kiford]

Is it worth buying them for the convenience?

IMO, no. It's nice to have a MagicBand at WDW so I don't have to dig in my bag every time I want to open the door, but I wander around the ship with basically my lanyard with the KTTW in it and maybe a wristlet bag that holds my phone so it's always easy to open the door. I don't see the value in a MB+ on the cruise - at least not yet - especially since you still need the card to get on/off the ship.

 

[disdoc93]

Thank you! These are really helpful. I am the only "drinker" in my family, as my husband doesn't drink. So maybe I will bring a bottle to enjoy on the balcony at night. Outside of me though, my family isn't much for drinking water. So I wasn't sure if part of the all inclusive cost would be some way for them to shlep somewhere to refill sodas or something when they want. So maybe I will just bring one of our water canteens to refill as needed.

The power strip might be a good idea. Going to convince the family to leave the army of electronics at home, but it doesn't hurt to have extras.

Does the Wish use the normal MagicBands, or should I invest in the MagicBand+?

I live in Charleston, SC, and am a bit of a Pirate nerd. So I might want to explore Nassau for that at least, unless there is nothing there for it. Also, it might be cool to let my children see another country/culture.

I was thinking for Castway, I was thinking of spending at least a little time snorkeling. Never done that before, but maybe it gets to busy...

I just booked the same cruise, and I'm in Charleston SC as well. How about that!

 

[Jack15129]

Hi.
Just want to mention that clips (like plastic clothes pins) are handy to secure drying suits to chairs on the veranda while in port in case it’s breezy.

 

[Dug720]

Another victim of underestimating the sun at Castaway Cay… allocate your usual amount of sunscreen, then if not double at least bring one more tube/can of sunscreen.

It's the sun AND the clarity of the water. And the fact that given the clarity, many of us spend more time in it than we would at our regular Atlantic or Pacific beach in the US. That clarity means more reflection of the sun which means the odds of burning go way up.

I learned that the hard was in Nassau when I was 11 and Paradise Island was basically just clothing optional beach on one side and family-friendly beach on the other from the entrance. No Atlantis yet. I spent so much time in the water I got super burned. (So much that our server offered to bring mom some vinegar for me - never having heard of that doing anything, I declared that I was NOT a pickle. We got some aloe in Freeport the next day.)

 

[Dug720]

Hi.
Just want to mention that clips (like plastic clothes pins) are handy to secure drying suits to chairs on the veranda while in port in case it’s breezy.

Tip to help them dry even faster: grab some extra towels from the pool deck. Lay them out on the floor in the cabin, then lay one suit on each towel; roll the towel up so that the suit is all rolled up in it; walk back and forth on the towel, then turn it and walk on it again. Takes so much excess water out of the suit it'll dry a lot faster - even inside the cabin which is where you should be drying it at the very least when the ship is underway.

 

[motherdaughtercruisers]

It's the sun AND the clarity of the water. And the fact that given the clarity, many of us spend more time in it than we would at our regular Atlantic or Pacific beach in the US. That clarity means more reflection of the sun which means the odds of burning go way up.

I learned that the hard was in Nassau when I was 11 and Paradise Island was basically just clothing optional beach on one side and family-friendly beach on the other from the entrance. No Atlantis yet. I spent so much time in the water I got super burned. (So much that our server offered to bring mom some vinegar for me - never having heard of that doing anything, I declared that I was NOT a pickle. We got some aloe in Freeport the next day.)

Sorry about your sunburn, but lol at the pickle declaration.

 

[Dug720]

Sorry about your sunburn, but lol at the pickle declaration.

My mom made pickles every year out of cucumbers from our garden. Those (and Easter Eggs) were the only things I knew vinegar was used for at the time. Either could have popped out of my mouth - pickle just happened to be the one.