Ship of a Million Dreams: 7/22-7/26/07 COMPLETED! Includes post-trip epilogue!!!

[Jaime]

We are taking our first family cruise on the Wonder in Nov...the is 4 adults a 3,4,5 &6 year old. Your trip report is great...sound like so much fun...we love all your tips you are giving.

Anything you recommend not missing?

 

[WeatherbySwann]

We are taking our first family cruise on the Wonder in Nov...the is 4 adults a 3,4,5 &6 year old. Your trip report is great...sound like so much fun...we love all your tips you are giving.

Anything you recommend not missing?

Oooh, there is lots not to be missed . . .

• Definitely do not miss each of the shows. Your first night will not be a full-scale Disney show, but will be a comedian or magician or something like that. If there is a night to skip a show to spend doing something else, skip the first night, but only if you have to.
• The Sail-Away Party - happens the first day around 4:15 right after the safety drill. Since you have a large party, immediately after the drill, send some up to the room to put back life jackets, and the rest up to deck 10 to secure a table (unless you want to dance, of course!) We did this and were the first to arrive, and got our pick of tables.
• Anything going on in Studio Sea is usually a ball. There are lots of things looking back on the Navigators that I wish we would have gone to. During our 4-night cruise they had activites in there including Mickey Mania Game Show, DIsney Karaoke, Who Want to be a Mouseketeer, Spy Party, Family 70s Dance Party, Superstar Karaoke, Pirate Dance Party, Walk the Plank, and some other cool stuff. They are not to be missed! Our dining time interfered with us getting to do some of this. We had 5:30 seatings, and every night we would get out of dinner around 7:30. Stuff in Studio Sea would start around 7:30 or 7:45 and end 30-45 minutes later, meaning we would have to either miss the Studio Sea stuff or get a really bad seat for the show. There were also generally activities there around 9:45, as well, but we still missed some fun stuff 'cause of our dinner times.
• The best show is by far Disney Dreams on teh last day. If there is a matinee show, see that (it starts around 2pm), and then see it again that night! Hey, this may seem bizarre but we just couldn't get enough of that show! We even wish now that we had skipped dinner and gone to another showing! But more of that in part 8 of my TR . . .
• 'Til We Meet Again - it's something on the very last night around 10pm where ALL the characters (even ones from the shows) come out to say a final goodbye. There are hardly any lines (except for Mickey and Stitch). The characters stay out for about 25 minutes before officially saying goodbye in a really cool way, but I won't spoil the surprise for you. When they all gather at the end, be sure to be right up front where they are so you don't miss out. Also more on this in part 8 of my TR. (PS: I could kick myself for not meeting Mickey one last time and personally saying goodbye to him, because his line was so long. If you have a character you don't want to miss at 'Til We Meet Again, just ask a CM before the characters come out where a certain character will be, and they'll gladly tell you, and you'll be first in line.
• Before you leave home, buy some blank white pillowcases and drop them off at Guest Services on Deck 3. ON your last night when you return to your room, some special guests may have dropped by and signed your pillowcases.

Well, that's all my tips for now, stay tuned for Part 8 of my TR. Please feel free to ask any more questions you have.

 

[LITTLEKID58]

Tfs

 

[WeatherbySwann]

Sorry for the delay, everyone! Here's the 8th installment in my Disney Wonder TR!!!

Ship of a Million Dreams, Part 8: "Nobody move! I dropped me brain!"

So, we awaken on our last full day on the Disney Wonder, and, it looks as if Disney wants to make sure you don't miss your "good-bye" to your favorite friends, as characters are listed A LOT today on the Personal Navigator, beginning at 9am and lasting all the way through 10:30pm. Sooo . . . I know it is pretty tempting to meet characters all throughout your cruise, if you really want to save time, ALL of them are out on the last day (or at least on 4-night cruises, they are). And three times during the day, a bunch were out at the same time. And at these times when they're all out at the same time, since there are so many of them, there are literally no lines at all. But, of course, no one can possibly hold off on not seeing ANY characters until the last day I agree that you SHOULD wait 'till the last day for line purposes, but everyone obviously WON'T wait until the last day, including myself.

We decided to name today "Parrot Cay Day" because we would eventually end up eating at Parrot Cay for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yummy.

Anyway, we eat at Parrot Cay, and we're surprised with some characters that will be joining us this morning! We had always eaten right when the restaurants had opened, so I guess it was too early for the characters to arrive. Today we were eating around 9:30am, so Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto were all there in their tropical outfits walking around the restaurant! I don't know if they do this every morning, but if they did we didn't know about it - it was never posted in the Navigator. By now it was 10am and we had already missed 3 character greetings! There was a Princess Gathering at 9 in the lobby, then Cap'n Jack at 9:30 Deck 4 Midship, and also at 9:30 Mulan was strolling deck 4! See, on the last day they're out A LOT. We still weren't too late to meet Alice at 10am, but we decided to pass to go play in the pool for a while. We swim for about an hour, then dry off and head over to Preludes to see Lilo & Stitch - but the line was SUPER long, and there was an autograph session starting in the lobby in 10min, so we figured we would see more characters there if we arrived early, so we skipped Lilo & Stitch, we had already seen them anyway.

We head to the lobby and . . . here they come! Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Snow White, Mulan, Alice, Peter Pan, AND Wendy!!!!!!! WOW! What a find! We met them all, they were all great. I had recognized Peter Pan from somewhere . . . but where?!?! Gosh, I knew I know him . . . AHA!!! He was young Hercules in Herc the Musical!! I was so proud of myself for my discovery (again).

After the Autograph Session, I head on over to Treasure Ketch to get my Pirates Lithograph signed by the Wonder's Captain. I half-expected to show up and see Captain Mickey signing things, LOL, but it was Captain Henry, a real person and not a character like Cap'n Jack or anything. I almost opted not to go to the signing, but I'm glad I did, now the Pirates litho in a corner of my house, w/the rest of the things I'm waiting to get framed . . . Lion King Theatrical poster . . . WDW litho . . . Cars movie poster . . . oh well I'll get them framed one of these days.

By now it's 12:30 and I decide to drop off my autograph book, pins, and lithographs back in the room, and then head to Parrot Cay for lunch. The rest of the family opted to see Pirates III. I had already seen it multiple times, so I decided I could hold off 'till the DVD by now.

I saw the matinee performance of Disney Dreams. WOW! What a show! Originally I had planned on seeing the matinee just to free up time tonight for other stuff, but I loved the show so much I decided to see it again tonight when the rest of the family goes too!!! It was truly magical, the #1 highight of the entire trip. Peter Pan was the same one from the meet n greet that morning/young Herc from Herc the musical. I recognized Anne Marie as Wendy from that morning's meet n greet as well. And that guy that I had seen EVERYWHERE in Herc and Golden Mickeys? He was in this too, only this time he was Cinderella's prince. Also recognized one of the muses from Herc as the Blue Fairy, Cinderella, and Ariel.

Disney Dreams was truly fantastic, there are no other words to describe it. This may seem far-fetched, but I would even pay full price of the cruise just to see this show! Yes I may be weird but it was THAT good. If you're only planning on seeing one show, do Disney Dreams!!! I was totally not expecting Pumbaa and he was great - I'd never seen him anywhere in WDW before, so I was utterly bamboozled to see him on DCL! The special effects were really neat, the snow and bubbles and everything. We saw towards the front, but not too close - we were towards about the back of the front, if you know what I mean.

There was a woman behind us and every time the special effects would arrive and I would look around to see childrens' expressions of delight, I would always see her, just sitting there looking as if this was the most miserable place to be on the entire planet. I mean, she had this grouchy look on her face, and how could someone ever be grumpy when "snow" is falling from the ceiling and Belle and the Beast and dancing happily right in front of you?!?!? How could you be unhappy?!?!?! Oh, well. The show was at least magical for me I'd go as far to say that it was the #1 best Disney production I've ever seen in my entire life. Yup. It's that good. I of course swelled up at the finale, and the whole Tinker Belle thing was REALLY awesome. Also cried during Beauty and the Beast, as well as Hakuna Matata. The Circle of Life number was killer, it was very cool. The woman that was doing the lead singing nailed the part and had a great voice. Seriously what was she doing on a cruise ship?!? She should try out for the LK broadway show definitely. The dancers in Circle of LIfe (hey, is that Rona Rivers and Enson Benson?! ) were also great. Although the sound at this part was VERY loud. I mean really loud. Was the LK lady belted out that last note, although it was fantastic, was also VERY loud. But that was really the only flaw in the entire production.

Anyway, see Disney Dreams and you'll be very happy. It's the most magical I've ever felt during any Disney function, ever. It gives off that same feeling you get when you see Cinderella Castle for the first time.

It's 3:10 now and I'm late for Animation at Studio Sea!!! I wheel down our wheelchaired family member down to Wave Bands for Bingo, though, so that delays things about another 10 minutes. I pop in Studio Sea and everyone's well on their way, halfway finished drawing Mickey so I decide not to stay. Oh well maybe next time. Now it's 3:30 and I decide to pop in Buena Vista Theatre to see the end of Pirates. Most of the movies that I had popped in and out of during the cruise didn't have many people in them, so I expected to find the rest of the family in Pirates and watch the rest of the movie w/them. Woah! Boy was I wrong! It was packed! I got in right as Jack said "Nobody move! I dropped me brain!"

Deciding it was impossible to locate the family in this packed theatre, I checked the Navigator and decided to go up to Goofy Pool to watch the end of High School Musical. It really is a good movie, and I hadn't seen it in a while. I arrived just as "Breaking Free" was starting, and got to watch the rest of the movie. For some reason I swelled up during "We're All in This Together" - not because of the movie or anything, but it was just one of those surreal moments where classic Disney music is filling the air, out at open sea, and you realize you have only about 15 more hours to be on this ship, you just start to feel how magical this moment is. That was actually one of the highlights of the trip in my opinion, even though it really woudn't be that magical to anyone else.

Boy! That's too many magical moments for me for one afternoon! I decide to head back to the stateroom for the daily recuperation. Everyone arrives back from Pirates and Celebrate the Journey and we get ready for dinner. Our last dinner aboard the Disney Wonder. The very last dinner. Oh, boy now I'm just choked up writing about it.

Stay tuned for the 9th and final installment!

 

[wilma-bride]

I am absolutely loveing your trip report - it is making me so much more excited for our 1st ever Disney cruise in just 7 days time

Please, please can you post the last installment before Sunday as that is when we leave for the airport - thanks

 

[stenogoddess]

Great trip report Weatherby Swann! I've got 50 days left until my cruise and your trippie is really helping me wait out the time.

I wanted to get your opinion on something. I wanted to get a photo mat signed by the characters and was thinking of leaving it with guest services and then just picking it up, though I have heard some mixed reviews about that though I think usually it comes out great. Anyway, after reading your report I was thinking I might be able to get it signed by everyone on the last day when everyone is out. What are your thoughts on that?? Were the lines crazy, would it be too much trouble, is guest services really the way to go??? Just thought I would get an opinion from someone who can now call herself a Disney Cruiseline Vet!

 

[celerystalker]

I want to go on a Disney cruise so bad! Too bad I don't have the money!
I should just get over it since I just bought APs for WDW and can just go there for the next year.
Darnit.
Maybe next fall?

Btw, thanks for telling us all about your cruise!

 

[smeecanada]

Stay tuned for the 9th and final installment!

Oh, WeatherbySwann it sounds like so much fun. I can't wait - we leave on Saturday for WDW and cruise on the 26th. Could you pretty please post the final installment so I'm not hanging for 2 weeks.

 

[WeatherbySwann]

I am absolutely loveing your trip report - it is making me so much more excited for our 1st ever Disney cruise in just 7 days time

Please, please can you post the last installment before Sunday as that is when we leave for the airport - thanks

Thanks! Sure I'll even post the rest tonight! I've got nothin' else to do!

Great trip report Weatherby Swann! I've got 50 days left until my cruise and your trippie is really helping me wait out the time.

I wanted to get your opinion on something. I wanted to get a photo mat signed by the characters and was thinking of leaving it with guest services and then just picking it up, though I have heard some mixed reviews about that though I think usually it comes out great. Anyway, after reading your report I was thinking I might be able to get it signed by everyone on the last day when everyone is out. What are your thoughts on that?? Were the lines crazy, would it be too much trouble, is guest services really the way to go???

Hey! You spoiled my next tip! Just kidding. If you're going on a 3- or 4-night trip, it might just be better to bring it to the meet n greets. We dropped them off and the only options were Princesses or Mickey & Pals. We said 3 princesses, 3Mickey & Pals . . . they all came back Mickey & Pals. Oh well it was a surprise for the kids anyway so they didn't even care. But anyway . . . the pillowcases on the 3- and 4-night cruises are only signed by either Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, and Snow White, OR Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Chip and Dale. If you want some of the extra ones around the ship like Cap'n Jack , Lilo, Stitch, Peter Pan, or any others, you might just be better off to have them personally sign it when you meet them.

BUUUT . . . if you have kids and you want to make it a surprise for them (the look on their faces is priceless . . . just like on Christmas morning when they see what Santa brought them ), the best thing would be just to drop them off at Guest Services. If they already know about them, bring them to meet n greets.

If you do choose to get them all w/meet n greet sessions, be sure not to save ALL of them for the last day. For us only face characters were out all day. We didn't see Mickey & the gang our 'till 10pm when everyone comes out to say a final good-bye. Although magical, that is just crazy, there are two dozen characters out and lots of people, so don't plan on getting EVERYONE the last day. During the final goodbye thing we only had time to meet Minnie, Belle, Cinderella, Ariel, and Stitch. This sounds like a lot but there were 19 others we missed!

Also you don't need to stop by Guest Services again. They will deliver them to your stateroom. I was starting to get worried around 5pm on the last night when they still had not arrived, but Guest Services assured me they would arrive. Also I was worried that they wouldn't do them because I totally forgot about them on the first day. I stopped by on Nassau day, worried that it was too late, but rest assured they all came back fine.

I want to go on a Disney cruise so bad! Too bad I don't have the money!
I should just get over it since I just bought APs for WDW and can just go there for the next year.
Darnit.
Maybe next fall?

Btw, thanks for telling us all about your cruise!

Oooh . . . tough decision. Although we aren't APs for WDW, we do go almost every year and we would have never gone on the cruise if a relative hadn't forked over the money to go. It is just too expensive for a family of six. She said that she could have taken us all to WDW for 2 weeks w/the money she spent on the cruise. D'oh! Why didn't she tell me that BEFORE she booked the cruise?!

All joking aside, as a major Disney fan, it was very nice to experience something different that Disney has to offer for their guests. It is a tough decision about whether to visit WDW or DCL, but if you've been to WDW countless times and you've never tried a Disney Cruise, choose the cruise. However, if the choice is an entire year of APs to WDW or DCL . . . that's a different story! I'm not sure what I would choose . . . probably APs but still not sure.

Oh, WeatherbySwann it sounds like so much fun. I can't wait - we leave on Saturday for WDW and cruise on the 26th. Could you pretty please post the final installment so I'm not hanging for 2 weeks.

Don't worry! I will post the rest right after dinner! It's make-your-own-dinner night at our house . . . lean pockets and Eggo waffles, yummy.

 

[smeecanada]

Don't worry! I will post the rest right after dinner! It's make-your-own-dinner night at our house . . . lean pockets and Eggo waffles, yummy.

Great. We're heading out for dinner. SIL's birthday. Not much food in the house anyways due to heading WDW.

Question: Do you need supply a marker for the photo mat ? Picked my mat up today. The kids were asking all sorts of questions - what photo etc? but they don't have a clue. Going to be such a fun surprise.

 

[WeatherbySwann]

OK, so after a VERY magical day at sea aboard the Disney Wonder, it was time for our very last dinner We decided that since we hadn't met Chip and Dale yet, we would head to dinner a little early so we could stop by and meet the chipmunks in the lobby. Everyone else was busy packing their bags, but I had already packed so I went down to hold us a place in line . . . the character lines get long around dinnertime. I got down to the lobby and Chip and Dale wouldn't arrive for another 20 minutes, so I get in line to be one of the first there.

They come out . . . the rest of the family said they would meet me here at 5:15 . . . it's 5:25 . . . where are they?! So finally it's my turn but nobody's here to accompany me. I go ahead and meet the 'munks, they're great but I wish the rest of the family could have met them with me. About 5 minutes later the rest of the family comes down and they all get mad at me for already meeting them . . . what was I supposed to do? I waited 30 minutes for the family to arrive . . . they didn't show up . . . it was my turn in line, so I met them. I figured Pong and Ericson would lighten the family up, and they did. In no time they forgot they were mad at me.

We eat at Parrot Cay, Pong and Ericson are great, as always . . . they do a couple more magic tricks for us . . . and to be honest I don't remember what we did after that . . . looking back at the navigator, we SHOULD have said a final goodbye to Mickey at 7:30, but I honestly don't remember what we did. At 8pm we headed to WD Theatre to get good seats for Disney Dreams.

We got a little closer than I was for the matinee show . . . which ended up being actually bad seats! Sure, we were up close to the stage, but when most of the special effect enhanced the theatre, most of the family didn't notice them because we were so close up to the stage! I actually had to tell them to look up, they didn't notice the effects! Anyway . . . aside from that, the show was even better the second time. Same cast, same everything, it was absolutely perfect. Sooo . . . you should DEFINITELY not miss Disney Dreams, but don't get too close up. We were in about the 7th row the second time, and I'd say get just a few rows back, maybe the 10th row is the closest I'd be if you want to experience the show in full, which you will.

By the end of the show, it was about 9:40, so we had to head over to the lobby to scrounge a good spot to tape 'Till We Meet Again! 'Till We Meet Again isn't a full scale show like Golden Mickeys or Disney Dreams, nor is it a deck party either. It's really just a huge character greeting, w/about 2 dozen characters all around the lobby. Since there were so many characters everywhere, even the Cinderella line had no one in it - the longest lines were for Mickey and Stitch, so if you're planning on saying a final good-bye to either of them, ask a CM where they'll be and you can get in line before they arrive. (From this point on in the post, I'll refer 'Till We Meet Again as TWMA)

The characters arrive for TWMA.

Don't plan on meeting everyone at TWMA, though. They're only out for about 25 minutes, so only plan on seeing about 7 characters - that may sound like a lot, but there are lots more there, too! TWMA also has some characters from the shows that you don't get to meet anywhere else, like the Muses, Hades, Hermes, the LK dancers from Golden Mickeys, Enson Bensen from Golden Mickeys, Anne Marie from Disney Dreams, and some others. Characters that weren't at TWMA but were on the ship earlier included Chip, Dale, Alice, Daisy, Cap'n Jack, Mr. Smee, Lilo, Wendy, and Max.

We ended up seeing Minnie, Mulan, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Snow White, the LK dancers, and Stitch. Stitch was REALLY in character, which was great. "Biting" our camera and some other neat stuff.

So, now the meet n greet is done and it's time for the characters' special "good-bye". I don't want to spoil it, but . . . bring your tissues! It was truly magical, I totally wasn't expecting it. After their goodbye, Stitch and Pluto shook their backsides in the air. They were a great combo! Who'd of thought! Stitch and Pluto! Christiaan the cruise director called each characters' names out as they headed in. Then the only ones that were left were Mickey, Minnie, and Stitch. Stitch kept hanging on the Ariel statue outside Triton's which was funny. Then Stitch kept hiding to avoid Christiaan from calling him in for the night. After Christiaan finally cought Stitch, Stitch went up the stairs before shaking his booty in the air one last time. "I'm gonna tell Lilo!" Christiaan called back to him. Finally it was time for Minnie and Mickey to head on in . . . Knowing I wouldn't see them for about another two years, I got really sad . . .

We say goodbye to Christiaan, he sees us crying our eyes out because we have to go home . . . he said "Well, we know we've done our job well when guests can't bear to leave us." I had never thought of that, but he was correct. The CMs couldn't have done their job any better if guests actually bawl their eyes out when they leave Disney.

We head back to our room, where some special visitors had popped by! Yup, our pillowcases had arrived, signed by all the characters! It was a surprise for the kids and you can jut imagine the looks on their faces!

We wake up the next morning . . . outside our window is the ugliest view we've had the entire trip - Port Canaveral terminal! Gross! Ugh! What an ugly view!

We eat at Parrot Cay one last time and say goodbye to Pong and Ericson. I can honestly say I didn't expect to leave the ship so soon! We had the earliest breakfast seating possible, and I was at least expecting to look around for some more or at least meet a character or two. But right as we finished our meal, CMs guided the way to the atrium, where a very large sign was pinned across the wall: "See ya real soon!" It read. What?! We're leaving? Already? Oh, I didn't know we would leave so soon. We head across the gangway, tears in everyone's eyes . . . even the "tougher-than-tough" football player in the group Retrieving luggage took quicker than I expected . . . and before I knew it we were loading the car up and getting ready to hit the road. It all happened so fast . . .

The best advice I could ever give anybody on a Disney cruise (or any Disney vacation, for that matter, WDW, DL, DCL, or anywhere) is to just savor every moment, soak it all in, and don't rush. There's no need to be stressing out on vacation. Just take it slow, allow time to do everything you want to do, but don't hurry it along, just take one thing at a time.

We head in our car, with a new CD I had made just for the occassion . . . a cd of the saddest Disney music I could find. Yes, it may be cruel, but isn't it just fitting to drive away from the Disney Wonder, tears streaming down your face, to the tune of "When You Wish Upon a Star" and "Feed the Birds"? I think it is. And, "Feed the Birds" being his favorite song, I think Walt would, too . . .

 

[WeatherbySwann]

Great. We're heading out for dinner. SIL's birthday. Not much food in the house anyways due to heading WDW.

Question: Do you need supply a marker for the photo mat ? Picked my mat up today. The kids were asking all sorts of questions - what photo etc? but they don't have a clue. Going to be such a fun surprise.

You CAN supply markers if you want to, but you certainly don't HAVE to. If you don't supply markers, the characters will sign in a color that best "matches" them (examples: Chip & Dale brown, Minnie red, Goofy green, etc.) Have a WONDERFUL trip!

 

[smeecanada]

Thanks, WeatherbySwann! Awesome trip report. Can't wait til next week when we get to experience it first hand.

 

[celerystalker]

Awww! I'm sad you had to leave the ship too!

 

[BabyFavorite]

I LOVED your report. I sat here at work, reading it, getting all teary-eyed and then, other times, literally laughing outloud!

It was great!

 

[WeatherbySwann]

Thanks for all the support, guys . . . I'm thinking about writing a post-trip epilogue - would anybody be interested in reading one? I'll let you guys think about it and if you're hungry for more, I'll post an epilogue. While you're thinking about your answer, here's a compilation of all my tips from my entire TR, to summarize the do's and don't of DCL!

• During ANY Disney vacation, whether it be DCL or WDW, have a D.A. - a Disney Attitude. Think like the CMs do and be happy all the time!
• Let kids know before the vacation your expectations of them and rules that they may have to follow. These rules vary for every family, but usually they're along the lines of "Let an adult know where you are at all times", "Don't run off away from us", and stuff like that.
• Make sure your younger travelers (ages 0-4) know what to expect from the characters, especially if they haven't yet had a character encounter before. This goes for any WDW or DCL trip.
• Bring a highlighter to highlight activities in the Personal Navigator you may be interested in. Be sure to do this the night before, so you aren't rushed in the morning.
• Bring pillowcases for the characters to sign. Drop your pillowcase off at Guest Services the first chance you get. They will deliver them back to your room on the last night signed by all the characters. The options are "Princesses" or "Disney All Stars" (Mickey and Pals)
• Especially if you are a first time cruiser, make sure everyone knows ahead of time what to do during the emergency drill. Find the channel on your TV that shows what to do and watch the program sometime before the drill.
• First-time cruisers should take the ship tour around 2:30 on embarktion day. If you happen to not find the tour ( ), just take your own self-guided tour. It's important for at least one member of your party to be associated with where everything is, or else everyone will be lost and stressed out the entire trip.
• Every day around 3pm or 3:30, head back to your stateroom to recuperate and rest for a while. Often DCL has numorous activities scheduled late at night that are not to be missed, and you need some time during the day to just relax or take a nap.
• Arrive 5-10 minutes ahead of time for character appearances. Once the characters arrive, many people show up and the line tends to get long (not too long, but about 15 minutes long).
• Before you join a ship tour, make sure it's not a CM training session LOL
• For deck parties, arrive 20-30 minutes early to get your favorite spot. For the best videotaping opportunities, get a table on deck 10. If you want to dance and be part of the action, arrive early and get a spot right near the stage up front on deck 9.
• Allow plenty of time in your schedule to get from place to place on time, especially if you have a traveler with dissabilities or in a wheelchair. The ship is massive, and it can take 20 minutes to get from one end to the other, 30 if you're with a wheelchair traveler. Plan on leaving for dinner from your stateroom about 15 minutes before your reservation.
• Avoid deck 4 midship between 5pm and 8pm - it often gets very crowded and the area smells like body odor and gas CMs frequently "Febreeze" the area, but it still smells!
• Be at the Walt Disney Theatre 40 minutes before showtime. You'll be first in line outside the doors when they open 30 minutes before the performance starts. Get as close as you like during Herc and Golden Mickeys, but remember during Disney Dreams to sit a little further back (sort of in the back of the front) to experience all the special effects.
• Lines for the characters can get daunting, especially during dinnertime, when all the characters' lines in the lobby interfere w/guests trying to enter Triton's for dinner. If you like to meet a lot of characters, go to the first greeting of the day (around 8:30 or 9am, usually w/face characters) and the last greeting of the day (usually they have two late night ones, around 9:45 and then around 10pm, usually with Mickey & pals).
• Sometimes the Navigator isn't as specific as some Character Hunters may prefer, simply stating "Princesses" or "Characters" on the schedule. If you're not sure who is appearing at one time, either ask at Guest Services on deck 3, or check the tv screen in the atrium - it has an extensive list of who's where at what times. Or, you can call 7-PALS on your stateroom phone.
• Want to watch the ship pull into port, but want to avoid the crowds up on deck 10? There's a channel on your stateroom TV that shows live footage of deck 10 forward 24 hours a day.
• Check the Navigator daily for fun stuff happening in Studio Sea, the family nightclub on Deck 4. You can also check on the TV outside the theatre for a list and explaination of all the acitvities happening every day. On our cruise they had Karaoke, Mickey Mania game show, Walk the Plank pirate game show, a Spy Party, and some other fun activities.
• Searching for a quiet, cozy spot to read or just chill out? There are comfy lounge chairs on deck 4, as well as a very hidden spot on deck 7. (Although, be aware that your quietness may be interupted by ship announcements - if there's an shipwide announcement made by the cruise director over the intercom, it's VERY LOUD on deck 4 by those lounge chairs!!!)
• Bored? (This is VERY unlikely on a Disney cruise, but if you ever ARE bored,) go to the stairs and check out the concept drawing for classic Disney shorts. Then check out the neat photos outside the Buena Vista Theatre on Deck 5, the large vintage WDW photos in Shutter's on Deck 4, or hop on a midship elevator (the ones w/the window view) and have a nice view of every deck. Also check out the giant Little Mermaid painting on deck 6 midship. Not many people know of it and it is pretty cool. Also check out the neat paintings on the walls of the Route 66 area on deck 3. If you're still bored and want something ELSE to do ) ), there is a continuous loop of classic Disney movies on your stateroom TV.
• If you MUST sleep in, do it on Nassau day - guests aren't allowed off the ship until about 9:30 or 10am. Definitely get up around 6:30 Castaway Cay Day - guests can get off the ship at 8:30am, so be on the gangway at 8:20 and grab a great spot on the beach!
• The Shutter's photo shop is VERY crowded w/guests during dining hours. When eating at Animator's Palate, don't try to get throught the crowd - if you're trying to get to Deck 4 midship, just take the elevator or stairs near AP to deck 5 (deck 3 is crowded), walk to midship, then take the midship elevator or stairs to deck 4.
• Make sure to bring your camcorder to Animator's Palate, all deck parties, Celebrate the Journey (the kids' club graduation ceremony), and 'Till We Meet Again (the characters' final goodbye on the last night).
• Since you can't use cash on DCL, when the kids buy something, charge it to ONE stateroom, and then have the kids pay in cash the person whose credit card is being charged.
• Although we didn't do any excursions on Castaway Cay, looking back I wish we had gottne the Castaway Cay Getaway Package for $32. It comes with snorkel, a float, and a bike, all of them you can use all day. Castaway Ray's Stingray Adventure also sounded pretty neat.
• Worried about no kids clubs on the island? No worries! (Hakuna Matata!) There's an entire kids club area, Scuttle's Cove, on Castaway Cay!
• Castaway Cay is one of the best times to meet characters. Mickey & Pluto and Goofy & Minnie do rotations w/ each other at Mount Rustmore, and NO ONE is ever in line! Also Captain Jack is available for photo ops by the Flying Dutchman - don't miss him!
• Although you CAN purchase a refillable mug to use onboard, there is a spot on deck 9 where free drinks can be self-served in a paper cup provided. There is also free ice cream on deck 9! On Castaway Cay, there are also drinks available for purchase, though soft drinks are located for free just outside Cookie's BBQ.
• When eating lunch at Cookie's BBQ on Castaway Cay, everyone heads to the middle line, although there is another line to left with the exact same food, but no one in line! Remember food on Castaway Cay is free, but food on Nassau is not!
• Raining during one of your non-sea days? Disney will reschedule onshore activities and schedule extra onboard activities, such as extra character appearances, movie times, and perhaps an extra round of Mickey Mania in Studio Sea.
  
  Phew! Well, that summarizes all my tips for you guys! Let me know if you would like me to write a post-cruise epilogue! (PS Smeecanada and rkgee, I think you guys are on the same cruise!)

 

[BabyFavorite]

Oh, yes, I'd definitely be interested! And I love your compilation of tips -- that is AWESOME! Many thanks!!!

 

[WeatherbySwann]

Oh, yes, I'd definitely be interested! And I love your compilation of tips -- that is AWESOME! Many thanks!!!

Thanks for the support, you're welcome for the tips! Right now I'm off to write a review of 'High School Musical 2" . . . exciting

BTW welcome to the DISboards! Hope you like it here!

 

[BabyFavorite]

Thank you, Weatherby!

 

[silmarg]

WOW!

Headed out on my 1st 4 day in one week (26th).

This post was most useful.

Thanks