Newbie questions

[AudreyW]

Hello, I am completely new to cruising, and while I've started researching, I feel like everyday I look into I it, I have more questions! I'd really like to take my family of 4 (Husband, me, and two teen kids) for the Marvel Day at Sea cruise (Kids are huge Marvel fans). Ideally, I wanted to plan for late summer of 2021. However, I also saw that there are cruises out of NY, which would be far more convenient as I'm in NJ, however, it seems they only sail Sept-Nov? So, I'm a little torn, since that would mean kids missing some school.

So, on to some questions...
Reading through posts, it seems like when dates for cruises are announced, they don't say if they will include the Marvel Day, is that true? If so, do you suggest not booking right away, because, isn't it the cheapest when the dates first come out? Any booking tips out there?

The Marvel cruises also seem to sail out of NY or Miami, not Port Canaveral, is that right? If so, Miami isn't close enough to conveniently add a Disney world day to the plans, is it? Miami vs NY, what would be your preference? I like the convenience of NY, but will the cruise be colder because of the time of year/location? Maybe Miami would be nicer, even if it means having to add a flight? I'd love to hear others opinions.

I want to use a travel agent, however, the ones I've looked at ask for a quote including selecting the dates/ship, but I don't know that yet. Do I have to wait until the new dates come out, and know what I want before I talk to an agent? Not sure exactly how that works.

Those are my most imminent questions at the moment. Thank you so much!

 

[Marc D]

Marvel cruises only sail from early January to late February, on 5-nights cruise out of Miami on Magic. If that is your goal, you need to book one of those. They just announced the MDAS for 2021 and there won’t be any more that year. They used to do them in the fall but they removed them a few years ago. At the moment, you can’t book cruises that may convert to MDAS in the future.

Sailing out of Miami is not convenient if you want to add a WDW stay. It is 3 hours away and Disney does not provide transportation.The usual way to to do it is to rent a car and lose a day travelling between Orlando and Miami.

The sailings out of NYC are limited to the fall. Some go to Canada and others go to Bermuda. The Canada cruises are chilly throughout. The Bermuda cruises have choppy waters on the first and last night. I would sail out of Port Canaveral - or maybe Miami if Marvel is very important- on a first cruise.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Agree - you will have to choose between Marvel or late summer. The late summer cruises never add Marvel or Star Wars. Those are winter offerings.

 

[AudreyW]

Oh, well...boo, that is disappointing. But thank you for the info, now I can look into other options, probably a land and sea package. Anything in particular you'd recommend for first timers?

 

[jdb in AZ]

Oh, well...boo, that is disappointing. But thank you for the info, now I can look into other options, probably a land and sea package. Anything in particular you'd recommend for first timers?

Don't book a package deal -- if you can even find one. It's cheaper to book land and sea separately. Then you get to choose your own WDW hotel instead of whatever Disney assigns you. Back when package deals were "the thing" you had to book a suite to stay at one of the better hotels.

 

[Disneyfamforsure]

You can always contact a travel agent and let them know what you are looking for and they can add you to their waitlist. I don't know if you can do this on their online general form. Whenever I start feeling like I might want to do a particular vacation, even if it is years away, I contact my travel agent and let her know what I am pondering and when those options come up or a good deal is announced, then she reaches out to me and lets me know the details in case I want to book. This takes the pressure off of me to constantly be on the lookout for the exact cruise or resort deal I am looking for.

 

[AudreyW]

You can always contact a travel agent and let them know what you are looking for and they can add you to their waitlist. I don't know if you can do this on their online general form. Whenever I start feeling like I might want to do a particular vacation, even if it is years away, I contact my travel agent and let her know what I am pondering and when those options come up or a good deal is announced, then she reaches out to me and lets me know the details in case I want to book. This takes the pressure off of me to constantly be on the lookout for the exact cruise or resort deal I am looking for.

This is what I wanted to do, yes. However, on the websites I've visited, including Dreams Unlimited, there is only a detailed quote form, where you have to know exactly what you want. Do you have a tip on how to contact someone with a general inquiry?

 

[Disneyfamforsure]

This is what I wanted to do, yes. However, on the websites I've visited, including Dreams Unlimited, there is only a detailed quote form, where you have to know exactly what you want. Do you have a tip on how to contact someone with a general inquiry?

You can always fill out a generic request for a quote and then once a specific agent reaches out to you then you can start up a more detailed dialog regarding what you are looking for. Then you will have direct numbers and emails for a specific agent. I believe that is how I initially found our agent years ago. I will send you a direct message with her info if you feel like reaching out to her. She is great and we have used her for many years to plan, book and sometimes even just dream about some Disney vacations. Some vacations have been on the back burner for years before we can actually start realistically booking them but she never makes me feel like I am wasting her time. We are doing Alaska next but Hawaii has been in the planning stage for years and somehow just keeps getting pushed back. But I know when we are ready to pull the trigger she will have it all lined up.

 

[Sunshine2U]

I'm planning WDW for 2021. My Dreams agent told me to put in the request with a "dummy" date and then put in the comments what I'm actually looking for. I requested her as the agent and when she reached out to me we went through the details of what I was wanting.