PCC 3.0 Lessons Learned....

OKW Lover

Retired and living 2 miles from The Castle.
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Joined
Apr 29, 2004
Now that we are all back to "reality" I thought it might be useful for future cruisers if we all shared some of our "lessons learned" on PCC 3.0. I know that there were lots of questions prior to the cruise, many from new cruisers, and that several of us tried to answer them. But I'll bet that many found some surprises.

Care to share those? :mic:
 
1. Don't overpack. We threw in a lot of "just in case" clothes that never got touched. Could've used that space for souvies or downsized our suitcase.

2. If I do another PCC, I'll make more of an effort to meet people. :wave2: DH is not a Dis-er so didn't feel comfortable going to some of the Dis events which left me to do them alone. I skipped some b/c I'm shy.

I'm sure I'll think of more........
 
Love this thread!

1. Do your research and visit the DCL boards. Just like you relied on the DIS for WDW/DL trip planning, it's the best way to prepare for a Disney cruise.

2. You can't pay with cash for anything on the cruise...including gratuities or at the bars.

3. Don't over pack. :rolleyes2
 
2. You can't pay with cash for anything on the cruise...including gratuities or at the bars.

I'll add that you also can't pay with Disney gift cards, room key only. So much for giving the kid one of those for spending money on the ship.

Herkemer
 


I'll add that you also can't pay with Disney gift cards, room key only. So much for giving the kid one of those for spending money on the ship.

Herkemer

I actually used Disney gift cards in the shops. I had no issue doing so.
 
We actually put credit on our room account with a Disney Gift Card.

And always get a copy of your stateroom bill (even before the end of the cruise) to make sure that all the credits are applied (and for any surprises that you were not expecting).
 
And always get a copy of your stateroom bill (even before the end of the cruise) to make sure that all the credits are applied (and for any surprises that you were not expecting).

Just as a FYI...

If anyone misplaced or forgot to get a copy of their bill (as in a roommate situation) on 3.0, you can still do so by calling Disney Cruise Line directly: (800) 951-3532.
 


We did leave a couple dollars as extra gratuities at the bars and the bartenders always happily accepted them. Of course, that was after the 15% auto-grat on the bill...
 
A lesson we had learned from prior cruises (and heard about on the podcast) was to have some dollar bills handy if you are planning on doing room service.

We ordered afternoon cheese and crackers on several days (so we could have some with our boxed wine on our veranda) and its easy to just give them a few dollars when they deliver, since there isn't any need to sign a check.
 
A lesson we had learned from prior cruises (and heard about on the podcast) was to have some dollar bills handy if you are planning on doing room service.

We ordered afternoon cheese and crackers on several days (so we could have some with our boxed wine on our veranda) and its easy to just give them a few dollars when they deliver, since there isn't any need to sign a check.

I was waiting for the wine to be mentioned.
 
Take an old hotel key with you so you can "keep the lights on"

At one point, we saw one of the Stateroom Hosts (in another section) using the corner of the Do Not Disturb sign to keep the lights on!
 
I tried that, but the stateroom attendant always took it out.

Ours didn't, but I think he felt bad after walking in on me in my skivvies.
wow3_i.gif
 
I wasn't on PCC 3.0, but I did this on PCC 2.0. Bring a flat-rate postage box (or 2) with the correct postage and mail extra stuff home without having to go to a post office. Just leave the box with the concierge at your hotel. The Dolphin has a business center that posts packages, but I don't know if they sell postage. If you're going straight to the airport, there's a little postal service area there, but I don't know if they have a drop box that's big enough for packages.

I used the document-sized medium box to send home my navigators and other flat paper items from the cruise, along with everything else I could cram into the box. I was even able to send home my souvenir coconut and pirate cups in it, as well as my pins, lanyard, books, etc.
 
We used our Costco card. We just pulled it up a bit when we were all leaving for a bit.
 
Thought of another one - actually from the wonderful gift basket we all received. The message board for the cabin door is very useful if sailing with others, or planning on splitting up for part of the day.
 

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