So you booked your dream cruise to the Caribbean? That’s great!
You and your travel agent have researched and planned to make your cruise the best.
Your online check in is complete and you have awesome excursions booked.
You’re looking forward to the couple of sea days and time to soak in the sun.
As you’re getting ready to board, you check the weather one last time before you shut off your phone to disconnect and have fun with your family.
Oh no! The weather forecast has changed and rain is now predicted for most days. You immediately think “our cruise is ruined! What a bust!”
Stop. You’ll still have an awesome time! There is a ton to do! Here are just some available activities.
-Roam the ship and check out the beautiful details. How many Hidden Mickeys can you find?
-Meet some characters! Check out your daily Navigator for meeting time and locations (though the surprise meeting is exciting too!). There are some ticketed character events as well such as Anna and Elsa. Stop at guest services if you weren’t able to grab a ticket to meet them when you did your online check in.
-See a movie. The movie theater is awesome and shows the new Disney releases (of course!). Don’t forget to buy your refillable popcorn bucket on day one (refill it for only $1.50 the entire cruise!)
-Send the kids to their respective youth clubs (adults can visit during open house hours). The clubs are a sight to see and have so many activities available. The youth staff is top notch and will keep the youngsters busy for hours.
-Read a book on the verandah. Order a snack from room service and enjoy the sound of the sea and view.
-Don’t have a verandah? Stop back in the room and check out all the movies available on demand on your TV.
-On the Dream or Fantasy, play a round of Midship Detective Agency. A scavenger hunt across the ship.
-Also on Dream and Fantasy, book some time in the sports simulator. Sports include: golf, basketball, football, hockey, and more). This is an extra cost.
-Shop! In true Disney style, there is a huge amount of merchandise available (including a Tiffany store on Fantasy!).
-Send the 13-17-year olds to Chill Spa. Several services are available just for the teens.
-See the nightly show. Shows vary from ship to ship. All are amazing and some Broadway style (Aladdin is my favorite so far!).
-Join a trivia or bingo game! Check your Navigator for location and time.
-Head to Cove Café to have a coffee and pastry treat.
A Few For the Adults
-Buy a Rainforest Room pass. A less costly option than spa services. There are two hot tubs, multiple saunas, fund showers with different temperatures and scents, and AMAZING heated tile loungers.
-Book brunch at Palo on a sea day. Palo is an adults only restaurant. Start with a mimosa and your server will guide you through the rest. Palo is one of the best dining experiences I have ever had.
-Once you have brunch at Palo, you’ll want to have dinner too. The sommelier will help you with your wine selection and your server will attend to your every dinner need. A wonderful Italian dinner. A very relaxed and unhurried experience. Don’t forget to save room for the Palo chocolate soufflé!
-Attend a mixology class
-Attend a wine or beer tasting
These are just a few of the many, many activities available on the Disney Cruise Line ships. Some have an extra charge; but lots are already included.
See? The rain isn’t going to ruin your vacation. The rain gives you the opportunity to try lots of new activities that you may not have had time for in the past. A cruise is about the journey, not just the destinations.
So often when talking about cruising with friends and family, the first thing I hear when suggesting Disney Cruise Line is “I don’t want to be on a ship with all those kids!” or “isn’t that line just for families?”. I had the absolute pleasure of cruising with five of my friends last November and found out for myself just how wrong both of those statements are.
Spaces on the ship
-Mallory says “I went in thinking wed have to stick one little portion of the ship to avoid hyped up children. That wasn’t the case at all!”.
-the Cove pool and bar was one of our favorite hangouts on the ship. The Cove is an adults only area and Disney does a wonderful job of enforcing this rule. There are cast members near the “entrances” gentling reminding families that this is adults only area and not to linger as they pass through.
-The District includes several very different bars and lounges. The whole area is a great area for adults to have a drink, dance, and even sing.
-Don’t think that the “adults only” areas are the only places you’ll find magic. We also rode the aquaDuck and of course ran into some of our favorite characters!
Dining and Entertainment
-“some of the best food I’ve ever had”
-Disney utilizes rotational dining in which your party rotates to a different dining room (Enchanted Garden, Royal Palace, and Animator’s Palate) with your serving team every night.
-Each dining room provides a different atmosphere and menu. Everything we tried was delicious!
-Our serving team was outstanding! They really engaged with us and learned some of our likes and dislikes. For example, we had a bowl of cherries on our table every night. They definitely brought a little extra magic to our trip.
-We went to a show every night before dinner. These truly are “Broadway style” and appealed to all ages kids to adults. Absolutely phenomenal!
-Room service is also an available option for dining. We used it for snacks and coffee in the morning. We were sure to order milk and cookies and of course Mickey Bars!
-In additional to the dining rooms and room service, Cabanas is also an option. Cabanas is casual buffet style dining with many yummy options and we were always able to find a table to seat us all.
Accommodations
-There were five of us and we were able to book two connecting balcony rooms.
-Plenty of space for all of us.
-Bathrooms are split which was a HUGE bonus with five adults getting ready for dinner or a day in port.
-Beds were comfortable as was the fold out on the couch
-As our rooms were connecting, the divider between our two balconies was able to be opened which let us has have one large balcony to share. The below picture is before the divider was open.
Ports
-We had two ports on our ship: Nassau and Castaway Cay
-Nassau was our first port and we scheduled excursions here. There was a large selection of excursions and we had no problem finding two that our group split up to participate in. The selection of excursion was varied and had great options for families and adults.
-Castaway Cay (Disney’s private island) was our second port.
-When we first boarded the ship we went directly to guest services to register for the Castaway Cay 5K. 5K participants we among the first off the ship when we docked at Castaway Cay. Abilities vary and we were not the only participants walking.
-After the 5K some of us went to the ship to change and we headed to beach. Serenity Bay is the adult’s only section. The water is shallow and perfect for waiting. We had no problem finding enough chairs for all of us to sit together.
-Near Serenity Bay are a bar and an eatery. Lunch was wonderful. So many options; chicken, fish, ribs, and sides. Don’t forget to grab some banana bread or ice cream for desert!
This is only a taste of our trip and I think the only complaint we had was that we didn’t have enough time to explore the ship. We embarked on Friday and left on Monday. So to answer the question of “isn’t Disney Cruise Line just for families with kids?” the answer is NO! There is so much to do for adults too!
My husband and I went with a group of friends on a 7 day cruise to Alaska in July aboard the Carnival Legend. We flew to Seattle the night before our cruise was scheduled to leave port. We walked around the city until all of our party had arrived. Then some of us went to Pike Place Market. The Market had vendors set up, selling flowers, crafted jewelry, fruits, vegetables, and fish. It was fun to watch the fish vendors throw the fish! We also saw the gum wall.
One of our friends insisted we all chew bubble gum and leave our own addition to the “art”. After that, we walked down to the water and ate dinner at The Crab Pot. When we finished our delicious dinner, some of us walked back to our hotel, while the rest of our party went to a Seattle Mariners vs. Chicago White Sox ballgame. Since we live near Chicago, it was fun to see the Sox play in another ball park.
The next morning, some of us walked to the Space Needle and went up to the top. It was a clear day and was very scenic. We could see our ship while she was waiting for us to board!
Once we boarded our ship, we took time to eat lunch, unpack and familiarize ourselves with the ship. Then it was time for muster. It was very hot and took a long time but is a requirement before the ship leaves port. Muster is when the ship’s crew instructs the passengers where to go and what to do in case of an emergency evacuation of the ship. Good to know.
At dinner time, we were all seated at three tables close together (there were 18 of us). We ate at the same place every night and had the same servers. We got to know each other very well by the time our cruise was finished. In addition to the excellent service and delicious food, the servers would entertain us with a floor show. They would sing along with a different song every night and dance a choreographed dance. Lots of fun. After dinner, we usually went to the theatre for a live show then went to the comedy club. Finishing off the night would be a visit to the casino and/or bars or shopping in the onboard shops.
The first day was a day at sea. There are many activities when you are aboard a ship, so we all did whatever we chose. I enjoy getting a massage on sea day whenever we cruise, so I got a hot stone massage.
The second day we sailed the Tracy Arm Fjord. The best adjective I can use about the Fjord is: magnificent! It is a rain forest, so it was overcast and a little cool but no one stayed inside on that day. The beauty was breath taking. We saw whales, seals, eagles, icebergs, and a glacier. It was all so amazing and beautiful.
The third day, we docked at Skagway. Some of us had booked the White Pass Railroad Summit Excursion. We boarded a vintage passenger coach, which retraced the original route to the White Pass summit. We passed Bridal Veil Falls, Inspiration Point and Dead Horse Gulch. We saw beautiful mountains, gorges, waterfalls, tunnels, and trestles. We saw the original Klondike Trail worn into the rocks. After the excursion, we walked, shopped, and ate in Skagway.
On the fourth day, we docked at Juneau. It rained most of the day. We figured we would never have the opportunity to visit Juneau again so why not make the most of it? After lunch at the Red Dog Saloon, the weather cleared up a bit and we were able to see the beautiful area surrounding the city.
The fifth day was our stop at Ketchikan. We explored the city and saw many interesting totem poles. We walked over a plank bridge and saw salmon in the stream below. We were told that we were lucky we were there when we were because, a short time after we left the bridge, it was closed because a bear had decided to find his lunch in the stream!
Our final day of the cruise was mainly on ship. We made port around 7:30 p.m. at Victoria, British Columbia. Some of us went to see beautiful Butchart Gardens. Our only regret was that it turned dark shortly after our arrival. Our excursion by bus also included a narrated tour of the city.
What do we have planned for our next adventure? We are going to Epcot Food & Wine Festival! We are looking forward to that, as we have talked about going for the past several years. We also got tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! I am very excited about it. I hope to have lots of stories & photos for my next blog.
This post was originally going to be a top ten, but the list ended up being a bit longer than intended. Most of these tips are for cruisers with a limited experience aboard Disney Cruise Line. Hopefully, you find at least one tip helpful.
Choose the right Itinerary. I made a mistake on our first Disney Cruise. At the time, our family consisted of my wife, two-year-old son, and myself. We were nervous about how we would handle a cruise. We were uncertain about how we would react to the ship’s movement and entertainment while onboard. We cruised aboard the Disney Dream for a four-night itinerary. After multiple Disney cruises and an additional family member, I have been able to determine the perfect duration for our family–365 nights! Seriously though, I would not hesitate from taking my family on an extended cruise. We have two young children and I still would not hesitate to take a long cruise. However, my wife and I recently went on a three-night cruise aboard the Disney Magic. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but we both missed our children. We agreed that we would be willing to take another short cruise without our kids, but we could not be away from them any longer than that.
Choose the correct stateroom and location of your stateroom. There are countless websites, blog posts, and videos that can give you an endless amount of detail about staterooms aboard a Disney ship, and I cannot do the topic justice in a brief paragraph. So, please do your homework or work with a good agent that will ask about the people you are travelling with to get a good fit for your stateroom. After selecting a stateroom category, location of your stateroom can be specified. Is quick/easy access to certain venues important? How close would you like to be to elevators and stairs? Are multiple staterooms necessary? Etc.
Princess meets are fantastic. Our family was able to meet Belle, Rapunzel, Snow White, Cinderella, Anna, and Elsa in under an hour! Here is the tip you need to know: You have to get tickets for two separate events at the Port Adventures desk. I went to the desk immediately after we boarded the ship. I obtained tickets for the Princess Meet and Greet and the Anna & Elsa Meet for ideal times for our family. It worked out very well.
*Please Note: Disney just announced scheduling for cruises of 7 nights or longer. Be sure to discuss this with your agent as I am unaware of the details at this time.
Meeting Belle
Meeting Cinderella
Anna and Elsa
Kids’ Clubs offer kids/tweens/teens a wide variety of supervised entertainment. There are multiple kids’ clubs that are divided into age ranges. Beginning at age 3, the service is included in your voyage fare. We took advantage of the services during one of our Palo reservations. Drop-off and pick-up are easy and secure. There can be a line so keep that in mind if you have reservations. Also, be sure to pre-register your children to save time on your vacation.
Andy’s Room theme
Main hub of Oceaneer Club
Pirate Night is bigger than what I expected. On our first cruise, we took Pirate Night for granted. We did not dress up and did not expect the overall theming throughout the ship. Although dressing up is not necessary, it makes the evening a lot more fun. We dress our children up in pirate garb more than ourselves, but my wife and I wear subtle nautical themed clothing. Make sure you arrive to the deck party early to obtain a good viewing area. Fireworks can be viewed from a lot of different areas of the ship.
Know when to book your cruise (or move your placeholder). Generally speaking, cruisers need to book early for popular itineraries and the busy season. By early, I mean immediately when itineraries are announced. This is usually well over a year in advance. This will likely be the best pricing you will be able to get. There are times of the year and less popular itineraries that do not require booking this far in advance, but I still recommend making a reservation as soon as you know your party will be able to take a cruise.
The first Navigator is obtained upon boarding the ship. Each evening, a new Navigator will be delivered to your stateroom for the following day. The Navigator provides detailed information about all areas of the ships and the day’s activities onboard. The Disney Cruise Line smartphone app is even better. It has the information provided on the Navigator, detailed information about the evening’s dining, chat/text feature, etc… And, the app can be downloaded in advance to provide a cool countdown.
Book your next Disney cruise while onboard. The easiest way to get a discount on your next Disney cruise is to book during your cruise. This is something I try to take care of by the end of the second night. On our last cruise, I ended up waiting in line for 45 minutes to book our placeholder because I waited until our last night. The benefits at the time of this post are a 10% off prevailing cruise fare, onboard credit from Disney, and a reduced deposit. You DO NOT have to select a specific cruise in order to do this. For example, I always book a placeholder. The placeholder needs to be used within 24 months from the first night of the current cruise.
Carry-on luggage is very important. Staterooms are not available until early afternoon. On our last cruise, we were able to get into our rooms at 1:30. We boarded the ship around 11:30. So, it is helpful to pack anything you may need during that time in your carry-on. Also, any alcohol is supposed to be brought on the ship via carry-on.
Bring a cup, mug, or tervis. Complimentary beverages are available. However, the cups are relatively small. If you bring your own cup(s), this may save you several trips to the top of the ship!
Skip this if you don’t drink coffee. I enjoy strong coffee mixed with a specific flavored creamer. This creamer is unavailable on the ship. And, the coffee at the drink station is not the best. Bringing my creamer helps me start off the day I normally do and probably most personal tip here. The creamer I drink does come in single-serving sizes, so it was easy to bring aboard. There are very good coffees available at Cove Café.
Coffee at Cove Cafe
Bars aboard a Disney ship are underrated. They are very well themed and the servers are amazing. If you are up late, please do yourself a favor and hangout at one of these places. I am NOT advocating drinking alcohol. Other beverages are available and are actually very good.
If feasible, bring a case of water with you. We drove to Port Canaveral for a couple of our cruises. I placed one of our luggage stickers on a case of water. The staff delivered the case of water to our room just as the other pieces of luggage were. I have heard rumors that this is not allowed anymore, but I will continue to do it even after it doesn’t work the first time! Having the water available in the room is very convenient. **Summer 2018 Update** We stayed at Walt Disney World prior to our cruise. We used Amazon Prime Now to get a case of water delivered to our resort. We were able to use DCL transfers, and DCL transferred our case of water with our luggage. The case of water was delivered to our stateroom.
Adults-only restaurants, including Palo and Remy, offer a wonderful dining experience. Make no mistake, I thoroughly enjoy dining in Animator’s Palate, Enchanted Garden, and other dining rooms. And, I love grabbing food at some of the “quick-service” spots. But, dinner at Palo and Remy or Palo Brunch are special opportunities. And, for the surcharges, I feel they offer an incredible value.
Chocolate souffle at Palo
Tracy and I at Palo
Remy
Disney Cruise Line is great at offering activities for every age. If you enjoy an alcoholic drink, I highly recommend trying an alcohol tasting. The event is a great opportunity to try something you have probably not experienced. More importantly, this may be a great opportunity to meet some new people as well. For that reason, I suggest making your reservation for this activity early in your itinerary.
On our first Disney cruise, my wife and I wasted valuable packing space on beach towels and a lifejacket for our son. Lifejackets and towels are provided at the pools and on Castaway Cay. Save your luggage space for the speedo.
If you have the opportunity, reserve a cabana on Castaway Cay. Getting a cabana is nearly impossible for most cruisers as they go quickly. However, they may become available if some cruisers change their mind. So, check occasionally to see if one becomes available.
Getting up early or staying up late will provide you an opportunity to see a sunrise or sunset you will remember forever. This is one of my favorite things to do on any cruise. I am an early riser, so this is an activity I do easily, and I am very happy that I take advantage of this. My favorite place to do this is on the highest deck. I was able to go to the very front of the ship one morning. It is amazing. On our first cruise, my wife and I, by strictly luck, enjoyed a sunset in Palo. Wow!
Fish Extender groups are so much fun! FE groups deserve their own post, so I will try to be as brief as possible for the purpose here. These are groups that exchange gifts with one another via hanging pouch(es) next to their cabin door. There is a sea creature that can hold the pouch(es). People place gifts in the pouches throughout the cruise. This is a HUGE hit with our kids. They are excited to check the FE every time we come back to our stateroom.
Our FE
Doing laundry is never fun but can be necessary aboard Disney Cruise Line. We book-ended out Disney Cruise with stays at Walt Disney World. We did several loads of laundry aboard the Disney Dream. We were lucky with the location of our stateroom. We had laundry located just steps away from our door. You use your stateroom key to charge the fees for using the washer and dryer. We brought detergent packets and dryer sheets, so we didn’t have to purchase them on the ship. Here is something I found interesting-it was cheaper to do laundry aboard the Dream than doing it at The Polynesian.
Watch the live shows in the Walt Disney Theatre. These stage productions are spectacular. If you want prime seating arrive early. However, most seating offers great views of the stage.
Book your Disney Cruise Line reservation with a travel agent. Travel agents offer obvious services like booking with Disney. In addition, agents will send reminders about making payments and when final payment is due. They also offer insight on current company policies such as documentation requirements or bringing alcohol onboard. Agents can also link multiple reservations if families are travelling together, or agents can link Walt Disney World packages with Disney Cruise Line reservations to provide a seamless experience. Most agents or agencies offer perks as well. Some give gifts and others credit your stateroom account with credit to spend however you like. The best part is most agents charge you NOTHING for their services!
Cruising with Disney is a terrific experience. Disney takes service to another level, and we all know and love their entertainment. Please comment or email me your Disney Cruise Line tips.
Justin Eggenberger, Co-owner of Adventure is Out There Travel, LLC
Many people love cruising and I know why. It took me 31 years of my life until I got on one. Since then I have 2 under my belt and a 3rd one on the way March 2017 with 7 other friends abound the Norwegian Getaway. First it was the Eastern Caribbean St. Thomas (US Virgin Islands); Tortola (British Virgin Islands); Nassau (Bahamas then the Western Caribbean ); Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas); Ocho Rios (Jamaica); George Town (Grand Cayman); Cozumel (Mexico). Now were heading to Roatan, Bay Islands (Honduras); Belize City (Belize); Costa Maya (Mexico); Cozumel (Mexico)
enjoying Grand Cayman
The Getaway is the second newest ship Norwegian has put out, with a new ship the Escape which was being released in 2015 and a new ship coming in 2017 Joy for Asian Cruises. The first thing you notice when getting to the port was the size of the ship, it’s so big they board from 2 different terminals. As we bored the cruise staff is singing and dancing making us feel right at home. One of this ships clam to fame is that there are 23 bars located around the ship, everything from the Sun Set bar witch is our favorite to the Bliss Bar to the Mojito Bar.
A huge bonus on Norwegian is when it come to meals everything is “Free Style”, which means you don’t have to eat with anyone, you can sit where ever and can eat at different times there are no set rules.
The food … You all know my wife and I are Foodies, well I have to tell you the food was Amazing. We ate many times at the Noodle bar, best egg rolls and dumplings, you better get there early it fills up fast. There are 3 Main Dining rooms on this ship and they all serve the same food on the same night. Beef Wellington, Steak Diane, Salmon, Scallops and Mahi-Mahi just to name a few, and off course the 24 hour restaurant, that came in handy a few times on the ship.
Margaritas at Wet Wendy’s
Enjoying the island is one of the best part of the cruise, we get off to enjoy the local offerings. We tried Cronk we tried local fish and off course we tried all the local beers
Drinking the local beer in Margaritaville Jamica on the beach
But I think what made the Cruise was the Amazing Norwegian Getaway Staff. Form the bar tenders to the wait staff and to our house staff service was first class. Anything and everything was right at out finger tips. The boat was immaculate, and the crew were always on top of cleaning even the littlest detail. Plus AIOTT can help plan all you Norwegian needs.
adventureisouttheretravel.com 