What I would do/not do next cruise

[100AcreWood]

Slightly off topic, but here are some things we typically pack and will bring for our next Disney cruise (our 6th):

- power cord or extension cord
- a few small disposable plastic containers (great for keeping snacks in the cooler/fridge in the room when we order from room service)
- ziplocks in various sizes
- sometimes we pack a nightlight for the bathroom, but lately we just pack a bunch of glowsticks. We use these when we travel internationally and they work great! One will last a whole night and our DD who is 5 loves them! Here's the ones we use:
http://www.amazon.com/Lumistick-Pre...F8&qid=1379045629&sr=1-4&keywords=glow+sticks
- small flashlight
- plastic file folder – great for storing and protecting important docs/photos and DD's artwork from the kids club
- you might consider bringing a large cup/water bottle to refill because the cups by the soda stand are pretty small (for sanitary reasons you’ll need to use the small cups to fill your water bottle)
- a bunch of small bills for room service and porters
- because we have a preschooler, we bring a collapsible footstool – invaluable for letting her be self sufficient, but for short cruises/trips we bring this:
http://www.amazon.com/Aqueduck-001-Faucet-Extender-Aqua/dp/B0071D1AKI
- dish washing liquid
- a couple of large clips (comes in so handy for such things as keeping the drapes shut, keeping clothes from blowing away, etc.) We got a pair in our FE one year and thought it was odd, but now it's part of our standard travel gear
- magnets with hooks for our lanyards. We keep them on the inside of our door so we never misplace our key (we use an old hotel card for the lights).
- a small, cheap dry erase board with magnets to hang on the inside of the door so we could leave messages. Post-its work as well.
- a clip (ha! yes another clip) with a magnet on the back that we attach to the outside of our door where we'd hang our dd's artwork. It made finding our cabin a breeze and she loved having it there.
- on a short cruise, instead of participating in the FE, we make a gift basket for our dd with beach toys and her favorite books.

That reminds me of a question I have - how high are the toilets? Love your glow stick idea!

 

[G'sMaman]

There are always so many great tips on here!

 

[summerrluvv]

I would take the tram to the beach on CC! The walk didn't look bad from the ship, but we were sweating buckets by the time we got to where we wanted to be!

 

[NorCalDVC]

That reminds me of a question I have - how high are the toilets? Love your glow stick idea!

Toliets were not especially high. I read somewhere that it can be uncomfortable for kids to go to the bathroom if their feet are always dangling so I guess I've taken that to heart and now travel with a collapsible step stool. Actually, the step stool is good for other uses like giving DD a bath (saves my back), giving my DD a place to sit when I use the hairdryer on her, letting DD brush her teeth by herself, and making it easy for her to climb on our bed (the queen beds are a bit higher than normal on the newer ships because they have storage space underneath). None of these things are a big deal on a short trip/cruise, but on longer trips it can really make a difference.

 

[Postal68]

 

[NorCalDVC]

Just answering the question. I try to be helpful whenever I can.

 

[knan74]

Not at all. We actually didn't book an excursion at all because we couldn't decide what we wanted to do. Some people said stay on the boat and don't get off in Nassau, some people say get off the boat. Some people booked excursions, and some people just walked around. It was so confusing. Because this was my first vacation in 2 years and our first cruise I was leaning towards staying on the boat to just relax, but my mother-in-law who went with us wanted to get off the boat and look around. I thought what would it hurt, so we did. Every 2 steps we had someone trying to sell us their deal, we walked to the straw market and I think that is what overwhelmed my boys, one if them with Autism. After we left the straw market and did some walking it became clearer to us that we needed to take them back to the boat before we had a full on meltdown happen. I can't wait to cruise again, but next time I would book an excursion ahead if time so we don't get stuck in the craziness of everyone trying to get you to take their offer, or stay on the boat and ride the Aqua Duck over and over again.

I would love to talk to you more. I'm actually just graduating with my masters degree as a family therapist and have decided to work in the travel industry instead lol. My interest is combining my three passions of Disney, cruising/traveling, and doing part time travel agent work with my background in family therapy specifically families with members that are on the autism spectrum.

I am working on creating a DISneyABILITIES guide to making Disney travel plans for families that deal with Aspbergers to severe autism (Aspbergers myself as well as my sister so invested interest ) and focusing on the fact that no person on the ASD spectrum is the same so no travel plan is cut and dry but focusing on the individuals specific sensory triggers with food, personal space, sounds, images, weather, etc and how to tailor a Disney trip to optimal conditions with restaurants and excursion choices, etc. Does that make sense? For example, one family has a son who needs to eat very quickly and very often and cannot stand water and they had never done a Disney trip of any kind so we have been working on making plans and itineraries that best suit his needs as well as planning what the rest of the family needs and wants as well and I have really enjoyed it!

I am just interested in speaking a bit to families that have done a WDW or DCL trip and asking a few questions about things that worked well and things they might have changed in terms of their family member that is blessed with autism so please let me know! It'll be a few weeks as tomorrow we board the fantasy for our honeymoon and then 8 days at the parks!

To not hijack the thread...
I'm an experienced cruiser but this is my first DCL so I'm going to list the things I think I will for sure do and things I for sure wont do. When I return ill let you guys know how it went and then ill compare it to the other cruise line experiences!

Will do: (will put my wont do and maybes in the following posts so the lines don't confuse anyone)

Am doing FE

Have participated in the FB group and dis thread and made probable lifelong friends already

Stay at the parks for a week after the cruise portion of the honeymoon (curious to see how this will go! Have a BOG ressie on debarkation day i randomly got pixie dusted last week!)

Palo brunch

Palo dinner (on pirate night... Not sure about that decision.. I am happy about it as of now because we have late dinner and our ressie is at 6 so we will be able to enjoy more I think)

Category 00V concierge (not sure if its worth the money but leaning towards yes)

Have used shoreside concierge extensively and been very pleased

Ride aqua duck during day and night

Take lots of pics

Be goofy about the honeymoon with Mickey and Minnie bride and groom ears

Go to match your mate

Participate in a beer exchange

Give pillow case and photo mat to concierge hosts

Take a bit of alcohol on board

Make sure to get in pool once at least

Do at least one day of rainforest room

Do mixology class

Wave to family on webcam

Go to DVC presentation

Take tour of ship

Get room service

Enjoy concierge lounge especially coffee

Attend sail away party

Take advantage of happy hour

Enjoy time with my new husband without stressing or negativity

Use costs maya as a poor mans castaway cay

I could go on and on... I wanna do it all! (Well not everything... See next post)....

 

[knan74]

Things we won't do on DCL part of honeymoon :


Remy

Excursions anywhere but CC (this'll be my third time on a wc itinerary but first with DCL... With us having a 17 day honeymoon and staying concierge and doing DDP at a mod resort for a week after, excursions were a bit too much for us. We have SO many reservations on our honeymoon for various things I want to enjoy the ship... Though costa maya needs no excursion as its one of the only ports in the world I can just step off the boat and be blissful and unannoyed (St Thomas would be another one)

Try new foods (I have aspbergers and have come a long long way but I don't eat a lot of cheese or pasta and palo is a treat for my husband as Italian type restaurants never happen for us. I don't think ill be trying a lot of new stuff but am going to try a few things!)

Be negative (I have a few severe health problems and was in and out or the hospital the past week or so.. I'm going to be healthy and happy on this trip!)

Get sunburned (overcoming melanoma) I won't be in the sun much at all this trip

Spend a lot or money (see above)

Play TOO much bingo (won a LOT of money on one card on a cruise in 07 and know lightning wont strike twice)

Get wrapped up in spending every moment with new friends as it IS my honeymoon

Not be tied to thinking we have to spend every minute together either! Workouts and some spa time with a few close friends will be in order

Not dressing up for pirate night

Not being afraid to spend time with room service and the Disney movies that inspired our Disney themed wedding we just had

I'm not giving into temptation and buying a lot of stuff or experiences... Gotta watch the wallet! (I know I know... People will reply "why go concierge if on a budget?) but it was cheaper for us to do concierge on a 7 night fantasy a few weeks after our wedding than a 4 night dream 7A the day after....

Not worrying about this tropical depression

MAYBES:
We have cabana 18 (something we WILL be doing) but I'm not sure if it'll be worth it... We are sharing with two other couples. Hopefully since I have the skin cancer history, having the shade and fruit and drinks and bikes will be worth the money! Only excursion we have booked!

I don't know if ill enjoy Palo brunch and dinner.. We shall see!

I don't know if ill rebook while onboard. If I do I think it'd be the Magic. Hubby wants to do oasis of the seas next but maybe the avengers stuff and the excitement of this cruise will compel him?

I hate going into a cruise a few hours from now even contemplating any negative ideas so I think I'll stop here my last one...

Maybe ill do a trip report!! I guess give me feedback if you'd be interested ? (Ill def post here with what we ended up thinking of our choices!)

Thanks for this awesome thread ! It's a lifesaver (no pun intended!)

 

[jjje]

I am working on creating a DISneyABILITIES guide to making Disney travel plans for families that deal with Aspbergers to severe autism (Aspbergers myself as well as my sister so invested interest ) and focusing on the fact that no person on the ASD spectrum is the same so no travel plan is cut and dry but focusing on the individuals specific sensory triggers with food, personal space, sounds, images, weather, etc and how to tailor a Disney trip to optimal conditions with restaurants and excursion choices, etc. Does that make sense? For example, one family has a son who needs to eat very quickly and very often and cannot stand water and they had never done a Disney trip of any kind so we have been working on making plans and itineraries that best suit his needs as well as planning what the rest of the family needs and wants as well and I have really enjoyed it!

I think that guide sounds like a great idea and it would probably be really helpful to a lot of people. I just have to point out that it's spelled Asperger's.

 

[knan74]

I think that guide sounds like a great idea and it would probably be really helpful to a lot of people. I just have to point out that it's spelled Asperger's.

Lol thanks... I actually noticed it wrong when I put it in my last post but I have a second band iPhone 5 and I have SEVERAL words that the previous owner misspelled often and on the second post I tried like three times to write it normal (we are literally in the car on the way to Port Canaveral right now) and it auto corrects it and makes it lower case every.single.time. It actually let me use an uppercase A earlier this evening for once and now its letting me use an apostrophe (ill explain why i think the word "aspberger" goes in every single time.. my DH actually has a good reason for it he says as he works as a ios developer for apple believe it or not or I would still have a flip phone) As a grammar freak, this phone bas caused many a panic!

a few months ago (not gonna go back and try to fix the beginning of this one lol) i went to a conference by the person that wrote "Don't Look at Me" and I was explaining about something to a colleague and it kept doing it and I finally was so embarrassed I started saying "aspberger's without the b".... I have no other words that give me that much trouble but ironically and in an almost Freudian way, the word aspberger's (see!) will never go as I ask. No matter how many times I write it...

It was a software developer for my husbands company that had the phone and DH tells me his wife's maiden name was aspberger with an actual B and that he probably got tired of correcting it and installed it to go that way. I know nothing about phones but its the weirdest and most frustrating thing in the world!!! I knew with my luck someone would actually pick up on it (I post a lot in my university's forums and online psychiatry forums and no ones ever called it out on there so I thought I was in the clear 8) )

DH is laughing at me now because he says a) I'm writing a dissertation about something my phone won't let me spell b) I have a diagnosis I can't express via mobile phone and c) I always complain about it and he says no one will notice it and then it gets called out on a Disney forum but having aspberger's (there we go again) I would've worried all week on the cruise that someone on DIS noticed my mistake and drive DH nuts (kidding!!)

 

[knan74]

Now my last post was so poorly written that I have come up with the name of a new hit group: second band iPhone.

This phone is gonna be the death of me...

Good thing I don't have to deal with it for a week 8)

Now since I've officially hijacked this forum...

I will forget about my iPhone from sail away to debarkation.

I will not even think about the darned thing.

 

[100AcreWood]

Toliets were not especially high. I read somewhere that it can be uncomfortable for kids to go to the bathroom if their feet are always dangling so I guess I've taken that to heart and now travel with a collapsible step stool. Actually, the step stool is good for other uses like giving DD a bath (saves my back), giving my DD a place to sit when I use the hairdryer on her, letting DD brush her teeth by herself, and making it easy for her to climb on our bed (the queen beds are a bit higher than normal on the newer ships because they have storage space underneath). None of these things are a big deal on a short trip/cruise, but on longer trips it can really make a difference.

Thanks! I was debating taking our potty stool. My son is very tall for his age but he cannot sit on the potty with his feet dangling.

 

[leeleesmail]

Marking!!!!!!!

 

[Carrie in AZ]

What I would do on our next cruise is this: Make more of an effort to take pictures and have our pictures taken. I wanted a family pic taken of us along the rail with open ocean as the background, and we never did it. I just didn't put forth a lot of effort in gathering my family for nice pictures, and I wish I would have. I know LOTS of families do not have this problem! LOL!

Another thing I would do is try to make it down to the adult pool earlier to try and get a lounger. We weren't able to get one our entire cruise! I knew the family pool might be a struggle but I don't know how I missed the adult pool having a problem with this issue. It was extremely disappointing to me that I was not able to relax at the pool with my DH and have a yummy drink or two.

One more thing I would do: Leave my teen DD on the ship while we are out snorkeling. It is not her thing at all. We made her go out with us on Grand Cayman and it wasn't good. The next day in Cozumel, we did leave her on the ship and everyone was happy. She made friends in Edge the first night of our cruise and by the time we got to Cozumel later in the week, she was already spending loads of time in Edge. It worked well to leave her on the ship. I spoke to the CMs letting them know I was nervous to go out into another country without her and they were nice about it. Now that we've done it, I wouldn't hesitate to do the same again during an excursion I know she won't enjoy.

 

[psac]

Would do again: Animation classes, a lot of fun.

Would not do again: Palo dinner. We found the main dining rooms so good, we didn't feel that it was a premium experience. Not a knock on Palo, a plus for the dinners on the Fantasy. If we were on an NCL or RCCL ship, Palo would be a no-brainer.

Would try: Disboards or DVC meet and greet. It's nice to have people onboard that you recognize and say hi to when you're out and about.

 

[southlake]

Would do: Definitely would do Palo again!

We didn't think the food on the Fantasy was THAT great. But Palo was definitely several steps up, AND we had a gorgeous window view with a table facing the ocean. I thought it odd that none of the regular dining rooms onboard the Fantasy have an ocean view, in fact, it's the only cruise line I believe I've been on that the main dining room(s) are walled off with no ocean view. You get that view in Palo

 

[Bonniec]

Would not book a cruise right after dry dock again.

 

[100AcreWood]

Would not book a cruise right after dry dock again.

Why? I'm curious as we are amateurs at this point.

 

[BlakeNJ]

Why? I'm curious as we are amateurs at this point.

I believe Bonnie's cruise was cancelled just three days before the sailed. magic was in dry dock and this was the first cruise after returning to port and she wasn't ready. Very, very sad for those booked on that sailing.

 

[slzer0]

Nevermind - travel stepstool seemed such a unique item.. no longer need link. Found plenty on Amazon!

Lol can you tell ive only potty trained a girl HAHA.
Guess i will need one for my son soon enough.