Now What?

[connie1042]

We are booked on the Western Fantasy Cruise leaving Nov. 11. I have been watching videos, reading the boards, picking out things to do, and have transportation all figured out. Now what. My daughter booked this cruise. I am the major Disney planner. She did it as a surprise for me. We are not getting any OBC. There are 7 of us in our party, 2 rooms, and then 2 more rooms with other relatives. We know what we want to book on the ship, like Character meet and greets, ginger bread house making, princess meet and greets, kids clubs, Character Breakfast and Anna and Elsa. I think we do that at 75 days out. Do we do it or the TA. How do we know our dinning rotation? I feel like I am at a stand still, and have no control. We have rooms 2524/2526. Can someone please tell me where to go from here. Thanks.

 

[sharonabe]

We are booked on the Western Fantasy Cruise leaving Nov. 11. I have been watching videos, reading the boards, picking out things to do, and have transportation all figured out. Now what. My daughter booked this cruise. I am the major Disney planner. She did it as a surprise for me. We are not getting any OBC. There are 7 of us in our party, 2 rooms, and then 2 more rooms with other relatives. We know what we want to book on the ship, like Character meet and greets, ginger bread house making, princess meet and greets, kids clubs, Character Breakfast and Anna and Elsa. I think we do that at 75 days out. Do we do it or the TA. How do we know our dinning rotation? I feel like I am at a stand still, and have no control. We have rooms 2524/2526. Can someone please tell me where to go from here. Thanks.

You wait. I was just like you when we booked our cruise; certainly there was some planning to do!! But there really isn't. You WILL need to do your own online check in at the 75 day mark. Your TA does not do that. That is when you'll also book your excursions and the princess meet/greets, etc. As for dining rotation, I don't think we knew ours until we arrived at the port, but there may be a way to find that out.

You might want to find your cruise meet on the cruise meet forum. They mostly organize Fish Extenders, but you might find a good one. If you don't know what Fish Extenders are, you might want to google that and see if it is something you want to participate in.

 

[Shanti]

We are booked on the Western Fantasy Cruise leaving Nov. 11. I have been watching videos, reading the boards, picking out things to do, and have transportation all figured out. Now what. My daughter booked this cruise. I am the major Disney planner. She did it as a surprise for me. We are not getting any OBC. There are 7 of us in our party, 2 rooms, and then 2 more rooms with other relatives. We know what we want to book on the ship, like Character meet and greets, ginger bread house making, princess meet and greets, kids clubs, Character Breakfast and Anna and Elsa. I think we do that at 75 days out. Do we do it or the TA. How do we know our dinning rotation? I feel like I am at a stand still, and have no control. We have rooms 2524/2526. Can someone please tell me where to go from here. Thanks.

One of the joys of cruising is that it typically requires less planning than other types of trips (especially compared to a WDW trip). You'll find out your dining rotation on embarkation day, and can book character meets & excursions online when your online check-in date arrives. You'll want to get gingerbread house tickets from the Port Adventures desk as soon as you board the ship (because supply is limited)- they aren't currently bookable in advance. Read up on the ports to decide what you want to do at each. That is the main thing to focus on now. You can make magnet decorations for your stateroom door if you like, or buy some on Etsy. You can also sign up for a fish extender exchange group on the Dis cruise meets board or on Facebook.

 

[Ravenne]

Yep, you pretty much sit around, tapping your fingers impatiently, and wait until your online check in date. There's not a whole lot to do in the mean time. You could research travel insurance policies and options and look into buying.

 

[Sytrace]

We are booked on the Western Fantasy Cruise leaving Nov. 11. I have been watching videos, reading the boards, picking out things to do, and have transportation all figured out. Now what. My daughter booked this cruise. I am the major Disney planner. She did it as a surprise for me. We are not getting any OBC. There are 7 of us in our party, 2 rooms, and then 2 more rooms with other relatives. We know what we want to book on the ship, like Character meet and greets, ginger bread house making, princess meet and greets, kids clubs, Character Breakfast and Anna and Elsa. I think we do that at 75 days out. Do we do it or the TA. How do we know our dinning rotation? I feel like I am at a stand still, and have no control. We have rooms 2524/2526. Can someone please tell me where to go from here. Thanks.

Hurry up and wait at this point.
Your TA can do the following for you IF you would like her to :
She can start your online check in for you, set up your onboard acct and choose your Port Arrival time.
She CANNOT, set up any children in the kids clubs online registration, approve your cruise contract or accept and print your Port arrival form. Those all need to be done by the guest on the reservation.

She can set up your port excursions after consulting with you about your interests and things you might want to do and see, she can reserve adult dining experiences, reserve princess meet and greet tickets, Disney JR, breakfast, and Anna/Elsa meet and greets.

ETA: Gingerbread house creating is something you sign up for onboard...not a prebook item.

 

[Bear3412]

Well, I can at least assure you you will not have connecting cabins with the "other relatives", as I trust your "family" has these two connecting cat 9c's on the Fantasy.

Both 2524 and 2526 sleep 4 max each. So each has a ceiling pull down bunk too.
Queen for 2 pax, couch for 1 pax, ceiling bunk for 1 pax. Total 4 pax max per cabin.
My 2 cents verifying room configuration.
Courtesy of this amazing thread; https://www.disboards.com/threads/d...pdated-list-of-rooms-needed-1st-post.3194826/

Regarding sleeping configuration in connecting cabins; You all can sleep wherever within said pair.
Mattresses can be pulled from bunks and placed on floor if possible. Just sharing things can be moved, although you may not have much floor space for such events.

But it can be fun for toddlers.

Enjoy.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

And don't forget to download the Disney Cruise app if you have a smartphone. Set your cruise date, then check it impatiently every day and swear the countdown isn't moving.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

And don't forget to download the Disney Cruise app if you have a smartphone. Set your cruise date, then check it impatiently every day and swear the countdown isn't moving.

The App is only a countdown clock now, but once you get on-board it will have all of the Daily Navigators for the whole trip (telling you what activities happen where and when) and all of the menus, and most importantly for a group of your size, have a free messaging capability so you can communicate with other members of your extended group to meet up, etc.

Dining rotation will not be known until you board.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

The App is only a countdown clock now, but once you get on-board it will have all of the Daily Navigators for the whole trip (telling you what activities happen where and when) and all of the menus, and most importantly for a group of your size, have a free messaging capability so you can communicate with other members of your extended group to meet up, etc.

Dining rotation will not be known until you board.

I'm aware. I was just trying to be funny. Haha

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I'm aware. I was just trying to be funny. Haha

LOL. I know YOU know. Sorry. It is hard to post emotion properly on these message boards. I enjoyed your joke. Life moves fast, except when waiting for vacation! I was just adding on for the OP what they can expect from the App once they are on board. Knowing what to expect from it might give her more sense of control over her trip since it will provide a lot of information and the ability to contact the rest of her group for free.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

LOL. I know YOU know. Sorry. It is hard to post emotion properly on these message boards. I enjoyed your joke. Life moves fast, except when waiting for vacation! I was just adding on for the OP what they can expect from the App once they are on board. Knowing what to expect from it might give her more sense of control over her trip since it will provide a lot of information and the ability to contact the rest of her group for free.

Gotcha!

 

[jrabbit]

IMO - stressing over dinning rotation is the biggest waste of time when planning the cruise. You get on board, you are assigned a Dinning Room and Table EVERY Night. You show up at the appointed time, look over the menu and enjoy being waited upon.

It's not like the parks where everyone (guests) are in competition to snag the date / time / restaurant wanted for every breakfast lunch and dinner of the trip.

 

[connie1042]

I got the joke, because I already have the app. on my phone and look at it almost daily. My daughter and husband want to do the Palo brunch. Do most people book this oon a sea day. They plan on getting off the ship for a shore excursion at all the stops, so a sea day would be their only option, right?

IMO - stressing over dinning rotation is the biggest waste of time when planning the cruise. You get on board, you are assigned a Dinning Room and Table EVERY Night. You show up at the appointed time, look over the menu and enjoy being waited upon.

It's not like the parks where everyone (guests) are in competition to snag the date / time / restaurant wanted for every breakfast lunch and dinner of the trip.

I see you were in one hurricane. Was it Matthew?We were on Cocoa Beach for the week and had to leave 3 days early. Spent 3 days in an Orlando hotel playing cards. crazy stuff.

 

[jrabbit]

@connie1042 - was that just last year? I was watching it from the comfort of the internet in the Pacific North West. Cocoa Beach looked creepy after being evacuated!! One of those "movie Nuclear Bomb test towns" and the only "dummies" were the newscasters...

some people will find this funny - it was Hurricane Hillary. In the Pacific - we really were not "in" it, but we missed Cabo because there was not going to be any tendering with the high wind and high waves that we were experiencing because of it.

Later on in that cruise we stayed just south of Katrina as she was heading up into New Orleans - minimal impact from that mess as we were well south. On one of our first cruises we were on the leading edge of Floyd in the Bahamas. Was MUCH worse a few days after we disembarked.

 

[Weedy]

I got the joke, because I already have the app. on my phone and look at it almost daily. My daughter and husband want to do the Palo brunch. Do most people book this oon a sea day. They plan on getting off the ship for a shore excursion at all the stops, so a sea day would be their only option, right?

On most cruises Palo brunch is only available on Sea days.
If you can't get Palo reservations in advance Disney saves some Palo reservations to be booked the day you board.

 

[Sytrace]

Hurry up and wait at this point.
Your TA can do the following for you IF you would like her to :
She can start your online check in for you, set up your onboard acct and choose your Port Arrival time.
She CANNOT, set up any children in the kids clubs online registration, approve your cruise contract or accept and print your Port arrival form. Those all need to be done by the guest on the reservation.

She can set up your port excursions after consulting with you about your interests and things you might want to do and see, she can reserve adult dining experiences, reserve princess meet and greet tickets, Disney JR, breakfast, and Anna/Elsa meet and greets.

ETA: Gingerbread house creating is something you sign up for onboard...not a prebook item.

And don't forget to download the Disney Cruise app if you have a smartphone. Set your cruise date, then check it impatiently every day and swear the countdown isn't moving.

Oh my gosh, yes! lol

 

[connie1042]

@connie1042 - was that just last year? I was watching it from the comfort of the internet in the Pacific North West. Cocoa Beach looked creepy after being evacuated!! One of those "movie Nuclear Bomb test towns" and the only "dummies" were the newscasters...

some people will find this funny - it was Hurricane Hillary. In the Pacific - we really were not "in" it, but we missed Cabo because there was not going to be any tendering with the high wind and high waves that we were experiencing because of it.

Later on in that cruise we stayed just south of Katrina as she was heading up into New Orleans - minimal impact from that mess as we were well south. On one of our first cruises we were on the leading edge of Floyd in the Bahamas. Was MUCH worse a few days after we disembarked.

Yes it was Matthew. We were in a Condo right by the pier. We had to be out by 3. We were playing in the Ocean when they drove by and told us to pack up and leave.