First Timer Questions

[NerfHerder99]

Hello - I'm excited for my first Disney cruise leaving out of San Diego this Friday! I had a few first-timer questions I'm hoping some of the more seasoned vets could help with.

1) I seemed to have missed the window to prepay gratuities on the app. Is there a way to do this over the phone or can I just do it on the ship when I get on?

2) Room upgrades - Again, first Disney trip but I travel a ton for work. Is it ever possible to pay a small fee for an upgrade once you check in at the port? I'm not thrilled with my room location so I'm hoping to get something different when we get to the port. Again, I'm a total newbie here and I'm used to maybe paying a few bucks at a hotel depending on availability to get a better room but I'm not sure if that is even an option on a cruise?

3) I also looked on the app and all the character meet & greets were booked. Is there any on board with open availability later? Are there characters roaming my daughter can get a picture with? I remember going to Disneyland as a kid they just had lines for whichever character you want to meet but I imagine the cruise is different?

 

[NAB]

Yes you can pay on your account when you get on the ship at anytime. We do that to keep the bill down at the end…lol Just go to guest services.

Yes you can upgrade at the terminal but not sure how much that would be if there is one available. First come thing though.

You will see a lot of character all over the ship just get in line. App will tell you who is coming out and where. Some times just in the hall on the way to the spot…lol Some have a photographer some don’t so have your camera ready. Some will come out more than once too no worries there. Saying that you can’t join the lines that are reserved ones.

 

[Travel60]

I've never understood the prepaying thing. I'd rather keep my money as long as possible. They will automatically charge your account for the gratuities when you are on the ship. Your account will automatically be charged to the credit card you have in the account.

As to room location, I'm not sure what you mean. We always pick our room when booking (we have favorites). If you are one of the special fares (alphabets but I can't remember), I don't think you can change anything. If you booked a room at one level but want another level, it will depend on availability and you will pay the difference.

As mentioned, you will see a lot of characters around. Just get in line.

 

[Alice777]

We just got off from Wonder Halloween cruise. Can't answer your first 2 questions but on you app, it'll tell you where the characters are. Since we did Halloween cruise, on Halloween day/night, characters were in Halloween costume. On Pirate day/night, characters were in Pirate costume. On regular day, characters were in regular costume. My son who has year pass at Disneyland told me many of the costume were unique for cruise only. Maybe that's why lines were very long? They did have characters on 3rd (Atrium - main floor you enter), 4th, and 5th floor at the same time. And sometimes on 3rd floor, they had 2 characters at the same time. So you kind of have to choose which character you want to take picture with because once the line is long, they will cut off. We gave up on taking picture with some of the characters because lines were too long. I thought on land day, lines would be shorter but I was wrong. Parents with young children stayed on ship to take pictures with the characters so lines were long all day. Princess were in their regular dress you see at Disneyland. I didn't see characters roaming around.

Oh, all of the characters will have professional photographer. However, you can ask cast member who is with the character to take picture for you with your camera.

 

[Marc D]

1) All prepaying tips does is add credit to your onboard account. The process onboard is the same, if you prepay or not. You’ll simply have to pay them when you settle your onboard account at the end of the cruise.

2) It is possible to upgrade at port, if there is availability. Since DCL ships usually sail with all staterooms sold, your chances to upgrade depend on the fact that another family needs to cancel at the last minute, and if you are there at the right time to snatch the now-free stateroom. It won’t be ‘a few dollars’ however. While the upgrade cost will usually be lower than if you upgrade online before the cruise, you are still looking at several hundreds or thousands of dollars. The upgrade cost is set in advance, and based on a room booked vs room wanted matrix.

3) The bookable meets are special events with rare or exclusive characters. There are however several meets throughout the day where you simply get in line at the designated spot.

 

[JM_97]

Hello - I'm excited for my first Disney cruise leaving out of San Diego this Friday! I had a few first-timer questions I'm hoping some of the more seasoned vets could help with.

1) I seemed to have missed the window to prepay gratuities on the app. Is there a way to do this over the phone or can I just do it on the ship when I get on? I've prepaid on all my cruises (including non-DCL) but I don't see where it would be an issue to do it on the phone or on your first day. They will take your money lol

2) Room upgrades - Again, first Disney trip but I travel a ton for work. Is it ever possible to pay a small fee for an upgrade once you check in at the port? I'm not thrilled with my room location so I'm hoping to get something different when we get to the port. Again, I'm a total newbie here and I'm used to maybe paying a few bucks at a hotel depending on availability to get a better room but I'm not sure if that is even an option on a cruise? You can upgrade but it's not guaranteed there will be any available. You will pay the difference in price. Probably need to get there as early as possible for the best shot. It's like at a hotel - it's not guaranteed but it doesn't hurt to ask.

3) I also looked on the app and all the character meet & greets were booked. Is there any on board with open availability later? Are there characters roaming my daughter can get a picture with? I remember going to Disneyland as a kid they just had lines for whichever character you want to meet but I imagine the cruise is different? You can just get in line. They'll be in the atrium area with a photographer. The photographers would take them on your phone too if you asked but that was pre COVID (someone else can confirm if this still happens). Those atrium appearances will be listed in the daily schedule. Characters will also be walking around inside, on the pool decks, etc. too Those are unannounced but they happen often.

Answers in red.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Answers in red.

The photographers would take them on your phone too if you asked

The photographers would NOT use a personal camera to take your picture with the characters. IF there were a DCL CM assisting the photographer, they would use your camera to take your picture.

 

[JM_97]

The photographers would take them on your phone too if you asked

The photographers would NOT use a personal camera to take your picture with the characters. IF there were a DCL CM assisting the photographer, they would use your camera to take your picture.

Thanks for the clarification

 

[NerfHerder99]

Thank you all for your responses, they were very helpful. One last-minute thing I totally forgot about until I was finishing up packing for tomorrow - baggage tags! Is there somewhere on the app I'm supposed to print these out? The only other cruise I've ever been on was with Carnival years ago. They emailed baggage tags that I attached to my bag so when the porter basically met us at our car he just took the bags to be delivered to our cabin. Does Disney have something similar or do I just check in like an airline at my arrival window?

 

[NAB]

Thank you all for your responses, they were very helpful. One last-minute thing I totally forgot about until I was finishing up packing for tomorrow - baggage tags! Is there somewhere on the app I'm supposed to print these out? The only other cruise I've ever been on was with Carnival years ago. They emailed baggage tags that I attached to my bag so when the porter basically met us at our car he just took the bags to be delivered to our cabin. Does Disney have something similar or do I just check in like an airline at my arrival window?

You should have got them in the mail but don’t worry the porters will make new ones at the port just know your cabin number.

I forgot mine at home once and freaked out. Don’t worry enjoy your cruise!

I forgot you are going to try for an upgrade…use the cabin they gave you. If you get an upgrade and your luggage doesnt show up go to your orginal one and see if they are sitting there. I heard that happens sometimes.

 

[Cheburashka]

Thanks for the clarification

For most character meets, there are CMs present and they will happily take pictures with your phone.

 

[auntlynne]

Have a great first cruise!