What is included?

[SEA333]

Hi, this may be a silly question, but I looked and looked and cannot find the answer. DH and I are thinking about booking a cruise and we wanted to know exactly what we will pay for as part of the overall package, and what will be "extra" on the ship?

For example, we are assuming that breakfast, lunch, and dinner are paid for in the price of the package, but what about snacks or anything inbetween meals, like at the pool or other non-dining room areas? If one of my kids want a ice cream cone, or a soda, or a glass of milk, or a banana....how does that work? Is there some kind of credit system, or do we charge to our room, or what?

Also, what about activities? What is typically an extra charge and what isn't. The kids will be 9, 11, and 15 at the time of the trip. I'm sure they will want to hang out in the tween/teen areas a lot, so it would be nice to know in advance what they will be able to do and not do....

Thanks!

 

[Hummer]

All food is included in your price...including ice cream, snacks by the pool, and room service. Sodas are also included when you get it from the drink stations. If you order a can of soda from room service it costs extra.

As for charging, you use your room key. You can either pay cash or put down a credit card to pay your bill.

As for tween and teenage activities and such, I do not know because our son was only 8 the last time we cruised.

 

[NAB]

Smoothies are extra as are the snacks sold at the theaters.

Spa is extra

Remey and Palos restaurants are an extra fee.

Soda at bars and room service are extra.

All Alcohol is extra.

Mixology tasting and wine tasting etc extra

Arcade is extra

Everything else is included. You can eat at any place breakfast , lunch or dinner . Poolside places , soft ice cream, pizza etc.

Room service is including you just need to tip the person bringing it.

Drink station has soda, hot chocolate, tea , coffee . I'm thinking white milk too but I can't remember. Chocolate milk is in Cabana's which is also free

 

[bliscum]

Bingo is extra but most activities are free like towel folding, animation drawing class, trivia etc. on castaway cay all food and soft drinks are included. They actually have bags of chips there and are free.

 

[DreamBound23]

All food, except the specialty restaurants (Palo, etc.) and some room service items (soda, certain snacks) and included. There's a soda station by the pool (free) and also a self serve soft serve ice cream station (free).

Alcohol, excursions, the nursery, soda at the bars, coffee from the cove café, are an additional charge.

 

[BeautyFan]

This is a great question because Disney includes so much. I know I'll miss some stuff, but here's a starter list:

Included
Sodas, coffee, tea, water from soda fountain
Room service (gratuity is not automatically billed, you can tip cash or charge a tip to your onboard acct)
Pizza, ice cream, burgers, wraps all found on the pool deck
Entertainment / stage shows
Kids clubs and kids club activities
Late night snacks in the night clubs
Lunch buffet on ship and at Castaway Cay
Character meets and your own pictures with your camera

Not included / stuff you pay for
Specialty lattes in cove cafe
Alcoholic beverages
Smoothies or some of the fancy non-alcoholic frozen drinks
Shore excursions such as snorkeling, parasailing, or port tours
Dining only if you choose to enjoy Palo or Remy
Popcorn & candy for sale at movie theatre and at the shows
Photos by ship photographers

 

[SEA333]

Thanks! I am still a little unclear, though, on the food....when you say that poolside, pizza, etc is included, does that mean, for example, that we have our choice between eating in the dining room for lunch OR having pizza by the pool, or can we eat lunch at say, noon, and then at 3pm, DS15 decides he wants some pizza. Will he be able to get a slice of pizza, or would that count as dinner?

I'm just confused on how it works....I keep thinking it is like the dining plan at DW....you get your 1 CS, 1TS, and 1 snack credit a day, where no matter what it is you order from whatever place, it counts as one of the credits.

I think that is where I am getting confused!

 

[DreamBound23]

Thanks! I am still a little unclear, though, on the food....when you say that poolside, pizza, etc is included, does that mean, for example, that we have our choice between eating in the dining room for lunch OR having pizza by the pool, or can we eat lunch at say, noon, and then at 3pm, DS15 decides he wants some pizza. Will he be able to get a slice of pizza, or would that count as dinner?

I'm just confused on how it works....I keep thinking it is like the dining plan at DW....you get your 1 CS, 1TS, and 1 snack credit a day, where no matter what it is you order from whatever place, it counts as one of the credits.

I think that is where I am getting confused!

Nope! You can eat as much as you want, whenever you want, as many times as you want!!!

 

[SEA333]

Nope! You can eat as much as you want, whenever you want, as many times as you want!!!

Oh wow. LOL Thanks!

That is a dangerous proposition for my kids....they will certainly take Disney up on that!!!! Maybe *we* will have to put a cap on it for them!

Thanks everyone!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks! I am still a little unclear, though, on the food....when you say that poolside, pizza, etc is included, does that mean, for example, that we have our choice between eating in the dining room for lunch OR having pizza by the pool, or can we eat lunch at say, noon, and then at 3pm, DS15 decides he wants some pizza. Will he be able to get a slice of pizza, or would that count as dinner?

I'm just confused on how it works....I keep thinking it is like the dining plan at DW....you get your 1 CS, 1TS, and 1 snack credit a day, where no matter what it is you order from whatever place, it counts as one of the credits.

I think that is where I am getting confused!

It is not like the WDW dining plan.

You may order room service breakfast. Then dress and go to either one of the MRDs (limited hours) or the buffet for "real" breakfast. Midmorning snack? Poolside quick serves (or room service again, if you wish). Lunch, again one of the MDRs will have limited lunch service hours and the buffet is again available. Mid afternoon droop? Well, there's the quick serve locations again, or (do I need to say it?) room service. Dinner will be in the MDR (you will rotate through the 3 different ones during your cruise). OR you can go to the buffet (although for dinner it's a sit-down table service). And, of course, there will be snacks available in some of the adult lounges at night, or the poolside quick serves, and ROOM SERVICE!

All food onboard (except for the extra pay adult only dining venues - Palo/Remy) is included in your cruisefare.

 

[Belle091507]

Thanks! I am still a little unclear, though, on the food....when you say that poolside, pizza, etc is included, does that mean, for example, that we have our choice between eating in the dining room for lunch OR having pizza by the pool, or can we eat lunch at say, noon, and then at 3pm, DS15 decides he wants some pizza. Will he be able to get a slice of pizza, or would that count as dinner? I'm just confused on how it works....I keep thinking it is like the dining plan at DW....you get your 1 CS, 1TS, and 1 snack credit a day, where no matter what it is you order from whatever place, it counts as one of the credits. I think that is where I am getting confused!

No matter what or however many times a day you eat it is included. If you want to eat 5 meals in a day you can! If at supper you can't decide between 2 main dishes you can order both - it's all included! Nothing like the dining plan at all! We would order a snack from room service before breakfast, then go to the main dinning room for breakfast(early risers!) then have lunch which the kids may or may not eat then while at the pool grab chicken fingers for the picky kids who turned their noses up at lunch. Then go to dinner and if we wanted order a late night snack or pizza from rom service! It's all covered! Enjoy !

 

[BeautyFan]

On the ship you could eat all day if you really want!

Breakfast
1. Fill out room service form the night before with what time you want it delivered in the morning
2. Go to the buffet for breakfast
3. Go to the table service restaurant
4. Go to the poolside where they have fruit and a very small selection of pastries

Lunch..try any or all of these in the same day!
1. Go to the buffet
2. Order room service
3. Get a burger or pizza or wrap poolside
4. Go to table service restaurant

Dinner
1. Go to your assigned dining room (it rotates each night)
2. Go to the buffet
3. Make a reservation for Palo or Remy for additional fee (adults only)
4. Not sure how late pizza is open by the pool, but my nephews always seemed to be getting a slice!

Others are more eloquent, I like listing the options for my brain to process them!

 

[DreamBound23]

You will be pleasantly surprised! Like a previous poster noted, if you see more than one thing on the menu that you like, order both!!!

Every time we came off the elevators near the pool and walked by the ice cream station, we grabbed a cone. We had ALOT of ice cream!!!

 

[BeautyFan]

Off the subject of food but something to note for your Tweens/teen. The arcade is not free, and if you give your kids permission to charge to your onboard acct, I have heard of some pretty steep, unexpected expenses from there!

 

[NAB]

Oh wow. LOL Thanks!

That is a dangerous proposition for my kids....they will certainly take Disney up on that!!!! Maybe *we* will have to put a cap on it for them!

Thanks everyone!

Yes most times my kids came to dinner not hungry because they were always grabbing a snack. They can have French fries, hamburgers pizza, wraps , lots of chicken fingers are handed out that seems to be a go too...

So pretty well all the food is free other then the two up scale places. Palo and Remy. All the food around the pool you see is up for grabs. Lots of fresh fruit or if you prefer chocolate chip cookies are there too.

 

[k3chantal]

Oh wow. LOL Thanks!

That is a dangerous proposition for my kids....they will certainly take Disney up on that!!!! Maybe *we* will have to put a cap on it for them!

Thanks everyone!

Not only that, but the kids are not stuck with a kids' menu. My then 8 year old hates 'kid' food; he much prefers 'adult' entree. No problem on a Disney ship! After the first night, our server never brought another kids' menu to our table. VERY happy kid!!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Off the subject of food but something to note for your Tweens/teen. The arcade is not free, and if you give your kids permission to charge to your onboard acct, I have heard of some pretty steep, unexpected expenses from there!

And younger kids with charging privileges on their KTTW cards can come up with some high charges, also. I've read that sometime older kids playing in the arcades have managed to talk younger kids into adding their (the older child's) arcade charges to the younger child's card.

 

[EeyoreIsMyName]

Included in the price of your cruise:

standard rotational restaurants (Royal Court, Royal Palace, Animator's Palate, Parrot Cay Jose Carioca's, Lumiere's, Triton's, etc.)

buffet restaurants

movies

theater shows

kids clubs

free drink station

pools

many food choices around the pool area

activities like animation drawing, cooking classes, ship tours, trivia games, Detective Agency, fitness classes, game shows, deck parties, music & dancing, piano bars, karaoke, character greetings, character breakfasts or tea with characters (on select ships & sailings-now I "sound" like Disney!), pin trading

Not included:

Remy or Palo

liquor

drinks ordered through the bar service (this includes drinks ordered at the theater shows)

mixology classes

some food items around the pool area (like smoothies)

professional photos

artwork purchased aboard

bingo

shore excursions

souvenirs (obviously!)

tips (room service, waiter, head waiter, asst. waiter, room service attendant)

the nursery

spa services

some fitness classes

the arcade



Whew! Hope I got most of them!

 

[binab]

If your itinerary includes a stop (or stops) at Castaway Cay, it is an extension of the ship. Included items on Castaway Cay are food and non-alcoholic drinks, island kids club, beach chairs, water slides...

Extra fee items on Castaway Cay are alcoholic drinks, bike rentals, snorkel gear, floats, stingray encounter, private cabanas...

 

[dsneygirl]

I'm just confused on how it works....I keep thinking it is like the dining plan at DW....you get your 1 CS, 1TS, and 1 snack credit a day, where no matter what it is you order from whatever place, it counts as one of the credits.

I think that is where I am getting confused!

Nope throw that out the window! You can have 2 apps, 2 entrees and 2 desserts if you want as well. Then go upstairs for pizza and chicken fingers.