Sailing 9/21/02, firstimers!

[poohntigger]

Hi all! I am new to the boards and very excited. My husband and I, along with his parents are sailing for the first time on the Magic 9/21/02, Eastern. We have never been on a cruise before and will welcome any tips if you can share! We are all very, very excited and only have about a month to go. My husband has been reading everything he can. We are both huge Disney fans. We were engaged at WDW in 99 and have been the past 2 Thanksgivings. He is already planning our trip for next year. I look forward to talking with all of you.

 

[pennyb]

Hi poohntigger!

I am also from Georgia and cruising on 9/21 with my husband, son-6, and my husband's family. We cruised last September on the Wonder for 4 nights and we are hooked! You will love it. I am new to these boards also, but I found the Magical Disney Cruise Guide invaluable last year. It gives opinionated advice on everything. You can download it - it is like 62 pages, but well worth it. I highly recommend it. I am not sure of the address, but just type in Magical Disney Cruise Guide and it will pop up. You can't go wrong with it. You will want to carry it onboard with you. Also, Barb's and Dave's websites are full of great info. I recommend reading Barb's trip reports - highly informative. Also, I recommend the surial bath and the rainforest room at the spa. The hydotherapy bath is relaxing, too. I look forward to seeing you on the ship. By the way, what part of GA are you from?
Penny

 

[alexandrew]

shortly after, embarkation, make it a point to reserve a table at Palo's. It is truly a special experience

Also, the rainforest room at the Vista Spa is incredible!!

Bring enough film so you have enough for the entire cruise, as film prices on board are steep. If you have a 35mm camera, I recommend 200 speed film, which is good all purpose indoors and out with flash

bring $30 in singles for room service and Castaway Cay, where we buy postcards and postage to mail to ourselves at home and to our family

Buy one of those hanging toiletry bags to save counter space in the bathroom.

we always bring a small rolling suitcase with a 12 pack of ginger ale and Diet coke to put in fridge in case we get thirsty at night or when changing for dinner.

I hope this helps!!!

 

[Deb in IA]

We just got back from the Eastern cruise last week, and would be happy to answer any questions you may have.

In addition to the tips above, if you are going to be doing any snorkeling, buy an underwater disposable camera from home (Target, Wal-Mart, K-Mart). Much cheaper at home.

Also, (this is very important), bring a small aerosol can of Lysol. The bathrooms have no ventilation, and, well, shall we say the odors can really linger . . .

 

[Just Chip No Dale]

Poohntigger:
We live in Marietta and we're sailing on the 21st, too! This will be our second Disney Cruise ( we were on the Wonder at Christmas).

I can't think of much else to add as far as hints ( everyone else said what would have! ). I do agree about bringing your own drinks ( we brought beer and cokes ) to keep in the room. But one thing I learned on the ship: the little fridges in the room will KEEP things cold, not MAKE them cold. So we brought along a soft cooler and iced down the drinks for a few hours when we got on board. Then we put them in the fridge. You can take the cooler along with you to the ports of call. You can save alot of money on lunch if you order some sandwiches from room service and take them in your cooler when you leave the ship at the ports.

Penny:
We'll have to get our 6 year olds together!

Chip

 

[poohntigger]

Thanks for all the information and tips.

Penny: We live about 45 miles west of Atlanta.

Everyday we get more and more excited. I look forward to seeing all of you on the ship.