Please help a newbie cruiser :)

[JessNewt]

Hello all!!

Man, planning a Disney cruise is OVERWHELMING for someone who has never cruised! It's like a whole different language!

Ok, I'm looking WAY out (2 years, actually) at March of 2018. I realize dates aren't available yet, but it seems like they come available 1.5 years ahead of time? Sometimes?

This cruise will be my husband, two young kidos (3 and 5 currently), my mother and myself. My mother will get her own stateroom and is prior military (so hopefully she will be able to get a discount for her room).

We are looking to depart from Port Canaveral.

1. For the first family cruise, would 3 or 4 nights be better? I see the 3 night has a stop every day, so I'm worried it will be to go..go....gooooo.
2. What room should I look in to?? I'm a fan of concierge, but is it worth it for such a short trip?
3. Would you suggest the use of a travel agent?

I've been digging around the internet trying to get a better understanding of the cruising world, but it's hard for me to wrap my head around the structure. Hoping if I start small now, by the time my dates are available I will have my game face on!!

 

[pontikes67]

Use a TA - I know Teresa Echols, Kathy Werling, Tracey Heinrichs, all with Dreams Unlimited are very knowledgeable. Biggest advantage...they give you on board credits and can help you navigate your first cruise!
Make initial contact with an agent and then wait for release dates which would probably be next fall.
Concierge, not worth it for a short trip.
Military discounts likely come when they are trying to fill a ship, so you won't likely see those discounts at first available booking.
4 night - 3 night is too short.
Disney Dream is great ship, but large...lots of people! FYI.

These are of course my OPINIONS

 

[Justacruiser]

Recommend a 7-Day cruise. At the very least a 4-day, a 3-day is really just 2.5 days.

A main advantage for the longer cruise is that on the short cruises, everyone is in a hurry to do everything and they run around the ship like their is no tomorrow. But actually there's not too many tomorrows on a 3 or 4 day cruise. Only precaution I would take is making sure you have something for seasick if you think someone could get sick. They do have stuff on board if you need.

I haven't used a travel agent before, but would recommend Dreams Unlimited if you need one. Be mindful that you don't need to plan every moment on a cruise, the moment plan you.......

This is a great sight to gain a lot of insight.

As far is the Military Discount, they are not offered much, especially in peak season. And, she must be Active or Retired Military with a valid ID card.

Any other questions, ask away.

 

[JessNewt]

Thank you so much for the advice! I was also looking at a 7 day cruise out of Galveston. We wouldn't be able to visit WDW, but since we are located in Oklahoma, it may be a more affordable option. Have you cruised from that port before? Good? Meh?

My biggest concern with a 7 day is, what if we quickly find out we aren't "cruisers"? We aren't used to being around a lot of people for long periods of time. Are there places on the ship we can retire (besides our room) and relax without chatting?

Also, for a 7 day cruise, would concierge be the way to go?

 

[Gus Orozco]

We are porting out of Galveston and this is a our first cruise in Jan 2017. we have a 6 and 7 year old by the time they cruise. We are nervous but we figure kids will be so occupied that they will forget they are on a ship.. I say to get best bang for your buck.. do the 7 day cruise as first timers...

 

[GoofyNewfie]

I`ll second (or third) that longer is better. We started with a 3 night but it`s so fast. A 4 is quite a bit better. 14s are awesome. I`m about to try my first 7.

The Disney ships have so many different things to do that you can have the experience you`re interested in. There are quite places, loud places, busy places, etc. My family has pretty different opinions on what a vacation is, but we all love cruising. Our kiddo loves loves loves the kids clubs. Had to take him on one last cruise (next week) before he ages out in December.

 

[GoofyNewfie]

Oops, meant to add that we`ve cruised out of Galveston (but not into Galveston). I thought it was a great place. I`d add a couple days in advance (or after) to explore.

 

[pontikes67]

Galveston is not a pretty 'port', but once you're on the Wonder (typically what goes out of Galveston) it doesn't matter! It's cheaper than flying (from OKC, but 8 hours driving?).

I agree about 7 night, but also know a 4 night is not a bad idea if you think you won't like cruising...BUT, I'm all for a 7 night and longer.

My kids first cruise was at 7 and 9...lets just say we cruised 2 more times in that year and have another on the books.

They will love it.

 

[bwvBound]

Our very first cruise was a Disney 4-night out of Cape Canaveral in Sept 1998. The Magic was only ~6 weeks into operations, a baby! We booked it through Costco as a "7 night land/sea" package (3 night at BWV; 4 nights on the ship). It was PERFECT.

We've gone on to do much longer cruises (generally) and a few short ones including a long weekend (3n) on the DCL Dream last month. That 4-night starter, almost 18 years ago, was the perfect way to "test the waters" and to determine if we were cruising folks or not. I'd recommend the 4 night vs 3 night or 7 night for that first taste.

 

[JessNewt]

So much good advice! Anyone know if there are usually more travel dates for Galveston departure? Right now I see Nov-Jan. Think there is a reason spring isn't available?

 

[pontikes67]

they typically only go out of Galveston in holiday time and when they reposition the ship to one of the other ports.

 

[Quellman]

Hello all!!

This cruise will be my husband, two young kidos (3 and 5 currently), my mother and myself. My mother will get her own stateroom and is prior military (so hopefully she will be able to get a discount for her room).

We are looking to depart from Port Canaveral.

1. For the first family cruise, would 3 or 4 nights be better? I see the 3 night has a stop every day, so I'm worried it will be to go..go....gooooo.
2. What room should I look in to?? I'm a fan of concierge, but is it worth it for such a short trip?
3. Would you suggest the use of a travel agent?

Always go as long as you can. I recently did a 3 Day Back to Back with a 4 day. The 4 day is completely worth it. I'm not qualified to discuss concierge. But you can get bigger rooms to fit your whole family in if you need to save some money that way if that is a concern. Concierge will give you benefits that you would not normally receive as a first time cruiser. I'll let others discuss what that is.

You sound like a great candidate for getting a Travel agent who can help you with all your questions. There are many out there who will be no cost to you. Just seek some recommendations either from here or you may have some friends on facebook who have one.

Recommend a 7-Day cruise. At the very least a 4-day, a 3-day is really just 2.5 days.

As far is the Military Discount, they are not offered much, especially in peak season. And, she must be Active or Retired Military with a valid ID card.

Agree that while there is not a standard Military Rate where you can get a % or cash off, they do offer an MTO rate where they attempt to fill a slow sailing ship with reduced offers to military. This is never a guarantee for any specific sailing and is often within 90 days of cruising.

 

[TestingH2O]

If you are worried about quiet spots, concierge may or may not help. Right now, it's the only ship without a concierge lounge. That may change after dry dock this year.

That being said, the adult areas are generally pretty quiet and under utilized if you want to get away from the crowds.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Do yourself a BIG favor and get the Passporter Guide to the DCL.

IT is packed with info that first time cruisers will find invaluable.

 

[cheermom2four]

1. For the first family cruise, would 3 or 4 nights be better? I see the 3 night has a stop every day, so I'm worried it will be to go..go....gooooo.
2. What room should I look in to?? I'm a fan of concierge, but is it worth it for such a short trip?
3. Would you suggest the use of a travel agent?

DH and I just did our very first cruise last month and it was only 3 nights. I wished it had been longer even though I had a touch of nausea from the motion. I would go 4 or more nights IMO. I cant answer in regards to concierge as its out of our price range and we want to do more Disney cruises so we cruise verandah As for the TA thats a choice also. Mine didnt give us any OBB credit or anything and personally, if I book on board, I will try to not use anyone since I did all the research myself anyways. Either that or go with TAs that are referred (by people here) or just do it myself but book a slot while on board.

Just have fun researching and reading all the posts here as this place was so very helpful the year leading up to our first cruise. Now I feel like I can actually enjoy the longer one in Sept with the kids.

 

[Sarah O.]

Hey! We just completed our first cruise last week, and our only wish is that we would have had a day at sea. We did a 3 night from Port Canaveral and were in Nassau and Castaway Cay on our full days. If you have time - definitely go for a 4 or 5 night.

We had a verandah room and loved it, but it certainly wasn't a "must". We were going for the warm weather and wanted to be able to experience that as much as possible. We were only in there as much as we were since we had young kiddos who napped and went to bed "early".

Definitely use a TA that offers onboard credit (I did use Dreams Unlimited and it was great (they sponsor this site)).

 

[kmix78]

Hello all!!

Man, planning a Disney cruise is OVERWHELMING for someone who has never cruised! It's like a whole different language!

Ok, I'm looking WAY out (2 years, actually) at March of 2018. I realize dates aren't available yet, but it seems like they come available 1.5 years ahead of time? Sometimes?

This cruise will be my husband, two young kidos (3 and 5 currently), my mother and myself. My mother will get her own stateroom and is prior military (so hopefully she will be able to get a discount for her room).

We are looking to depart from Port Canaveral.

1. For the first family cruise, would 3 or 4 nights be better? I see the 3 night has a stop every day, so I'm worried it will be to go..go....gooooo.
2. What room should I look in to?? I'm a fan of concierge, but is it worth it for such a short trip?
3. Would you suggest the use of a travel agent?

I've been digging around the internet trying to get a better understanding of the cruising world, but it's hard for me to wrap my head around the structure. Hoping if I start small now, by the time my dates are available I will have my game face on!!

Our first cruise was 7 days- and I'm so glad we did it that way. Good luck whatever you choose!

 

[scarlet86]

The sea day is so much fun, I would do the 4 night instead of the 3. We have used Costco as our TA and love them. If you are on the original ships I would be aware that an inside room may make it harder for you to wake up. I find the natural sunlight a huge help in getting out of bed. So for me just having a window is all I really need on that short of a cruise.