What is the BEST cruise tip you ever learned from the Dis?

[woody73]

WOODY!!!!

Just remember there are too many of us to watch over you...you might end up in a LG Speedo with a Sharpie makeover!!!

OH MY! Mysteriously, DW's charging privileges were immediately reinstated!

Woody

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

OH MY! Mysteriously, DW's charging privileges were immediately reinstated!

Woody

::cop:
We're watchin' you, Woody!

 

[Tink rules]

OH MY! Mysteriously, DW's charging privileges were immediately reinstated!

Woody

::cop:
We're watchin' you, Woody!

LIKE YOU EVER HAD A CHANCE!!!!

 

[Mozart]

Can you turn off your spouse's charging privileges?

Woody

She might turn off your privileges if you do that.

 

[Tink rules]

Mozart...over on the WB Repo cruise thread someone (it was before me...) started in on bedazzled Spankx (women's undies...) Since then we've posted about LG underwear in all matters of, well... you understand... even some pin ups... The guys don't like ours but the women think the guys choice is sort of "plastic"... if you know what I mean...

(MY KIND OF WOMAN TINK!!! )

 

[khakismum]

bump

 

[zerog]

Bring an old hotel key (card type with magnetic strip) for locking/unlocking the safe - you don't have to use your KTTW. Hide the key (well) in the room, so that either adult can open the safe. The problem with using your KTTW key to lock the safe is THAT becomes the only key that can now open the safe.

Order some cookies from room service and bring them to the shows.

 

[zerog]

I get seasick if I just look at the ocean... Ok, it's notTHAT bad.

We had rather rough seas the first day (10 to 12 feet swells). I didn't get dizzy, nauseous .... nothing. I was "fit as a fiddle" as they say <pats self on back>! However, I witnessed and heard about others who did get sea sick.

Here is what I did:
1) I wore a patch; applied it behind the ear at 11:30am the first sail day.
2) I ate a non-greasy breakfast. Nothing heavy; just oatmeal, banana, and
toast. No sausage or bacon or pancakes/syrup. No eggs.
3) I drank coffee first thing when I woke up. This was so I would stay as hydrated as humanly possible. (see #5 below).
4) I took 500mg ginger root capsules (the nite before the cruise, the morning and afternoon of day one). Now please understand, I don't even like taking aspirin when I have a slight headache. But here, I was desperate not to get sick. Eat something with these because they leave a bad taste in your throat.
5) I drank a TON of water before we set sail. I was milking water like there was no tomorrow. One hand always had a water bottle. No joke, I drank at least 3 full water bottles worth before we set sail. And yes, I did have to P a lot.
6) Upon boarding, we hit the buffet. I didn't eat anything too spicy/heavy. Again, I ate more bread/butter.
7) I stayed away from any alcohol the first day.

I'm not exactly sure which of the above contributed the most to my healthy journey. Perhaps a combination of things, but I get motion sick very easy.

 

[zerog]

Castaway Cay

Since most people stay up late on cruises, you basically have 2 tough choices:
1) Sleep late and miss part of the day at the beach, but be well rested.
2) Get up early to maximize your day at Castaway, but go tired.

There's probably a happy medium for everyone. Perhaps this is something families can decide upon ahead of time, so everyone knows what to expect. Just remember, there are so many time delays involved with everything (i.e., getting off the ship, taking a tram to the Castaway Cay beaches, walking to find a lounge chair, checking kids in/out of Scuttles, taking the tram back to the ship, preparing for dinner or show, etc.).

For me, it was tough getting my family to move in the morning, without causing fireworks of the family type.

 

[zerog]

If you put your children in the Oceaneer's lab, it is highly probable that may not be the place you pick them up. The kids are continually moved from place to place, or are in transition - in which case you have to wait for the entire bunch to be moved before you can begin the checkout process. This is also the case at Castaway Cay. When you go to get your kids, they may be in the middle of a treasure hunt, for example.

The lesson here is, you can't expect to pickup your kids at the last moment if you are hoping to be somewhere at an exact time.

 

[zerog]

I posted this in my trip report, May 2007. Some of this may have changed since then:

We enjoyed Atlantis via the Comfort Suites, but couldn't fit it all in. A few things to consider:

Comfort Suites is cheaper than DCL; just be aware of ALL their hidden charges:

- Housekeeping gratuity ($4/nite/person 12 and older)
- Energy surcharge ($6/nite/person 16 and older)
- Resort Levy
- Gov't Tax
- Add Taxi fare + tip, both ways ($4/person x 2)

I reserved a room online for $266 with a AAA discount. My final bill at the hotel came to $286, after they added even more charges.

Time vs Value: If you plan to sleep late and arrive back at the ship early, Atlantis may not be the best value. Be aware that many things waste time (taxi ride, lots of walking, etc.).

- I read a cruise review from someone who took a water taxi to Atlantis. The taxi broke down, and it took 2 hours to get to shore. They had to be towed.

- I know of someone whose ship (another cruise line) arrived 2 hours late to Nassau.

Our decision to visit Atlantis was based on the cost of other excursions and my kid's ages. We didn't want to stay on the ship, which would have been the cheapest option. Also, my DD4 was too young for a lot of the excursions.

 

[NJFabFour]

As I'm putting all these great tips together in one (very long and growing!) tip sheet, I want to bump this one too . . . I only got partway through it and still have more great tips to gather!! (Also bumped the one for "What you wish you'd known"). Thanks so much everyone for all of the fabulous info!!

 

[disneytraceyl]

Is there only one sheet that needs to be printed out and signed? Help... I just don't want to do it wrong and have to fill everything back out.

I think the best cruise tip for NEW and experienced cruisers is TO DO YOUR CRUISE DOCS ONLINE AND PRINT THEM OUT!!!! So many people DO the online registration, but they forget to print them out and bring them with them. If you don't print them out, you have to do it all over again at the port.......take this tip from someone who has forgotten to bring her Docs that were printed out!

 

[PizzieDuster]

As I'm putting all these great tips together in one (very long and growing!) tip sheet, I want to bump this one too . . . I only got partway through it and still have more great tips to gather!! (Also bumped the one for "What you wish you'd known"). Thanks so much everyone for all of the fabulous info!!

Aww that would be fantastic! Somone did this two or three years ago. I may have it printed out somewhere. I'll try to find it. Things have changed but some hints have not.

My fav tips were go to Mickey pool first thing after boarding. Bring zip lock bags for snacks on excursions. Over the door shoeholder and the extension cords/power strips - by far the best!

 

[khakismum]

bump...always like to hear more ideas.

You can bring your own wine, beer, alcohol on board.

The cooler in your room keep the stuff relatively cool but not COLD. If you want cold wine or beer make sure housekeeping knows you want ice and they will keep your bucket full and you can chill in there. I have even heard of folks bringing coolers aboard and housekeeping kept the cooler full of ice too! (Leave a handsome tip for them if you do this...)

 

[TIGGER/POOH4]

i have jotted down a lot of these tips, and will use them on our next cruise.

Thanks to everyone!





Free Cruise Clocks



Free Cruise Clocks

 

[mirby72]

Mine has to be...if you have to have an inside stateroom, book on deck 7 aft, so you'll have the "secret verandah" to go out and enjoy. We did just this in April and it was wonderful.

My second is what I just learned, and they are the "secret" cat 7 rooms on deck 7 (used to be cat 5), so I booked our first verandah for next June, just because of the Dis! Thanks everyone!

Get married on the ship and you and DW are the first ones off at CC. They need to start the island ceremony ASAP so that others can enjoy the "Heads up bar" after the formal ceremony. DW was late getting off the boat and everyone else had to wait for her to leave. Fortunately they saw her walk by and no one had any issues with it. By that time I was already at the Heads Up Bar awaiting my beautiful bride to show up.

 

[mirby72]

Mine has to be...if you have to have an inside stateroom, book on deck 7 aft, so you'll have the "secret verandah" to go out and enjoy. We did just this in April and it was wonderful.

My second is what I just learned, and they are the "secret" cat 7 rooms on deck 7 (used to be cat 5), so I booked our first verandah for next June, just because of the Dis! Thanks everyone!

Quarters! Rolls and rolls (for a 15-day cruise, one roll for a 7 day trip) of quarters for laundry. It's amazing how many 'new friends" you make when others forget to bring enough quaters with them. Those change machines never hold enough.

 

[QJ411]

These tips are great! I've just sat here and read ALL 26 pages!

Here's my 2 tips::

1. If you plan on using DCL's stroller, go down the night before the port and pick up the stroller, the line is sort of long during the mornings at port.

2. Bring Sea-Bands from CVS. I didn't think I needed them since I never had a problem on prior cruises, but the last one was bad! I had to leave dinner early to go back to the cabin. DH had to buy the Sea-Bands from their shop and it was $11!!! It worked wonders though...the Dremamine (sp?) didn't work for me. And guess what, I did a load of laundry and lost ONE of the bands, and of course, ONE ALONE did not work. DH had to go and pick up yet, another $11. pair of Sea Bands for me. Since I've lost them YET again since we came home, I'm going to CVS to pick up a couple before we sail!

Thanks for all the tips!

 

[aan1701]

After reading ll 26 pages I have come up with a few tips of my own. First, I get this from very early on in this thread, It is called Palo, not Palo's. Second tip, Don't get all fussy if things do not go according to plan. Things happen that my make you miss a port or something, remember you are out in the ocean and anything can happen. this is one Disney ride that is not on a track. Third, I would go to Palo for brunch over dinner. I have found, and since it is the same price, that the food in Palo is really not better at dinner than in the dinning room, but the Brunch was just off the hook. I guess you pay not to have kids around. If you don't want to be bothered by kids at the Mickey Pool during the day, and have the need for a Hot Dog, some wings, or maybe some chips and salsa/guaquamole, or even nachos, head to Diversions. They have a very small buffet with these items till about 10 P.M. Fourth tip, if you really don't care about the ports, then stay on the ship, you will have it almost all to your self, and there will be activities, or if you need to use the internet, it moves at light speed as no one else is on the net. Last and this is the best tip out there, HAVE FUN NO MATTER WHAT, you are on vacation.