[khawk]

I have never been on a cruise before but Im thinking our next vacation might be a disney cruise. It wont be for about 3 yrs, sometime in 2006. What is the best month to go? I was looking at the disney cruise line website and they offer 2 4 day packages to the bahamas. Ive never been to the Bahamas. One package has a stop in freeport (or nassau) cant remember which and the other has 1 whole day on board the ship. Both offer a stop at castaway Island. Which cruise do you all like best? My trip will once again consist of me, my 2 DD's and my parents. My daughters will be about 12 and 14 in 2006. Will we need passports to go to the Bahamas? I heard that the cruises are all inclusive, so the only money I would need would be spending money for souveniers and I heard drinks are not included, is that correct? Does anyone know of any websites that offer discounts on disney cruises? I have looked at mousesavers but since my trip is still 3 yrs away I will have to check it again. I was thinking about going during the summer months when school is out, maybe the end of june or august. will it be too hot? We were also thinking about driving down to port canaveral from northern michigan, take a few extra days to drive down and stop and sightsee on the way to florida. I would like my kids to see some of the country and not have to fly all the time. My mother already mentioned a stop at graceland....again!! When you book your cruise do you do it on your own or go through a travel agent? I know it is early to be asking so many questions but I want to know it all before I go. So any tips would also be appreciated. thanks.
Kim
PS... does anyone get motion sickness on the ships? my youngest DD gets airsick so I am concerned how she will do on a ship.

[Captgoodguy]

So many questions! Let's see if I can help some.

I have cruised twice. Once on RC (7 days in 1986 on the Monarch of the Seas) and once on Disney on the Disney Wonder (4 days cruise/3 days parks - Sept. 2002). Loved every minute of it.

Disney definitely has one of the better ships. The Disney magic was everywhere and we weren't disappointed. We don't have kids so many people we spoke with were surprised we chose to cruise on Disney, but there are plenty of things to do for both adults and kids. Together or apart.

My brother-in-law gets motion sick very easily and went with us on the Disney cruise. For that reason, we selected the short cruise and I recommend that for you as well. He completely loved it and is ready to go on the full week cruise. The larger ships have stabilizers so it isn’t as noticeable.

I don’t believe you have to have a passport, but with conditions that way they are today, we were overly cautious and took ours with us just in case.

We used AAA travel for our cruise and received a pass to their lounge in the MK, which was very nice. I do recommend an agency for this situation because they can help you with many different issues such as the ones listed below.

You want to try to avoid the peak hurricane season if possible. The ships will avoid the bad weather, but it still takes away from the clear skies and docking possibilities.

Where you stay in the ship will also help with motion sickness. Again, the travel agency will help you select the right room location on this one too. They will also help with free upgrades if you get a good person.

Plenty of off ship adventures. In the Bahamas, you will find a casino for the adults or dolphin interaction for the whole family.

This is Mickey’s area of expertise so I’m sure Mickey will be much more helpful than I have tried to be.

[mickey]

CaptGoodGuy, nice answers! I will give it my shot as well:

One package has a stop in freeport (or nassau) cant remember which and the other has 1 whole day on board the ship. Both offer a stop at castaway Island. Which cruise do you all like best?

Each 4 day cruise stops in Nassau, while every other week, the ship stops in Freeport the free day. Castaway Cay is included on each cruise, and is usually the highlight of the cruise. I have heard mixed reviews on Freeport, though you don't have do debark, you can stay on the ship if you would rather. Lunch is still served, though only at Topsiders Buffet.

Will we need passports to go to the Bahamas?

Technically, you don't need a passport for any of the ports on any of the Disney cruises, though for adults, it sure helps. Kids traveling with adults only need a birth certificate, and a picture id if old enough.

heard that the cruises are all inclusive, so the only money I would need would be spending money for souveniers and I heard drinks are not included, is that correct?

Well, yes and no. Soft drinks are included with meals, but not outside of meal hours and not outside of the restaurants. Alcoholic drinks are never free. Gratuities are not included in the cost of the cruise, nor are excursions. Room service, meals and entertainment are all included in the price. There are a couple of things on board that may cost money, such as Bingo, souvenirs, photos, Palo or anything special you sign up for. They will let you know if it is not included in the price of the cruise. On our 7 night cruise in December, the two of us together spent about $250 on board, and that was without gratuities, and we do not drink, so that helps a lot. The family in front of us checking out had a $750 alcohol bill (could explain why I never saw them on the cruise until that moment!)

I was thinking about going during the summer months when school is out, maybe the end of june or august. will it be too hot?

The summer months, along with Spring Break and Christmas are the most expensive months by far. If you can go in the early Spring (January through mid-March) it is the cheapest, best weather and will be the calmest. If you can't go then, I would suggest as early in the summer as possible. Most of the time, the summer months are about twice as expensive as during the Spring or Fall, but in the Fall, it is usually pretty warm, and hurricane season.

Does anyone get motion sickness on the ships?

You will be fine on the 4 day cruise. I have seen it be quite rough, but it is usually returning from St. Thomas to the Bahamas where it is rough. It is possible that it could become a little rough, but not anything like what you would expect. Many of the people on the cruise have those patches behind their ears, which might help some.

One suggestion would be to buy the Passporter Cruise guide. I think it is only about $10, but it will be the best $10 you ever spent. The book will answer these questions better than I ever could. There is a link for it on the front page.

[khawk]

Ive decided that I want to go to the bahama's and not the caribean. At first I thought of the 4 day bahama cruise without the stop in freeport. But my dad was talking about the 7 day land and sea option. so now Im looking into that. has anyone done this one before? I was thinking of going sometime during the week of june 12 or june 19th 2006. I have to work around a joint physical custody schedule, although Im sure if I needed to switch days with the kids dad he would do it. Plus I think the kids are done with school those weeks. I would probably get passports for all of us. If I get a passport for the kids would I still have to bring their birth certs? IT seems it would be easier to carry around the passports. Still dont know if we would fly or drive. IF we fly and dont rent a car would we still have to find a way to get from the airport to WDW and then find another way to get to port canaveral? My dad said he heard that disney would provide transportation but I havent heard that. If I only have 3 days at WDW before the cruise (not even 3 full days) I would have to decide what parks to go to, I wouldnt be able to go to all of them in 3 days. I did order the disney cruise video and it should be here in about 3 weeks. I am so excited about this and I shouldnt be because its still 3 yrs away, I already know what onshore excursions I want to do. Can anyone tell me about the staterooms. I was just going to get the cheapest one since it will be me and my 2 DD's in one room. Grandma & grandpa will have their own room this time. Are the cheap rooms horrible? should I spend more money for a better room? On the web site for the disney cruise line I noticed that disney has rate specials, they are pretty good rates and Im hoping that when 2006 comes I will be able to get a great rate like that. Its 459 for adult double occupancy and 299 per kid. that was for a 4 day cruise. What about clothes? would we need formal attire? Or just some nice dress clothes for dinner? thanks.
Kim

[tinkerbell]

If we drove to WDW would we be able to leave our van at the resort while on the cruise or would we have to leave it at the port?

[WEDINDISNEY]

I didnt want to start a new post for this one so I thought I would just add it on to this one.
We were thinking about going with a Catg 3 room which would be a 1 bedroom suite. The price is a little higher than what I would like to spend.
Now after thinking about and realizing that how much time are we going to spend in our room are we just better off saving the $$$$ and going with a different room?
The only thing that we really care about having is a room with a veranndah(sp).
Any thoughts?

[tinkerbell]

Originally posted by WEDINDISNEY
I didnt want to start a new post for this one so I thought I would just add it on to this one.
We were thinking about going with a Catg 3 room which would be a 1 bedroom suite. The price is a little higher than what I would like to spend.
Now after thinking about and realizing that how much time are we going to spend in our room are we just better off saving the $$$$ and going with a different room?
The only thing that we really care about having is a room with a veranndah(sp).
Any thoughts?

we are thinking of a Catg 7, one because we want to stay at AKL again and the other reason being that we want our own verandah view. thats the thing about about the higher prices of the rooms on the ship ..you also get a deluxe resort room. thinking about what you posted though ..well now I dont know

[minnie]

Personally I don't think you spend enough time in your room to warrant the extra money for a Cat 3 in most cases. We had a Cat 5 on our last cruise and the room was great. The 1 1/2 bath makes the room very practical and the verandas in the catagory 4 and 5 are very nice. How many people are you traveling with?

[WEDINDISNEY]

It would just be my DH and myself. We are doing the 7 day western caribbean cruise and the only thing that I know that we both want is the verandah(sp).
I think I would rather save the money and use that as xtra spending money.....
Now its just a matter of deciding if we still want to go in Sept? My DH made a good point the other night and that is Sept is part of the hurricane season and it might not be worth going then that we should wait until like Dec? Any thoughts?

[Amneris]

I think September's the last month of the hurricane season, isn't it? I would think December cruises would be more crowded/book up sooner not only because of the holiday but because of school (& college!) breaks. If the weather's too rough to go into port, the ship will visit an alternate location. So if you just want the "cruise" experience you will probably be o.k. We're going in Oct, and I definitely want to visit these particular stops, so I'm kinda worried ... but I always worry too much about everything! :)

Since it's just the two of you, I think you'll be fine w/out a suite. The living room area is separated from the bedroom area both by the furniture and there's a folding screen thing too. So you won't feel like you're stuck living in your bedroom. (Plus there's room on the veranda to hang out.)

[WEDINDISNEY]

Thanks Amneris... I just noticed that you will be leaving for cruise very soon.... Im jealous.... Is there any room in your suitcase for me? :laugh
We are still in the planning stages of our trip. We are now thinking about waiting until early 2005. Maybe around early Feb. We were going to go in the fall of 2004 but hurricane season has me a little scared also. I figured that if I can wait this long 2-3 more months wont be so bad. I'm just happy that we are getting to go. We shall see :)

[crystalrp]

I think February would be great because while you are basking in the sun, everyone you know is probably knee deep in snow! What a nice winter break. :)

[jbjags]

we went at the end of may in 2002 and it was great.

[glang22]

We went the week of Mother's Day. 4 night-w/day at sea. We stayed in Cat 4 (family suite w/veranda). There were 5 of us. 3 adults, two kids, 3 & 1. I didn't feel cramped once (your not in your room to often either). It's nice to have the separate commode/bath areas. There are a lot of storage areas in the room. Our room was checked 3 times a day, ice filled/towels picked up/bed made/turned down, etc. We brought our own water, and alcoholic beverages on to the ship w/us, which is okay if you carry it on (they don't advertise this). We still got roped into the soda package, which we didn't need. As you board the ship there are tables of the souvenier cups which are refillable with a soda plan ($25.00 +tax/each cup). We bought the cups, but after not using them for the first two days, we requested a refund, which we were given. My husband is a heavy soda drinker and he got by without the plan. Your beverages are included at the restaurants at mealtimes.

I didn't get passports for my kids, we planned the trip last minute. We got by fine with having their birth certificates (original or certified copy). We had passports and it seemed like we always went through faster. My sister-in-law was with us and she had her birth certificate and driver's license. They carefully checked both each time. You also need your key card to get off/on the ship. Don't forget the kids key cards and their birth certificates on each off/on ship trek.

I can truly say we had a magical time. I will never forget it. The ship was fantastic. My kids, though young, were mesmerized by the shows. Every staff member I came in contact with was helpful. Regardless of job title, they each seemed to know everthing about everything. We had room service several times (even just for milk for my son's bottle at midnight). It was always within 15 minutes and always correct. Room service is free, gratuity is at your discretion. Gratuities for room service was really the only time I used cash while on the ship which I found odd. You can either charge the gratuity to your room or give cash. You have to give them a credit card upon checking in. Everything, and I mean everthing (drinks you purchase alcohol/non alcohol, souveniers, photos, popcorn/candy at the theatres, excursions) all has to go to an account secured with a credit card. You can however, pay in cash at the end of the trip. I personally was fine with it, we used our disney card for the points, but some would want to kind of keep track as they go. It's easier to do that when the cash is literally FLYING out of your pocket.
I went to guest services mid cruise and got a printout of everthing we had spent up to that point.

We loved it, were going back soon, with 14 other family members. 7 day land/sea. Were going on the same ship. I highly recommend this cruise experience.
:D