Disney Cruise - Need Tips!

Us too! I've never been on a cruise before but there are lots of great ideas and suggestions on Pinterest. Have a great trip!

Disney is awesome! Pack tee shirts shirts bathing suits. Casual dress for dinner. Disney does it right. Right down to a plot bathroom so this way two people can get ready together. I live Disney. Best cruise ever. Just have fun.

You have total control of what you spend. The family of TF Plano obviously were in the dark. It is inclusive. Meals, snacks, entertainment, soda, etc. not included: alcohol, shore excursions, cabanas at Castaway Cay, souvenirs on ship. Everyday on your TV you can check out your bill. Gratuities are added daily. Usually about $12 a person each day. So you do not have to spend a fortune if you do not want to.

Mom and dad need to do the wave runner at Castaway Key. Stingray feeding for all. There is a kid zone on the ship and the island - walkie talkie phones- they call you if the kids want to go back to mom/dad. Rooms are small. Pack as LITTLE as possible. Bathrooms are REALLY small. Saw a great thing - use a shoe organizer (cheap plastic) to put your bathroom, misc stuff in the pockets - hang it in the closet for easy access to the stuff you'd put on the counter in the bathroom.

Google - there are websites where people share cruise travel tips.

How exciting for you! We actually just got back from a cruise on Monday, but not Disney (I wish!). Our room only had ONE outlet for power by the bed and one in the bathroom, and they weren't double, so only 2 for the whole room. I sleep with a white noise machine and a heating pad so I had to choose. Not to mention charging our phones. So bring a power cord.

Also, bathrooms are very small. Luckily my bag had a hanger hook on it so I could hang it on the back of the door, there wasn't room to put anything on shelves or sink so the idea of a shoe holder would work if you don't get one made for that.

I packed light jackets for us but it was really chilly. I read a tip before about packing a wide, long scarf you can use in many ways. I did that and it really helped.

Also, at least on our cruise, there is no cash or charge cards, it's all applied to your sail card and the bill is slipped under your door on the last morning. All the gratuity is charged at the end, although you can still tip cash if you wish. We left money for our room service as well as our favorite server for dinner. It was interesting hearing their stories, they are on the ship for 7 months straight with 2 months off. What a life.

So I hope this helps, we didn't have our kids and they are older anyway. Google cruise tips and packing tips, pack as little as possible, you just won't have room for everything. Good luck and have fun!

ETA: In response to Patty saying it is all inclusive, our cruise did NOT cover sodas or juice. You had to buy a soda card, it was about $6 per day, per person. You could also do this for alcohol. I believe it was $50 per day per person. Not everything on the ship is free, some things, especially for the kids, did cost money. Maybe Disney is different. So there are people like TF Plano's family that don't know this and are hit with a huge bill. My ex and I went on the same cruise we just got back from with friends back in the day and our friends were big drinkers and gamblers and just kept charging their card for everything. My friend knocked on our cabin white as a sheet freaking out, their bill was 4k and her husband freaked out. So yes, your charges can sneak up on you.

We've done a number of Disney cruises and it's become our favorite way to vacation in the dead of winter. I second the suggestion to check out Disboards (hubby is on there quite a bit). Hard to give advice on excursions, it really depends on what ports you are in and what looks interesting to you. Booking through Disney does add to the cost but it also makes it easier because they provide the transportation and guarantee to get you back to the ship in time.

The kids club is awesome - our daughter (now 7) loves it! The kids do need to be potty trained (not sure if the 3 year old is). They get a special wrist band to wear and have to be checked in and out by a parent, so there is no chance they are going to leave on their own or get picked up by the wrong person. They will feed them meals there too if you request it.

Hubby and I really enjoy the adult-only brunch and dining options at Palo. We also like being able to have some adult alone time while DD is having fun in the kids club. Pack stuff for swimming and at least one nice outfit for when they have "formal night" dining. Do be prepared for cooler weather at night if you will be outside and have jeans and sweatshirts or light jackets.

Most stuff is included but the obvious extras are excursions, spa treatments, gifts and other items purchased in the gift shops, and alcoholic beverages. There is no gambling except for bingo, and they do have events you can sign up for on board like martini tastings and such. People who go overboard and are not paying attention to what they are spending are the ones who end up with huge bills at the end. You do need to pay a set tip to your housekeeper, restaurant server and assistant server (the same servers follow you as you rotate nightly through the different restaurants on board). The price does include soft drinks, coffee and there is no limit on food - we often get some light breakfast via room service before getting a "real breakfast" from the buffet. The kids club is included too. You CAN bring your own alcohol on board, as long you physically carry it on yourself - it cannot be in checked luggage, but we have brought on our own beer, wine, etc.

GO AND HAVE A GREAT TIME! :)

We are not cruise people... but we have family on both sides that are avid cruisers. One family can afford it nicely, the other just thinks they can.

Family 1 went on a Disney cruise and before they could leave the ship, they had an extra $2000 to pay up. This was for the extras they did during the time they were gone. They anticipated extra charges and were prepared for the bill for the "all inclusive" trip.

Family 2 went on a regular cruise and before they could leave the ship, they got a bill of $4000. They had been forewarned that a bill would be presented upon exit of the ship and they claimed it was an "all inclusive" trip. "All inclusive does not mean 100%. They did not have the money. They took it from their son's savings because he was the only one in the family of 5 with a bank account that had funds in it which was for his fall semester of college.

Carry plenty of cash, smaller bills for tipping. Tipping will get you further where ever you go... You can sometimes get a better seat for dining, a show, etc, and of course better service.

Have fun!!! We have been to Disneyworld several times and each time it was loads of fun. Our 20yr old daughter is going back to Disney and Universal Studios during her spring break in late March and then meeting up with us at a Plastics Expo in Orlando. FUN FUN!!

Cruise critic is a great sight to go on. Our last cruise was 2 years agin on royals oasis of the seas it was fantastic. Lots of helpful tips from cruise critics. Past travelers on that ship /itinerary. U will have a blast. I'm hoping we can go back next year

If you haven't already, check out www.disboards.com and cruisecritic.com Disboards is amazing for all things Disney and they have community forums specifically for cruises. You can find a board for your specific sailing and "meet" others who will be on the ship with you. There is a fun thing called a "fish extender," where you make/buy a special hanging pocket to put outside your room and participate in a gift exchange with others on board (you must prearrange this on disboards).

The kids will probably love the kids club, so if you want to do anything like a spa treatment or specialty dinner, book those in advance and the kids will be safe and happy in the club. Your confirmation should tell you when your booking window opens for those extra services.

It's often cheaper to book excursions privately than it is to book through the ship. You can get great info on the above mentioned websites about the different ports you are going to.

I'm assuming you have a stop at Castaway Cay. Plan to go snorkeling if your kids (or even just the older one) is a good enough swimmer. We missed out on this, but apparently there is a treasure chest (and maybe also Mickey Mouse?) underwater somewhere in the snorkel area. Life jackets are available.

Have fun. I am SO jealous. :)

We have been on two Disney cruises. It is a great multi-generational vacation because there is so much for so many different ages to enjoy. You can bring wine or alcoholic beverages on board to enjoy, but you have to bring them in hand carried luggage. Disney assigns priority to people who have cruised before in terms of being able to book extra activities - like spa activities and cabanas and activities on Castaway Key, so try to register as soon as your window opens. On the first night they have a Pirate Welcoming Party, so it is fun to bring costumes for your kids. They supply pirate bandanas at dinner. Disney has four themed restaurants on the regular dinner rotation - you usually are assigned to three. Your waiters follow you from location to location which is nice because they already know your drink preferences and where you want your kids to sit and they have already arranged a kids menu and activity page to keep them occupied. All of these restaurants have excellent food with a varied menu. Disney ships also have 2 fine dining restaurants that have an extra charge. They are for adults only, so you would need to book childcare at the same time as your dinner reservation. Palo offers wonderful dining and a great brunch buffet (I think the charge is an extra $20-25 per person. The other restaurant is about $75 extra per person but it is a dining experience, like a 5 star French restaurant. Alcoholic beverages are on top of this. We usually pick one buffet in Palo and have dined at the other restaurant for a special occasion. I would not scheduled a special dinner on an evening when there is a special event like the pirate party. The children's clubs are divided by age and the kids have a wonderful time. You are eligible to secure reservations in advance for so many hours but you can also do drop offs if they have space available. There is a charge, but I think it is reasonable. We brought casual clothes and extra swimsuits. No diapers are allowed in the pool, so if kids are not potty trained, they get to play in a mini water park area with parent supervision. Can't give you any help on excursions- our only stop was at the Bahamas and we didn't even get off the boat. We have been there several times and had other things we wanted to do. Castaway Key is a great, fun day. Bring hats and plenty of sunscreen. They do have an early 5K run/walk on the island. Our stateroom had a big round window so we could look out. We brought stick on window decals with us and my granddaughter was entertained moving them around while we were waiting for the ship to dock at each port. Check when you first get on board if you want to do character photos. Our last cruise, we were given a time to show up and visit with/take photos with several characters at the same time. It worked much better that standing in long lines. But these time slots went quickly. Plan to take lots of your own pictures- staff members are usually glad to help out. You can also get a photo pass and buy your photos when you leave (or access them on line) I did find that expensive. There are gift shops all over. We bought a few Disney trinkets (books, sticker books, T-shirt, hat )at Target and the Dollar Store and brought them with us and surprised our granddaughter instead of going to the gift shop. We had a wonderful time and I hope that you do too!