DCL website and a couple of questions...

[Dis5150]

Hello all! I am a total newbie to this section of the Disboards. You can usually just find me on the runDisney section. I have been on one cruise, RC I believe, about 15ish years ago and I was seasick the whole time. So I haven't considered another cruise since. Well, in the past few years we (I) have become Disney addicts! And next summer DH and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary so I am (slowly) talking him in to a Disney Cruise! He is actually down for it, if I can get us a good deal. So I have a couple of questions for you veteran cruisers:

1. DH is a smoker. He is totally fine with only smoking in the smoking areas, I'm just wondering where they are located and if it is the same on each ship? We will, more than likely, be taking a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy.

2. What are your tricks/tips to avoid sea sickness? I took Bonine every day of our Universal trip last year and did not get motion sickness at all so will be taking that along. Wondering if getting the patch is worth it?

3. Do most of you book directly thru Disney or use a TA? What are the benefits of one over the other, if any?

4. Every time I go on the Disney Cruise Line portion of their website I get the "We're working on it" screen. Like for days now. Is there somewhere else I can look at prices and such? And is anyone else having that problem?

Thanks in advance! I'm sure I will have many more questions in the next few months! I am currently reading all the great posts and trip reports!

 

[FSU Girl]

So I don't have answers for most of your questions, but I wanted to give some advice for seasickness. Try and get a room that is as close to the middle as possible, this will help with motion. Looking at the horizon can help with seasickness, so getting either an ocean view or verandah is a must. In an interior you won't be able to see it and it can make motion sickness worse.

I always book my cruises directly with Disney, but I know a lot use TA's and love them. Not sure why you keep getting errors, I've been on the site a few times in the past couple days with no issue. Maybe try a different browser? I use Google Chrome. Try viewing incognito mode too.

Have fun on your cruise! I just did a cruise on the Fantasy, she's a great ship.

 

[squirk]

Hello all! I am a total newbie to this section of the Disboards. You can usually just find me on the runDisney section. I have been on one cruise, RC I believe, about 15ish years ago and I was seasick the whole time. So I haven't considered another cruise since. Well, in the past few years we (I) have become Disney addicts! And next summer DH and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary so I am (slowly) talking him in to a Disney Cruise! He is actually down for it, if I can get us a good deal. So I have a couple of questions for you veteran cruisers:

1. DH is a smoker. He is totally fine with only smoking in the smoking areas, I'm just wondering where they are located and if it is the same on each ship? We will, more than likely, be taking a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy.

2. What are your tricks/tips to avoid sea sickness? I took Bonine every day of our Universal trip last year and did not get motion sickness at all so will be taking that along. Wondering if getting the patch is worth it?

3. Do most of you book directly thru Disney or use a TA? What are the benefits of one over the other, if any?

4. Every time I go on the Disney Cruise Line portion of their website I get the "We're working on it" screen. Like for days now. Is there somewhere else I can look at prices and such? And is anyone else having that problem?

Thanks in advance! I'm sure I will have many more questions in the next few months! I am currently reading all the great posts and trip reports!

2.) The newer ships have excellent stabilizers. My wife is prone to motion sickness, and always keeps Bonine on hand when traveling, but never needs to use it on the ship. She’s never used the patch, but anecdotally, I hear it works well for many ppl. The only side effect I hear about is dry-mouth.

3.) I think most of us use a TA, if only for the onboard credit (OBC).

4.) The DCL site has been working just fine for me lately. You might want to try a different browser, or reset your existing browser’s cache.

 

[Dis5150]

So I don't have answers for most of your questions, but I wanted to give some advice for seasickness. Try and get a room that is as close to the middle as possible, this will help with motion. Looking at the horizon can help with seasickness, so getting either an ocean view or verandah is a must. In an interior you won't be able to see it and it can make motion sickness worse.

I always book my cruises directly with Disney, but I know a lot use TA's and love them. Not sure why you keep getting errors, I've been on the site a few times in the past couple days with no issue. Maybe try a different browser? I use Google Chrome. Try viewing incognito mode too.

Have fun on your cruise! I just did a cruise on the Fantasy, she's a great ship.

Thanks! I was in Chrome, switched to IE and it worked! Yes, we will be getting a verandah room for sure!

 

[Dis5150]

2.) The newer ships have excellent stabilizers. My wife is prone to motion sickness, and always keeps Bonine on hand when traveling, but never needs to use it on the ship.

3.) I think most of us use a TA, if only for the onboard credit (OBC).

4.) The DCL site has been working just fine for me lately. You might want to try a different browser, or reset your existing browser’s cache.

That is good news about the stabilizers! They probably didn't exist for my last cruise. Plus we went in November, after a hurricane and it was rough! I tried Internet Explorer and it worked for me! Thanks!

ETA: also great to hear that the Bonine worked for your wife! Maybe there is hope for me!

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Hello all! I am a total newbie to this section of the Disboards. You can usually just find me on the runDisney section. I have been on one cruise, RC I believe, about 15ish years ago and I was seasick the whole time. So I haven't considered another cruise since. Well, in the past few years we (I) have become Disney addicts! And next summer DH and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary so I am (slowly) talking him in to a Disney Cruise! He is actually down for it, if I can get us a good deal. So I have a couple of questions for you veteran cruisers:

1. DH is a smoker. He is totally fine with only smoking in the smoking areas, I'm just wondering where they are located and if it is the same on each ship? We will, more than likely, be taking a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy.

2. What are your tricks/tips to avoid sea sickness? I took Bonine every day of our Universal trip last year and did not get motion sickness at all so will be taking that along. Wondering if getting the patch is worth it?

3. Do most of you book directly thru Disney or use a TA? What are the benefits of one over the other, if any?

4. Every time I go on the Disney Cruise Line portion of their website I get the "We're working on it" screen. Like for days now. Is there somewhere else I can look at prices and such? And is anyone else having that problem?

Thanks in advance! I'm sure I will have many more questions in the next few months! I am currently reading all the great posts and trip reports!

1. Sorry, no info

2. Book a room mid ship and low down. I saw you wanted a verandah, which would mean deck 5 mid ship (the lowest deck with verandahs on Fantasy). You can also look at bands that use acupressure points.

3. Advantage of a TA is you save money. Costco travel will save you the most money, especially as an executive member (roughly 10.5%), but the savings will be as Costco cash given post cruise. Even if there aren't any Costco's near you, you can buy things online. You can also get discounted Disney gift cards and pay with those. Sams club and BJs both have them online. BJs online only membership is pretty cheap, and well worth it just for the discounted gift cards (4% off). Between BJs and Costco, I'm saving almost 15% on my upcoming cruise (actually, it was quite a bit more, as I lucked into a sale on gift cards).

4. Glad it's "fixed"

 

[diznymom]

1. The smoking sections are not the same on each ship. The smoking sections on the Dream and Fantasy are all outdoors w/ no shelter. The Wonder (and maybe the Magic??) has a sheltered smoking section in the Adult area.

From the DCL website:
Disney Magic and Disney Wonder

• Deck 4, outdoors, starboard side from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM
• Deck 9, forward, port side, any time

Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy

• Deck 4, port side, aft, on the outside Promenade Deck from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM
• Deck 12, port side, aft, the outdoor area accessible through the Meridian Lounge at any time
• Deck 13, port side, forward, near Currents Bar, at any time

2. We don't suffer from sea sickness but we do bring Psi-Bands

3. We use a TA - Dreams Unlimited (Beth F). The advantage is mostly the OBC and IMHO the TAs can get through to Disney better than I can. Example: Beth booked our Hawaii cruise before I could even get logged on and before it sold out (it was sold out later that day). Plus, she gets to stay on "hold" forever so I don't have to.

4. See 3. Also, maybe clean out your cookies or look incognito (Shift, Ctrl, N on a PC).

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

For #1: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/booking-reservations/designated-smoking-areas/

Got scooped while I was pulling it up. lol

 

[Dis5150]

For #1: https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/faq/booking-reservations/designated-smoking-areas/

Got scooped while I was pulling it up. lol

This is good info as it will help me select a room, thanks!

 

[dcassetta]

Hello all! I am a total newbie to this section of the Disboards. You can usually just find me on the runDisney section. I have been on one cruise, RC I believe, about 15ish years ago and I was seasick the whole time. So I haven't considered another cruise since. Well, in the past few years we (I) have become Disney addicts! And next summer DH and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary so I am (slowly) talking him in to a Disney Cruise! He is actually down for it, if I can get us a good deal. So I have a couple of questions for you veteran cruisers:

1. DH is a smoker. He is totally fine with only smoking in the smoking areas, I'm just wondering where they are located and if it is the same on each ship? We will, more than likely, be taking a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy.

2. What are your tricks/tips to avoid sea sickness? I took Bonine every day of our Universal trip last year and did not get motion sickness at all so will be taking that along. Wondering if getting the patch is worth it?

3. Do most of you book directly thru Disney or use a TA? What are the benefits of one over the other, if any?

4. Every time I go on the Disney Cruise Line portion of their website I get the "We're working on it" screen. Like for days now. Is there somewhere else I can look at prices and such? And is anyone else having that problem?

Thanks in advance! I'm sure I will have many more questions in the next few months! I am currently reading all the great posts and trip reports!

1.

• Deck 4, port side, aft, on the outside Promenade Deck from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM
• Deck 12, port side, aft, the outdoor area accessible through the Meridian Lounge at any time
• Deck 13, port side, forward, near Currents Bar, at any time

2. Bonine seems to work for most people. Check with your doctor about the patch as it does have serious side effects for some people

3. I use Costco as the cash back card is, for me, better than OBC

 

[Jess_S]

My suggestion on sea sickness is to bring a few remedies just in case. I have had good luck with bonine taken at night (otherwise it makes me super drowsy). I also bring an aromatherapy stick that you apply to your temples and neck and a big bag of dried ginger. I don't usually need anything on top of the bonine on the ship, but do use the extra items for riding on smaller boats for excursions. I have tried the acupressure bands and they do nothing for me (other than causing weird tan lines), but others like them. That's why I suggest bringing a few different things so that you will be covered if your first line of defense doesn't work. Sometimes what works for one person doesn't work for someone else.

 

[DisneYE]

Hello all! I am a total newbie to this section of the Disboards. You can usually just find me on the runDisney section. I have been on one cruise, RC I believe, about 15ish years ago and I was seasick the whole time. So I haven't considered another cruise since. Well, in the past few years we (I) have become Disney addicts! And next summer DH and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary so I am (slowly) talking him in to a Disney Cruise! He is actually down for it, if I can get us a good deal. So I have a couple of questions for you veteran cruisers:

1. DH is a smoker. He is totally fine with only smoking in the smoking areas, I'm just wondering where they are located and if it is the same on each ship? We will, more than likely, be taking a 7 day eastern Caribbean cruise on the Fantasy.

I'll answer #1 as I'm smoker (pipe/cigar) too.
Fantasy is the best option for smokers, hands down. So if you're booking there, your DH will be extremely happy.
Meridian lounge on the aft of the ship allows smoking in their outdoor area and it's amazing. The view is one of the best of the ship and servers tend to your needs non stop.
There's a couple of other smaller areas on the ship he can smoke, but once he goes to Meridian, he won't want to go anywhere else
Wonder otoh is horrible for smokers. They have this area at the end of deck 9 Fwd that is too small, cramped and ppl fight over chairs.

 

[Dis5150]

I'll answer #1 as I'm smoker (pipe/cigar) too.
Fantasy is the best option for smokers, hands down. So if you're booking there, your DH will be extremely happy.
Meridian lounge on the aft of the ship allows smoking in their outdoor area and it's amazing. The view is one of the best of the ship and servers tend to your needs non stop.
There's a couple of other smaller areas on the ship he can smoke, but once he goes to Meridian, he won't want to go anywhere else
Wonder otoh is horrible for smokers. They have this area at the end of deck 9 Fwd that is too small, cramped and ppl fight over chairs.

Awesome! Thanks so much! If he is happy, it will make our trip much better lol! The smoke doesn't bother me like it does other non smokers so it sounds like somewhere we can hang out together.

 

[dcassetta]

Awesome! Thanks so much! If he is happy, it will make our trip much better lol! The smoke doesn't bother me like it does other non smokers so it sounds like somewhere we can hang out together.

This is the Meridian outdoor lounge area

 

[ChicosWife]

The smoking sections on the Dream and Fantasy are all outdoors w/ no shelter.

Not really true. The smoking section up on deck 12 does have a small "roof"-type area that protects from sun and rain.

We smoked on the Fantasy and had no issues.

 

[DisneYE]

This is the Meridian outdoor lounge area

Yes! that area in your picture is the part that is under a roof and its awesome if its raining or too windy
Most of the Meridian area is not enclosed and is lovely when it's sunny and not too windy outside. My favorite part of the ship, the views are amazing.

 

[bumbershoot]

Bonine is a totally different medication from the patch, which is, I believe scopolamine. You would want to make sure it works without side effect.

 

[ChicosWife]

This is the Meridian outdoor lounge area

Which ship is this on?

 

[dcassetta]

The Meridian lounge is on the Dream and the Fantasy.

 

[ChicosWife]

The Meridian lounge is on the Dream and the Fantasy.

I can't believe I missed it on both ships!!!