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

[NoFussRuss]

The top five tips I can offer, after the previous 100,000:
(If they are repeats, I am truly sorry!)​

1. BRING A HIGHLIGHTER - I wish I had one to highlight my navigator when I saw something of interest, rather than relying on my brain after an afternoon of hot sun and cold cocktails. (This was posted in this thread, but I didn't catch it before my trip)


2. If you travel with children - ALWAYS have your autograph books, sharpies and camera in some kind of backpack - and ALWAYS carry it with you! - cause you never know who might be around the corner! (PS - Go shopping in shutters during one of the other character breakfasts - you will see everybody walking through!!!!).


3. There is a CVS and Walgreen's (only a few blocks from the boat) in Key West where you can buy almost anything you forgot to pack. (Sorry Eastern Cruisers) - This also pertains to wine/beer/liquor - you can bring back on the ship (LOST WEEKEND LIQUOR STORE down Duval St. about 2 blocks south to Caroline St. (make a right) around the corner from The Bull).


4. If you are traveling during any holiday - think of getting your servers & stateroom attendant a small gift. We traveled during Valentine's Day and I packed little boxes of chocolate to give to each one.


5. Take it easy! When I looked at my first Navigator - let's do this, this and this! Yes you will be overwhelmed at all the things to do! You'll be lucky to get in 2 activities a day! If you don't get to do it this time - rebook (on the boat) for next year and get 10% off and $200 room credit like I did!

 

[Anna114]

Don't you save money on the "tax free" shops?

Have a magical day,
Anna

Saves tons of money...

 

[NoFussRuss]

Don't you save money on the "tax free" shops?

Have a magical day,
Anna

Oh you save tons of money - BUT you do not receive it until the night before you disembark and CUSTOMS will not allow you to leave the ship with an open bottle of liquor - so if you want to enjoy beer/wine/liquor on the ship and save! - Bring your own! If you want some cheap liquor for home - buy it Duty Free - hope this helps.

 

[Anna114]

Funny that you asked that. Last night I saw so many great ideas. I've been cutting and pasting all of the suggestions into a text edit doc. This way I'll have everything when the time comes. Alot of the suggestions have been good just for everyday vacations, not just DCL

Have a magical day,
Anna

I love this thread - has anyone put these tips into a Word document?

Thanks,

KC

ps - don't tell my DH, but I just booked our 2006 trip and put down the deposit!

 

[Anna114]

To date this is the best info lol. I would of thought I could purchase it duty free through the whole trip. Thanks for the info.

Have a great day,
Anna

Oh you save tons of money - BUT you do not receive it until the night before you disembark and CUSTOMS will not allow you to leave the ship with an open bottle of liquor - so if you want to enjoy beer/wine/liquor on the ship and save! - Bring your own! If you want some cheap liquor for home - buy it Duty Free - hope this helps.

 

[Evans Family]

I think I have one that no one has mentioned! I learned it on the Dis!!!

Bring 2 bungee cords if you have connecting rooms to keep the doors open. They are heavy doors and will not stay open by themselves. If closed you cannot open them from the other stateroom. The cords worked great! You need one for each door.

 

[VickynMickey]

Thats a great tip, we have connecting rooms 5022 and 5024 I was wondering how to keep the doors open.
Thanks for the great tip

Keep them coming fellow disers!!!!!

 

[El Capitan]

My family just got off the Magic on the 11th after enjoying the wonderful Eastern Caribbean. We spent hours pouring overing over information on these boards.

Best suggestions that we used:

Clothes pins to keep curtains together at veranda
Collapseable hamper for dirty clothes
over the door see thru shoe holder for every little thing
power strip to charge up digital camera, camcorder, shaver, etc..
highlighters for going over the daily navigator
lots and lots of sunscreen
going to Topsiders buffet then swimming once you board the ship

and the most important tip we used....

Relax and enjoy youre on VACATION!!!!

We did and it was soooo good we booked again being we are, uh, you know veterans now.

 

[Kimmielee]

Not a tip, but a question.... on our Carnival cruise we had to have a bungee (sp) cord to keep the verandah door open. Do the DCL doors stay open or should I do this again? I LOVE to sleep and hear the water as we sail....

 

[taswira]

Not a tip, but a question.... on our Carnival cruise we had to have a bungee (sp) cord to keep the verandah door open. Do the DCL doors stay open or should I do this again? I LOVE to sleep and hear the water as we sail....

The staff and crew of DCL asks that you NOT leave the verandah doors open, even during the day, due to the humidity entering the room (not good for the walls, furniture, artwork, etc.), and more importantly that it will cause the air conditioning to run excessively and possibly overload the system. I don't know, but I DO know that when the door is open birds have been known to fly in and can be difficult to get out of the room!

And although I've always felt completely safe on a DCL cruise, I don't think I would go so far as to sleep with the verandah door open (or even unlocked) even if the above were not considerations.

 

[fabumouse]

1) I like to bring tape so I can tape some napkins over the speaker in cabin. They always seem to announce bingo or art auctions way too much for my liking (esp in the morning!) so I like to muffle that speaker. .

Someone please tell me that DCL does *not* annoy sleeping children with room announcements of bingo!

 

[barbmouse]

Thanks for the great tips! subscribing so I'll be ready in June!!
Keep 'em coming!

 

[milestogo]

Best things we did in no particular order:
1: baggies! Great for ice
2: beverage containers to fill up milk and water every day
3: small stackable plastic ware to keep fruit and cheese cold in fridge for small ones quick bite.
4: small hand held tape player with music and books on tape for stroller while we walked/excercised on deck 4 - she loved it!
5: door stops for extrememly heavy doors.
6: blue painters tape to tape up daily navigator, spare white paper to outline each persons schedule, movies,events. We found there were so many events we would miss one that we really loved the first cruise, didn't happen the second with the schedules. Also, hung our dinner tickets or anything else we wanted to be able to see and not lose - we're very ADD!
7: plastic craft cloth for kid's projects in room, so she didn't color or paint the floor. we also used room service trays for coloring - easy to wash.
8: shoe holders for everything!
9: collapsing dirty clothes hamper, then use the bags to pack all in one suitcase.
10: buy mickey chocolate peanuts early, they sell out!!!
11: head phones for tv and movies when the baby went to sleep long before us.
12: tap light for getting up in the middle of the night.
13: power strip - there are few plugs.

I've learned so much from this thread that I'll have a much longer list next time!!!!!

 

[bevtoy]

My DH & DD's enjoyed using the Walmart 97 cent lanyards for our KTTWs. I passed out cheap watches so the kids never missed a meet time. Having a higlighter to mark our navigators. Room service, precalculated tip cash, the Mickey wake up call, bringing our Pirate supplies from Party City, our magnetic door signs featuring free Disney font, and our carry-on beer and wine.

Thank you, DISers!!!!

I was considering purchasing the Wamart 97 cent lanyard today, Do the room keys have a hole punched in them for Lanyards, or what?(Whats a KTTW?)
Thanks!

 

[Doingitagain]

I was considering purchasing the Wamart 97 cent lanyard today, Do the room keys have a hole punched in them for Lanyards, or what?(Whats a KTTW?)
Thanks!

KTTW is Key To The World card. It is your room key and charge card and access to the ship...everything...so don't lose it! They are not pre-punched. I think a punch might mean that it cannot be used for charging? I can't remember.

 

[kritter]

great tips keep them coming!!!

 

[rsjj]

get your bill from guest services midweek, just to see how much you've spent, and also incase they do make a mistake or two.

 

[JLMEBW]

Bring Random Things to Magic Quest the Game on I know at least the week longs for your kids to get an I'm A Winner Medal

 

[SamRoc]

Lifestyle portraits! (Wouldn't have known about these if not for DIS. If you are planning to have one done, the only background choice is white, so plan clothing choices appropriately)

Hi, what are lifestyle portraits? thanks!

 

[rsjj]

Hi, what are lifestyle portraits? thanks!

it's a picture session, where the backdrop is completely white, and you sit on this white sheet, sometimes barefoot. the pix come out really nice, cuz it focuses on the people, and not on the background (since it's white!). they have them set up usually in the evenings. hope this helps. there was a thread on it a while back, and some even posted their lifestyles portraits on them. maybe you can do a search & see...