Step by Step

[katmigordon]

I don't know if Dreams Unlimited agents can actually book anything for you, but I haven't heard back from mine since I EMailed her Sunday and so I\m asking for help here.

I really, really want to get a cabana on this go round because for many reasons it will probably be my one and only chance. I set sail on Sept 10 of this year, I have questions.

1.) When should I make my list of stuff to book for concierge?
2.) What will be my step by step process? Because I want to give myself the best fighting chance I have at getting a cabana... I know there is no guarantee, even in Concierge, because my entire cruise seems to be sold out (No longer booking on the website, or even showing up when you search to book it.)

Help?

 

[lanejudy]

You can send an email to concierge at 130 days prior to sail date. I honestly don't know that your TA would be able to help with this. Concierge takes the requests that come in starting at 130 days, and at 120 days they are booked for you. In the order received, so sending your email at 130 days might net your choice of Cabanas while sending at 121 days you get what's left.

 

[mmrmmr]

Recommend having email drafted and ready to send 130 days - midnight to the shoreside concierge team

 

[JWelch62]

Also, you should email them at 135 days out with any questions you may have. This is what I asked about for our upcoming cruise. Based on the responses you get write out your request email and have it sitting in your draft folder ready to send at exactly midnight (eastern).

Can you provide a list of all the adult tastings offered on this cruise?
Can you let us know the available dining rotations?
Do you know the dress for each night of this cruise? (Formal, Semi-Formal, Cruise casual, Pirate, etc)
Will there be any meet & greets offered, and on which days?
Will there be a character breakfast, and on which days?
Will Palo brunch be available, and on which days?

 

[katmigordon]

How do I contact them?

Also, you should email them at 135 days out with any questions you may have. This is what I asked about for our upcoming cruise. Based on the responses you get write out your request email and have it sitting in your draft folder ready to send at exactly midnight (eastern).

Can you provide a list of all the adult tastings offered on this cruise?
Can you let us know the available dining rotations?
Do you know the dress for each night of this cruise? (Formal, Semi-Formal, Cruise casual, Pirate, etc)
Will there be any meet & greets offered, and on which days?
Will there be a character breakfast, and on which days?
Will Palo brunch be available, and on which days?

 

[JWelch62]

How do I contact them?

Their email is dcl.concierge.services@disneycruise.com

They should reach out to you around 135 days out via email. As an example I have included the email sent to us for our upcoming HI cruise.

Thank you for choosing a Disney Cruise Line vacation!

We look forward to providing you with a seamless vacation and know the finest experiences begin with proper planning. Together, with your insight, we hope to create a cruise vacation overflowing with imaginative fun for all.

Beginning at 12:00 AM, Eastern Time, the morning of Saturday, January 1, 2022 the following offerings and many more will be available for you to request by email.

We stand ready to assist in your cruise planning with a portfolio of special services in which Concierge Guests are offered priority access to experiences designed exclusively for children, adults and families.

Here are just a few of the exciting offerings we can assist you with:

• Port Adventures
• Activities at Disney Castaway Cay, including private Cabanas (on select sailings)
• Adult-exclusive dining reservations at Palo and Remy
• Senses Spa appointments
• Beverage tastings
• Virtual Sports/Golf Simulator (Disney Fantasy and Disney Dream)
• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
• Royal Court Royal Tea (on select sailings)
• Dining rotation and seating requests
• Special occasions, amenities and more!
• Transportation to/from your cruise (for transfer options please contact your travel advisor if applicable)

To view a complete listing of our Port Adventure offerings, please visit our website at https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/ . You can also find information on our onboard activities on the website too.

Many cruise activities and Port Adventures are in high demand and cannot be guaranteed.

Please be certain to contact us when your priority booking opportunity begins at 12:00 AM, Eastern Time, the morning of Saturday, January 1, 2022. You may respond to this email with your requests or contact us by phone during regular business hours.

Requests are processed in the order in which they are received, and some activities may not be available. E-mail and phone requests can only be taken once your priority booking window opens.

We are always available during the following hours of operation to answer any questions you may have.
Monday - Friday from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm or Saturday 9:00am-5:30pm (ET) at 407-566-8119 or by email at DCL.Concierge.Services@disneycruise.com.

We look forward to helping you plan an exceptional vacation experience.

Have a Magical Day!

 

[mamaburrito]

Calling Shoreside may be the fastest way to get your answers. It took over a week for me to get a response. You can also search on the board to get ideas on how to write your letter.

 

[katmigordon]

Thank you, I don't want to wait, just in case I'm in the hospital when that date arrives. (Umbilical Hernia surgery with complications due to being overweight.) So I want to get all of this lined up so the wife can just push a button and get it taken care of.

Their email is dcl.concierge.services@disneycruise.com

They should reach out to you around 135 days out via email. As an example I have included the email sent to us for our upcoming HI cruise.

 

[jo-jo]

Thank you, I don't want to wait, just in case I'm in the hospital when that date arrives. (Umbilical Hernia surgery with complications due to being overweight.) So I want to get all of this lined up so the wife can just push a button and get it taken care of.

How did surgery go? How long was recovery? We have to make a decision about a WDW trip coming up in 7 weeks. He is schedule for surgery one month before our trip. He is overweight, and 78 years old. Our trips are not rope drop to fireworks. In fact 13 day trip, only going into park 5 or 6 days with each day being 4 hours in park, 4 hours hotel, 4 hours park, next day rest day. Most of the rides we go on, any 2 year old can handle, no rollercoasters, but maybe Rise and some jerky rides like star tour and toy story.

 

[disnygirl55]

I also echo that if you are interested in knowing about the beverage tastings or have specific questions that may affect what you include in your letter, just give Shoreside Concierge a phone call about a week before you are due to send the letter.

Then draft your letter (I always put my Cabana request at the very top of anything else I want to request (like brunches, dining rotations, etc.). Then I test the time on my computer and my cell phone to see if they are exactly in sync. As soon as it switches to 12:00 AM (Eastern time) or 9:00 PM (Pacific time) - I press send. I've not failed yet. I don't think you mentioned which ship you are on, but you may not have luck with a Cabana if you are on the Wish. It's a long 10 days to wait to see if you were assigned one - but I wish you the very bet of luck!

To note: I also sent myself an email from both my gmail and aol accounts, and found that for me, my aol email went through immediately. There was a delay of about a minute using gmail. Not sure if that holds true for everyone - but if you have different email addresses, it might be worth a test.

One last thing - I also responded to the reminder email that comes a couple days before the 130 day window (as someone posted above) - that way, the reservation number is automatically in the subject line with no potential goofs.

 

[Erica1016]

I also echo that if you are interested in knowing about the beverage tastings or have specific questions that may affect what you include in your letter, just give Shoreside Concierge a phone call about a week before you are due to send the letter.

Then draft your letter (I always put my Cabana request at the very top of anything else I want to request (like brunches, dining rotations, etc.). Then I test the time on my computer and my cell phone to see if they are exactly in sync. As soon as it switches to 12:00 AM (Eastern time) or 9:00 PM (Pacific time) - I press send. I've not failed yet. I don't think you mentioned which ship you are on, but you may not have luck with a Cabana if you are on the Wish. It's a long 10 days to wait to see if you were assigned one - but I wish you the very bet of luck!

To note: I also sent myself an email from both my gmail and aol accounts, and found that for me, my aol email went through immediately. There was a delay of about a minute using gmail. Not sure if that holds true for everyone - but if you have different email addresses, it might be worth a test.

One last thing - I also responded to the reminder email that comes a couple days before the 130 day window (as someone posted above) - that way, the reservation number is automatically in the subject line with no potential goofs.

You should be able to draft the email an do it as a scheduled send, so it will go out at the time you want. Then you don't even need to worry about clicking send at the exact minute.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[Erica1016]

She’s looking at being in the hospital at the 120-day (4 months) pre-cruise. not nearly so close as surgery one month pre-trip.

…At age 54, I was one month into an acute onset of an auto-immune disease that causes muscle weakness (Still dealing with it.) And I had a large incision from the removal of a melanoma. But… I had vacation plans for Bermuda. And I had waited 30 years to go there. So one week after surgery (and a one-week hospital stay), on steroids, I flew to Bermuda for a 3-night stay. (My SIL was fresh in a walking boot-cast. Fine pair we were). We rode the bus, visited sites, and survived).

Just prior to this, I was just overweight. I could have done the WDW in my usual pattern of going all day and riding rides. I could not have done WDW after my hospital stay.

Your husband may bounce back, depending on his overall health. And now I say BUT. He is older (anesthesia is harder in the old) and overweight. It‘s not a great combination. Any time spent riding in a car or airplane carries the increased risk of blood clots (if you do go, wear compression knee highs).

Would he be willing to say he doesn’t feel like doing anything - or would he push through for you - even at the risk of his health? If he us not a good communicator of his concerns, then don’t go. And if you would not enjoy the trip if you never visited the parks over those two weeks, I would also say stay home.

Bottom line, with the idea of any surgery, I would recommend re-scheduling the trip. We just don’t bounce back as quickly when older (even those who are active and healthy). If it was cataract removal under sedation, sure. But I‘m assuming general anesthesia.

Actually, I just noticed that the original post was from 2022, so this is all old anyway...

 

[jo-jo]

She’s looking at being in the hospital at the 120-day (4 months) pre-cruise. not nearly so close as surgery one month pre-trip.

…At age 54, I was one month into an acute onset of an auto-immune disease that causes muscle weakness (Still dealing with it.) And I had a large incision from the removal of a melanoma. But… I had vacation plans for Bermuda. And I had waited 30 years to go there. So one week after surgery (and a one-week hospital stay), on steroids, I flew to Bermuda for a 3-night stay. (My SIL was fresh in a walking boot-cast. Fine pair we were). We rode the bus, visited sites, and survived).

Just prior to this, I was just overweight. I could have done the WDW in my usual pattern of going all day and riding rides. I could not have done WDW after my hospital stay.

Your husband may bounce back, depending on his overall health. And now I say BUT. He is older (anesthesia is harder in the old) and overweight. It‘s not a great combination. Any time spent riding in a car or airplane carries the increased risk of blood clots (if you do go, wear compression knee highs).

Would he be willing to say he doesn’t feel like doing anything - or would he push through for you - even at the risk of his health? If he us not a good communicator of his concerns, then don’t go. And if you would not enjoy the trip if you never visited the parks over those two weeks, I would also say stay home. Than

Bottom line, with the idea of any surgery, I would recommend re-scheduling the trip. We just don’t bounce back as quickly when older (even those who are active and healthy). If it was cataract removal under sedation, sure. But I‘m assuming general anesthesia.

Thank you for your thoughts. I keep reading, pain for a few days, good at a week, no lifting for a month. Well, no issues with lifting, I do it all. He is in charge of him.

At this point we are letting the trip ride . We will find out next week what dr thinks.
He is have more and more issues with arthritis and things are getting slower and slower. I don't think we have a 6 month wait as far as not having a lot more pain on the trip. If we need to cancel, so be it.

As far as speaking up. Yes, two years ago, we took the grandkids. They went all day, we went 1/3 day and two days he didn't even go into the parks. But you're right, I don't think I could go to disney and not go to parks at all. I'd rather cancel.


Our schedule this trip is
staying at BLT
Travel day,
MK 4 hours or so, resort, late night at Epcot
.rest day
Epcot 4 or so hours, resort, late night Mk
rest day
MK what ever we feel like
rest day
move to AKL Kidani (no parks)
HS maybe do 6 hours
rest day
AK maybe do 6 hours
rest day but hoping to do midnight magic at HS
rest day
going home.

Rest days may not be sit in room all day, but might be traveling to another resort to sit there . LOL We have perfected people watching.

He uses a scooter, and we go to a lot of shows.

Actually, I just noticed that the original post was from 2022, so this is all old anyway...

Yes, but I was hoping OP would come back and say how the surgery went. Not so much the other discussion.