Disney Cruise Tips & Tricks 2014

UPDATE: My Disney Cruise Tips & Tricks have been updated as of 7/16!!

As promised, I’m back with tips and tricks and things learned on our Very  Merrytime Cruise aboard the Disney Dream.

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Planning

  • If you are cruising on a budget don’t be scared to book the cheapest interior stateroom available.  There are so many things to do on the boat that we were really only in there to sleep.  There was enough space, a bathtub for the littles and a magic porthole that we all loved.  The sofa converts into a bed and a bunk comes down from the ceiling.  We also loved that they could be made totally dark so that after our late nights everyone would sleep in.  There is a mini-fridge in each stateroom.
  • Check-in online as soon as your window opens.  This is where you get your port arrival time and how the determine the order in which you board the boat.  We picked 10:30AM and were on the boat by 11:30 with a good couple of hours to enjoy the pools and AquaDuck before the crowds.
  • Go ahead and register your kids for the kids club when you check-in online in advance of the cruise.  This will save a lot of time and does not commit you to using it.  But you’ll be ready when you see how fabulous it is and how much your littles love it :-)
  • You can bring on your own alcohol in your carry on bags!  We packed a couple of bottles of wine.  Don’t forget the opener!
  • Budget for the tips that will be added on at the end of your voyage.  Ours totaled about $200.  The tips were well earned as every cast member was overly attentive and super helpful.  You can also pre-pay these in advance, which we did this time.
  • Be sure to schedule a character call for your little ones before you leave!  It’s free and we did ours the night before we left.  They loved it!  You do it through the on-line cruise planning center.
  • We were a little worried about where all of our luggage would fit.  Never fear!  The beds are raised and we could easily slide everything under the bed after we unpacked.
  • I did not experience seasickness, but did feel the boat moving on a few different occasions.  Sister was more effected by it and bought sea bands in the store.  This solved her problem and did not detract from her experience.
  • I packed a ton and wore it all.  LOL.  You will mostly wear a swim suit and cover up during the day and will want to change into a dinner outfit in the evening.  I found it got chilly at dinner and in the shows so you might want a little sweater too.
  • Bring a small bag to carry with you around the boat.  You will want sunscreen, your wave phone, your cell phone, autograph books, a camera and your key to the world cards with you.  The boat only uses magic bands for the kid’s club.
  • If you love your cruise, book another one before you get off that boat!  There is no reason not to… you receive 10% off of the going rate and get an on-board credit.  (we got $100 both times we rebooked).  You have to pick a sail date based on the current calendar, but can switch it once you get off the boat as long as you sail within 24 months.  If you change your mind, you get your full deposit back.
  • While I book my own WDW vacations, I use Small World Vacations for cruises.  It doesn’t cost anything more, they give you an on-board credit (another $100 for us) and they surprised us with tons of great swag in our room this time!!!  If you book onboard and aren’t a current customer, you have up to 30 days to switch the reservation to them.  I use Cissy ([email protected]).
  • If you book with a Disney Visa Card, you can get another $50 on-board credit.  Just ask your travel agent to apply the code.  So, if you’re adding things up, we sailed with a $250 credit.

Getting on the boat

  • Depending on what time you arrive, you will stop curb-side at the terminal to unload everything except your carry on bags (1 per person + a purse) OR you will go straight to the parking garage and unload there.
  • Parking at the terminal is $75 flat fee.
  • If you arrive early enough, snag a parking place on level 3 by the elevators.  Unload your bags.  While you wait to check-in, someone will come collect them for you so be sure to have them all tagged with the provided labels.
  • After you check in at the terminal you will see 2 long lines – one for a photo with Mickey or Minnie and one for kids club registration.  Skip the kids club registration and go for the picture line instead.  You can do the kids club thing once on the boat but this is the only chance to have the picture made with the boat in the background for embarkation day.
  • If you collect pressed pennies, there are two machines in the terminal with great choices.  This is the only place to get them and you won’t pass back though here afterwards so get them before!
  • We wore our swim suits under cover-ups and had already applied sunscreen.  We were the second family down the AquaDuck and the first family in the pool.  We literally rode the slides five times back to back with no line at all.  If you want to beeline to the slides, get on the boat, take a right for the elevators and head to deck 11. Be sure to have flip flops because the deck can get very hot in the sun.
  • You won’t get your bags in your rooms until much later in the afternoon so have your camera and anything you might need in your carry on bags.
  • The kids club is open for tours, questions and getting wrist bands starting at noon.  I headed up there with the kids around 12:30 and there was no line.  They eased all of my fears about dropping the littles off.  I was so glad I took the time to do this on the first day!
  • After you secure your seats, you can run through the buffet for lunch at Cabanas and bring it back to your chairs.
  • The stores are not open while in port so don’t plan to buy anything until late that first night.

On the boat

  • We only saw a few clocks on board and are the kind of group that wanted to make certain events.  Next time I’ll definitely wear a watch.
  • The pools get very crowded.  Just be warned.  No diapers are allowed in the pool so I wouldn’t even go on the cruise until everyone was potty trained.  There is a Nemo splash area for little ones that aren’t potty trained.
  • Check the height requirements on the Mickey slide and AquaDuck.  Again, for the full experience I would wait to go until everyone could at least go down the Mickey slide.
  • Speaking of the AquaDuck, they were very super duper strict about the height requirement.  My littles got measured each day with shoes off.  They were given arm bands for the rest of the day.  There is a minimum height requirement even to go with a parent.
  • On the Mickey slide they ride alone.  Both of mine were tall enough.  You can’t ride together so I’d make sure they weren’t scared to do it alone.
  • If you like a fruity punch-like tropical cocktail while cruising, buy the signature cocktail in the souvenir cup the first day.  It’s around $10.  But you will get the cocktail of the day for the rest of the trip for $4.50.  As many as you want!
  • The rooms do have small refrigerators and small safes.
  • There are so many fun things to do on board!  We loved mini-golf, shuffleboard, ping pong and the Arr-cade.  Another favorite for adults was the animation class.  We didn’t even have time to do everything we wanted to.
  • The district is the adult night club area.  Pink is a very cool themed bubbly bar you must check out.  Honey loved the sports bar for sitting in a recliner and watching football.  That being said, when we had time for a drink at night without kids we loved just being on the deck near the adult pool and bar.
  • We didn’t even get off the boat in Nassau.  It seemed like a lot of others stayed on too.  It was a great time to just relax and watch Disney movies on the big screen over the pool or play mini-golf.
  • Definitely sign up for the Detective Agency and complete a couple of the mysteries while on board.  This is great for the day at sea.  Both of my littles love Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom and it’s a very similar yet less time consuming activity.
  • There is a new Disney Cruise Line app that you should download.  It has all of the activities and events from the Navigator and is helpful because it lets you favorite the ones you want to do.  It also lets you text message others on the ship without using wireless.  We found this to be okay but not very user friendly.
  • Room service is included!  We ordered a cheese and fruit tray to the room each night while we got ready for dinner.
  • If you see something in a gift shop that you have your heart set on, GET IT!  I didn’t get the glass cruise ornament and it sold out before the end of the voyage.  Also, there is LOADS of cute cruise line merchandise and clothes available on the boat that I haven’t seen anywhere else.  Set aside for that because you will be tempted.
  • Pack your princess gowns and accessories.  Your littles will be so glad to wear them and YOU will love not having to buy them on board in the lovely, glittery princess store.
  • If you enjoy pin trading or collecting, be sure to hit up the officer pin trading party.  It was our first time trading and we got some great ones!  They will trade you any pin that they have with any pin of yours as long as they don’t already have it.

Pirate Night

  • Bring costumes for Pirate Night! Our little ones loved dressing up.  Your stateroom attendant will leave a bandanna in the room for each person as well.  Honey just wore that and we brought a little eye patch and earring.  Some people go ALL.OUT!
  • The fireworks on Pirate Night were great.  It was very very crowded so I’d probably go early and stake some claim with beach towels.  They shoot off the side of the boat by the Arr-cade.

Kids Club

  • The kids club is AMAZING.  It kind of made the trip for us.  Mine begged to go and wanted to stay all night.  Okay… done!  In my opinion it was clean, safe and very well run.  To check out, you must have your key to the world card, your secret password and tap the kid’s wristband (same as the magic bands in WDW).  They have these cool automatic hand washing stations that the kids use as they walk in.  Send them on the night of Pluto’s PJ Party – the baby colored a darling Pluto pillowcase that just might be his most prized possession.
  • Speaking of the kids club, we had the early dinner seating (5:45).  Dinners are great, but long.  Starting on the first night, we asked our wait staff to serve the littles first and then we ran them up to the kid’s club before we even had our adult entrees.   At the late dinner seating (8:15), cast members will escort littles to the kids club for you!
  • There is also a kids club at Castaway Cay!  We took ours for about 2 hours and they loved it, of course.  Make sure they wear their magic bands off the boat that day, just in case.
  • A cast member will text you on your Wave Phone if your little one is ready to be picked up.  We told ours we’d check in on them (and we did) but we also made sure they knew that all they had to do was tell someone they wanted to go and they would call us. The DCL app will not work for this – only the Wave Phone.
  • Magic bands must be returned to the kid’s club by 11:30PM on the last night, unless you wish to keep them as a souvenir.  If you keep them (or forget to return them), I think they charge $12.95 to your card.

Meals

  • We loved the buffet lunch in Cabanas.  Something for everyone.  Our party gravitated to the shrimp and crab legs.  YUM!
  • Dinners are fantastic and the service was just outstanding.  Don’t be scared to order two appetizers or two desserts if you want.  They were so accommodating.  They also had no issue with John (9) ordering off of the adult menu.
  • Don’t miss dinner at Animator’s Palace.  Such a fun little interactive show!
  • We went to the breakfast buffet at Enchanted Garden each morning since it was on deck 2 next to our staterooms.  Everything was yummy here as well.
  • If you have a special occasion, you can order a cake and have it delivered on a dinner night of your choice.  We’ve celebrated a birthday on both voyages and adored the chocolate Mickey cake.  You will find the order form here under celebration cakes.
  • Honey and I did the 3-bottle wine package this time since we didn’t do a special meal.  It was great and lasted us the four nights.  They move it with you each night.  While you can bring your own alcohol on board, there is a corkage fee if you want to drink it in the dining room.
  • From 2012: Our favorite experience of all was the Champagne Brunch at Remy.  There were only 8 people dining and it was just gorgeous and luxurious and delicious :-)  We sipped on bubbly while noshing on scrumptious eats with nothing but blue waters all around.  This was a huge splurge and the most expensive meal I’d ever had.  But worth it… so worth it!

Shows

  • The Broadway style shows were fantastic!  The Golden Mickey’s was our favorite and one the kids will love.  Villains Tonight and Believe were also super.  The shows last one hour and are the perfect length.  My littles did not attend all of the shows – we’d run up to the kids club and ask if they wanted to attend and sometimes they said no :-)  You can buy bags of popcorn at Preludes for a couple of dollars and there is enough to share.  We brought in our own wine and soft drinks from the pool for the littles.  We also arrived just on time each night and snagged the last row.  It was still great for viewing and easy to escape if you need.
  • The Sail Away Celebration and Pirate Night deck parties were crowded and just okay.  I’m glad we did them this time but am not sure that I’d try to wrangle the troops in the crowds next time.  If you are interested but don’t want to be in the thick of things, I recommend viewing from deck 12.

Castaway Cay

  • Get off the boat early to enjoy this fantastic day!!  Trams will take you to the beaches.  As far as I could tell they were the same on both sides.  We went to the further beach (stop 2 I think) and were right by Pelican Plunge.  The kids club was on the other side.
  • Do the Castaway 5k!  It’s fun!  You will sign up at the shore excursions desk on deck 5 (I think) on the first day to ensure that you get a number and a finisher medal (it’s plastic but cute).  The minimum age is 12, but you can check the kids into the kid’s club on the island while you run/walk.  Note that this does take some of your morning, but was worth it for us this time!
  • Purchase post cards at one of the shops on Castaway and mail them from the post office to get a Castaway cancellation mark!  I of course forged notes from Mickey to my littles and can’t wait for them to arrive!!!  The postcards were a couple of dollars each and the stamps were $0.65.
  • Check out the kids club.
  • There are free soft drinks, ice cream and wonderful fruit stands all day long.  YUM! There is also a bbq lunch of burgers, hot dogs, etc.  But we all recommend the grilled mahi.  So good!
  • We didn’t do any pre-rentals of floats or snorkeling.  Floats were easy to rent once we were there but ours honestly didn’t get much use.  This time we brought our own snorkel gear and had fun with that.  You DO have to wear a vest but it’s free.  The good stuff is really far out, so I wouldn’t recommend doing this until at least 9 or 10 years old and only for good, strong swimmers.  They aren’t going to drown, but it’s a long way out and back.
  • There are lifejackets available for free and I encourage using them.  That being said, the waters were very calm, they were roped off and they were so shallow that he could touch the bottom all the way to the end.  There are also lifeguards.
  • Bring your autograph books – the characters look so cute in their island wear!
  • There is tons to do here – bike rides, boat rides, splash pads, characters, sting rays and snorkeling to name a few.  We mostly hung at the beach and had a great time!  I thought mine were a little too young to really appreciate any of those things and think it was a good call in the end.
  • Honey bought a super cute DCL cooler with ice and six beers of his choice for $35.  I didn’t see that last time and love it!

Characters

  • Okay, we LOVE characters in this family so this was like a dream come true.  There are so many of them all day long!  We carried our signature books in zip top bags with sharpie markers for signing.  You never know when you’ll run into a character so we kept them in our pool bag.  They all spent a good deal of time with the kids.
  • Here’s how the times work – for example, you will see in the Navigator that Peter Pan is at Deck 4 Balcony from 4-4:15.  I thought no way… how on earth will we ever see him!  What that means is that everyone that gets in line between 4 and 4:15 is guaranteed to see him no matter how long it takes!  Perfect!
  • If you wish to knock out all of the princesses in one fell swoop, head to the shore excursions deck on the first afternoon of your voyage to get a ticket.  They were out two mornings and only those with a ticket could participate.  There is virtually no wait so get that ticket Smile  You will see Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Tiana, Belle and Rapunzel.  Anna and Elsa are not on the boat!
  • Same story for the Disney Jr. characters.  Get a ticket at shore excursions on the first afternoon.  You will meet Doc McStuffins, Jake and Sophia.
  • The Disney Friends gathering was not offered (the fab 5) so you will need to catch them all individually.
  • I found lines started to form only 10-15 minutes in advance.  But remember, as long as you are there by the listed “end” time, you will get to see the character.
  • Cast members will always take pictures on your own camera.  The rule seemed to be 2 pics for the professional photographer and then 2 pics on your camera.
  • Go to the See Ya Real Soon party on the last night.  The baby was in heaven.  They sing and dance and welcome everyone up for one last hug with their favorite character.  Mickey confetti comes from the ceiling and it’s just as sweet as can be. Also, there is a character palooza like ending where princesses and fab 5 members meet for pics for 20 crazy minutes.
  • I sell cruise signature books based on your itinerary in my etsy store!
  • You can drop off two items per stateroom with Guest Services for character signatures. I did classic storybooks the first time and Magic Kingdom storybooks this time. Drop them off on the first night with markers and fill out their short form to request princesses or Mickey and friends (we did both) to sign.  They were delivered back to our stateroom on the last night and were SUCH a sweet surprise for the littles and a keepsake they will have forever.  I’ve also heard of people doing pillowcases and picture frame mats.

May 2013 504 copy

June 2013 434 copy

Very Merrytime Cruises

  • There was a fun tree lighting with characters, hot chocolate and cookies on the first night.
  • If you wish to make a gingerbread house, you have to get a ticket (one house per stateroom) on the first day of the cruise at guest services.  It is fun and we learned some great techniques for our own at home because a chef leads the class.  You can’t take it off the boat so make it and then have fun eating it.  It was delish!
  • Seek out the characters in their holiday wear.  We loved seeing all of the outfits you never see in the parks and getting tons of pictures.
  • The Deck the Deck party was really cute.  If your kids want to participate, they will probably want to stake out a position on the left of the stage (facing the stage) before the show and ask a cast member what to do.  They call kids up to hula hoop, limbo, etc.
  • The last night of the voyage included carols by candlelight.  They call all the littles up to the grand staircase and it was just lovely.
  • We were on-board for Thanksgiving.  Rather than a special pirate night menu (which is nothing to write home about), we had a Thanksgiving meal.  Mickey and Minnie were out just this one night in their pilgrim attire.

Since I’ve received quite a few emails and comments with questions, I want to open the floor to a Q&A. If you have any question at all about anything to do with the cruise, feel free to leave it as a comment and I’ll answer them in a blog post next week!

I can’t say enough what a wonderful vacation and memorable experience this was!!

xoxo

Everything Disney  |  Disney Cruise Line

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14 thoughts on “Disney Cruise Tips & Tricks 2014

  1. We have been talking about doing this with the grandkids. What a great "tutorial" on what to do and when to do it. I am copying this to my files and saving it. Thank you SOOO much, Amanda. This is just WONDERFUL information. xo Diana

  2. Holy Smokes, Amanda, you could be a cruise director for Disney! This is the best information & so detailed. Thank you! I want to go on a Disney cruise SO BAD with my family, but I'm afraid I'd be so seasick & beg to be back on land.

  3. The review from your last cruise gave me some great ideas for how to handle our first cruise with Disney. We loved it and of course booked one for next year while still onboard. We didn't really care for the crowd that came with the pirate party on deck. So we grabbed snacks at Flo's and sat at a table by the windows between Flo's and the hot tub. We could see the fireworks perfectly while sitting in actual chairs. It was a great choice for our youngest who doesn't really like crowds and noise, but loves fireworks.

  4. Amanda, you've explain with great detail how to board the ship. Can you explain what's it like to get off? Thank you! Maria

  5. We are Disney regulars but I always seem to be throwing together my outfits last minute (my kids are matched every day – it's just my thing!). I always LOVE how you dress on Disney trips – would you consider doing a "compilation" post of your outfits and where you got everything? Our next trip is mid-January so I'm on the hunt!

  6. Packing!!! You're SO organized! Can you share your vacation packing tips for a family? Packing the car for road trips too!

  7. How did you decide which cruise you wanted to take? I noticed you were on the Dream both times. We are doing the 7 day western Caribbean Magic cruise next month and would like to book our next trip onboard and would love to hear any insight you might have on the different ships, itineraries, etc. Thanks,

  8. Fantastic tips! Thank you so much!! I can't wait to take our first Disney cruise next year, and I plan to print this post out and bring it with me!

  9. So much helpful info!!! I am just starting to think about a trip in 2016, and am having a hard time deciding b/w WDW or a cruise. Any advice? We've been to WDW several times, lastly in 2013. My kids will be 10 and 13….so missing a ton of school is an issue – making a land/sea trip difficult. Any advice would be appreciated!! Thanks so much! : )

    1. Hi Lacy – I'd go ahead and do a cruise if you've already done the parks a few times!! It's really so much fun and all of the kids that age seem to be having a blast! Have fun!!

    2. We are moving forward w/ a cruise in Aug. 2016…so excited!!! I was curious what excursions you have done in Nassau?

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