Newbie to cruises - where to start???

Pucks104

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jul 11, 2018
DH and I enjoyed a lovely trip to Disney World this September. We have been looking at taking our granddaughter on a trip but have decided that 2020 isn’t the year with all the construction projects. So I have been thinking that maybe a Disney Cruise might be an option. Our granddaughter will turn 6 in November while DH and I are in our early 60’s. None of us have ever cruised before. Where would I begin in learning enough about DCL to decide if this might be something the 3 of us would enjoy? What things need to be considered in selecting a cruise? What’s included in the price and what extras do you pay for aside from the cruise price? For those that have taken a grandchild on a cruise what was easy and what was challenging? What time of year is a good time to go on a crisis that would include Castaway Cay? Any suggestions are welcome?
 
The best place to start is the DCL website. They offer a lot of info about destinations, types of staterooms and, of course, prices. Like expected, they only mention the positive aspects of cruising with them. To have a more balanced view, you can browse this forum and look at videos on Youtube - I recommend Michael Kay’s videos. Many factors go into choosing a cruise, and only you know what you can afford, how much time you have, how long it will take to get down to Florida, when you can sail, etc. For example, we can only fly down during school breaks. Therefore, we only sail on 7+nights cruises during spring break, summer or New Years. If you live a few hours away, you could consider a shorter cruise to test your appreciation of this type of vacation.

Unless you want to drink specialty drinks and coffees, eat meals at adult restaurants, play bingo, go on shore excursions, eat some snacks at the theatres or buy souvenirs, you will not have to pay anything extra except the gratuities. Those amount to 13.50$ per guest per night.

If you are not someone that overthinks things, there is nothing challenging about cruising in general and especially on DCL. They take care of everything, with (most times) excellent service along the way.

Cruising with kids is wonderful, however way you do it. If she wants to go to the kids clubs, you will have alone time to relax. If she prefers to stay with you, there will be plenty for all of you to do ashore or onboard.
 
When we first decided to cruise DCL we had never been on a cruise (and never planned to go on one) and only considered it because our friends had just been on a DCL Alaska cruise and raved about it. I think what helped me the most besides the DCL website was reading the trip reports on this site. I had no idea what people did on a cruise so it really helped give me an idea of what there is to see and do, and show me what the ships and staterooms look like.
 
Thank you. If there was one thing you would have liked to know before your first cruise what would it have been? All answers appreciated!
 


If there was one thing you would have liked to know before your first cruise what would it have been?

I guess I was surprised my daughter didn’t like the kids clubs. She only went when she had to, like when we had Palo or spa treatments. So go into it knowing that the kids may or may not love it (but I think most do).
 
We like cruising in December. The ship is decorated for Christmas, but the weather is warm. The water at Castaway Cay is chilly, but still swimmable. I would avoid the Magic because her Aqua Dunk drop-down slide would probably be too scary for your grandchild. If you sail the Fantasy, avoid the aft because she has an intermittent vibration problem back there. A 4-night Dream cruise would be a great introduction to cruising.
 
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I would 100% say to watch some Vlogs on the cruises. They give you a great overview of how the trip works. After you see how it works you can start to look in to what itinerary might be preferable for you.

Some good ones are:

Dreams Unlimited (DIS Team) What you need to know-
Tim Tracker Overview and Vlog of Trip-
Michael Kay Vlog of Trip-
Michael Kay Vlog of Trip-

We just went through this ourselves in the last month or so and the Vlogs helped a ton. Although the itinerary was pretty easy as I wanted the Eastern Caribbean or Southern Caribbean ports (although Alaska is the primary choice but saving that for a larger family cruise in a couple years likely).
 


If you are used to traveling with a grand, you probably already know this but make sure you have a notarized letter signed by both parents giving you permission to travel outside the country with the child and permission to approve medical care if needed.

Also talk with parents and child about possibility of not being in contact for several days. We often travel with our grand, although no cruise yet, and she is comfortable enough with us that she barely mentions her parents. But it could be a trigger for some if they can't call Mom at bedtime.
 
I definitely wish I had known room location matters. We were far forward and it was a long walk to everything family friendly (the elevators open to the adult only area on the pool deck), and motion sickness was intense there. We prefer midship now.

I also recommend checking out the shows at night—they were a real highlight.

And every cruise in the Caribbean has a pirate night—so bring something fun and piratey to dress up in.

I would also recommend avoiding hurricane season, for obvious reasons.
 

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