What was your worst DCL rookie mistake?

[bumbershoot]

Not embarrassing except that I generally read EVERYTHING, so when I don't read everything it's weird to me. I never really made time on our first DCL cruise (3 nighter) to read the Navigator thoroughly, and missed things. The main one I missed was how Dine&Play worked; never did use that service!

So, our first cruise ever, we took Disney transportation from the resort (and this was MY mistake, we booked a noon transport) We didn't leave at noon, we got on the ship at 3:30pm.

How was it your mistake that the disney transport got you there late?

That first night (between PC and Nassau) I was miserable and thought cruising wasn't for me.

FWIW, that first night (I was told it's because of crossing the Bahamas Straits?) is the worst night of a normal-weather typical Bahamas cruise. I considered drugging myself that first night, but was glad i didn't, because I didn't have a single problem after that next morning. Even on a cruise where it was a bit bumpier I don't have problems other than being woozy on that first night. So being sick the first night out of FL doesn't necessarily mean you'll be sick the whole time.

to the worst was doing 2 excursions at every stop

Yikes! That's a lot.

Why did you think it wasn't included? Did you see prices on the menu board?

MUN

If you think something costs money, you won't necessarily go close enough to find out.

You didn't tell him earlier that most food was included? And you let him starve? Are you still married?

He didn't starve. Gracious.

The non-planners won't listen to everything the planners say. And sometimes you don't know what they haven't heard until you're in the moment watching your husband drool over food he didn't hear you say was included.

I was an observant wife. Letting him "starve" would have been if I sat there and let him drool for the next 2 hours until dinner time.

You did just fine.

I was majorly hangry by the time we got any food. So much so that I snapped at a server in Parrot Cay when we finally go seated and the vegetarian options seemed limited. It turned out that the server was one of our serving team and I felt a little uncomfortable the whole trip thinking that I snapped at him for an issue that wasn't his fault.

Aw, he's seen hangry people before.

We never got towel animals, just shapes like a heart, anchor, "toilet" which was supposed to be a crest of Arendale, but was a toilet when our table mates were getting (real crests...we saw the pics) monkeys dressed in sunglasses or whatever.

Tip 1: some attendants don't know how to make the fancy things.

Tip 2: to get sunglass monkeys you have to leave sunglasses out and obvious in the room.

I should've asked for a connecting flight with a longer delay.

I think that's what PrincessS was saying; that you could still use Disney for flights, but you have to make sure it works for your risk-level etc.

Taking a short 7 night cruise for my first cruise. Your first cruise should never be a short cruise.after that cruise my next was a 14 than a 15 than a 12 than I went back to a 7.

7 nights being a short cruise! Woo! I like your style.

Benadryl? It's going to make them so sleepy. :/

But the active ingredient in it is the one in dramamine.

From wiki: "Dimenhydrinate is a combination of two drugs: diphenhydramine and 8-chlorotheophylline." deminhydrinate is dramamine/gravol, an diphenhydramine is Benadryl. So they took the active ingredient in Benadryl and added 8-chlorotheophylline, which is "is a stimulant drug of the xanthine chemical class, with physiological effects similar to caffeine" to keep you from the drowsiness.

Bonine is meclizine, which is another antihistamine.

So the thing used for seasickness is actually an antihistamine. Which I did not know!

Not everyone reacts to Benadryl by getting sleepy. Some (myself included) get hyper.

The one time DS took benadryl he took the liquid kind, and he amped up into madness because, it turned out, he cannot have the HFCS they use (or were using if it's changed) to sweeten it.

2) Not taking DCL Bus

Our second rookie mistake was *taking* the DCL bus, especially from the resort! It just gets you there so late. I don't find the luggage thing to be that big of a deal.

I guess I don't understand how someone would spend this much money on a cruise and have no idea what would be included and what would not not be included.

I think you'd have to ask the non-planners in the households! It mystifies the planners, that's for sure!

 

[FigmentSpark]

But the active ingredient in it is the one in dramamine.

From wiki: "Dimenhydrinate is a combination of two drugs: diphenhydramine and 8-chlorotheophylline." deminhydrinate is dramamine/gravol, an diphenhydramine is Benadryl. So they took the active ingredient in Benadryl and added 8-chlorotheophylline, which is "is a stimulant drug of the xanthine chemical class, with physiological effects similar to caffeine" to keep you from the drowsiness.

Bonine is meclizine, which is another antihistamine.

So the thing used for seasickness is actually an antihistamine. Which I did not know!

I didn't know that! I think that's pretty important. I take an antihistamine daily (Claritin) and I wouldn't want to take something that doubles up on that. Just reminds me to always read the label and ask a pharmacist if I don't understand something.

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[mevelandry]

Not everyone reacts to Benadryl by getting sleepy. Some (myself included) get hyper.

Really? I did not know that.

 

[Dug720]

Really? I did not know that.

Yep! People react differently to different things - sometimes dyes and such, other times the medication itself.

 

[mevelandry]

Yep! People react differently to different things - sometimes dyes and such, other times the medication itself.

Yeah, I am aware of that but I honestly though that drowsiness what the most common effect of Benadryl, especially since it is used in over-the-counter sleep aids.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

My rookie mistake was touching stuff around the ship (railings, elevator buttons, etc.) when I heard there was a sickness aboard. I ended up extremely sick (and had to miss Lobster night) for the last 2 days of the cruise.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

I definitely need to remember the preemptive sea sickness meds!

I was quite the opposite. I was so worried about getting seasick that I started taking the medication the morning before our departure. It made me so tired that I could barely stay awake through the show (we had early seating). The next day I just decided to risk it and stopped taking them and I was fine.

 

[dcassetta]

dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and doxylamine (Nyquil) are all antihistamines that make me edgy and anxious rather than calm and sleepy.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Really? I did not know that.

Oh, yes, it's true. It effects me that way, too.

 

[BuzzLightyearInTampa]

You can also call from your stateroom phone and they will contact your stateroom host to tell him/her to deliver what you need.

My rookie mistake was wanting to do both a mixology class and a wine tasting class and still booking both when I found out they would be back to back. I don't remember much of that afternoon.

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

 

[Rabb it]

I was quite the opposite. I was so worried about getting seasick that I started taking the medication the morning before our departure. It made me so tired that I could barely stay awake through the show (we had early seating). The next day I just decided to risk it and stopped taking them and I was fine.

Ooo that's rough!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I was quite the opposite. I was so worried about getting seasick that I started taking the medication the morning before our departure. It made me so tired that I could barely stay awake through the show (we had early seating). The next day I just decided to risk it and stopped taking them and I was fine.

I think a lot of people are afraid that they're going to be seasick and medicate with no reason. I had no clue as to whether I'd have sea sickness or not, before our first cruise. We knew my husband did, so he got the patch (he always had problems with motion sickness). I just took some Dramamine & bonine along for "just in case". Turns out I don't need it.

Now, that approach only works if you're on a longer cruise, because if you wind up being one of the few that do need meds for sea sickness you're going to lose at least a day (sometimes 2) due to the sea sickness before the meds kick in. Our first cruise was 15 nights, so I felt I had the time to "waste" if that were to happen. But on a cruise shorter than 5 nights, you'd lose a lot of time onboard.

 

[mevelandry]

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

View attachment 197162

Wow! And we thought we had a lot of wine!

(My picture: wine tasting for 2 persons)

 

[RedSox68]

Scheduling a 4-night cruise for our first one, fearing I wouldn't like cruising or get seasick. Immediately into the cruise I was already regretting not being on the ship longer!

 

[mevelandry]

I was quite the opposite. I was so worried about getting seasick that I started taking the medication the morning before our departure. It made me so tired that I could barely stay awake through the show (we had early seating). The next day I just decided to risk it and stopped taking them and I was fine.

Oh no!

We use non-drowsy pills during the first day and we keep the drowsy ones for the night. The first night is always the worst night (because of the straits)... After that, it gets better... Unless you get rough seas (it happened to us on the last night of our last cruise).

 

[RedSox68]

Whatever you would normally take for seasickness, but you take it right when you get on board, so if seasickness should rear it's ugly head the medicine is already in your system!

I take a Bonine as soon as we board the ship. It's non-drowsy. Just in the case the crossing is more rocky than normal, otherwise I'm fine. If the seas are choppy, I just take a Bonine each morning with breakfast and it lasts the whole day. My DH and DD never need anything!

Benadryl and Dramamine knock me out! The vet prescribed Benadry for our dog who is hyper and has separation anxiety. It should have made him calm and groggy for driving trips. Instead, it had him bouncing off the walls. So lesson learned on that one.

 

[Googelibear]

You didn't tell him earlier that most food was included? And you let him starve? Are you still married?

 

[JimCotton]

I think you'd have to ask the non-planners in the households! It mystifies the planners, that's for sure!

Oh I planned quite a bit. I did the same thing for Universal and for my EC cruise this December. I just did not see any information about Flo's and didn't know anything about it until we were onboard. We saw and because it wasn't MDR, we assumed it was extra and never really looked anymore into it. It was just after the dry dock, so Venellope's was there so I think we thought that everything in there was extra, so Flo's must be too. I don't know. Never really thought about why. We just laughed about it when we found out and it made us love DCL even more!

 

[Dug720]

Yeah, I am aware of that but I honestly though that drowsiness what the most common effect of Benadryl, especially since it is used in over-the-counter sleep aids.

It is a common effect, but not a universal one.

 

[bumbershoot]

re: effects...and obviously the 8-theo stuff they add to keep people awake when using dramamine doesn't always work, since people do get sleepy while using dramamine!

My rookie mistake was touching stuff around the ship (railings, elevator buttons, etc.) when I heard there was a sickness aboard. I ended up extremely sick (and had to miss Lobster night) for the last 2 days of the cruise.

FWIW, you can still touch things as long as you never put your fingers in your mouth. I would say "until you wash them thoroughly" but nah, it's best to keep the hands from the mouth.

I do use knuckles to push elevator buttons, though.

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

View attachment 197162

Woo! Full glasses for a tasting? Sign me up.