Lisa Lisa
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2011
Embarkation day: This has been mentioned many times here, but make sure you pack swimsuits and a small tube of sunscreen in your carry-on bag! Last year on the Dream we received our luggage very quickly, so we didnt bother to do this. Big mistake. We didnt get our luggage until about 5:00 p.m. DD was dying to go swimming, so it was a huge bummer. Even after this experience I still wouldnt bother packing clothes for dinner, though.
Try to find potential friends for your kids before the cruise. Last year on the Dream, DD (who was 8 at the time and an only child) would not set foot in the kids club after we took her in on the first afternoon. This time, we reached out to a couple of people via our DIS board meet group. DD had a great time hanging out with another girl her age and went with her to the Lab on day 3 for a scheduled activity. She enjoyed it and ended up going back after dinner for the last 3 nights of the cruise. She also hung out with her all day at CC and had a blast!
Future Cruise Desk: I went on the first evening as soon as they opened for business, thinking that would be a quiet time. Unfortunately, a bunch of other people had the same idea. I ended up waiting for about 45 minutes, primarily because one desk didnt turn over for 30 minutes. The woman there must have had no clue what she wanted to book. I ended up going back to book a second cruise later in the week (Wednesday, I think). They were supposed to open at 4:00 and I was the first one there at 3:55. I was in and out in 5 minutes. Do not wait until the last evening of the cruse. I was told that for the previous cruise, the wait was 2 hours. If you are re-shopping a cruise you've already booked, take your confirmation e-mail with you. If you plan to designate a TA and their address and phone number are not on file from your current cruise, make sure you take that info with you. They will ask for an individual's name as well, but one is not required if you are using Costco. If you do not get a printed confirmation, ask for one.
Items for CMs to sign: On our first cruise we dropped off a pillowcase and photo mat, and we were happy with the way they turned out. This time we took a solid color 9" Mickey Vinylmation with Sharpies and included a bag of Hershey's miniatures. I'm not sure if the candy made a difference or if it was just luck of the draw, but we got about 30 signatures and the Vinylmation looks amazing!
Shutters: I had decided ahead of time that I wanted to buy 10 photos on CD, so I made a point to have plenty of pictures taken. On formal night, the line for photos on the staircase was crazy long, so we opted to have our photo taken next to Minnie instead because the line was much shorter. The photo turned out great and you can actually see the staircase in the background. Shutters is open on disembarkation day from 7:00-9:00 a.m. and we were advised to stop by closer to 8:00 to avoid crowds. We went right at 8:00 and there was no wait.
Coffee: As most know, the coffee on the ship is Nescafe. I have to have one good up per day, so I opted for espresso drinks (mostly cappuccinos) which you can get at the following locations: Cove Café (deck 11, forward), Vista Café (deck 4, midship) the coffee bar at the far aft of Cabanas, and the MDRs.
If you get the opportunity, go to Meridian (deck 12, aft) for a cocktail regardless of whether you have reservations at Palo or Remy. The setting at the top of the ship overlooking the ship's wake is gorgeous, and so is Daniel the bartender (although he rotates and is not always at Meridian).
Sunscreen: In retrospect I would not have brought so much from home (6 tubes/bottles). It is sold right next to the pool, and the prices were not as ridiculous as I had anticipated. I ended up buying a large spray bottle of Coppertone Kids, and it only cost a couple of dollars more than I would have paid at home.
Sorry for the novel, but I wanted to get the info out there while it's still fresh in my mind!
Try to find potential friends for your kids before the cruise. Last year on the Dream, DD (who was 8 at the time and an only child) would not set foot in the kids club after we took her in on the first afternoon. This time, we reached out to a couple of people via our DIS board meet group. DD had a great time hanging out with another girl her age and went with her to the Lab on day 3 for a scheduled activity. She enjoyed it and ended up going back after dinner for the last 3 nights of the cruise. She also hung out with her all day at CC and had a blast!
Future Cruise Desk: I went on the first evening as soon as they opened for business, thinking that would be a quiet time. Unfortunately, a bunch of other people had the same idea. I ended up waiting for about 45 minutes, primarily because one desk didnt turn over for 30 minutes. The woman there must have had no clue what she wanted to book. I ended up going back to book a second cruise later in the week (Wednesday, I think). They were supposed to open at 4:00 and I was the first one there at 3:55. I was in and out in 5 minutes. Do not wait until the last evening of the cruse. I was told that for the previous cruise, the wait was 2 hours. If you are re-shopping a cruise you've already booked, take your confirmation e-mail with you. If you plan to designate a TA and their address and phone number are not on file from your current cruise, make sure you take that info with you. They will ask for an individual's name as well, but one is not required if you are using Costco. If you do not get a printed confirmation, ask for one.
Items for CMs to sign: On our first cruise we dropped off a pillowcase and photo mat, and we were happy with the way they turned out. This time we took a solid color 9" Mickey Vinylmation with Sharpies and included a bag of Hershey's miniatures. I'm not sure if the candy made a difference or if it was just luck of the draw, but we got about 30 signatures and the Vinylmation looks amazing!
Shutters: I had decided ahead of time that I wanted to buy 10 photos on CD, so I made a point to have plenty of pictures taken. On formal night, the line for photos on the staircase was crazy long, so we opted to have our photo taken next to Minnie instead because the line was much shorter. The photo turned out great and you can actually see the staircase in the background. Shutters is open on disembarkation day from 7:00-9:00 a.m. and we were advised to stop by closer to 8:00 to avoid crowds. We went right at 8:00 and there was no wait.
Coffee: As most know, the coffee on the ship is Nescafe. I have to have one good up per day, so I opted for espresso drinks (mostly cappuccinos) which you can get at the following locations: Cove Café (deck 11, forward), Vista Café (deck 4, midship) the coffee bar at the far aft of Cabanas, and the MDRs.
If you get the opportunity, go to Meridian (deck 12, aft) for a cocktail regardless of whether you have reservations at Palo or Remy. The setting at the top of the ship overlooking the ship's wake is gorgeous, and so is Daniel the bartender (although he rotates and is not always at Meridian).
Sunscreen: In retrospect I would not have brought so much from home (6 tubes/bottles). It is sold right next to the pool, and the prices were not as ridiculous as I had anticipated. I ended up buying a large spray bottle of Coppertone Kids, and it only cost a couple of dollars more than I would have paid at home.
Sorry for the novel, but I wanted to get the info out there while it's still fresh in my mind!
I'll have to do more research...But again, I don't want to make myself crazy! 
I filled mine out at embarkation lunch in Cabanas and it was booked the next day. No lines 
