Disney Cruise Insider Tips and Secrets
8/12/2012 01:17:00 PM Posted by mommy2twincesses
Since deciding that a Disney Cruise was the perfect vacation for our family and getting everything “set on go”, I’ve spent an absurd amount of time online scouring and searching for anything and everything we NEED to know.
I’ve found tons of useful information from Squidoo and AllEars, but the majority of my time has been spent reading through the Moms’ Panel on Disney’s own site.
Here are things that I’ve made note of and found most interesting and helpful so far:
· Upon the reservation being paid in full, you may make online reservations 75 days before the sail date (this window extends the more you sail with Disney so you get first dibs at the goodies!). Slots fill extremely quickly, so I’ll be sure to enroll the girls in the Oceaneers Club, make a reservation for an adult only anniversary dinner at Palo, book our desired shore excursions, and even “check-in” ASAP.
· Because we are leaving the country, I thought that I would need to get the girls a passport, but I’ve since learned that the only time a passport is necessary is for air travel. Since we’ll be arriving and leaving the foreign places by ship, all they’ll need is their birth certificates! Whew! That’s a time, head ache, and money saver!
· A day or so before we leave, I will call our bank to notify them that we will be traveling. I actually already knew to do this because I used to work at a bank, but it’s a tip worth mentioning since I can’t imagine anything much worse than getting on vacation and having your bank account frozen for fraud alert!
· Another great precaution to take against fraud, theft, or loss of property while you travel is to make photocopies of the front and backs of all your important things. Passports, driver’s licenses, credit/debit cards, travel documents, insurance cards, etc. Leave one copy at home and make sure someone you trust knows where to find it and also take one copy with you to lock in the safe in your cabin. If something tragic were to happen, you’d have everything you need to call, notify, and/or cancel anything of importance!
· In making preparations to leave, emptying my camera’s memory card will be on the “to-do” list, as will be charging the battery.
· With just a quick visit or call to Guest Services on board the ship, you are welcome to request extra copies of the “Daily Navigator”-agendas that are delivered to each stateroom daily that outline the day’s activities-to keep for souvenirs. And in conjunction with this thought, I’ll be taking along a medium size mailing tube to keep papers safe and wrinkle free.
· There are no irons aboard the ship for fire safety purposes. Good. To. Know. I’ll either have to figure out how to pack better than I normally do to avoid wrinkles or, if necessary send dressier items to the laundry service on the ship. It’s only about $1 per shirt, so that’s not so bad!
· If you give items to Guest Services on the first night of the trip, they’ll have all of the characters onboard sign it and it will be ready to pick up by the last day. I plan on taking a frame, possibly like this one! However, there is a limit of two items per stateroom.
· You don’t have to worry about buying individual photographs and/or photo packages too early, because as long as you have your receipt, you are welcome to exchange, upgrade, downgrade, or whatever you like, and they will sign over copyrights so you are free to reproduce their images.
· Temperature differences inside and outside the ship vary greatly, so to avoid a foggy camera lens you should set your camera on your verandah, if you have one, for at least 30 minutes to defog before you head out.
· Room service is available for FREE 24 hours a day! I plan on taking full advantage of this posh perk ;) If you’d like to be one of the first passengers off the ship on shore excursion days (I’ve read that this is highly important at Castaway Cay because the number of chairs, umbrellas, and such are limited) you can order breakfast to your room to beat the crowd! And, you’re also welcome to order a lunch to pack and take on shore with you to save on food costs (which doesn't apply at Castaway Cay since it is an extension of Disney, so all your food and drinks are covered there)!
· According to all my sources, dinner is absolutely fantastic-no matter which restaurant you’re in-and usually more than you can eat. If you’re too full to stomach dessert right away simply ask your server to box it for you! They’ll be happy to do so and it will keep just fine in the mini-fridge in your stateroom. (Mid-night snack anyone?!) AND, as if that wasn't cool enough, you're also welcome to order AS MUCH as you want, so feel free to try different things!
· Sodas are only free when you serve them yourself. Note taken. I’ll be taking reusable cups/bottles with lids so we can serve ourselves soda whenever we like.
· Stateroom doors are metal and I’ve heard through the grapevine that lots of passengers decorate them! This kind of throws me into cheerleading camp flashbacks, but I’m glad I know beforehand just in case, on some wild whim, I decide to decorate ours too. Disney has recently requested that door decor be kept to magnetic items only to preserve the appearance of the paint!
So far these are my favorite Disney Cruise insider tips and secrets! I’ll be on the lookout for more from now until we leave though :o)
If you’ve been on a Disney Cruise and have anything you think new cruisers should know, please share!
Unique Countdown to Disney
8/10/2012 10:35:00 AM Posted by mommy2twincesses
As if going on a Disney Cruise weren’t exciting enough in itself, I’m going to spice it up even more by building sweet anticipation from the time of the big reveal on Christmas morning to departure day with a unique countdown!
I can’t take full credit for the whole countdown idea, because I’ve checked out several very cool blogs, including “How Does She?”, with similar ideas and taken bits and pieces from here and there and then threw in my own flare to create a countdown that’s perfect for us!
So, without further delay, here is “The Plan”!
Christmas morning will be the kicker, with Santa leaving the tickets! I’ll create some sort of display-probably just paper Mickey heads with the countdown numbers on them as a visual reminder of how many days we have to wait. It will probably look something like this adorable, yet simple, version I found on Pinterest. (All we’ll have is 11 days, thank goodness!)
Day 11: We’ll make Disney themed paper ornaments to decorate our “all holiday tree”. (FYI-the “all holiday tree” is a tree that stays up in our breakfast nook year round that we decorate for each month and/or holiday/celebration.) I figure this will probably consist of Disney images printed from the computer or even pages from coloring books. Nothing fancy, just simple fun!
Day 10: Bake Disney treats! Quite a while back I found both Mickey and Princess pans with reusable plastic decorations on clearance at Wal-Mart for $2 each! We could bake cakes in those, or perhaps make Mickey cupcakes like these Pinterest inspired ones.
Day 9: Leave out a cruising necessity gift, like new swim gear (think cheap-goggles and snorkel purchased when all the summer stuff goes on clearance!) sprinkled with “Pixie Dust” (aka glitter). I’ll explain and probably leave a little note that tells of the cool pools on board the ship and the ocean that we’ll be dipping in.
Day 8: Make “See Ya Real Soon”, Mickey’s famous saying, cards to take to close family members that we’ll want to visit before we leave. Again, these will be really simple construction paper cards with computer printed images glued to them. The girls have Minnie ears, so we may take a snapshot of them wearing these and attach to the cards as well. I figure that this will be more fun and cheaper than mailing postcards from the ship!
Day 7: After church we’ll go visit the family members we made cards for and deliver them! It’s kind of a Sunday ritual to “make the rounds” after church to visit the grandparents that live here in town (3 sets), so we’ll stick with that and bring them a surprise too :o)
Day 6: Officially start packing and let them help. I already have a list made out of things we’ll need, but I want the girls to feel included in every part of this trip. Nothing makes them more happy than packing a bag! LOL, up to this point it’s been no more than a night at Nana’s, but still, they enjoy packing and I enjoy letting them help.
Day 5: Toy airplanes! If we fly, this will be the girls’ first time, so I want to introduce the concept and begin going over rules and things to expect. We’ll talk about it and practice until the actual day of the flight!
Day 4: “Pixie Dust” covered “Doodle Bears” for collecting autographs from the characters onboard! We’ll take permanent markers for autographs, but I think that signed stuffed animals will be more fun for them to have autographed than the standard book or tee shirt. I will be taking my autograph book from my first trip to Disney, but I think the bears will be more fun for them. Also, they’ll look darling being displayed in their room when we get home!
Day 3: Pirate party wear! On day 3 of the cruise, after an amazing day at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island, there is pirate themed deck party onboard after dinner! Cruisers are encouraged to dress up as pirates, or in pirate wear of their choice. I found these super cute pirate costumes for the girls at a consignment sale two nights ago and plan on “blinging” them up a bit with rhinestones or sequins because my girls are ALL girl! As for DH and I, I plan on finding us cute pirate themed tee shirts to don with the signature Disney pirate bandana that is given to all cruise passengers at dinner the evening before the party.
Day 2: Call from Mickey Mouse! After booking our cruise, I ran across the option to schedule a call from either Mickey or Goofy, and decided that this would thrill them to bits. (This can only be done after your reservations have been officially made.)
Day 1: Backpacks filled with goodies to keep them entertained on the plane! Of course I’ll sprinkle more “Pixie Dust” and leave a note from the characters saying how they can’t wait to meet them, and off we’ll go!
And I'm going to keep my eyes open for clearance Disney party plates and napkins so the girls can enjoy meals with their favorite characters while we wait!
And I'm going to keep my eyes open for clearance Disney party plates and napkins so the girls can enjoy meals with their favorite characters while we wait!
There it is! That is my magical countdown to Disney plan! I’ll add pictures as I can :o)
Have you done a countdown to Disney? Am I forgetting anything to awesome to pass up? Share your experiences in the comments below!
Revealing the News-We’re going on a Disney Cruise!
8/10/2012 09:00:00 AM Posted by mommy2twincesses
In case you haven’t heard me shouting from the roof tops-WE’RE GOING ON A DISNEY CRUISE! Whew, I feel better now! I just HAD to tell someone since I can’t tell my girls until Christmas!
Yes, I’m forcing myself-and everyone else-to keep this monumental surprise so that the fat man himself can “bring the tickets” for Christmas morning!
My friend has a giant blow up Mickey Mouse that I plan to set in front of the tree and have him “holding” a poster with pictures describing all the fun that is to come! I’m doing pictures instead of something rhyming (which I’ll still probably do anyway because I’m a dork like that) to help it sink in for my 3 year olds what is going to happen.
They’ll probably initially think that the Mickey itself is the gift and my brain can NOT process the madness that will ensue when we get them to understand that we are actually going on a huge ship, to the beach, to meet all the Disney characters! My mind is blown already!
Okay, so how will we survive the 11 days from Christmas morning to trip day? Easy! A “Countdown to Disney” celebration of course!
If you’re family has been to Disney how have you shared the news with your kiddos? I’d LOVE to see pictures and can’t wait to be able to add my own!
A Disney Cruise is Perfect for Us
8/09/2012 12:38:00 PM Posted by mommy2twincesses
After much thought and consideration to different vacation options, we’ve decided 100% that a Disney Cruise is perfect for our family of 4! If you’re considering vacation options and want the low-down on a Disney Cruise, read on, because I’m sharing all I know!
We mulled over vacation options for what felt like forever before actually booking our Disney Cruise. I always get nervous when making a big decision, but this time, I’m 100% we’ve made the right choice!
The booking process was really simple and only took a few short minutes by phone. (Yes, I could have done it alone online, but I had several questions I wanted clarified, so I decided to call.)
Our first and most important reason for choosing a Disney Cruise is of course, our 3 year old identical twin girls! They are in the age of princesses and fairies and never miss an opportunity to ask when we can “go to Disneyland”. Although we’ve decided against the actual theme park, for now, I’m certain they won’t be disappointed ;)
To date, they’ve still not been to the ocean/beach so that was also a big factor in choosing the perfect vacation spot. On a Disney Cruise we’ll get to experience the characters and wonder of the traditional Disney experience AND get to spend time on amazing beaches! (Nassau, Bahamas and Castaway Cay-Disney’s private island-to be exact) 2 birds killed with one stone as the old saying goes.
Also, at 3 years old, the girls aren’t tall enough for most of the rides, are honestly too impatient to stand in all those lines, and just not up to all the walking. If given the choice of hours in the sand with Mickey and friends playing around you or standing in line just waiting to “meet” a character or ride a ride, I’m positive most would choose the option A!
For one very reasonable price we are visiting 2 different islands, eating until our hearts (and stomachs) are content, meeting and hanging out with some of our favorite characters, seeing countless onboard shows, enjoying all the fun activities and deck parties on the ship, and so much more!
One of the things that I’m most excited about is the Oceaneers Club! At first the thought of dropping my kids off with total strangers on a cruise ship scared the bejeebers out of me, but after doing my homework, I’m ecstatic.
The children enrolled in the Oceaneers Club (which is free BTW) are all fitted with “Mickey Bands”, which are identification bracelets complete with GPS tracking devices. My kids will be blips on a screen somewhere AT ALL TIMES, whether they’re actually with us or not! The staff that entertains the children while in the lab are highly trained, well ratioed, and simply pros at what they do. The club is open from around 9am-midnight and your kids are free to come and go as they please, so long as they’re with a parent with a matching bracelet AND can supply their own secret password. Do you know what this screams to me?! ADULT ONLY ANNIVERSARY DINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!! (without hiring a sitter or paying for a nanny to tag along on the trip!!!!!!!!!!!!) Woo to the HOO! Oh, and one more perk of a Disney Cruise that you can’t get with any other line……..you’re welcome to BYOB! (“A glass of wine with your dinner ‘me lady?” “Yes, please!”-since it’s not going to cost me a small fortune)
I’ve talked to several different families of different sizes and with children of different ages and I’ve not heard a single negative comment yet!
Have you been on Disney Cruise? If so, please tell me about it!
Amazing Family Vacation in the Works
8/09/2012 10:19:00 AM Posted by mommy2twincesses
Nothing excites me more than seeing new places, especially when I get the chance to see them through my children’s eyes, so of course, I can hardly stand myself now that we’ve booked an amazing family vacation!
In exactly 149 days (yes, I’m counting already), we set sail on our first Disney Cruise on a ship named “Dream”! Our sailing vessel is so aptly named, as a Disney Cruise has been a long time dream of mine! And now that it’s becoming a reality…….well, just assume you’ve never seen an adult more excited ;)
I have become completely consumed with planning every single detail of how this will (hopefully) all play out and have decided that in case there is some other crazy lady out there like me, I’d save her some planning time, because so far I’ve just not found a plan that’s up to par! And because my level of dorkdom runs as deep as it does, I’ll share my “grand scheme” with you!
First for an overview-then details later :o)
We booked directly through Disney, though I’m waiting to hear back from a travel agent to ensure that there are no special deals available, a 4 night Bahamian cruise in early January, leaving from Port Canaveral, Florida.
Just FYI, if you book through Disney-which I would suggest you do as early as possible to ensure the room category you want, as not only do ships fill quickly, the price also rises the closer you get to sail date (what we booked went up $100 from ONE day to the next because the ship was almost full)-you have until 75 days prior to sail to pay the balance in full. And, as long as you have an outstanding balance, your trip may be transferred to a travel agent who can sometimes give special offers, discounts, and on-board credits-so it’s definitely worth at least checking into! (Psssstttt…….travel agents are free!)
After looking into what dates would work best for us and comparing the different room types, I was ready to make this happen! We decided on a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah, but when I called the booking specialist offered to upgrade us to a Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah for less than $100 total, so I took her up on it. The “Family” option is slightly bigger and since DH and I have cruised once before and know firsthand how cramped living quarters are, I thought it sounded like a good deal. (I’ll let you know afterward if it was money well spent or not!)
We’ll stop in Nassau, Bahamas-where DH and I were married (we’ll be celebrating our 8th anniversary during the trip)-Castaway Cay, Disney’s privately owned island, and spend one “fun day” at sea. I’m STOKED!
But, we’ve agreed to keep this trip a secret until Christmas and let “Santa” bring the tickets! *wink wink* Keeping this a secret is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done! I’m dying to tell them, but at the same time, planning for this amazing surprise sure is fun!
We’re being secretive mainly because at 3 years old, our twin girls still don’t have a good grasp of time and if they knew about it, they’d be asking about it-and disappointed daily. So, we figure that the 11 days between Christmas morning and the day we leave is the perfect amount of time to spring the news and build the anticipation!
I’m FREAKING OUT and have been constantly planning and researching, so stay tuned for more on our upcoming amazing family vacation!
