when you first get on the ship question

[pinksand]

First 3 day Bahamas cruise. So when you first get on the ship how will you know where and what to do?

OP, your question reminds me of our very first cruise (on Celebrity, 10 years ago). When we first boarded, a crew member greeted us with a glass of champagne. We took a sip, looked at him and said, "What do we do now?"


Do what we did - explore your new home for the next 3 days and giggle a lot.

 

[Dug720]

Since you won't have access to your room is there someplace to store your carryon while swimming?

At whatever chair you manage to claim. Probably better to have someone sun and someone swim if you're carrying valuables you're concerned about.

 

[Croston3]

For the Navigator app, just search Disney Cruise Line, and you'll see it. It's free to download and free to use. You can use it to set your countdown clock to count down the days to your cruise.

Wifi onboard is NOT free and it's not cheap. From what I've read it's also very slow. Wifi wasn't invented yet on our first cruise in '99, heck, we were all concerned with Y2K! Haha!

However...

You can use the Navigator app onboard FOR FREE as long as you leave your phone (iPad, tablet, etc.) in AIRPLANE MODE and enable wifi.

In fact, I plan on leaving my stuff in airplane mode so I don't accidentally get hit with international roaming.

Enjoy your planning and have a great cruise!

 

[E ticket rider]

First 3 day Bahamas cruise. So when you first get on the ship how will you know where and what to do? Will a navigation paper be mailed to us prior to our cruise so we can plan?

They will give you a Navigator as you go through the Mickey ears to the gangway.

Staterooms are not available until 1:30, so keep that in mind when packing your carry-ons as you will be hauling them around until then.

We usually board the ship and head up to Cabanas for some lunch. If you are interested in tastings or mixology, you will want to know where to go to sign up for these things early as they have been known to sell out quickly.

After lunch, if you have your swimsuits on, relax on deck and take a swim. If you're not ready for the pool, then just roam the ship and get your bearings. A 3-day cruise is nowhere near long enough to fully explore the ship.

If you have kids club aged children and did not get them signed up in the terminal, that would be a good time to visit the clubs and get them banded. Older kids are different, Vibe (the teen club) has special KTTW cards and are issued at check-in. Edge (the tween club) gets a special sticker on their KTTW card. The kids can come and go as they please in Vibe and Edge. Oceaneers Club/Lab make it up to the parent if the kids can self check-in and out.

At 1:30, the staterooms are opened and you can go drop your stuff off in your cabin. Luggage will arrive throughout the afternoon, but should definitely be there by the time the ship sails.

There's plenty to do on embarkation day, especially if it's your first time on a Dream-class ship.

 

[saraheli]

I'm probably in the minority here, but when we cruised last year it was our first time and we were all about getting on the boat as early as possible. Well let me tell you, I absolutely hated not being able to go to our room right away and having to lug around our carry-ons. Because the kids immediately wanted to go in the pool and splash zone, I was stuck standing and watching over our belongings (think cameras, wallets, passports) and the kids at the same time. When it came time to eat, Cabanas was an absolute madhouse, you couldn't get a good seat. It felt chaotic. not the way I wanted to start my vacation! I swore the next time I cruised I'd be the last person on the ship so I could go straight to my room, freshen up and go straight to the bon voyage party.

 

[noahdove]

Don't apologize for all your questions, how else are you going
to learn and find stuff out? The more you can read on here, the better your vacation will be. You have an awesome time. Take notes and take notes. I have a binder full of notes and eventually I will put it out and organize it.. Good luck and happy cruising..

 

[psimon]

My recommendation would be as follows:

There are things on the cruise that require a reservation that you can not book prior to boarding (Teen Spa, cooking class, Drink flights, etc).

Do your homework by looking through previous navigators (there are lots of them on http://disneycruiselineblog.com/personal-navigators/. Pick your ship and a similar itinerary).

Find the things that you would like to do. After you board, go to "Guest Services" and book everything you want other than the Teen Spa. If you want that, you need to go there to book.

After all that, then you can go to lunch wherever you choose or for a swim, knowing that your plans are in place for your cruise. Many of those activities fill up quickly and you could miss out if you don't book early upon boarding!

Hope that helps....

---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[darwinsrule]

I'm probably in the minority here, but when we cruised last year it was our first time and we were all about getting on the boat as early as possible. Well let me tell you, I absolutely hated not being able to go to our room right away and having to lug around our carry-ons. Because the kids immediately wanted to go in the pool and splash zone, I was stuck standing and watching over our belongings (think cameras, wallets, passports) and the kids at the same time. When it came time to eat, Cabanas was an absolute madhouse, you couldn't get a good seat. It felt chaotic. not the way I wanted to start my vacation! I swore the next time I cruised I'd be the last person on the ship so I could go straight to my room, freshen up and go straight to the bon voyage party.

Don't think you need to be quite that late. Honestly this is part of the reason we love coming in from the resorts on the DCL transfer. You get a lazy morning at the resort. Nice breakfast, little pool time and enjoy the start of your vacation in a good mood. You miss the chaos of the terninal. You get to walk on the ship and your room is generally already available. Toss off you bag and go hit Enchanted Garden. Much more relaxing. I can see why people feel the need to get on immediately, we just don't share that feeling.

 

[beeasy0203]

I think when you go into it understanding that most people have the same "get on board first" mindset, you begin to expect that immediate chaos and deal with it accordingly once your on the ship knowing that by the time the port fades off into the distance the chaos will have tapered off and you'll have your relaxing start to your vacation. I think for a lot of people it is important to get on the ship as early as possible because it means a few extra vacation hours. However, if you get on the ship early and take your time to explore the ship a little and stay away from the decks till the rooms are ready, I think you would avoid the craziness and still keep the kids entertained, then go have lunch after you've dropped your stuff off in your room at your leisure!

 

[ptcbass]

FYI - The smoothies they might offer you in the MDR's are also extra.

 

[Dug720]

I will probably stick with my intended plan, but... Do they stop running shuttles from the airport before they start from the resorts? How late would the shuttle from the airport be running?

Like I said, I'll probably stick with my plan to be on the 1st bus just to get vacation underway - but I only will have a backpack and side bag to deal with as I'll check my other luggage at the airport like last year. But just in case I'm really tired...