It's official... we're going cruising!

[Beckers 1,136]

Oh and Dave brings up a good point. I think my nerves would be shot worrying.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm with TCD, skip the verandah, unless Z is going to nap every day and go to bed early and you see you and Jason spending a lot of time

Out there. We haven't done a cruise with Adam yet, but we had a balcony once and have gone with interior rooms ever since. You are never in your room. For us, Adam is normally so tired once he is asleep, we can watch tv and talk and it never bothers him in a normal hotel room.

I'd honestly start with a shorter cruise, I always feel its better to leave vacation wanting more and not wishing it was over. Plus, lord help you if someone gets seasick. I like 7 nighters but Brian is done by 5 nights and wants off.

 

Great advice.

 

Mrs. TCD and I had been on several cruises, mostly 7 night ones, before our kids came along.

 

For our first Disney Cruise, I chose a 4 night cruise.  I'm sure everyone would have loved the 7 night, but the 4 night was a good introduction.  We've only taken one 7 night cruise on DCL since.  There are better deals to be had on the shorter cruises.

 

And the way we cruise, we are all worn out by about the 4th day and are tired of eating so much too, so 4 nights is a good length.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Aah, but there's nothing like sleeping on an aft verandah!  The sound of the ocean ... the gentle rocking of the ship ... puts me to sleep every time!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

The eating thing is a good point, TCD.  After 4 days I couldn't continue to eat.  Seriously, I was tapped out.  That's saying something. 

[Beckers 1,136]

Aah, but there's nothing like sleeping on an aft verandah! The sound of the ocean ... the gentle rocking of the ship ... puts me to sleep every time!

I'm a middle of the ship, the less movement the better.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Aah, but there's nothing like sleeping on an aft verandah!  The sound of the ocean ... the gentle rocking of the ship ... puts me to sleep every time!

 

Don't get me wrong- I think verandahs are great.  But, If you're trying to go economically, they add a lot of expense.  At least on typical DCL cruises they do.  For a family with a young child, the extra cost is hard to justify.

 

I sleep just fine in any cabin. Including inside cabins, which we've had on one of our DCL and one of our non-DCL cruises.

 

TCD

[Beckers 1,136]

I sleep just fine in any cabin. Including inside cabins, which we've had on one of our DCL and one of our non-DCL cruises.

TCD

I'm Claustrophobic and was worried about how I would do in an interior cabin but it was fine. I had a little fan that I brought and had that run and had no problems. Want to see the outside? Flip on the tv and put on the channel with bow cam.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm Claustrophobic and was worried about how I would do in an interior cabin but it was fine. I had a little fan that I brought and had that run and had no problems. Want to see the outside? Flip on the tv and put on the channel with bow cam.

 

On the Dream and Fantasy, they have Magic Portholes in the interior cabins.

 

They show images from the bow camera, and they also have Disney characters pop up randomly.  We haven't had an inside cabin on the Dream or Fantasy yet, but I want to try one just for the Magic Porthole.

 

TCD

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

 

I’ll add my two cents.

 

First off we’ve never done a Disney Cruise, but we want to and we have looked at them a lot.  We have tried to book one numerous times but always talk ourselves out of it at the last minute because of how much more expensive it is. 

 

We almost went on a 3 or 4 day Disney cruise instead of going to Disney World in July, but after running the numbers it was cheaper for us to stay 5 nights at the Polynesian (with food and tickets) than the 3 or 4 night DCL, that shows you how expensive they can be.

 

Now I know everyone talks about how great DCL is and I’m sure they are right, but:

 

We have done two 7-day cruises together, one on Celebrity and one on Princess and CP has done Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and New Holland so we have a pretty good idea of the different types of cruise lines.  For our honeymoon we were able to book a Spa level room on Celebrity, (spa is above concierge level) and I have to say that the cruise couldn’t have been better in anyway.  Our room was amazing, our service was equal or better than Disney service, and we were able to buy an all inclusive drink package!  When we added the drink package and spa level veranda room it was finally equal to a 7-night veranda room on DCL (without drinks of course).

 

On the other hand we love everything Disney and we’re pretty sure we  would love DCL, BUT since it was just the two of us with no kids we haven’t been able to bring ourselves to pay that extra cost that DCL requires.  One day though we will break down and spend the extra money for DCL, I know we’ll love the ship, Castaway Cay and the Disney everything but at this point we are waiting for our kids so we can take them too.

 

By the way Celebrity allowed you to bring two bottles of wine per person, and Princess used to allow you to bring all the wine you wanted onboard.

 

Also all the cruises I’ve been on have had free room service 24 hours a day.

 

I doubt this was very helpful for you but I thought I’d let you know my experiences, now I’m going to go read TCD’s cruise report and dream some more of taking a Disney cruise.

 

WBI

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

I should add we really liked our verandah rooms and we used them a lot, nothing like room service breakfast watching the sun rise or set while out on the water!

WBI

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

I don't understand the "Disney is so much more" comments. Our 15 day Panama Canal Cruise on the Wonder is less than $800 more than the same cruise (15 days)and similar cabin (Veranda) on Royal Caribbean. The only difference is we're going East to West in May and Royal Caribbean is West to East in April.

I had to edit this. I looked at the wrong price. Royal Caribbean is higher than what we are paying on DCL. Our price for 2 is $800 more than 1 on Royal Carribeam so basically Royal Caribbean is 50% higher than DCL.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

There are some important reasons we need a balcony. #1- Jason said we can go on a cruise IF we get a balcony. That right there seals it. We have only cruised once in 2006, and it's taken me that long to talk him into it again. #2- Z does nap and sometimes he just needs to go to bed, and it gives us a place to sit out and talk/enjoy the breeze, etc. #3- See #1.

 

Jason was in the Navy. Maybe that's why cruising doesn't excite him. LOL! But that's also what scares me. Part of me thinks, he's leaning RC, let's just do it and maybe he'll love it and we can do Disney in a couple years. The other part of me worries we'll have to wait another 7 years to go on a cruise, and I want to do DCL before Z is 12.

 

Disney is much more expensive when we're looking. The 7 night Royal Caribbean is about $3000 and the 7 night Disney is $5100. The 4 night Disney is about $2900.

 

True to the spreadsheet-maker that I am, I'm collecting info in a chart, and I think I'll let Jason decide. Maybe I'll hide the cruise line name in the info.

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Grumpy and Grandma, on 12 Aug 2013 - 5:32 PM, said:

I don't understand the "Disney is so much more" comments. Our 15 day Panama Canal Cruise on the Wonder is less than $800 more than the same cruise (15 days)and similar cabin (Veranda) on Royal Caribbean. The only difference is we're going East to West in May and Royal Caribbean is West to East in April.

I had to edit this. I looked at the wrong price. Royal Caribbean is higher than what we are paying on DCL. Our price for 2 is $800 more than 1 on Royal Carribeam so basically Royal Caribbean is 50% higher than DCL.

That's great to hear, but every time we've looked into a Disney cruise it has been more expensive than our other options for the same departure days.

WBI

[Lou... 3,118]

The other part of me worries we'll have to wait another 7 years to go on a cruise, and I want to do DCL before Z is 12.

 

 

That's a big risk. At age 12, there's a big difference in attitude.

I would mention to Jason that his need to have a verandah, and whatever else you have to compromise on to make a DIsney cruise competitive with RC, take a backseat as the clock is ticking. You'll be able to go on non-Disney cruises anytime, but you won't be able to take Z while he's a little boy anytime.

A verandah is nice, but not a necessity. Seven days is great, but 4 days is less expensive and may actually be better for families with younger children.

I'm almost certain that if you decide on RC, while you'll all have a great time, you'll feel like you've missed out on something.

Like some others, I've also done both RC and Disney, and if you're a Disney person, there is a noticeable difference. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Listen to Lou.

 

GDF, you asked for advice, and you are getting some very good advice from people who know what they're talking about.

 

Do you know anyone who had stayed at a Universal Resort Hotel?  Or even one of the off-property resorts near WDW?  I'm sure if you asked them, they will tell you that they had a wonderful time.  I'm sure they did.  But it wasn't Disney.  And we all know that there is a difference.

 

With regard to Jason's insistence on a verandah, since when do husbands get the last word on anything?  A verandah is nice, and I'm sure you would use it if you paid the extra money it costs to book one of those cabins, but this is a huge expense that you could save and still have a wonderful time.

 

If you choose a cruise line other than DCL, you will have a great time.  No doubt.  The big cruise lines are in business to make their customers happy, and they will.  But there's only one DCL. 

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

The verandah is only like $200-300 more, so that's not really a big deal. If I need to get a verandah to be able to cruise, I can do that. I'm really hoping he'll agree to Disney. The fact that Z has been begging to go and that the kids' program is so awesome should help. Jason's just Disney-ed out. Can you believe that happens to some people? Weird.

 

Secretly I know that if he chooses RC, I will end up booking a Disney cruise with my mom next year, so honestly, it would just be cheaper to choose it from the start. :rofl2:

[Beckers 1,136]

Secretly I know that if he chooses RC, I will end up booking a Disney cruise with my mom next year, so honestly, it would just be cheaper to choose it from the start. :rofl2:

That is so something my mom and I would do!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I'm not sure how flexible you are on dates, but one thing I wanted to mention is that for the past two years, I've seen good discounts on verandah cabins during non-peak times.

 

These deals are called guaranty rates.  The concept is that you book for a certain level of cabin, and you are guaranteed a cabin at that level or above, but you don't get to pick your actual cabin-DCL will assign it to you.

 

The catch is, that for the summer months, these deals don't get announced until about 90 days or so before the cruise.  90 days is a magic number because that is when guests must pay in full for their cruise.  If they don't pay, they loose their reservation.  After that, Disney knows how many cabins are really full, and how many they have to fill.  That's when the discounts happen.

 

For you, the best bet for a discount would be in late May or early June.  Right after school gets out in places that start early, like Georgia. 

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Unfortunately our dates are not flexible. We're doing this as our spring break, and it's a set week. We're already locked into our June beach trip.

That said, if he won't do the Disney cruise, it's good info for my mom and I in June 2015. :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Unfortunately our dates are not flexible. We're doing this as our spring break, and it's a set week. We're already locked into our June beach trip.

That said, if he won't do the Disney cruise, it's good info for my mom and I in June 2015. :)

 

Oh well, you will probably have to pay full price then.  More reason to scrap the verandah.  I had to pay full price for my most recent cruise, because we couldn't be flexible.  I probably could have saved close to 40% by moving it a week.  Yes, I said 40%.  But, I am not going to think about that.

 

Is your mom a Florida resident?  If so, she could possibly snag you a deal next year.  But, those rates lately come out very close to cruise time, so flexibility is key.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I'm not sure how flexible you are on dates, but one thing I wanted to mention is that for the past two years, I've seen good discounts on verandah cabins during non-peak times.

 

These deals are called guaranty rates.  The concept is that you book for a certain level of cabin, and you are guaranteed a cabin at that level or above, but you don't get to pick your actual cabin-DCL will assign it to you.

 

This is exactly what I experienced when I mentioned earlier about how I could have gotten a verandah cabin cheaper than the oceanview I booked.  They were offering those guaranty rates.  Unfortunately I couldn't take advantage of it. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

No, she lives back in NJ now. But like I said, the $200-300 for the verandah isn't a big deal. It's the $3000 RC vs. $5100 Disney he's going to freak about. Or $3000 vs. $4800 without a verandah. But that's why I'm also considering the 4 day Disney. It's about the same price as RC.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Maybe if I let him know that the week before we're going to go the 7 night verandah cabin is $9200. Then he'll see were getting a deal! :rofl3:

[DaveInTN 3,247]

You need to get a quote on RC for concierge level....white out the words "Concierge Level", and show that to him for comparison to the DCL quote.  It would look better. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Well, just to update this post, we're sailing on Royal Caribbean. I'm actually OK with it. Jason got really excited looking at a video made by people on the same cruise we'll do. That's the most excitement I've seen about a cruise from him EVER.

 

And I can always take 2 personal days and get a deal on a Dream 4 night..... it will happen in 2014 or 2015. NO. MATTER. WHAT.