What was your worst DCL rookie mistake?

[Steamboat Marti]

Yeah, I learned from the beer tasting, it might be a good idea to schedule some down time after one of those tastings.

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First time cruiser - how do you book the beer tasting?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

First time cruiser - how do you book the beer tasting?

Once onboard, you go to where the reservations for the tastings/mixology classes are being handled (it'll be listed in the Navigator you get at check in).

 

[Steamboat Marti]

Once onboard, you go to where the reservations for the tastings/mixology classes are being handled (it'll be listed in the Navigator you get at check in).

Thank you! And that's probably why they say to read the Navigator carefully!!

 

[RedSox68]

Ok, fair enough. OTHER than Castaway Cay - which I personally think is a big draw for DCL - don't expect an "empty" ship at ports. At least in the Caribbean/Bahamas itineraries.

When we did our b2b in 2007, I think at that time it was a relatively rare occurrence. People couldn't afford that much time off, couldn't afford two cruises at once, etc. But as it caught on, it has grown in popularity -- especially hooking a 7-night to a 4-night. Ours was with the Med and Transatlantic cruises and yes, we honestly were the only passengers we saw onboard from 9 a.m. to Noon. We had the adult pool and whole upper deck to ourselves -- except for crew cleaning. And we didn't have to get off at all -- except we got off to get our embarkation picture taken for the second leg. And yes, it was glorious, but I don't think I could afford to do it again at Disney's prices nowadays LOL.

 

[RedSox68]

Forming opinions based off of other people's experiences by reading trip reports and doing too much research.

I keep hearing this and it's making me nervous, possibly to the point of canceling but we're so excited for the Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins tour! Do you think the ferry will still get us sea sick if we've been taking Meclizine daily for the cruise duration?

Both of these quotes reflect a VERY bad decision I made on our Cozumel stop. After reading so many reports about the rough ferry ride to Tulum, and people throwing up, etc. etc. etc., I decided not to go. My husband and daughter went and had a great time, loved the ruins and found the experience extraordinary. Missed the opportunity of a lifetime as we may never get back there. I will never cancel another event or excursion based on other people's personal experiences and opinions. I still regret that decision to this day. DON'T CANCEL!

 

[Dug720]

When we did our b2b in 2007, I think at that time it was a relatively rare occurrence. People couldn't afford that much time off, couldn't afford two cruises at once, etc. But as it caught on, it has grown in popularity -- especially hooking a 7-night to a 4-night. Ours was with the Med and Transatlantic cruises and yes, we honestly were the only passengers we saw onboard from 9 a.m. to Noon. We had the adult pool and whole upper deck to ourselves -- except for crew cleaning. And we didn't have to get off at all -- except we got off to get our embarkation picture taken for the second leg. And yes, it was glorious, but I don't think I could afford to do it again at Disney's prices nowadays LOL.

Fair enough - though I was referring to during-cruise ports (Nassau, Key West, Cozumel, etc.). Not B2B cruisers.

 

[Rabb it]

When we did our b2b in 2007, I think at that time it was a relatively rare occurrence. People couldn't afford that much time off, couldn't afford two cruises at once, etc. But as it caught on, it has grown in popularity -- especially hooking a 7-night to a 4-night. Ours was with the Med and Transatlantic cruises and yes, we honestly were the only passengers we saw onboard from 9 a.m. to Noon. We had the adult pool and whole upper deck to ourselves -- except for crew cleaning. And we didn't have to get off at all -- except we got off to get our embarkation picture taken for the second leg. And yes, it was glorious, but I don't think I could afford to do it again at Disney's prices nowadays LOL.

That sounds amazing.....

 

[hoffman1]

Feeling like I "had" to go to dinner every night.
Sometimes it is nice to just get room service or a burger on deck.

 

[wcw57]

it IS kinda funny how we book a cruise and then spend an inordinate amount of time indoors (theaters, dining, bingo, lounges, etc) AWAY from the ocean....which we spent a lot of money to see

 

[dreadpiraterose]

And this is proof that even if weather is NOT a possible issue (certainly is in Buffalo in March), there are other factors to keep in mind that affect flights, even the first flight out - mechanical issues, crew issues (the assigned crew not getting in in time for their mandatory rest and there not being a replacement team, a crew member calling out sick and having to wait for the replacement, etc.), the equipment not being there if it was coming in from somewhere else, delays for computer or weather reasons in the originating cities, etc. Flights going off on time is not as simple as "there's no weather here", sadly.

I even get nervous taking the last flight on the night before. My husband and I did a Disney cruise for our honeymoon, and so we picked a flight after work on that Friday, with the ship leaving Saturday. Our plane got a cracked windshield, but since it was the last flight of the night, it was looking like we wouldn't fly out until Saturday. The whole thing was up in the air as to whether they could get another plane that night. People were already rebooking for the next morning and just going home. The airline only had two flights for Saturday that would have gotten us to the boat on time, and the available seats was down into the single digits. Fortunately we got another plane, but we didn't get in until 2am. Had the plane not come, we might not have even been able to get out the next morning. SUPER stressful. Now we go down two days before. Paranoid? Perhaps. But we won't miss the boat!

 

[FtWildernessCamper]

We've cruised on DCL four times - worst mistakes for our group: (a) packing WAY too much, (b) drinking too much alcohol on rough sea day, (c) booking port excursions with start times too early in the morning, (d) scheduling the first seating for dinner and (e) expecting a small child to sit through the entire evening meal - dine 'n play is the only way to go!

 

[RedSox68]

Worst mistake I discovered after our first two cruises -- not to obsess so much, not to do too much research on other people's experiences/opinions, and definitely not to panic about what I may have forgotten. Over the next 10 cruises, I discovered that no matter what you may have forgotten, you can find a substitute somewhere (if absolutely needed), that you should go with the flow and not worry about whether or not you will enjoy the excursion because other people didn't, and book your flights at least a day in advance. That extra hotel fee is well worth not sitting at the airport day of and realizing you may miss the boat because of technical difficulty, airport system shutdown or weather (all of which we have experienced). It's your vacation -- make it as easy as possible to enjoy

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

My mistake was laying down on the bed while I waited for DH to shower one night. So much for our plans that night, I fell asleep and woke up the next morning!

 

[RedSox68]

My mistake was laying down on the bed while I waited for DH to shower one night. So much for our plans that night, I fell asleep and woke up the next morning!

that lovely rocking of the boat is like a lullaby LOL

 

[JanBlessed]

wow that is bad, I'm sorry... have you been able to rectify that?

We will in June 2017 !!!

 

[NS8VN]

Not exactly a cruise mistake, but could save someone else one: Try any seasickness medication you want to use before you cruise. I went to Cedar Point for the first time in several years this past Summer and got the slightest bit nauseous and decided to take some Meclizine. It might have helped with the nausea but put me in a terrible haze the rest of the day. I know now not to take it on the cruise unless I'm sure the alternative will be worse and I'm glad I found that out now rather than later.

 

[BettyLG]

We are now experienced cruiser now, but 2 things come to mind.
Don't book a verandah just because the boards said it was the only way to go.
DH can't swim and is also afraid of water. After a few verandahs, and seeing
him not even go near the rail or water, I realized that booking insides give us the
opportunity to sail twice a year now.
Don't book an inside right under the exercise deck on Princess. Early aerobics on the deck woke
us up every AM. Do research and look at deck plans.

I swam competitively for most of my childhood and through college. I am terrified of the idea of stateroom verandahs. I don't blame your DH one bit! (I've never been into a stateroom with a verandah, so I don't know how they're designed. I am comfortable with the common area rails that are angled inward to make it very hard to climb over.)

We've cruised on DCL four times - worst mistakes for our group: (a) packing WAY too much, (b) drinking too much alcohol on rough sea day, (c) booking port excursions with start times too early in the morning, (d) scheduling the first seating for dinner and (e) expecting a small child to sit through the entire evening meal - dine 'n play is the only way to go!

On the topic of packing too much and bringing things you don't need: I spent the last few days before my first DCL cruise searching all over for the lotion or whatever it is that you're supposed to apply to prevent sea lice and jellyfish reactions. I didn't find it, and I didn't need it.

We loved the dine and play option. After a rough meal with all four of us the first night, we paid for DS to go to the nursery for two of the remaining dinners, and DD was actually chomping at the bit to leave with the activities staff after she finished her dinner those two evenings. (My DD loved the kids' clubs, and now that DS is old enough to join her, I really hope they'll have fun there together!)

 

[anricat]

I had read here to wear my swimsuit under my clothes to go swimming right when we got on board. We were the first ones in line for the Aqua Duck. Yay! After we were done swimming and sliding, without thinking, I popped my dress back on over my swimsuit to have some lunch. I knew our luggage wouldn't be there until later so I had wisely packed my under garments in my carry on to change into in the room before doing other activities.

We went back to the room to change and I took off my swimsuit, put on my undergarments and then realized I had a dress that was wet where it had been in contact with my swimsuit. I ended up standing in the room in my underwear drying my dress with the hair dryer. The next cruise I remembered to toss a cover up into my carry on! (Which is funny because I didn't end up in the water at all that time!)

 

[elaine amj]

I am an over-researcher. For our first Disney cruise with friends, I decided to try out their wing-it style. I still read a lot before the cruise, but didn't research in detail. Well, I quickly discovered that both my family (and my friends) relied on me to know the detailed answers to EVERYTHING. Nobody liked that I didn't know the ship's layout well, that I didn't know what times things were happening, etc etc.

Worst of all, I had NO idea that all food outlets closed at midnight! Our previous cruise together had been on RCCL and one of my favourite parts was roaming the ship in the middle of the night and having pizza/treats at 3am. We had gotten all the kids settled (First time for my friends to leave their kids with mine) and left the room about 12am only to find the snacks in the adult area had just closed down. The nightclub was lackluster and we decided to go search for some eats only to find EVERYthing was closed. We used a stairwell phone to beg room service to send food to the adult area but no dice. We ended up ordering munchies to our stateroom and whispering on the verandah. It was quite a bummer to our plans for an adult night although we made the best of it.

So for me at least, research is essential.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

That you probably shouldn't book a mixology and an Italian liquor tasting back to back even if the bartender signing you up assures you'll be fine. I was not fine. I don't know who would be fine with 10 drinks in 2 hours. I thought we were just "tasting" them!

Had a blast though!