Planning a first time Disney cruise.

[MrsBergs]

I'm planning a first time Disney cruise for 2018. I'm completely lost.. lol! There is 3 of us. I'm looking at a 7 day either eastern or western leaving out of Port Canaveral.

How does the decks run?

Is there a difference between the front or back of the ship?

Any recommendations on the eastern vs western?

Thank you

 

[sefowler1]

The back of the ship is more noisy, especially in early morning, when the rudders are turned on to position the ship at port. I would go for mid or forward rooms.

Everyone has different opinions of the itineraries, but we liked the Western more.

 

[Laurie907]

I like both itineraries. My favorite deck is 9 on Fantasy & Dream. We like to be mid ship, quick 2 floors to pool/buffet.
Elevators at mid ship can get crowded often after dinner & show time. Forward & Mid rooms book first unless you aren't looking for Deluxe Family Verandah. We personally love the extra 50 sq ft in the Deluxe Family although I haven't been in the smaller room.
I've never booked floor 10 because I'm afraid of noise from deck 11 (pool deck, etc).

We've done Western on Disney once before and loved it but we've been on Eastern many times with Disney & Princess. It's nice too. We just get bored on those 2 days at sea right away. Wish they'd do Castaway first.
You won't enjoy Jamaica unless you book an excursion, the port doesn't show you anything, just an enclosed area with shops & food. The 'real' Jamaica is away from the port.
Either itinerary you will have a blast, I'm excited for you!

 

[lbus42]

Generally there is more ship movement fore and aft, also higher decks will have more movement. The quietest decks are 7, 8, & 9. 6 is pretty quiet except over the theatre.

Lower decks are closer to the dining rooms, kids clubs, and lounges. Upper decks are closer to the pools, aquaduck, fast food, drink stations, and Cabanas (buffet).

Enjoy the cruise. Any choice is a good one.

 

[WeLoveDisneyAlways]

We stayed in 10590 on the dream and yes Laurie it was noisy, 6am every morning you could hear them dragging the deck chairs into position it was horrible next cruise stayed on 9 and it was perfect.

I do recommend you book on the 500 (starboard) side of the ship you will get the ocean view at castaway cay.

 

[reimero]

The breakdown on Eastern vs. Western...
Eastern gives you 2 stops in the Virgin Islands, 1 stop at Castaway Cay and 3 sea days.
Western gives you stops in Cozumel (Mexico), Grand Cayman, Jamaica and Castaway Cay, and 2 sea days.

Some people like more days at sea, other people like more time on shore. There's lots to do either way.

One minor note: if you're an avid shopper, if the ship stops in St. Thomas/St. John or in San Juan, Puerto Rico, your duty-free allowance is significantly greater than if it does not (I think it's $1600 per person rather than $800, but definitely double-check on that.) So, on Western Caribbean cruises, your allowance will be $800 per person, whereas on Eastern, it will be $1600. There is also an increased duty-free allowance for alcohol (4L/adult rather than 1L/adult).

 

[MrsBergs]

Thank you for all your responses, we are probably going to do the western cruise. Is there any recommendations on excursions for a 6.5 year old girl. Do you book through the cruise or a private company on the island.
Thank you again

 

[reimero]

Do you book through the cruise or a private company on the island.
Thank you again

That's a discussion in and of itself. Booking through DCL will usually be a bit more expensive than booking on your own, however, when you book through DCL and there's a delay, the ship will not leave till you're back. If you book your own or just go off on your own, if you're not back by All Aboard, the ship very well may leave without you. When we stopped at Cozumel, our departure was delayed by nearly an hour because of of the DCL-sponsored shore excursions had not returned in time. They would not have waited for a non-DCL tour.
Additionally, some of the tour companies who have contracts with the cruise lines will not allow you to book privately if they've contracted with the cruise line, but some will.

I'll also say this: I've had amazing times on DCL excursions. I've had amazing times on privately-arranged excursions. And I've had amazing times going off and doing our own thing. There are no "wrong" answers, but if you go off on your own, bring a good watch and keep it synced to ship's time.

 

[ElizabethG]

That's a discussion in and of itself. Booking through DCL will usually be a bit more expensive than booking on your own, however, when you book through DCL and there's a delay, the ship will not leave till you're back. If you book your own or just go off on your own, if you're not back by All Aboard, the ship very well may leave without you. When we stopped at Cozumel, our departure was delayed by nearly an hour because of of the DCL-sponsored shore excursions had not returned in time. They would not have waited for a non-DCL tour.
Additionally, some of the tour companies who have contracts with the cruise lines will not allow you to book privately if they've contracted with the cruise line, but some will.

I'll also say this: I've had amazing times on DCL excursions. I've had amazing times on privately-arranged excursions. And I've had amazing times going off and doing our own thing. There are no "wrong" answers, but if you go off on your own, bring a good watch and keep it synced to ship's time.

I figured I would just jump on this thread and ask my question (since it has sort of come up). I will also be taking my first cruise in 2018. So excited! I have a question about excursions. I have been looking at the Disney cruise website and they list a bunch of excursions for each port. Will all of these be available for each cruise that stops there? Is it just a sampling? When do you get the official list of excursions and prices available for any given cruise? Just in general, how does the excursion booking work?

 

[jdb in AZ]

I figured I would just jump on this thread and ask my question (since it has sort of come up). I will also be taking my first cruise in 2018. So excited! I have a question about excursions. I have been looking at the Disney cruise website and they list a bunch of excursions for each port. Will all of these be available for each cruise that stops there? Is it just a sampling? When do you get the official list of excursions and prices available for any given cruise? Just in general, how does the excursion booking work?

The list is pretty accurate, tho some of the excursions are likely to be full before newbies are allowed to book at 75 days before your cruise. You'll go into your reservation and book there, and it will be billed to your stateroom account -- you don't have to pay when you first sign up. If the excursion is already full, keep checking back because people do change their minds. Or you can book privately.

 

[reimero]

Also worth noting is that you can change your mind and cancel a shore excursion booking, but you have to give at least 48 hours' notice.

 

[grady w]

Agreed with IBUS42 Deck six can be noisey from the movie theater, We stayed when Dinosaur was showing!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Also worth noting is that you can change your mind and cancel a shore excursion booking, but you have to give at least 48 hours' notice.

Actually, excursion bookings must be cancelled 3 days prior to start of cruise. Otherwise, you'll still get charged for it, unless DCL has a wait list onboard so they can "resell" the spots.