A few Cruise questions for the experts here

Hi Jeff,

I can't answer any of your questions from a Disney perspective since we've only cruised with Holland America, but I can offer you some general information.

1. and 2. I will leave for Disney Cruisers.
3. It's really subjective. As you know, we have lots of years where the tropics are extremely quiet, and you can pick up last minute cruise deals (or even book a little in advance) for a real bargain. Both of the 7 day cruises we've taken have been late Oct/early Nov. I think if you're really fearful of storms, I would steer clear of the September timeframe, but very early or very late in the season should be fine.
4. I've had both and I really prefer at least some light, so I would say it's worth it to have an outside cabin. Some folks who never do anything in their room but sleep feel differently. The balcony, I think, really depends on how much time you plan to spend in the cabin. I think it's also a little like first class flying; if you don't start out with it, you probably won't miss it so much. And don't forget, the Disney Dream will be the only Disney ship sailing out of Canaveral shortly. And from what I understand, her inside cabins are equipped with "virtual" portholes.
5. I have heard that higher is better from a movement standpoint, but I don't know that to be a fact.
6. I think there's plenty to do, from eating, to activities, to recreation, to just plain exploring, ports of call, and excursions. And keep in mind that I don't believe that the duration of the Dream's voyages will be very long.

Overall, I think you would be pleased. I love cruising, so of course I think everyone else should and will, too I'm really hoping to get a chance to go on a Disney Dream cruise, too.

I've been on three cruises - two Carnival, one Disney (but the Disney was when I was 13). There's plenty to do for adults on the Carnival - but some of it was adult oriented shows and gambling (neither of which are on Disney).

We did Disney and Carnival for our honeymoon - DEFINITELY do the cruise second! Disney is tiring if you do it right, and relaxing on the cruise is GREAT.

I didn't need to pay extra for a porthole or anything - other than sleeping and...umm...it was our honeymoon....we didn't really use the room a whole lot. I like sleeping in the dark, and it gets DARK. It's really up to your preference. We were fine in the inside room -- just be sure to set an alarm because you can't tell night from day in there!

I have to agree with you Joe..the group dining thing has always turned me off from cruising. I just don't get it..I'm not going on vacation to make friends..I am going on vacation to get away from people!

I'm interested to see how Disney handles this.

We actually made some great friends on our honeymoon with the group dining. It's a little strange at first, but if you get put with nice people it can be a really good thing too. It's kind of cool that even though the ship is so big and there may be a thousand people there, you'll see the same people and by the end of the week you feel like you've known each other forever.

Hi well i can try to help as i have been on 3 cruises 2 Disney 1 Royal. I really hope this helps good luck planning

There are PLENTY of activities - during our honeymoon we tracked one of the cruise directors all over the ship doing various trivia games and stuff. Not to brag, but I kept winning, and by the end he was like "Oh no, it's the teacher again!"

They give out cheap little plastic ships on a stick as the trophy - I had accumulated eight of them by the end of our cruise. It became almost a running joke with him. There were times we'd just sit and chat with him after some of the games - it really gave a nice personal touch to things. If I remember right, we even added a little extra tip for him.

I'm not a pool person really either (Caitie is). We did a LITTLE pool/hot tub time, but they tend to be really crowded so we always found other stuff to do. Really, it would be hard to be bored for too long on a cruise - there's really something for everyone.

I'm with you Jeff. I'm really nervous about the group dining thing. Do they seat you with the same people every night?

Cdub yes unless you request to be at a table for 2. Our first cruise we had a table of 8 all couples no kids and we were all about the same age. We met some really nice people and I still keep in contact with one of the couples.

Thanks for the answers!

Here's another question: How expensive is phone and internet?

Very. On our cruise we didn't even bother because it was pretty pricey for the minimum. But I don't know about the ship you will be on specifically. Sometimes you can switch your cell plan for the month to international and it isn't too bad, but it depends on your carrier

We still keep in touch with one of the couples from our table during our honeymoon also.
We also keep in touch with a couple we met at the poker table who we became good friends with also.

I always feel so anti-social when I tell people that the two things that turn me off about cruising are having to eat with other people and limited internet/phone access. I think I have to consider the possibility that I don't get out enough.

Haha..I need my internets!!!!!!!!!

That's hard - and we're the same way about eating with others. Fortunately, the first time, we had a toddler, and the second time, we had a party of 7, so we were our own table both times As for internet, it wasn't as much of an issue back then as it would be now. But that's part of a vacay, n'est pas? Unplugging? At least for me, it should be.

Jeff -- Don't forget that room service is unlimited on those cruises, so if you don't like your restaurant table, just order in!

This is the most compelling thing I've ever heard about cruises!

Are there any other costs that you might get hit with on a cruise that you wouldn't expect?

Drinks aren't included...even soda unless you are in the dining rooms. You have to add tip at the end of the cruise...Cruises nickle and dime you once on board so be careful.

I've done 2 Royal Carribean cruises. Once we were seated with others, the other one it was just my family. We had a great time meeting the other people at our table and wished we had that with my family too. One of the families at our table actually lived 15 minutes from us and was a customer in my husband's store. Very random. Don't worry about the seated dining, you can always go to the buffet one night and there's no pre-seating for breakfast or lunch.

We love having a balcony, but an inside room on a disney cruise is more or the same as a balcony on a RCCL cruise. As much as we want to do a Disney cruise we can't see spending the same money for a dark room rather than a room with a walkout balcony where you can eat breakfast every morning as you pull into port. Until disney drops it's prices we'll be crusing other lines. (which makes us sad)

I just can't see us doing a Disney cruise without kids, though, sadly. We enjoy the casino and the adult things on other ships too much...

I don't know much about cruising. How do Disney rates compare to other lines?

What.........................................Are. you. serious.

Hi,

I have been on three cruises of which two were Disney. Both were solo cruises on the Disney Wonder during Mousefest in early December 2006 and early December 2007. I found that Disney cruises are very expensive; including the single supplement, I paid twice as much for each four-night/five-day Bahamas cruise than I did for the twelve-night/thirteen-day Royal Caribbean Cruise Line southern Caribbean cruise I'll take in six weeks.

I'm a pretty social person, so I didn't mind the group dining; but because the ship wasn't full, I often dined alone. But when I didn't dine alone I dined with nice people. For dinner, for which seating is assigned, Disney has what they call rotation dining in which you dine in a different main dining room each night, but you retain the same servers throughout the cruise. Breakfast, lunch, and buffets do not have assigned seating.

There is probably too much to do, even for adults, on a Disney cruise. Check your daily Navigator activity sheet. If I had known how little time I'd spend in the room, I wouldn't have sprung for anything other than an interior stateroom.

Jim

Disney rates are very high compared to RCCL, Holland America, Celebrity, Carnival, etc. Like I said an inside room on DCL is the equivalent, if not more in price, to a balcony on RCCL. Carnival cruises tend to be even cheaper than RCCL, so I'd think you could get a suite with balcony on Carnival for what you'd pay for an inside room on DCL.

What's the typical relationship of a balcony room to an inside room, price wise? 2 to 1? 3 to 2?

It depends on the season you are sailing, the location you are going to, and the length of the cruise, but usually I see it as 2:1 on RCCL vs DCL. Go to the cruise critic boards, someone there could much better answer that.

Hi all,

I am recovering nicely; although I'm probably overdoing steps, which is probably unavoidable since I live in a two-story, two-bedroom townhouse. Because of snow and ice on the ground I am housebound (or shut-in). I have almost no pain eight days after surgery, so I no longer take the Percocet; but I have a new appreciation for how much you need your abdominal muscles for even the simplest of tasks, and for how, if they hurt, you can't do anything.

Jim