Newbie to cruising

[Kay2397]

We are ready to trying cruising for the 1st time. We are looking at an April 23rd 2016 Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy. I have tried to do some research but I'm feeling really overwhelmed. Can anyone offer tips for our family? We are a family of 4 with 2 girls who will be 6 (the day before our cruise) and 8. Some questions I have?
1. Should we use a travel agent? I am use to planning WDW trips myself.
2. Would you recommend early or late dining and why?
3. If there was one thing that you would recommend to a newbie what would it be? (Tip, excursion, something you wish you knew before you cruised)
4. Inside Cabin or Verandah? I can't decide if we will enjoy it enough to justify the cost.
TIA!

 

[RebelHawk]

Frist and foremost plan on a relaxing and enjoyable cruise as only Disney can provide for any Disney fan.

1) Historically my wife and I are very hands on when booking or planning any vacations. We heard that many Travel Agents (TAs) provide on board credits when using them to book Disney Cruise Line (DCL) sailings so we figured we would give it a try. We reached out to Dreams Unlimited Travel (specifically Tracey Heinrichs) to book our first cruise and received a $200 ship board credit that was applied to our charge account on our sailing. We have since completed one more and have two upcoming that we are waiting to enjoy. The only thing that I found that was a little frustrating was rather than calling Disney directly to pay off our cruise we had to use the TAs website to complete this. It worked great and I had no issues it just felt like an extra step. As far as finding out any info regarding the cruises our TA was fantastic about answering any and all questions we had. I also spend lots of time on these boards to research any questions I had or find answers to questions I didn't even know I had.

2) My wife and I always go with late dining. Just judging by the crowds walking into the dining rooms it seems that late seating is less crowded. My wife and I also enjoy coming back from shore side excursions and napping/relaxing/having a cocktail. This way by the time we get to dinner we are not feeling rushed to get back to the room, clean up and get to our dinning. We have never had any issues meeting characters, watching shows or movies. As a mater of fact we are doing all that while the seemingly larger crowds are having their early dining seating. Now we do not have any children but we have sailed with friends who had 4-6 year olds. Speaking only of these kids they were on a later dining schedule at home so it wasn't a problem for them.

3) While I am an almost obsessive planner (to a fault if my wife had to weigh in) I would make sure you know what your on board and shore excursions options are and plan according to what works best for your family. Personally we don't try to over do things and sleep in a little in the morning, plan naps during the late afternoon and try to do the one thing we get from a cruise, relaxation. No cell phones, no emails and no work concerns. I would suggest you look into joining the threads for the specific cruise you are looking for. There are typically Fish Extender (FE) groups where you exchange small gifts with other people on your cruise. We have even had one of our sailing groups get together for a private party. Bottom line is make sure you take the time to enjoy your vacation.

4) We have always booked a room with a verandah. I am a morning person and well my wife is not. This gives me somewhere private to hang out and read comfortably in the morning before she awakens. She also has a bit of a problem with motion sickness. Having a horizon to stare at certainly helps her with this as well.

Which ever way you plan on going know that there are a LOT of friendly and knowledgeable (more than myself for sure) people here that are more than willing to answer any and all questions you might have.

 

[Mommb]

My main advice after 9 Disney cruises: Don't stress about doing everything. Meals at Palo/Remy and shore excursions should be booked in advance. If you're interested in beverage tastings, character meets, or other activities that require advance tickets, read about them in the first day's Navigator and stop by the designated ticketing location after you board.

Other than that, just take each day as it comes. Each night, look over the next day's Navigator (which should be placed on your bed while you're at dinner) and determine the activities that sound most interesting to each person. If there's anything that someone really wants, mark it or list it on a piece of paper or magnet board. I tend to plan Disney park visits in minute detail to make sure we hit our favorite attractions and are in the right place for meals, but on cruises, I relax more. I remind my kids of things they've said they want to do, but if they're rather stay at the kids' club than go to an event with me, that's fine too.

As far as inside versus veranda: We have always had a veranda, and I use it because we have it. I like watching the ship pull into and out of each port. When my kids still napped, I enjoyed being able to sit outside while still keeping an eye on them. It's definitely a personal choice, though. If the cost makes you uncomfortable, a porthole room would still allow you to see what's happening outside, and an inside room will give you a virtual porthole that's fun to watch. So, you can't go wrong any way!

 

[ForMyBoys]

Do you have kids and if so what are their ages? I'd need to know to give you advice on early or late dining?

Our preferred cabin is the large ocean view windows on 5th floor or up (with the window seats). I realize we are not the norm as everyone seems to prefer to have balconies, but we like to watch the sea w/ no wind and such.

I loved using dreams unlimited, they also sent us a gift that included a few items handy on the cruise and we got a nice on board credit. They were awesome!

 

[ratt1345]

1. I have never used a TA. So I can't be of much help. Personally I have had no trouble doing it myself.
2.Early or late seating--well, here's what I have heard quite a bit of the years on the DISboards: Early seating is mostly given to families with young children and late seating is more adults than children. I have done both and have found that tidbit of info to be false. I have seen just as many kids in both seatings. You won't miss the shows either way.
3. I would have to repeat what the others have said, relax and enjoy. You won't and can't do everything on your first cruise.
4. As it has been mentioned, the type of stateroom is a personal choice. DW and I have only had a stateroom with one or two portholes. We have never had a veranda, and really don't think we would use it. We have always been close enough to deck 4 or one of the top decks that we could go outside if we so chose to. I agree that if you have children and they are taking a nap, you would be able to watch them while enjoying the outside.

 

[Kay2397]

Do you have kids and if so what are their ages? I'd need to know to give you advice on early or late dining?

Our preferred cabin is the large ocean view windows on 5th floor or up (with the window seats). I realize we are not the norm as everyone seems to prefer to have balconies, but we like to watch the sea w/ no wind and such.

I loved using dreams unlimited, they also sent us a gift that included a few items handy on the cruise and we got a nice on board credit. They were awesome!

My girls will be 6 and 8. I am leaning towards early dining.

 

[jdb in AZ]

My girls will be 6 and 8. I am leaning towards early dining.

We prefer early dining because it gives you more time to digest those huge dinners before going to bed. Late dining means going to bed on a very full stomach.

 

[AFamily]

1)Like may people have said, the TA is really good for the on board credits. That is why we are trying Dreams Unlimited Travels out for our first Disney Cruise.
2)We personally like the early dinning, of course we have a 4 year old and an 18 month old, so we are used to eating early!
3)Don't try to do too much! There will be plenty to do and you need to relax on your vacation. There are plenty of cruising 101 and cruising for beginner articles out there to read to help you with packing and what to expect on your cruise, so read up and don't stress!
4)This is definitely a personal preference; With us, we are only in the room to change clothes and sleep. When we leave, we are at shows in the water or sunbathing while the kids are at their clubs/nursery. We like the interior rooms for the price and they get really dark for an afternoon nap for the kids.

 

[EastCoastCdn]

We're going on our first cruise next year on the Fantasy. I have WDW figured out, but being new to cruising we used Dreams Unlimited. Bonus was the onboard credit they provide. So far, they have provided fantastic service.
We prefer early dining as it fits how we normally eat.
We're going with a verandah as it will provide a place for one or two people to be while the others are getting ready so we don't feel too cramped.

 

[Ajojo]

1. If you are used to doing everything yourself, then I would skip the TA. I love planning our trips and tried using a TA several times. One time was just horrible as she never got back with us on the flights and rooms which caused us to be placed in a more expensive room and our flights went up in price.
2. We prefer early dining because you have time after your meal to still do stuff and walk around. After the late dining, we just go to bed.
3. I have learned that you can't do it all and to just chill. You are supposed to be on vacation so try not to stress.
4. For me, any type of cabin is great. My mom, however, is so spoiled that she totally pouted this weekend and made a face when I suggested anything other than a verandah to save some money on the Star Wars cruise.

 

[ForMyBoys]

I would do early dining. We did early dining first cruise (LOVED IT!), late dining second cruise (HATED IT!). We are a family that loves to swim and at least on the fantasy they closed the main pool during early dining and then it reopened during late dining and closed early (like 10ish). So with late dining we never got in any evening swims. It was a huge bummer for us and we won't be doing late dining again if we can avoid it.

 

[SillyInventor]

You only must do's:
1. Bring your valid(!) id: minimal Birth certificate + photo-id, but preferably passport; you will not be allowed to sail without it. All other paperwork can be printed at check in, but it's easier and a little faster to bring it pre-signed.
2. Allow lots of time before your cruise. preferably fly in the night before and be on the Ship hours before "all aboard" to avoid any stress.
3. Attend the muster drill (it's the only mandatory thing on the cruise)
4. RELAX and enjoy whatever happens during your cruise. This way you will alway have a great sailing.

 

[chartle]

Subbing because at some point I would like to take a cruise with my wife.

The only things I know about cruising I learned from Capt. Stubbing, Jill and Gopher.

 

[2-pointdoe]

1. We are going on our 2nd cruise. The 1st I booked on my own. This time I used a TA and got $350 on board credit (cruise cost is the same).

2. We have 2nd seating dining for our up and coming one. mostly because we are from the west coast leaving from the east coast and that would have made dinner time seem like 2:45 to us.

3. On our first cruise, I had no idea how expensive gratuities were.

4. We booked a verandah this cruise because it will be 14 days and we are going through the panama canal.

 

[MarleneP]

We are ready to trying cruising for the 1st time. We are looking at an April 23rd 2016 Eastern Caribbean on the Fantasy. I have tried to do some research but I'm feeling really overwhelmed. Can anyone offer tips for our family? We are a family of 4 with 2 girls who will be 6 (the day before our cruise) and 8. Some questions I have?
1. Should we use a travel agent? I am use to planning WDW trips myself.
2. Would you recommend early or late dining and why?
3. If there was one thing that you would recommend to a newbie what would it be? (Tip, excursion, something you wish you knew before you cruised)
4. Inside Cabin or Verandah? I can't decide if we will enjoy it enough to justify the cost.
TIA!

1. I have always booked my Disney vacations myself and never had any problems. I also booked 2 Disney Cruises and everything went fine. I recently posted a question on here about the pros and cons of a TA. After reading and considering all the input I decided to keep making my plans without the help of a TA. I think if you are good with research and the computer you will be fine doing it yourself.
2. First 2 cruises we did late dining but our next cruise (dec 2015) I requested early dining. I thought if I did late dining we would nap and relax after excursions but all my DH, DS (10 &14) wanted to do was eat. They would eat snacks, room service and quick service and not be hungry when it came time to eat in MDR. Then after eating my DH was to tired to go to the adult entertainment shows. I feel like the early time is a bit earlier than I would like it but I am willing to try to see what works better for us and future cruises.
3. The one thing I recommend is the snorkeling and sand bar excursion on the Castaway Cay day. This is my all time favorite thing I ever did on a vacation.
4. I prefer verandah. The price of the inside cabin is appealing but seeing the early morning sun first thing when I wake up is the perfect way to start each day of vacation. It also helps in getting the 14 year old DS awake. I enjoy sitting out there as the rest of the family gets ready for the day or evening and the fresh air helps when sharing the cabin with 3 boys/men.

 

[ktate82]

1) If you have a costco membership, you can book through them and get quite a bit more back in the form of a costco gift card than other TAs will give you in onboard credit (turns out to be about 9% of the cruise cost minus the taxes and port fees, almost double what TAs give). If you aren't, it might be worth it to join. We live two hours from one and found that our membership has saved us so much in rental car discounts and credit from the cruises that it was worth it to pay $55 a year to join. If you don't like this option, then find one that gives the onboard credit. It also gives you someone directly to ask questions.

2) We love the late dining. Last year my kids were 8 and 9, and it worked perfectly for them. It gave us time when we came back on the ship for them to go to the kid's club (which they loved!) or swim or ride the AquaDuck for a bit before dinner (they were both almost empty during early dining time). We didn't feel rushed to get back on the ship and hurry to get ready for dinner. We never missed anything by doing this. If they got hungry before dinner, we would grab some chicken strips or pizza to split up on deck or room service for a snack. Also at the later dining, the kid's club will come gather kids who want to go to the clubs, so they don't have as long of a dinner to sit through. Our servers brought the kid's plates right away and by the time they were done, the counselors were there to take the kids. They loved not having to sit that long, and we loved having "family dinner" then "quiet dinner" all in one, lol. I would assume the dining room is calmer and quieter, but I have never done first seating either for the comparison.

3) The hardest thing for me to get over when comparing it to WDW vacation was the slower pace of everything. There is no rush rush rush to be places. At WDW, you need to plan an hour and a half to get to dinner.....on the ships, it's a 5 minute walk pretty well anywhere. We quickly learned if we came to dinner about 5 minutes after the official time, there was no line, and we were quickly seating at our table. Know that the midship elevators are the busiest and often it is worth the time to walk down to the forward or aft elevators when there is a crowd. Also, room service is AMAZING! I love that I can call and have food delivered (in my defense, I have spent all but the past two years of my life living where NO food was delivered so that may be my fascination with it). If you think (even a hint), you will want to cruise again in 2 years, book a cruise while onboard. The benefits are great (10% discount, $100 on board credit if 6 days or under, $200 credit if over 7 days along with only a 10% deposit for 7 days or more), and well worth it. If you decide later not to go, as long as it wasn't concierge that you booked, the deposit is refundable.

4) Our first cruise was an inside cabin and the last two with verandas (the next two in Oct are also verandas). Given that you have a cruise that has 3 sea days, I would vote for the veranda if you can afford it. If not, an inside room isn't that bad either (esp on the fantasy with the magic porthole rooms). That would be a personal (and budget) choice. Our kids did enjoy sitting out there as much as we did though and having some quiet time.

No matter what you decide to do, you will have a great time. There is so much to stress over and over plan, but after the first one, you will realize it is so relaxing.

 

[Lizzards]

You will have a great time! My family just took our first cruise on the Fantasy in June. She is a beautiful ship and we had a marvelous time. Being on the ship with our children was really stress free. My kids are 5 and 7. Early dining worked really well for us, even coming from the west coast. Kids adjusted to time change fast. My advice is go with what works well for your family for eating. Don't miss the Aquaduck!!!! We had a great time riding that with the kids. My children loved the evening shows and never wanted to miss but others aren't show people. So go with what you know about your family. If your children enjoy the parades and shows at the park then see the ones on the ship. The one thing I wish I knew before leaving.....how fast 7 nights would go by!!!!!!! Savor every moment and take lots of photos. We love to look at each picture and relive what we were doing in that moment.

 

[tltay2005]

Seems like most have answered your questions, so I will just put in my 2 cents on the cabins. Split the difference and get a Family Ocean View. The giant port hole is amazing. You get a great view and with small kids, they can look out without you having to worry about them. There is a seat inside the bottom of the window so you can sit and look out.

 

[Kay2397]

Thanks everyone! Great tips. I am definitely use to planning out my days when we are at WDW so I will certainly keep in mind that a cruise is more relaxed...that part of the reason why we are making the choice to cruise. I do thing the earlier dining seating is the right choice for us and I think we might splurge on a Verrandah.