Think I am finally going to take the plunge...

[dprincessmom]

So my DD and I will be running away for Christmas this year and I am seriously considering booking a DCL for the Bahamas trip. This would be our first cruise ever and while I know a ton about the parks, the cruise is a little nerve racking.

Can any of help me out?

1. Does it matter what level of the ship? Is one better or worse than the other in your opinion?
2. Excursions?
3. I believe that I have read where the shops on the boats close when in port, is this correct?

I have a lot of research to do, but these are the ones that are driving me batty thinking about and clearly #1 is the most pressing.

Thanks in advance

 

[jcarwash]

1. I expect you will get a wide variety of opinions on favorite deck. Practically I think the type of stateroom you want based on pricing (and availability) may inform your decision first. Personally I did not enjoy deck 2 on the Magic, loved deck 2 on the Fantasy, and have settled on the exact same deck 6 sideways stateroom for my Magic and Wonder cruises.

2. If you want to keep it simple, booking your excursion through DCL itself is pretty easy, because you can simply choose from what is available and suits your tastes (beach, activities, etc.) Many other cruisers like to book excursions independently. On a Bahamas cruise, you really only have the Nassau excursions to choose from; Castaway Cay you can just visit and enjoy without any booking anything if you want. And then many experienced cruisers like to stay on board during the Nassau visit. In my opinion, as a first time cruiser, I'd say to try an excursion.

3. In my experience, yes, the onboard shops are closed during port calls.

 

[mevelandry]

1. It really depends on your tolerance to motions (regarding sea sickness) and what your needs are. How old is your daughter? Does she want to go to the kids club? About the motions, if you are prone to transportation sickness, I would recommend to look for decks lower than seven and middle-ship. I also recommend bringing and taking seasickness meds BEFORE the ship leaves to prevent sea sickness because once it starts, it takes a while to disappear.

2. I would recommend booking with DCL in Nassau (more expensive but less trouble) I know a lot of people like Atlantis. I am a big fan of the Beach Day at Blue Lagoon but since the cruises are very short we usually chose to stay on the ship and take advantage of what the cruiseship offers.

3. Yes.

 

[Dug720]

Regarding 3 that is a restriction on ALL ships. Shops are closed while in port.

 

[dprincessmom]

1. It really depends on your tolerance to motions (regarding sea sickness) and what your needs are. How old is your daughter? Does she want to go to the kids club? About the motions, if you are prone to transportation sickness, I would recommend to look for decks lower than seven and middle-ship. I also recommend bringing and taking seasickness meds BEFORE the ship leaves to prevent sea sickness because once it starts, it takes a while to disappear.

2. I would recommend booking with DCL in Nassau (more expensive but less trouble) I know a lot of people like Atlantis. I am a big fan of the Beach Day at Blue Lagoon but since the cruises are very short we usually chose to stay on the ship and take advantage of what the cruiseship offers.

3. Yes.

She will have just turned 14 when we sail. While we have never been prone to motion sickness I have already read and heard about the before tip (on the boards). Was going to try and book the mother/daughter massage and some spa stuff as she is into that now and if we do this it will be her Christmas present so want to make it about her as much as I can. I just started researching some of the excursions last night, so I will check into the Beach Day option but something about the handing on the boat is appealing to me. Are the activities open while in port, just not the shops?

 

[Dug720]

There will be some activities - but not as much as on a sea day, at least mid-day. I'd say early afternoon they start picking up as some of the excursions are getting back around then.

 

[mevelandry]

She will have just turned 14 when we sail. While we have never been prone to motion sickness I have already read and heard about the before tip (on the boards). Was going to try and book the mother/daughter massage and some spa stuff as she is into that now and if we do this it will be her Christmas present so want to make it about her as much as I can. I just started researching some of the excursions last night, so I will check into the Beach Day option but something about the handing on the boat is appealing to me. Are the activities open while in port, just not the shops?

There are movies at the theater playing, a few games (like Trivia), the pools are open, the spa is open, you can do meet and greet with characters...

Look at old Personal Navigators, it will give you a good idea of your options.

 

[dprincessmom]

Thank you all for the replies - I did it!!! Booked us for a December Merrytime 4 day Bahama cruise. Now to start researching

 

[ChicosWife]

Thank you all for the replies - I did it!!! Booked us for a December Merrytime 4 day Bahama cruise. Now to start researching

We did that cruise as our first DCL cruise last January. We loved it and will be on our 2nd DCL cruise (7-day) in November. Be careful, it's addicting!!!! Congratulations!

 

[WeLoveDisneyAlways]

My daughter has horrible car sickness, even with gravol she always gets sick, she didn't even have the smallest "butterfly" on the cruise. We stayed on deck 10 and then 9 on the dream. I personally prefer the highest floor I can afford I find the view a lot better. The second cruise we went down a floor because deck 10 was right under the pool deck and we were woken every morning 6am to deck chairs being moved into position. Deck 9 didn't hear a sound. Were now booked on deck 7 of the magic but were in the aft we've always been mid ship.

 

[Kelley_Pow]

My daughter has horrible car sickness, even with gravol she always gets sick, she didn't even have the smallest "butterfly" on the cruise. We stayed on deck 10 and then 9 on the dream. I personally prefer the highest floor I can afford I find the view a lot better. The second cruise we went down a floor because deck 10 was right under the pool deck and we were woken every morning 6am to deck chairs being moved into position. Deck 9 didn't hear a sound. Were now booked on deck 7 of the magic but were in the aft we've always been mid ship.

Did you take any preventative meds? Curious about what to do with my girls...no car sickness, but they've never cruised before.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Did you take any preventative meds? Curious about what to do with my girls...no car sickness, but they've never cruised before.

If they don't get car sick, they will probably be OK. Do they get motion sick on other things like amusement park rides? Basically a cruise ship is less of a problem than any other type of "motion sickness" thing, so if they don't get motion sick on other things, they won't on a cruise. I have two sons. One never gets motion sick, the other does on cars, rides, small boats etc. But even he had no issues on the cruise ship.

 

[WeLoveDisneyAlways]

Did you take any preventative meds? Curious about what to do with my girls...no car sickness, but they've never cruised before.

We all took gravol when we boarded the Disney bus since they recommend a few hours before and that was the last gravol we took the entire trip. We couldn't even tell when the boat was moving most of the time. Our 2nd dream cruise the last night while packing we hit a rough patch couldn't even walk without leaning into a wall and we still were all fine. I thought it was quite fun but DD didn't like it lol

 

[Shanti]

Did you take any preventative meds? Curious about what to do with my girls...no car sickness, but they've never cruised before.

I recommend having meds on hand in case they begin to feel seasick, but don't give it unless they start to show symptoms, as you'll likely never need it at all. I get bad motion sickness on spinning rides, but have had no motion sickness at all on a cruise, even sailing in a deck 8 forward stateroom during rough seas. I keep Dramamine on hand just in case, but have never used it. I like the feeling of security of having my own medication available, though.

 

[Kelley_Pow]

Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated!