First time cruising... lots of questions

[rockinmom]

Hi,
I just booked the Dream for Jan 18-21 and I have seriously never cruised before. No idea what to expect or what to plan for. I know we would like to do atleast one excursion and my son will want to swim in the ocean and I will want alcohol but no idea what costs to plan for there. Looking forward to hearing from other experienced cruisers who enjoy helping newbies plan their trips!
Thanks,
Lora

 

[lilsonicfan]

Cruising is one of my favourite forms of vacation, because it is the place I get to turn off my brain and relax.

DCL has some cruise planning tools, they used to send a DVD but I think now the videos are online. Youtube itself is a great resource if you are a video person. Great to get an idea of what you're in for. Excursions: you can look on the DCL site itself to see what excursions ("Port Adventures") are available through DCL.

 

[lady9]

We don't typically drink so I can't help you there. Your son will be able to swim in the ocean on Castaway Cay. There are plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas on the beach. You can rent tubes or floats on the island. There are always plenty so no need to do it ahead of time in my opinion. Be aware that sometimes that time of year, the weather isn't the greatest so Castaway Cay may be skipped due to high winds and not being able to dock. I'll assume your other stop is Nassau. Choose an excursion that looks like something you would like if you want to do an excursion. There are all price ranges for excursions. We don't get off the ship anymore in Nassau unless we are on an excursion. The shopping is good but we've had to put up with very pushy locals which I hate. Keep in mind that in their culture, you pick it up or you try it on (sometimes they will try to put it on you to get you to buy it), like a bracelet, you've basically bought it. Shop with your eyes!

For the first day, you will not have access to your luggage until the late afternoon. Anything you need, swimsuits, medication, etc. keep with you in your carry on. You can have lunch on the ship when you board. My kids then change and swim. Your cabin will be available about 1:30ish. I usually go and unpack while DH watches the kids swim. There will be open houses for the kid's clubs for your family to check out the spaces. My kids never want to leave, they have so much fun.

We enjoy dinner in the main dining rooms. On a 3 night, I'd for sure eat in the dining room each night. The shows are fun to see. You will get a Navigator each night outlining all the activities. Take a highlighter so you can mark your not to be missed activities. Also download the app so you can see the activities on your phone. You don't need to pay for the ships wifi to take advantage of this app or the texting to another person on the ship.

If you want to get to know some of your fellow cruises, you can find your cruise under "Meet and Greet" on this board. You may want to get involved in an FE exchange. However, don't get so overwhelmed that you don't enjoy the cruise. We've always enjoyed the FE exchange but some people find it more work than fun.

Have a great cruise!

 

[smiths02]

I really like the YouTube segments put out by the DIS that was a Dream 3-night cruise.

There are also others. The DIS also has reviews of the restaurants
This site has a lot of great information
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-cruise-line/

 

[Sepo]

Our family of 5 went on our first cruise in January 2017.

I read a TON online to prep. In retrospect, my thoughts: We overprepared. It would’ve been just as well or even better in discovery mode a bit. You’ll have a great time no matter what.

(But do get your Palo reservation and do research on port days (we did excursions on our own and saved money plus did at our own pace).

 

[PrincessAriel14]

So obviously for an alcohol budget it depends on how much you want to drink. I plan $200 per person for my husband and I (usually I don’t spend that much on me). We then budget for the wine package (you can find the prices under in room gifts and amenities on the website) $205 for 7 days or 7 bottles of wine, which we enjoy every night at dinner. There is also a beer mug package for $14.95 (found with in room gifts and amenities). This is a 21 oz glass mug that you can refill for the price of a 16 oz beer and you keep the mug at the end of the cruise. You receive a token of some type to carry around and exchange for the mug every time you wish to order a beer, that way you don’t have to carry the mug around all the time. There are also daily drink specials for around $5 I believe. Enjoy your cruise!

 

[DCLPrincess]

We always do the drink of the day cause it's cheaper. But some of the bars have drinks that are between $6-$8. I was surprised, I thought the drinks would be more money. My tip is on your first cruise don't drink the first day. Wait to see how the movement affects you. If you do get seasick you don't want to be drinking.

 

[dcassetta]

Hi,
I just booked the Dream for Jan 18-21 and I have seriously never cruised before. No idea what to expect or what to plan for. I know we would like to do atleast one excursion and my son will want to swim in the ocean and I will want alcohol but no idea what costs to plan for there. Looking forward to hearing from other experienced cruisers who enjoy helping newbies plan their trips!
Thanks,
Lora

You can look on Disney's cruise main page to see the excursions that will be offered and get a sense of what's available. Excursions are available on Castaway, but you don't need to book one as you can have a great day there just enjoying the beach.

The drink of the day, usually something tropical, is about $5.50 with gratuity, and prices go up from there, depending on what you order.

You might want to take a look at Scott's blog. https://disneycruiselineblog.com/personal-navigators/
The Navigator is the daily schedule of events and you can look at Navigators from past Dream cruises to see what's available to do on board.

 

[matthew517]

Welcome to DCL it is like the eagles song hotel California you can check out any time you like but you can never leave. Once you do one you will want to do more. I attached some tips that I put together in all my 12 cruises. I hope you get something from them.

 

[smiths02]

For first time cruisers:
http://www.disunplugged.com/2017/04/17/dreams-unlimited-travel-show-041717/

Shows about the Dream specifically:
http://www.disunplugged.com/2016/11/07/dreams-unlimited-travel-show-110716/
http://www.disunplugged.com/2016/11/14/dreams-unlimited-travel-show-111416/
http://www.disunplugged.com/2016/11/21/dreams-unlimited-travel-show-112116/

 

[mevelandry]

Hi,
I just booked the Dream for Jan 18-21 and I have seriously never cruised before. No idea what to expect or what to plan for. I know we would like to do atleast one excursion and my son will want to swim in the ocean and I will want alcohol but no idea what costs to plan for there. Looking forward to hearing from other experienced cruisers who enjoy helping newbies plan their trips!
Thanks,
Lora

In Nassau, we very much enjoyed a day at Blue Lagoon, either that or stay on the ship to take advantage of the ship while there are less people around. I don't think you need to plan anything on Castaway Cay. There is a lot to do. I am very fond of the bike path and the rental cost is reasonable.

Other than that, it's quite easily to organize your schedule as your dining assignment won't interfere with shows (there are always two representations so you can catch one or the other). I think that as long as you know the basis and what's offered (Personal Navigators are helpful for that), you can pretty much "wing it".

Regarding alcohol, I would suggest to add "On board credit" to your account representing what you think you'll drink. Ex: I usually like to drink two cocktails per day on vacation so if I add tips to that, 25$ per day should cover it. They also have wine packages if you don't feel like bringing your own (if you do, please be aware of the corkage fee). The drink of the day is usually very cheap (5 or 6$) and very good.

 

[keaster]

Our family of 5 went on our first cruise in January 2017.

I read a TON online to prep. In retrospect, my thoughts: We overprepared. It would’ve been just as well or even better in discovery mode a bit. You’ll have a great time no matter what.

(But do get your Palo reservation and do research on port days (we did excursions on our own and saved money plus did at our own pace).

I agree with this! Sometimes you can do too much planning then you get overwhelmed...and then when things don't work out, disappointment sets in.

We went into our first cruise blind...DH and I had cruised before, but this was a first one with our daughter who was 5 at the time. We did a little online searching (watched some videos from the Magic, pre-booked a couple excursions), but that was about it. Now when we cruise we do try to book Palo ahead but that's about the extent of our pre-planning!

 

[HHMcG]

Hi,
I just booked the Dream for Jan 18-21 and I have seriously never cruised before. No idea what to expect or what to plan for. I know we would like to do atleast one excursion and my son will want to swim in the ocean and I will want alcohol but no idea what costs to plan for there. Looking forward to hearing from other experienced cruisers who enjoy helping newbies plan their trips!
Thanks,
Lora

We haven't booked yet but I am hoping to do the same sailing as out first ever cruise!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

We will be there with you! Join our thread on this board.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/disney-dream-jan-18th-2019-3-night-bahamian-cruise.3692707/

 

[darnheather]

My number one tip. Make sure your son knows he will have to go to the Kids' Club at least once a day. Maybe that is after dinner so you can go and have a few drinks in the bar. Whenever it is stick to it. You will have a wonderful vacation!

 

[hogie1]

Welcome to DCL it is like the eagles song hotel California you can check out any time you like but you can never leave. Once you do one you will want to do more. I attached some tips that I put together in all my 12 cruises. I hope you get something from them.

This was terrific! I hope you don't mind I printed a copy!

 

[Travel60]

For the alcohol, I occasionally have one drink of the day in the afternoon (~$8-10) and then maybe a glass of wine with dinner (~$15-20). Never thought the wine package was worth it (DH does not imbibe). On our last cruise on the Magic I learned something new, although I may be fuzzy on details. In the piano bar, the menu lists something like "bartender's selection". When bottles of wine have been opened for an order, they need to sell the rest of the bottle. You get a choice of red or white and they pick....at reduced price. Worth asking.....

 

[matthew517]

This was terrific! I hope you don't mind I printed a copy!

No I have no problem

 

[DisneyGirlMI]

My #1 tip- don’t try to do everything! You’ll wear yourself out and won’t be able to enjoy you cruise. Just go with the flow and do as little or as much as you feel like.

Drinks on board are actually reasonably priced. Most are $10 or less. Drinks of the day run around $6 and most are good. Tip is to order the DOTD from a bar as they are made to order and are made stronger. The pre-made ones on deck can be a little weak.

We don’t typically do excursions in Nassau. We stay on board and enjoy a quieter ship, less people in the pools, etc. it’s also a good time to get pictures of the ship without a lot of people in them.

In addition to swimming at Castaway, there are a couple of slides at the second family beach that are a lot of fun. You have to swim out to them, but if your son is not a strong swimmer they do have life jackets to wear.

Most of all, have fun!

 

[Jonathan W Jones]

The drinks are pretty inexpensive from what I know. I can pay $6 for my mug refill.