twinsouvenirs
Mother of Dragons :)
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2013
- Messages
- 1,608
Cross posted from my pre-trip report... http://www.disboards.com/threads/th...ise-7-day-wc-7-22-17-fantasy-sailing.3515386/
1) If we decide to do a shore excursion, and it is for adult only or in other ways excludes young children (i.e. most of the excursions i have seen) can we leave the kids on the ship in the kids club? All of my kids will have been in preschool for at least a year by then so I am not concerned about their emotional states, but what happens if there is an injury or something--I am assuming we can't take the wave phone with us off the boat--if we do, does it still work?
2) Booze/wine/etc... what are the new rules? I am assuming you can't bring it on the boat with you initially. I have to read the new policy to determine if we can bring a bottle initially, and if not, can we buy at port and bring to our room? I remember from all my podcast listening that this just got more restrictive but my husband will definitely care, and I'm guessing that the drinks on the boat aren't that cheap! Luckily, we're versatile so we can work with whatever, but I'll want to understand the rules on this.
3) Bottled water. Guessing they won't let you bring this on but who knows. Basically, I need to read the cruising rules!
4) Fish extenders. I added myself into a thread for this sailing and I have always wanted to participate! We participated in a holiday tree exchange in WDW and there is something completely magical about engaging with friends you've never met, gifting to people you don't know. We did a photopass share with friends and we all made presents for the kids... that was a blast too! I love anything that makes this world feel a little more intimate... it's a small world after all! But I still don't know all the rules and will have to cruise around pinterest (haha) for ideas, set a budget, and perhaps start making little gifts!
5) Draft a preliminary packing list to refine--not sure what kind of laundry facilities are available. DVC has spoiled us as we can do laundry free every day if we need to. We have three little ones, so we sometimes need to!
6) Lunch. Are there sit down lunch places or is everything quick service style? I sure hope not, we sit down for almost all meals and everyone stays at the table till we're done. We'll live if it's a grab and go kind of thing but I am hoping there are more formal lunch options. Furthermore--if the kids are in the kids club--do they get lunch there? And on port days--I've heard about people getting uncrustables for lunching. I'm also thinking we might bring ziplocs which would allow us to bag BLTs as well to bring along--but probably people mostly buy lunch at their destination, correct?
7) Port days. Do we have to stay off the boat the whole time? Can we get on and off at will?
8) Shore excursions. It sounds like people have a lot of success with the non-Disney sanctioned port adventures, can take their kids at younger ages, and pay less in these circumstances. But I also understand that there are safety issues/timing issues.
9) MONEY. Not gonna lie, this booking hurt--the deposit alone was just a little more than what we budget for a 7 night WDW vacation in a one bedroom, even factoring in our maintenance fees. Between Tables In Wonderland, our Annual Pass, grocery orders and our DVC points, we usually manage to travel extremely quite inexpensively. We sucked it up and booked the expensive cruise (got a cool deluxe family oceanview stateroom with verandah, though, so that's cool) but between the shore excursions, beverages, upgraded meals (We HAVE to try Palo & Remy), upgraded experiences (I will NOT pay $550 for two girls to have tea with princesses, but I heard there is a weeklong spa pass for $200ish...). We aren't HUGE souvenir purchasers but if I meet a DCL Harvey's bag something could happen... So how much should we budget for 'spending money'?
10) Deadlines. DVC WDW trips are mazes of deadlines... 11th month window, 7 month window, banking deadlines, holding points, ADRs at 180 days, FP+ at 60, 30.... RunDisney is the same way. Where is our cruise planning drama? Which deadlines do I need to know for cruising? When do reservations open for Palo & Remy, for port excursions, etc? What are the hardest things to book, etc?
1) If we decide to do a shore excursion, and it is for adult only or in other ways excludes young children (i.e. most of the excursions i have seen) can we leave the kids on the ship in the kids club? All of my kids will have been in preschool for at least a year by then so I am not concerned about their emotional states, but what happens if there is an injury or something--I am assuming we can't take the wave phone with us off the boat--if we do, does it still work?
2) Booze/wine/etc... what are the new rules? I am assuming you can't bring it on the boat with you initially. I have to read the new policy to determine if we can bring a bottle initially, and if not, can we buy at port and bring to our room? I remember from all my podcast listening that this just got more restrictive but my husband will definitely care, and I'm guessing that the drinks on the boat aren't that cheap! Luckily, we're versatile so we can work with whatever, but I'll want to understand the rules on this.
3) Bottled water. Guessing they won't let you bring this on but who knows. Basically, I need to read the cruising rules!
4) Fish extenders. I added myself into a thread for this sailing and I have always wanted to participate! We participated in a holiday tree exchange in WDW and there is something completely magical about engaging with friends you've never met, gifting to people you don't know. We did a photopass share with friends and we all made presents for the kids... that was a blast too! I love anything that makes this world feel a little more intimate... it's a small world after all! But I still don't know all the rules and will have to cruise around pinterest (haha) for ideas, set a budget, and perhaps start making little gifts!
5) Draft a preliminary packing list to refine--not sure what kind of laundry facilities are available. DVC has spoiled us as we can do laundry free every day if we need to. We have three little ones, so we sometimes need to!
6) Lunch. Are there sit down lunch places or is everything quick service style? I sure hope not, we sit down for almost all meals and everyone stays at the table till we're done. We'll live if it's a grab and go kind of thing but I am hoping there are more formal lunch options. Furthermore--if the kids are in the kids club--do they get lunch there? And on port days--I've heard about people getting uncrustables for lunching. I'm also thinking we might bring ziplocs which would allow us to bag BLTs as well to bring along--but probably people mostly buy lunch at their destination, correct?
7) Port days. Do we have to stay off the boat the whole time? Can we get on and off at will?
8) Shore excursions. It sounds like people have a lot of success with the non-Disney sanctioned port adventures, can take their kids at younger ages, and pay less in these circumstances. But I also understand that there are safety issues/timing issues.
9) MONEY. Not gonna lie, this booking hurt--the deposit alone was just a little more than what we budget for a 7 night WDW vacation in a one bedroom, even factoring in our maintenance fees. Between Tables In Wonderland, our Annual Pass, grocery orders and our DVC points, we usually manage to travel extremely quite inexpensively. We sucked it up and booked the expensive cruise (got a cool deluxe family oceanview stateroom with verandah, though, so that's cool) but between the shore excursions, beverages, upgraded meals (We HAVE to try Palo & Remy), upgraded experiences (I will NOT pay $550 for two girls to have tea with princesses, but I heard there is a weeklong spa pass for $200ish...). We aren't HUGE souvenir purchasers but if I meet a DCL Harvey's bag something could happen... So how much should we budget for 'spending money'?
10) Deadlines. DVC WDW trips are mazes of deadlines... 11th month window, 7 month window, banking deadlines, holding points, ADRs at 180 days, FP+ at 60, 30.... RunDisney is the same way. Where is our cruise planning drama? Which deadlines do I need to know for cruising? When do reservations open for Palo & Remy, for port excursions, etc? What are the hardest things to book, etc?