Keels
The Official Keels of RunDisney
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2008
It's been a LOOOOOOONG time since I've been on a Disney Cruise (like, since the 90's ... ), so I need help!
I lucked into an AMAZING rate for a cruise for my birthday weekend - and I booked and paid for it as a surprise for me and my BFFs! It's just a shorty - a 3-night cruise on the Dream - but we'll also be hitting up the parks on disembarkation day, having dinner at Cali Grill and then staying at the Poly before they fly back home on Tuesday.
So, now that the big chunk of money has been spent (the gals will be responsible for their flights from here to Orlando, but that's no biggie) - I'm trying to determine what is a value-add that I should pay for as a surprise or what we should plan for as far as extra expenses go.
I've only been on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean within the last five years, and Disney is SUCH a different animal ... so ...
Help me, experts, help!
1) I booked the biggest Deluxe Family Veranda stateroom - there are going to be five of us in one stateroom ... should I try to swap this out for connecting interior staterooms? Or is there enough to do that we won't be in the stateroom enough other than sleeping to worry about cramped quarters? We usually all stay together in a DVC Studio (at Beach Club), so we're used to the five of us in a room.
2) Since it's just three nights and (for all intents and purposes) none of us have been on a Disney cruise, should we bother with specialty dining?
3) Castaway Cay - just beach it? Is a cabana worth trying to get? Is there an excursion we MUST do?
4) Nassau - is it worth it for the day pass at Atlantis? I also thought it might be fun to go to Atlantis and do our own "slot tournament" or roulette challenge at the casino, unless there was something else that people recommend in Nassau. It's been a while since I've been there (I usually just go to Atlantis), so I'm open for suggestions!
5) Formal Night - is there one? How "formal" is formal? We're a group of gals in our late 30's and if we have a chance to get dressed up and wear some sequins, we're going to do it!
6) Characters - do they appear throughout the ship on a daily basis? Or is there a schedule? I'd love for us to DisneyBound together for, say, Captain Mickey or Polka Dot Minnie because I'm all-in for pictures and we love dressing for Disney character photos. Is this something I just have to track down recent Navigators or trip reports to find?
I lucked into an AMAZING rate for a cruise for my birthday weekend - and I booked and paid for it as a surprise for me and my BFFs! It's just a shorty - a 3-night cruise on the Dream - but we'll also be hitting up the parks on disembarkation day, having dinner at Cali Grill and then staying at the Poly before they fly back home on Tuesday.
So, now that the big chunk of money has been spent (the gals will be responsible for their flights from here to Orlando, but that's no biggie) - I'm trying to determine what is a value-add that I should pay for as a surprise or what we should plan for as far as extra expenses go.
I've only been on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean within the last five years, and Disney is SUCH a different animal ... so ...
Help me, experts, help!
1) I booked the biggest Deluxe Family Veranda stateroom - there are going to be five of us in one stateroom ... should I try to swap this out for connecting interior staterooms? Or is there enough to do that we won't be in the stateroom enough other than sleeping to worry about cramped quarters? We usually all stay together in a DVC Studio (at Beach Club), so we're used to the five of us in a room.
2) Since it's just three nights and (for all intents and purposes) none of us have been on a Disney cruise, should we bother with specialty dining?
3) Castaway Cay - just beach it? Is a cabana worth trying to get? Is there an excursion we MUST do?
4) Nassau - is it worth it for the day pass at Atlantis? I also thought it might be fun to go to Atlantis and do our own "slot tournament" or roulette challenge at the casino, unless there was something else that people recommend in Nassau. It's been a while since I've been there (I usually just go to Atlantis), so I'm open for suggestions!
5) Formal Night - is there one? How "formal" is formal? We're a group of gals in our late 30's and if we have a chance to get dressed up and wear some sequins, we're going to do it!
6) Characters - do they appear throughout the ship on a daily basis? Or is there a schedule? I'd love for us to DisneyBound together for, say, Captain Mickey or Polka Dot Minnie because I'm all-in for pictures and we love dressing for Disney character photos. Is this something I just have to track down recent Navigators or trip reports to find?