First time Disney Cruise

[parkbr]

Hi,

As a fan of Disney, we are thinking of the first week of December to go to Disney cruise from Port Canaveral. We thought about DL, but now thinking about Disney Cruise.

1. I hear that the transportation from MCO to the port can be expensive. For example, Disney would be $70/person for round-trip. Do most people use this or arrange other transportation (like 1 day rental car from MCO to Port Canaveral or Uber)?

2. Are there a lot of 'booking in advance'? We would love to fully engage ourselves in everything the cruise ship offers and it would be upsetting if we cannot because we booked so close to the sail date.

3. How is the character meet-up like? Do we have to book it in advance?
Is there any character dining? If so, are they extra $?

4. Our DD is 4, almost 5 years old. Is she too young for the cruise? My colleague mentioned to me that he'd preferred if his daughter was just 1-2 years older and his daughter was just turned 6 when they went.

5. For category IGT or VGT, is there any chance to get upgraded? I know it is 'with restriction', but not sure what that means.

6. I see the price for Category IGT ~$2221 and VGT ~$2422 for 2 adult, 1 child (4 yo) for 4-Night Very Merrytime Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral. Is this a good price? I have not considered Disney cruise at all before, so I don't even know whether it is a good deal or not.
I know Royal Caribbean, Oasis of the Seas have Guaranteed balcony for 7 days from Port Canaveral for about $2280. Given they are the same price, I am curious to know what the differences are. We've been to Allures last year and our DD disliked Kids club so much that we told her if she misbehaves, then she will go to Kidsclub. I heard it is different for Disney and she LOVES WDW, but we also want to be prepared for this situation.

Thank you very much for your help!

 

[Shanti]

Hi,

As a fan of Disney, we are thinking of the first week of December to go to Disney cruise from Port Canaveral. We thought about DL, but now thinking about Disney Cruise.

1. I hear that the transportation from MCO to the port can be expensive. For example, Disney would be $70/person for round-trip. Do most people use this or arrange other transportation (like 1 day rental car from MCO to Port Canaveral or Uber)?

2. Are there a lot of 'booking in advance'? We would love to fully engage ourselves in everything the cruise ship offers and it would be upsetting if we cannot because we booked so close to the sail date.

3. How is the character meet-up like? Do we have to book it in advance?
Is there any character dining? If so, are they extra $?

4. Our DD is 4, almost 5 years old. Is she too young for the cruise? My colleague mentioned to me that he'd preferred if his daughter was just 1-2 years older and his daughter was just turned 6 when they went.

5. For category IGT or VGT, is there any chance to get upgraded? I know it is 'with restriction', but

6. I see the price for Category IGT ~$2221 and VGT ~$2422 for 2 adult, 1 child (4 yo) for 4-Night Very Merrytime Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral. Is this a good price? I have not considered Disney cruise at all before, so I don't even know whether it is a good deal or not.
I know Royal Caribbean, Oasis of the Seas have Guaranteed balcony for 7 days from Port Canaveral for about $2280. Given they are the same price, I am curious to know what the differences are. We've been to Allures last year and our DD disliked Kids club so much that we told her if she misbehaves, then she will go to Kidsclub. I heard it is different for Disney and she LOVES WDW, but we also want to be prepared for this situation.

Thank you very much for your help!

1. Some do, some don't. We use DCL transfers because we're usually a party of 2. For people with larger groups, private transport is more affordable.

2. There isn't much to book in advance for a typical Bahamian or Caribbean cruise. One of the joys of cruising DCL is that it requires little planning. Everyone onboard has the exact same access to the same restaurants, shows, Fab Five character meets, etc. Adult-only upcharge restaurants take reservations in advance, but they leave open spots for onboard booking, as well.

3. Most princess character meets require advance tickets. Meets with the Disney Fab Five will occur throughout the cruise & you just line up to meet them as they appear, no ressie required. A schedule for them will appear in the Daily Navigator. 7-night cruises have one free character breakfast that must be booked in advance. But if it's sold-out online, check with Port Adventures immediately upon arrival and there might be availability. Shorter cruises do not have a character breakfast.

4. She can have a great time on the cruise, but probably will be too little for the AquaDuck. I would say ages 8-11 are ideal for a Disney cruise, but other ages love it, as well. My son is 13 and he loves DCL. I'm an adult, and I love DCL.

5. Possible but very unlikely. All Disney cruise staterooms are nice.

6. It's an okay price for a Disney cruise, so if you want it, book it. DCL is in a different price universe than non-Disney cruises.

 

[Dug720]

1. The "break even" point on transportation is usually 4 people. Less than that and you're better off with DCL transfers - unless you want to mess with renting a car.

2. Excursions, some alcohol tastings, the Princess Gathering, Frozen M&G, and the Princess Tea (uber expensive), adult dining, and spa treatments I know are bookable in advance. For all but the port adventures (excursions) they USUALLY hold back some for on board booking.

3. Characters will be listed in the Navigator with their meeting times and locations. Other the Princess Gathering and the Frozen M&G, there are no tickets. How long the lines are depends on many factors - some lines are short, others are long. If there is a character you *must* meet, make sure to get there before their slot starts.I think if there is a character breakfast it is only on longer cruises. I don't think there is a cost.

4. No kids. No clue. Sorry.

5. The IGT may be assigned in an OV category, but I would not count on it. There is really nowhere else to go with VGT other than concierge - and I have never heard of a complimentary upgrade into concierge.

6. I cruise solo, so I have zero clue what a good rate for a family is.

 

[Sunshine2U]

I think that's a decent rate. You can always find less expensive cruises, but you can also find a less expensive theme park over WDW. I would do the VGT. Sitting on the veranda with wine or coffee is an excellent way to spend an evening or morning while the princess sleeps. I would not want to be in an inside room in those situations - but an inside room on a cruise is better than my deck at home. Our young 5yo nephew LOVED his cruise with us and is looking forward to his second one - when we are also taking 5yo GS. The character/princess interactions are so much more personal on the cruises. It will be a magical experience for yours.

 

[k3chantal]

Hi,

As a fan of Disney, we are thinking of the first week of December to go to Disney cruise from Port Canaveral. We thought about DL, but now thinking about Disney Cruise.

1. I hear that the transportation from MCO to the port can be expensive. For example, Disney would be $70/person for round-trip. Do most people use this or arrange other transportation (like 1 day rental car from MCO to Port Canaveral or Uber)?
We always rent a car from MCO to PC. You do have to drop your family off at the port and then a shuttle takes the driver back. You have to make sure you rent from a location that does this.
2. Are there a lot of 'booking in advance'? We would love to fully engage ourselves in everything the cruise ship offers and it would be upsetting if we cannot because we booked so close to the sail date.
There are activities that you will want to book in advance. You may want to dine at the adult only restaurants (the clubs can feed your child), you may want a spa visit or a trip to the kid's Bibbity Bobbity Boutique. If your child ends up happily occupied in the club, you may want to try some tastings (they have a whole list but some are champagne, whiskey, margaritas, etc....) Or you may want a character breakfast. There's a lot and my best advice is that you need to find when your booking window opens and get on when it first opens. I live on the West Coast so I always stay up and book when it opens for me.
3. How is the character meet-up like? Do we have to book it in advance?
Some need to be booked in advance but some do not. Most Recently, I booked a visit with the Frozen sisters and as we were leaving we bumped into Belle in the elevator hallway and had our own private visit. (no-one was around). We have also played miniature golf with Pluto by ourselves.
Is there any character dining? If so, are they extra $?
The morning breakfast does not have an extra cost but the Princess Gathering Tea does. IT IS EXPENSIVE.
4. Our DD is 4, almost 5 years old. Is she too young for the cruise? My colleague mentioned to me that he'd preferred if his daughter was just 1-2 years older and his daughter was just turned 6 when they went.
I think she is the perfect age. We started cruising when my kids were 11, 8 and 18 months. They are now 18, 15 and 9. They will choose cruising over any type of vacation. We have just booked our 6th cruise. There are activities for all and the entire family is thrilled!
5. For category IGT or VGT, is there any chance to get upgraded? I know it is 'with restriction', but
I have never worried about this. I book a certain room and stay with my choice.
6. I see the price for Category IGT ~$2221 and VGT ~$2422 for 2 adult, 1 child (4 yo) for 4-Night Very Merrytime Bahamian Cruise from Port Canaveral. Is this a good price? I have not considered Disney cruise at all before, so I don't even know whether it is a good deal or not.
I know Royal Caribbean, Oasis of the Seas have Guaranteed balcony for 7 days from Port Canaveral for about $2280. Given they are the same price, I am curious to know what the differences are. We've been to Allures last year and our DD disliked Kids club so much that we told her if she misbehaves, then she will go to Kidsclub. I heard it is different for Disney and she LOVES WDW, but we also want to be prepared for this situation.
A Disney cruise is expensive. But we think it is worth the price because the entire family is taken well care of. It's hard to get five people thrilled with an experience and this does it. We are afraid to try a different cruise line; even though they are less money, I would want the same experience. So Disney it is for this family.........
Thank you very much for your help!

 

[parkbr]

1. Some do, some don't. We use DCL transfers because we're usually a party of 2. For people with larger groups, private transport is more affordable.

2. There isn't much to book in advance for a typical Bahamian or Caribbean cruise. One of the joys of cruising DCL is that it requires little planning. Everyone onboard has the exact same access to the same restaurants, shows, Fab Five character meets, etc. Adult-only upcharge restaurants take reservations in advance, but they leave open spots for onboard booking, as well.

3. Most princess character meets require advance tickets. Meets with the Disney Fab Five will occur throughout the cruise & you just line up to meet them as they appear, no ressie required. A schedule for them will appear in the Daily Navigator. 7-night cruises have one free character breakfast that must be booked in advance. But if it's sold-out online, check with Port Adventures immediately upon arrival and there might be availability. Shorter cruises do not have a character breakfast.

4. She can have a great time on the cruise, but probably will be too little for the AquaDuck. I would say ages 8-11 are ideal for a Disney cruise, but other ages love it, as well. My son is 13 and he loves DCL. I'm an adult, and I love DCL.

5. Possible but very unlikely. All Disney cruise staterooms are nice.

6. It's an okay price for a Disney cruise, so if you want it, book it. DCL is in a different price universe than non-Disney cruises.

Thank you for your input.

3. For the princess meet-up, are they for extra charges? My DD loves princesses and we'd love to meet them.

6. Yes, I heard DCL is different. That's why I am not sure what we are seeing is a good price or not. I know it's all relative terms, but we're Canadian, so couple dollars in USD makes quite a big difference.

 

[parkbr]

1. The "break even" point on transportation is usually 4 people. Less than that and you're better off with DCL transfers - unless you want to mess with renting a car.

2. Excursions, some alcohol tastings, the Princess Gathering, Frozen M&G, and the Princess Tea (uber expensive), adult dining, and spa treatments I know are bookable in advance. For all but the port adventures (excursions) they USUALLY hold back some for on board booking.

3. Characters will be listed in the Navigator with their meeting times and locations. Other the Princess Gathering and the Frozen M&G, there are no tickets. How long the lines are depends on many factors - some lines are short, others are long. If there is a character you *must* meet, make sure to get there before their slot starts.I think if there is a character breakfast it is only on longer cruises. I don't think there is a cost.

4. No kids. No clue. Sorry.

5. The IGT may be assigned in an OV category, but I would not count on it. There is really nowhere else to go with VGT other than concierge - and I have never heard of a complimentary upgrade into concierge.

6. I cruise solo, so I have zero clue what a good rate for a family is.

Thank you for your response.

5. What is OV category?

Thanks!

 

[parkbr]

I think that's a decent rate. You can always find less expensive cruises, but you can also find a less expensive theme park over WDW. I would do the VGT. Sitting on the veranda with wine or coffee is an excellent way to spend an evening or morning while the princess sleeps. I would not want to be in an inside room in those situations - but an inside room on a cruise is better than my deck at home. Our young 5yo nephew LOVED his cruise with us and is looking forward to his second one - when we are also taking 5yo GS. The character/princess interactions are so much more personal on the cruises. It will be a magical experience for yours.

Thank you very much.
Yes. I am wondering if it is good rate for DCL. My only comparison is RCL, as that's what I've been.
We all love Disney and I am sure it will be magical.

 

[Dug720]

Thank you for your response.

5. What is OV category?

Thanks!

Ocean View. The category between Interior and Verandah.

 

[parkbr]

Ocean View. The category between Interior and Verandah.

Ohhh. Okay. I'd prefer inside than OV. It make me feel seasick. lol

 

[Dug720]

Ohhh. Okay. I'd prefer inside than OV. It make me feel seasick. lol

Then I would not do the IGT rate. Because you could end up in an ocean view cabin. (Of course, I'm weird in that if I got seasick (which I thankfully do not - my mom says my sister and I got our grandaddy's sea legs) I would not torture myself with cruises - I'd stick to land-based vacations.)

 

[parkbr]

Thank you for your help.

1. I see. Was this easy to do drop-off/shuttle?

2. I might not be in the window as there are only 5 weeks out. I am more worried that it will be all booked up.

3. That sounds WONDERFUL!! Belle is my favourite and Aurora is my DD's favourite. We were also lucky to ride a carousel with Drizella and Anastasia.
Ah! Princess Tea at WDW is also expensive.

6. Yes. I hear DCL is a luxury cruise line category. We love Disney and love to try DCL. But if it's not a decent deal, I'd rather wait as we're Canadian, so FX is really killing us.

 

[parkbr]

Then I would not do the IGT rate. Because you could end up in an ocean view cabin. (Of course, I'm weird in that if I got seasick (which I thankfully do not - my mom says my sister and I got our grandaddy's sea legs) I would not torture myself with cruises - I'd stick to land-based vacations.)

We're Canadian, so FX is quite high. We also have Canadian Resident cruise deals, but we cannot go during that time.
I like to try DCL at least once. Though I always take pills when I cruise. I did cruise only twice with Oasis class (as it is a biggest ship in the world.)

 

[Dug720]

We're Canadian, so FX is quite high. We also have Canadian Resident cruise deals, but we cannot go during that time.
I like to try DCL at least once. Though I always take pills when I cruise. I did cruise only twice with Oasis class (as it is a biggest ship in the world.)

Not sure what FX is...

I try not to medicate unnecessarily - hence why I would stick to land if I got seasick. Never been on any of the Behemoths of the Seas. Disney is as large as I like to go (on Royal, Radiance class is as large as I'll go - though I had an awful time with food on Jewel this summer so I'm not looking to cruise Royal again any time soon).

 

[parkbr]

Not sure what FX is...

I try not to medicate unnecessarily - hence why I would stick to land if I got seasick. Never been on any of the Behemoths of the Seas. Disney is as large as I like to go (on Royal, Radiance class is as large as I'll go - though I had an awful time with food on Jewel this summer so I'm not looking to cruise Royal again any time soon).

FX = Foreign exchange.

I guess you much prefer DCL than RCL.

 

[Dug720]

FX = Foreign exchange.

I guess you much prefer DCL than RCL.

Ah, gotcha. It's the name of a TV channel here, and I knew that wasn't what you meant.

Up until this summer, I'd have cruised RCCL's Radiance class or smaller for the right itinerary...but when it took me filling out the mid-cruise survey and commenting about how the choices and options for gluten-free (wheat allergy, not fad diet choice) foods had decreased markedly on the new menus for my head server (and primary server) to make it clear that I could ask for what I wanted. On Brilliance 2 years ago, my server made it clear from the first moment, so when it was not mentioned on this one, I assumed it had changed with the menus. Also, some things were mislabeled - I could deal with things that were gf not being labeled (nothing in Caprese Salad has gluten, but it was not marked as safe), but things like a dish set on a farro base (it's WHEAT) was marked as safe...and my head server said "Well, it is a type of wheat but it is safe."? Yeah...I'm pretty hesitant to try them again. ESPECIALLY on a larger ship - even though Anthem sails out of NJ and would be a very easy trip across the river to get on her.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Honestly, 5 weeks out it will be hard to book anything (Frozen meet, tastings) before the cruise and you will get second seating (which I prefer anyway). But they do hold things back so that you can try and book FIRST thing when you get on board and you may get a spot - or meet up with someone who will give up theirs. If you don't mind waiting in line you can meet the princesses in the lobby. We have cruised 1st week in December and I like it because it is very Merry Christmas cruise. Our first cruise my youngest son was 4 and he loved it.

If your child didn't like kids club on RCCL she may not like them on DCL just because it could be the being left "alone" that she doesn't like. You should definitely go to some open houses - hours when the kids clubs are open to parents and children alike- so she can acclimate, then she may be willing to stay on her own. You can and should do this on the first day. Honestly, the kids clubs are awesome to see, even for adults. Also, sometimes the kids clubs have characters come and visit and the kids get to meet them one on one. I assume this is the Dream you are going on?

For $50/day more I would do the VGT.

The Disney transportation is pricey, but so easy. I have done the rental car, saved money, but a bit of hassle. When you go on the Disney buses they show Disney Cartoons and have Disney Trivia and drop you right off at the port, and everyone else on the bus is going and gets real excited when you can first see the ship. Really gets you in the mood for the cruise and especially your first cruise I would splurge.

Do you have the ability to buy discounted Disney Gift Cards in Canada? They sell them at Sam's and BJ's - you can save from 5-8% on them and use them for your cruise, or for your onboard spending.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

Oh, I would also try and find the Navigators (ship daily schedule of activities) for your particular cruise - specifically a Very Merry Cruise 4 night cruise - they have some extra things happening on those cruises. You can get a pretty good idea of what will be going on and see the schedule of the character meets in the lobby. Oh, don't miss Jack Jack's Diaper Dash - I love that!!