Cruise newbies, hoping to book the Disney Dream!

[Livelovedance]

I'm looking to book a DCL cruise on the Dream for summer 2019 (or summer 2020 if the options would be better). I've gone on 2 cruises before, but my friend has not been on one yet, and I've never booked one myself. This cruise would be for 2 adults, and we would like an Oceanview room.

We know the summer 2019 rooms are currently slim pickings, so we might be better waiting for 2020, but I know those haven't been announced yet. Any idea when that would happen? Would it be better to book through Costco Travel and get a Costco Cash card, or book through Disney direct? How do we know what would be the best room location? On the last cruise I went on I was in a higher deck room, and it was nice because it had a light and open feeling (compared to the lower deck rooms). The higher decks on the Dream are concierge level, and we're not looking to pay that much. If we go for the summer of 2019, I was looking at end rooms on the forward side of the ship on decks 8 or 9. Any experience or advice on those areas?

What else should we know? How does purchasing insurance work? Can we do that through Costco or Disney, or do we need to do that separately?

Thanks in advance!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I'm looking to book a DCL cruise on the Dream for summer 2019 (or summer 2020 if the options would be better). I've gone on 2 cruises before, but my friend has not been on one yet, and I've never booked one myself. This cruise would be for 2 adults, and we would like an Oceanview room.

We know the summer 2019 rooms are currently slim pickings, so we might be better waiting for 2020, but I know those haven't been announced yet. Any idea when that would happen? Would it be better to book through Costco Travel and get a Costco Cash card, or book through Disney direct? How do we know what would be the best room location? On the last cruise I went on I was in a higher deck room, and it was nice because it had a light and open feeling (compared to the lower deck rooms). The higher desks on the Dream are concierge level, and we're not looking to pay that much. If we go for the summer of 2019, I was looking at end rooms on the forward side of the ship on decks 8 or 9. Any experience or advice on those areas?

What else should we know? How does purchasing insurance work? Can we do that through Costco or Disney, or do we need to do that separately?

Thanks in advance!

Since the winter (through May) itineraries were only just released, it's going to be a while before summer is. Typically it's around 18 months out.

As to whether you want to use a TA (Costco or otherwise) or book direct - that's totally up to you. Some people use TAs, others don't.

"Best" room location, again is a personal choice. There are people who just love oceanview rooms, and others won't do anything other than verandahs. While others only do Concierge. Some people like lower decks, other upper decks. And some really like forward rooms, while others go for mid ship or aft. It's best to look at a deck plan and see what room are near to those areas that you want easy access to, and choose accordingly.

Forward can have more up and down movement, while aft rooms can suffer from vibrations. But not always, depends on the seas.

It's always a good idea to purchase third party travel insurance. You often can get better coverage for a lower price. Booking through a cruise line, they will only cover the things you purchase through the cruise line.

 

[Shanti]

I'm looking to book a DCL cruise on the Dream for summer 2019 (or summer 2020 if the options would be better). I've gone on 2 cruises before, but my friend has not been on one yet, and I've never booked one myself. This cruise would be for 2 adults, and we would like an Oceanview room.

We know the summer 2019 rooms are currently slim pickings, so we might be better waiting for 2020, but I know those haven't been announced yet. Any idea when that would happen? Would it be better to book through Costco Travel and get a Costco Cash card, or book through Disney direct? How do we know what would be the best room location? On the last cruise I went on I was in a higher deck room, and it was nice because it had a light and open feeling (compared to the lower deck rooms). The higher desks on the Dream are concierge level, and we're not looking to pay that much. If we go for the summer of 2019, I was looking at end rooms on the forward side of the ship on decks 8 or 9. Any experience or advice on those areas?

What else should we know? How does purchasing insurance work? Can we do that through Costco or Disney, or do we need to do that separately?

Thanks in advance!

Have a great cruise! We book via Costco to get the cash card. I'm sure there is plenty available to book for 2019, btw.

 

[MomOTwins]

I'm looking to book a DCL cruise on the Dream for summer 2019 (or summer 2020 if the options would be better). I've gone on 2 cruises before, but my friend has not been on one yet, and I've never booked one myself. This cruise would be for 2 adults, and we would like an Oceanview room.

We know the summer 2019 rooms are currently slim pickings, so we might be better waiting for 2020, but I know those haven't been announced yet. Any idea when that would happen? Would it be better to book through Costco Travel and get a Costco Cash card, or book through Disney direct? How do we know what would be the best room location? On the last cruise I went on I was in a higher deck room, and it was nice because it had a light and open feeling (compared to the lower deck rooms). The higher desks on the Dream are concierge level, and we're not looking to pay that much. If we go for the summer of 2019, I was looking at end rooms on the forward side of the ship on decks 8 or 9. Any experience or advice on those areas?

What else should we know? How does purchasing insurance work? Can we do that through Costco or Disney, or do we need to do that separately?

Thanks in advance!

I wouldn't say the highest decks are concierge only. There is a concierge wing far forward on the pool deck (deck 11) and higher, but all the rooms on decks 10 and 9 right underneath the pool deck are non-concierge and quite high up. If you like high up, I'd suggest deck 9 though, as a lot of deck 10 rooms get noise overhead from the pool deck.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I wouldn't say the highest decks are concierge only. There is a concierge wing far forward on the pool deck (deck 11) and higher, but all the rooms on decks 10 and 9 right underneath the pool deck are non-concierge and quite high up. If you like high up, I'd suggest deck 9 though, as a lot of deck 10 rooms get noise overhead from the pool deck.

Just going to chime in here and say the room we had on deck 9 was MASSIVELY noisier than the one we had on deck 10.

 

[Livelovedance]

Since the winter (through May) itineraries were only just released, it's going to be a while before summer is. Typically it's around 18 months out.

As to whether you want to use a TA (Costco or otherwise) or book direct - that's totally up to you. Some people use TAs, others don't.

"Best" room location, again is a personal choice. There are people who just love oceanview rooms, and others won't do anything other than verandahs. While others only do Concierge. Some people like lower decks, other upper decks. And some really like forward rooms, while others go for mid ship or aft. It's best to look at a deck plan and see what room are near to those areas that you want easy access to, and choose accordingly.

Forward can have more up and down movement, while aft rooms can suffer from vibrations. But not always, depends on the seas.

It's always a good idea to purchase third party travel insurance. You often can get better coverage for a lower price. Booking through a cruise line, they will only cover the things you purchase through the cruise line.

Thank you for all of the information! I feel a little overwhelmed by the whole process. Somehow booking a WDW trip seems a whole lot easier than this! I typically like to book and manage everything on my own. I read that a lot of people like to book through Costco Travel for the Costco Cash card, which can equate to a few hundred dollars in savings. I was just wondering if there was any reason why I shouldn’t book on my own. I’m just trying to figure it all out...

Thank you for the advice on looking at the deck plans and figuring out what we want to be near. I don’t know enough about cruises to know what’s “best” for us. I’ve heard that there are more popular areas for different reasons, but trying to search for information this afternoon was very overwhelming! For example, I don’t know if there’s a chance my friend could get sea sick, but if the chance is there are we better off in the mid ship section? Once I got past the room types, and aft, mid, or forward areas, there were category numbers to consider (9A, 8B, etc) and I didn’t understand any of them!

Once we have a plan I will definitely look into third party insurance.

Have a great cruise! We book via Costco to get the cash card. I'm sure there is plenty available to book for 2019, btw.

Thank you! Besides the cash card, is there any other reason to book with Costco? Do you have to plan/book everything through them?

The times we have are limited, and the couple cruises I looked into for summer 2019 only had a handful of rooms in the areas I was searching. I have to do some more research. I wish the website included photos of each room, instead of galleries of what that room *might* include! I did some searches but couldn’t find images of the rooms I was looking for.

I wouldn't say the highest decks are concierge only. There is a concierge wing far forward on the pool deck (deck 11) and higher, but all the rooms on decks 10 and 9 right underneath the pool deck are non-concierge and quite high up. If you like high up, I'd suggest deck 9 though, as a lot of deck 10 rooms get noise overhead from the pool deck.

Just going to chime in here and say the room we had on deck 9 was MASSIVELY noisier than the one we had on deck 10.

The rooms that were available on the itineraries I researched were on decks 8 and 9. I think anything higher was unavailable or concierge. I don’t know that I “like” high up. It just seemed that on the last 2 cruises I went on the hallways higher up were brighter, and the lower decks just seemed so dark and small. I don’t know what would be better, but I want to try to make sure we’ll be happy with the room and not regret our choice. I thought it would be better to wait for 2020 and book right away so we’d have more choices, but even with more choices I wouldn’t know what to pick!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

there were category numbers to consider (9A, 8B, etc) and I didn’t understand any of them!

OK, categories are numbered from most expensive (category 4) to least expensive (category 10/11). Within each category there are alphabetic divisions A, B, C, D. "A" is generally midship, while B, C, & D are more aft or forward of midship.

The rooms that were available on the itineraries I researched were on decks 8 and 9. I think anything higher was unavailable or concierge. I don’t know that I “like” high up. It just seemed that on the last 2 cruises I went on the hallways higher up were brighter, and the lower decks just seemed so dark and small. I don’t know what would be better,

The actual passageways to the rooms are all interior. This is a deck 2 passageway (oceanview rooms) on the Fantasy:


And this is a deck 9 (verandah rooms) passageway on the Fantasy:

 

[cruiser21]

It's really no different then a hotel. The amenities are the same for each room. Do you pick your room when you stay in a hotel? Honestly I think it would be silly to wait a year just to have your ideal location. Is the location of the room really going to affect your cruise? If I was spending thousands of dollars to sit in a room I'd go to the Ritz or Waldorf not a cruise ship.
I've been on every deck. I've had good rooms and bad rooms, but neither was due to location. Sometimes you get noisy neighbors, toilets that don't flush, ac goes out, bad weather, cracking ceilings, closet doors that bang. There's just no way to predict everything. Pick a room and don't stress over it.

 

[Shanti]

Thank you for all of the information! I feel a little overwhelmed by the whole process. Somehow booking a WDW trip seems a whole lot easier than this! I typically like to book and manage everything on my own. I read that a lot of people like to book through Costco Travel for the Costco Cash card, which can equate to a few hundred dollars in savings. I was just wondering if there was any reason why I shouldn’t book on my own. I’m just trying to figure it all out...

Thank you for the advice on looking at the deck plans and figuring out what we want to be near. I don’t know enough about cruises to know what’s “best” for us. I’ve heard that there are more popular areas for different reasons, but trying to search for information this afternoon was very overwhelming! For example, I don’t know if there’s a chance my friend could get sea sick, but if the chance is there are we better off in the mid ship section? Once I got past the room types, and aft, mid, or forward areas, there were category numbers to consider (9A, 8B, etc) and I didn’t understand any of them!

Once we have a plan I will definitely look into third party insurance.


Thank you! Besides the cash card, is there any other reason to book with Costco? Do you have to plan/book everything through them?

The times we have are limited, and the couple cruises I looked into for summer 2019 only had a handful of rooms in the areas I was searching. I have to do some more research. I wish the website included photos of each room, instead of galleries of what that room *might* include! I did some searches but couldn’t find images of the rooms I was looking for.



The rooms that were available on the itineraries I researched were on decks 8 and 9. I think anything higher was unavailable or concierge. I don’t know that I “like” high up. It just seemed that on the last 2 cruises I went on the hallways higher up were brighter, and the lower decks just seemed so dark and small. I don’t know what would be better, but I want to try to make sure we’ll be happy with the room and not regret our choice. I thought it would be better to wait for 2020 and book right away so we’d have more choices, but even with more choices I wouldn’t know what to pick!

When booking via Costco, you book excursions, etc. directly via the DCL website just like you would if not booking Costco. The discount is why I use Costco, and you can apply it in addition to a 10% onboard booking discount, which adds up to a quite substantial discount. Of course, the Costco discount takes the form of a cash card you receive after the cruise, but I have had no problems taking it to Costco customer service and having them cash out the entire balance of the gift card to me.

I've cruised in a verandah stateroom on deck 5 of the Wonder and there was no shortage of light. No more or less light then when we cruised in a verandah stateroom on deck 8 of the Dream. I wouldn't worry at all about which deck for a Disney cruise. The DCL ships are beautiful and in good repair, and have very few problem staterooms. The hallways are the same on every deck. I wouldn't wait an extra year to cruise just due to worry about getting a certain room. It is not that important as all of DCL's rooms are spacious for a cruise ship, are attractive, and offer the same amenities (except concierge, which is only a small number of rooms.) If you want lots of sunlight, just get an unobstructed verandah (Cat. 4, 5 or 6), and you'll be fine.

Categories:

• Any category that is just a letter (ex: T) is concierge.
• For the other category codes (number & letter combinations), lower numbers are more expensive categories. The letters that follow the numbers indicate how expensive within that category the stateroom is. A is more expensive than B, etc.
• Categories 4 - 7 are verandah staterooms. Category 7 is a partially obstructed "Navigator's verandah", and Category 6 is unobstructed but typically has a solid white wall railing instead of a clear plexiglass railing. Category 5 is an unobstructed verandah with a clear plexiglass railing. Category 4 is an unobstructed verandah with a clear plexiglass railing, that is slightly more spacious than category 5.
  
• Categories 8 & 9 are oceanview (porthole) staterooms.
• Categories 10 & 11 are inside staterooms.

 

[Livelovedance]

OK, categories are numbered from most expensive (category 4) to least expensive (category 10/11). Within each category there are alphabetic divisions A, B, C, D. "A" is generally midship, while B, C, & D are more aft or forward of midship.



The actual passageways to the rooms are all interior. This is a deck 2 passageway (oceanview rooms) on the Fantasy:
View attachment 358483

And this is a deck 9 (verandah rooms) passageway on the Fantasy:
View attachment 358484

It's really no different then a hotel. The amenities are the same for each room. Do you pick your room when you stay in a hotel? Honestly I think it would be silly to wait a year just to have your ideal location. Is the location of the room really going to affect your cruise? If I was spending thousands of dollars to sit in a room I'd go to the Ritz or Waldorf not a cruise ship.
I've been on every deck. I've had good rooms and bad rooms, but neither was due to location. Sometimes you get noisy neighbors, toilets that don't flush, ac goes out, bad weather, cracking ceilings, closet doors that bang. There's just no way to predict everything. Pick a room and don't stress over it.

Thank you for the photos and all of the information! I didn’t think about it like a hotel - I was just thinking it’s a big expense and I don’t have enough knowledge about cruise ships to know what would be best for us. I wasn’t waiting a year for “my ideal location,” and I certainly don’t know enough to know what my ideal location would even be! That’s why I mentioned in my previous post about waiting for the following year so we’d have more options, but that even with more options I wouldn’t know what to pick anyway. Like I said, I’m completely comfortable with booking WDW trips, but cruising is a whole new world for me, so I appreciate any help I can get!

 

[Livelovedance]

When booking via Costco, you book excursions, etc. directly via the DCL website just like you would if not booking Costco. The discount is why I use Costco, and you can apply it in addition to a 10% onboard booking discount, which adds up to a quite substantial discount. Of course, the Costco discount takes the form of a cash card you receive after the cruise, but I have had no problems taking it to Costco customer service and having them cash out the entire balance of the gift card to me.

I've cruised in a verandah stateroom on deck 5 of the Wonder and there was no shortage of light. No more or less light then when we cruised in a verandah stateroom on deck 8 of the Dream. I wouldn't worry at all about which deck for a Disney cruise. The DCL ships are beautiful and in good repair, and have very few problem staterooms. The hallways are the same on every deck. I wouldn't wait an extra year to cruise just due to worry about getting a certain room. It is not that important as all of DCL's rooms are spacious for a cruise ship, are attractive, and offer the same amenities (except concierge, which is only a small number of rooms.) If you want lots of sunlight, just get an unobstructed verandah (Cat. 4, 5 or 6), and you'll be fine.

Categories:

• Any category that is just a letter (ex: T) is concierge.
• For the other category codes (number & letter combinations), lower numbers are more expensive categories. The letters that follow the numbers indicate how expensive within that category the stateroom is. A is more expensive than B, etc.
• Categories 4 - 7 are verandah staterooms. Category 7 is a partially obstructed "Navigator's verandah", and Category 6 is unobstructed but typically has a solid white wall railing instead of a clear plexiglass railing. Category 5 is an unobstructed verandah with a clear plexiglass railing. Category 4 is an unobstructed verandah with a clear plexiglass railing, that is slightly more spacious than category 5.
  
• Categories 8 & 9 are oceanview (porthole) staterooms.
• Categories 10 & 11 are inside staterooms.

Thank you so much for the detailed information! I’m proud to say that thanks to the advice I received here, I have officially booked our cruise for summer 2019!

I booked through Costco now that I know that I can manage my own reservation and still save some money via the cash card.

I know it seems silly but I’m glad to hear that all of the hallways are the same. This actually made me a little more nervous than the room itself. I’m not sure what it is but I was very uncomfortable with the dark and cramped feeling I got from the lower deck hallways on the last cruise I went on. It might be just me but the photos from @PrincessShmoo definitely put me more at ease.

We booked an ocean view and I’m really looking forward to it! I’ve got a lot more to tackle as we prepare for this trip, but I have to thank all of you for helping me take the first step!

 

[Shanti]

Thank you so much for the detailed information! I’m proud to say that thanks to the advice I received here, I have officially booked our cruise for summer 2019!

I booked through Costco now that I know that I can manage my own reservation and still save some money via the cash card.

I know it seems silly but I’m glad to hear that all of the hallways are the same. This actually made me a little more nervous than the room itself. I’m not sure what it is but I was very uncomfortable with the dark and cramped feeling I got from the lower deck hallways on the last cruise I went on. It might be just me but the photos from @PrincessShmoo definitely put me more at ease.

We booked an ocean view and I’m really looking forward to it! I’ve got a lot more to tackle as we prepare for this trip, but I have to thank all of you for helping me take the first step!

Have a great cruise!

 

[Livelovedance]

Have a great cruise!

Thank you!

 

[kiford]

We always used to book mid-ship and on one cruise we were moved just a couple of weeks prior to the cruise to room that was more aft. Same category but the absolute last room in that category towards aft before the category changed. Not happy. We had picked our room specifically to be mid-ship. Long story short, we now book aft. We actually preferred it. Less traffic, closer to the places we tend to go, fewer people on the elevators. So even when you (think you) know what you like, you may be wrong. So pick the category/size/type of room you think will work for you (i.e., oceanview, verandah, etc.) at the price you're willing to pay at a time you want to go and don't stress about it.

 

[Livelovedance]

We always used to book mid-ship and on one cruise we were moved just a couple of weeks prior to the cruise to room that was more aft. Same category but the absolute last room in that category towards aft before the category changed. Not happy. We had picked our room specifically to be mid-ship. Long story short, we now book aft. We actually preferred it. Less traffic, closer to the places we tend to go, fewer people on the elevators. So even when you (think you) know what you like, you may be wrong. So pick the category/size/type of room you think will work for you (i.e., oceanview, verandah, etc.) at the price you're willing to pay at a time you want to go and don't stress about it.

Thank you for the advice! Now that we are booked I’m more relaxed and I’m getting more excited for our first Disney cruise! I was so worried about the room being the “right one for us,” but you’re absolutely right, I won’t know until we’re there!

 

[cruiser21]

Thank you for the advice! Now that we are booked I’m more relaxed and I’m getting more excited for our first Disney cruise! I was so worried about the room being the “right one for us,” but you’re absolutely right, I won’t know until we’re there!

The rooms are all the same. I'm not sure why people obsess about room location. The location of your room is not going to make or break your cruise. I've been on 20 cruises and the location of the room has never been a factor. What impacts your cruise is weather most of all....having to walk an extra 30 feet to the elevator or having to go up one more flight of stairs should not affect the enjoyment of your cruise.

 

[DietCokeMommy]

The rooms are all the same. I'm not sure why people obsess about room location. The location of your room is not going to make or break your cruise. I've been on 20 cruises and the location of the room has never been a factor. What impacts your cruise is weather most of all....having to walk an extra 30 feet to the elevator or having to go up one more flight of stairs should not affect the enjoyment of your cruise.

I think most people, us included, are worried about location because of the potential for noise. Noise early in the morning from scraping chairs by the pool or in Cabanas, noise late at night from the theater or clubs. Noise in the hallways during the day from the elevator when your kids are napping. I have little kids and my life basically revolves around their sleep schedules and ensuring that things don't wake them up so that I can have a pleasant vacation.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I think most people, us included, are worried about location because of the potential for noise. Noise early in the morning from scraping chairs by the pool or in Cabanas, noise late at night from the theater or clubs. Noise in the hallways during the day from the elevator when your kids are napping. I have little kids and my life basically revolves around their sleep schedules and ensuring that things don't wake them up so that I can have a pleasant vacation.

There's no telling how much noise any given room will have. That changes from cruise to cruise.

The general thought is "not under the pool deck, that's too noisy". Not necessarily true. We did a B2B on the Fantasy. Leg one we had a room on deck 10 (under pool deck), located under the entrance area to the (then) arcade and Cabanas. Second leg we had a room on deck 9, between stateroom decks.

The room on deck 9 was massively noisier than the one on deck 10. Had to do with the connecting rooms on one side that had kids who would run laps through the connecting door/verandah (all day). And the kid (at least, I hope it was a kid) who would jump off the bunk bed on the other side. Add that to the party of (I'm guessing) "adults" on deck 10 who seemed to feel that the only way to get from one end of the passageway to the other was to run foot races (EVERYTIME!)

So you never know.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Enjoy your cruise! I am glad you do not have to wait until 2020 for your first cruise. You may be taking your second one then.

 

[Livelovedance]

Enjoy your cruise! I am glad you do not have to wait until 2020 for your first cruise. You may be taking your second one then.

Thank you!