Wife's 60th wants to go on Disney cruise sept/oct 25'. Need help.

[Erica1016]

You guys a AWSOME!!!!!! I'll be rereading this another 15 times!!!!!
Simply we are cruise noobs! And will consider all these wonderful ideas and plans!!!!

The real answer is that you won't go wrong no matter what you pick! I look forward to hearing what you decide and how it goes!

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Allright I only reread this 10x....if we want to do 4 night Halloween cruise first and then a week at BCV. What are the logistics? Is there transportation from mco to port Canaveral? Then back to mco after? Late Aug thru September is most likely the time frame. Has anyone done the spa pass..for sauna and that type of stuff?
More questions to come...

 

[sponica]

Allright I only reread this 10x....if we want to do 4 night Halloween cruise first and then a week at BCV. What are the logistics? Is there transportation from mco to port Canaveral? Then back to mco after? Late Aug thru September is most likely the time frame. Has anyone done the spa pass..for sauna and that type of stuff?
More questions to come...

You can purchase DCL transfers from MCO to PC then from PC to BCV (or MCO if you're picking up a rental car, that's what we did the first cruise). For 2 people, the DCL transfers are usually cost effective.

I've done the spa pass on the Wish, I probably didn't use it as much as I should have but I had little people with me. If it was just my husband and I, we would have gotten way more use out of it.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Until you mentioned staying at DW I would have suggested the Vancouver to Hawaii cruise leaving in September from Vancouver abd arriving In Hawaii in early October. Then a stay at aulani. Its a long cruise, lots of sea days, tends to have less kids. We love the longer cruises with sea days. Always lots of activities onboard. And the per day cost is lower because of fewer ports.

 

[auntlynne]

DCL offers bus transfers WDW resorts > < PC.

Depending on number if guests requesting this will determine how many resort stops they make in the route. Currently, it is ~$45 pp each way. You can book OW or RT.

When you arrive at PC, you will enter the check-in line (this is a plus): For other modes of arrival, you probably will have gotten a Port Arrival Time (PAT). First time cruisers have the lowest priority in selecting their PAT, often meaning a later time to enter the queue.

After check-in, there is usually some wait to board the ship. This is done in order, from Boarding Group (BG) 1 (Concierge Guests), 2…. Guests who stay at the MCO Hyatt and use associated DCL bus get BG 2 or 3 and have minimal waits once boarding begins.

The bottom line is no one gets on until the ship is cleared by Customs.

Once they start calling BGs, it’s a fairly flowing procedure.

 

[auntlynne]

Bus from Resort.

One pickup time. You meet in the lobby / designated area. Hand off luggage. It’s a fairly early start to the day (for my clock). Somewhere around 9. The ride is going to be a little over an hour. (63 miles).

This is dedicated Disney cruise transfer - you are not sharing with other cruises.

Bus back to resort.

*crickets* I don’t know.

 

[auntlynne]

Transfers MCO & PC

Disney offers 2 choices (same price):

Stay at the Hyatt inside the airport (the night before cruise). Book transfers associated for those guests. You get priority Booking Group. Means less time waiting in the terminal.

Book regular Disney transfer from MCO. Buses are going fairly often. They leave when full (or maybe they have a time rule). Basically, get off your plane and head down there. Or shuttle over from an overnight hotel.

You can stay at the Hyatt MCO and opt to leave from the general bus area if you prefer to sleep later or otherwise be in charge of your schedule.

 

[auntlynne]

Some guests prefer Rideshares, private transfers, or rental cars (either one-way rentals or park at the port).

 

[auntlynne]

You have a few more decisions to make.

Ship: original Magic (built 1998) or newer Wish (2022).

They both offer the Disney cruise experience. But it is a 25+ year difference in infrastructure.

There are a lot of DCL cruisers who live the Magic for nostalgia, smaller layout (including a full-oval outside promenade), and fewer guests.

The Wish will be more shiny and new - and May have a better spa area. (I know the Fantasy offers a better spa experience for many).

 

[auntlynne]

Itinerary: from PC, you will have a Bahamas destination. The choice is between the private beach stops (both Bahamas, beautiful water). And whether you have a port day in Nassau. If Nassau is not shown, there’s a Sea Day

Magic



This one is actually only offered one time, in early August:



Wish



Castaway Cay is the original DCL private island. They have a separate beach and lunch venue for adults. Ship docks right at the island. Teams available for transport. Adult area (Serenity Bay) is shallow very far out, with very little tidal movement.

Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point is the southern end of Eleuthera. Lots of videos about its first visits.

It has a 1/2 mile pier and a 15-minute tram ride. There is a designated adult beach and lunch area. The flora needs to mature. The beach itself is beautiful - hint of pink sand, water with a bit more motion than at Castaway Cay.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Anyone want to chime in on Wish spa..if they liked it or not....looks like wish for my time frame....what other on board things did you like and reccomennd....we don't really drink.
Current thinking is fly into mco early am on cruise day. Then take the Disney cruise bus where we have to go back and forth...after the cruise will a bus take us to a resort (granted may be other resort stops)??

 

[auntlynne]

Both ships are going to offer Disney production shows in the big theater. Those are pretty set in stone.

• Disney Magic
  • Tangled: The Musical. Includes several songs that are not in the movie.
  • Disney Dreams. A girl talks with Peter Pan and sees scenes from a variety of Disney movies.
  • Twice Charmed: An Original Twist on the Cinderella Story. What if the glass slipper broke before Cindy could slip it on?
• Disney Wish
  • Disney Seas the Adventure. Goofy takes the helm of the ship and gentle mayhem ensues.
  • The Little Mermaid. As if a community theater troupe put on a version of the live-action film.

 

[auntlynne]

Specialty Dining: if you are hoping to have an intimate dinner in lieu of the large Main Dining Room (MDR),

Magic offers Palo, the Italian-themed restaurant. Known for its filet mignon and chocolate soufflé, among pastas.

Wish offers Palo, with more steak options, and Enchante, a chef-focused, higher-end venue.

It can be a challenge to get reservations at Palo, but not necessarily impossible. Guests with higher loyalty are allowed a complimentary meal (brunch on Sea Days or dinner) in Palo, combined with a lower price, making it more in demand.

 

[sponica]

Anyone want to chime in on Wish spa..if they liked it or not....looks like wish for my time frame....what other on board things did you like and reccomennd....we don't really drink.
Current thinking is fly into mco early am on cruise day. Then take the Disney cruise bus where we have to go back and forth...after the cruise will a bus take us to a resort (granted may be other resort stops)??

Depending on where you're coming from, I'd recommend the night before just to be on the safe side.

I was perfectly content with the Wish Rainforest Room but I'd never been in the one on the Fantasy/Dream.

If you don't drink, there's still a non-alcoholic drink of the day.
All sorts of arts and crafts activities (some are 18+), we didn't do any but they looked fun. The only adult events we really did were Palo Brunch (which iso als offered on Nassau day on the 4 day sailings) and a couple drink tastings. I was with little people so I was more geared to finding characters and spent hours at the splash pad.

 

[Micca]

Depending on where you're coming from, I'd recommend the night before just to be on the safe side.

100% Air travel just has so many things that can go wrong, flying in on cruise day is too risky.

 

[auntlynne]

If you can fly in the day before, you may have a cushion if there are airline problems.

We technically could drive the 12 hours if our day-before air was scrubbed.

We used airline free companion tickets last time, meaning options were all late night arrivals. So we did opt for the MCO Hyatt. It was very convenient. And a nice hotel.

Otherwise, I have stayed at Hilton Hampton Inn across the interstate (airport shuttle, but ends at midnight); usually less expensive, but it was worth it to not shuttle back and forth between hotel and airport or stand outside in the heat and humidity late at night.

So many options.

I have no single one-way I do it. Sometimes it’s convenience, others it’s price - or just happened upon a good deal. And the mix of guests in my party.

Sometimes just doing a cruise means looking for discounts, other times we will pay for convenience, like mentioned.

It is going to be hot! Consider that when making travel plans.

 

[DISNEY FIX]

Does anyone have a travel agent to refer? If I go that route.

 

[Anna131517]

You want to look at cruises out of Port Canaveral if you also want to go to WDW. It makes transportation much easier than sailing out of Fort Lauderdale. I’d do a 4-night cruise on the Wish to Nassau and Castaway Cay. That way you have one or two full days to just explore the ship, the full rotational dining experience, and a separate pirate night. I like staying at a Disney resort the night before our cruise. We’ve tacked on a couple days at WDW after a cruise too. Because you’re going in Sept/Oct look at the MNSSHP schedule in case you want to do that. We’re doing that the day after we get off our HOTHS cruise in October.

 

[lscrivan18]

Does anyone have a travel agent to refer? If I go that route.

I love my agent and she offers onboard credit. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post here but message me and I can pass along her info.

 

[MrMagoo]

There are so many questions we could ask.

But first, DO NOT fly in on cruise embarkation day. Too many things can happen with your airline.
On our last cruise we were scheduled to fly out of our regional airport on Delta thru Atlanta and our incoming plane was delayed
an hour and a half which caused us to miss our connecting plane. You do not want things like this to happen. You would not make it to the ship. We were flying in the day before and finally made it to Orlando at 1am! (Made for a short night before we had to be ready for the bus to the port.)

Now for just a few questions, how active are you?
Do you have mobility issues?
Are you joggers?
Would you be likely to take the water slide?
Do you like new and fancy or more traditional aspects?
Do you like being pampered?

If you have mobility issues or are joggers, I would recommend any ship except the Wish.
For mobility, the Wish hallways seem to be narrower than the other ships. The elevators also seem smaller.
If you are a jogger, the Wish also does not have a jogging track. All other ships do.
If you are likely to take the water slide, our family believes the Dream and Fantasy have the best.
If you like new and fancy you would want the Wish.
If you are into more traditional atmospheres, you would want the Magic, Dream or Fantasy. They are more of a traditional cruise atmosphere.
If you want the pampered feeling of Concierge, the Wish has the best Concierge.

For a first timer, do take the Disney transfer busses to and from Port Canaveral. It would be much easier your first time.
There are busses from MCO to the port and back as well as from the resorts and back.

It is recommended you take a 4-6 night cruise for your first time. 3 nights are just to short.
If you took a cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale, you could always use the Brightline train to and from Orlando!

As for travel agents, we personally use Small World Vacations but many on here also use Dreams Unlimited.
There are many travel agents you could use but it is highly recommended to use one. Just make sure they are very
knowledgeable of Disney Cruise line.