First time DCL. Going to Disney Dream! Many newbie questions!

[parkbr]

Hi,

I can't believe I am going to Disney Dream! It feels like I am Dreaming!
As a first time DCL cruiser and first time leaving from Port Canaveral, we are hoping to get some help from the experts.

1. How do you get to the Port from non-Disney hotels in Orlando?
- We are only 3 of us. and if possible, we'd prefer not renting a car.
- I see there are many shuttles from MCO and private transportation (which is too pricy for 3 people). Is there a shuttle from Orlando hotels? We are staying near SeaWorld. Shall we take Lynx 111 and get to MCO and then shuttle?
- If yes to shuttle, I found "Go Port" and it is about $15/person. Are they reliable? Or shall we do Disney shuttle?
- What about Uber?

2. Dress / Star Wars costumes
- My DD is turning 6 and she has tons of princess dresses and 1 Star Wars costume. She does not want to be a pirate.
Will other children dress up? During pirate night, do other girls are pirates? princesses? Can my DD be Rey from Star Wars?

3. What to pack?
- Are there any must pack items that you find that they don't have?
- for example, lotion?

4. Stateroom decoration
- I saw the posting that people make their own decorations and put them on the stateroom door. Is this common?

5. Birthday - whom to tell
- We'd like to celebrate our DD birthday (about 1.5 months earlier!). Who do I tell? Do I put them on DCL app?

6. PAT time
- the earliest PAT I can get is 12:30. Can we get there earlier? We'd like to be there around 11:30. Would that be too much of a wait? I heard there are some characters and etc.
- Shall we check occasionally to see if any earlier PAT becomes available?

7. Activities - sold out what to do?
- We just booked our cruise and it is less than a month away. Of course, many of the activities - like Frozen and Princesses are showing as sold out. What can we do? Keep on checking every now and then?

8. Anything needs to be booked in advance
- Is there anything that must be booked in advance that we are not aware of?

9. Adult only restaurant
- I see that it is $40. Is this per person? or per couple? Also, if we book it in advance, is this cancellable? Our DD may not want to stay at Oceaneer club for dinner, so we're not too sure. (BTW, she did not like kids club at RCCL. We left her 1 hour and it was a disaster.)

10. What are the extra costs?
- other than picture packages, gratuities, alcohols, shore excursions, souvenirs, some activities (bb boutique, etc). Anything are for extra costs?
- If yes, is there a must-do's?

Thank you so much!!!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi,

I can't believe I am going to Disney Dream! It feels like I am Dreaming!
As a first time DCL cruiser and first time leaving from Port Canaveral, we are hoping to get some help from the experts.

...

2. Dress / Star Wars costumes
- My DD is turning 6 and she has tons of princess dresses and 1 Star Wars costume. She does not want to be a pirate.
Will other children dress up? During pirate night, do other girls are pirates? princesses? Can my DD be Rey from Star Wars?
Yes, other children will dress up. Some adults will dress up, also. Pretty much in whatever costume you wish.

3. What to pack?
- Are there any must pack items that you find that they don't have?
- for example, lotion?
Lotion (hand lotion) is supplied in the room. In large multiple use bottles.

4. Stateroom decoration
- I saw the posting that people make their own decorations and put them on the stateroom door. Is this common?
Somewhat common. Some people do, others don't. One note, decorations on doors must be magnetic, do not use tape or adhesives.

5. Birthday - whom to tell
- We'd like to celebrate our DD birthday (about 1.5 months earlier!). Who do I tell? Do I put them on DCL app?
It can be noted directly on your reservation. I find it's a good idea to mention it to our dining room server, also, once onboard.

6. PAT time
- the earliest PAT I can get is 12:30. Can we get there earlier? We'd like to be there around 11:30. Would that be too much of a wait? I heard there are some characters and etc.
- Shall we check occasionally to see if any earlier PAT becomes available?
Your boarding number that you get at check in is tied to your PAT. You may be asked to wait until your PAT to enter the terminal, if it's busy and the terminal is full (doesn't happen often). Since boarding typically begins around 11:15-11:30, waiting until 12:30 is preferable to many, as, by the time you actually check in and board you are generally able to go to your room and drop off extra stuff that you carry onboard. Also the madhouse that the boarding line is eases up quite a bit by then.

7. Activities - sold out what to do?
- We just booked our cruise and it is less than a month away. Of course, many of the activities - like Frozen and Princesses are showing as sold out. What can we do? Keep on checking every now and then?
Certainly, keep checking. Also, once onboard go to Guest Services and ask about getting tickets (it's my understanding they have additional ones onboard).

8. Anything needs to be booked in advance
- Is there anything that must be booked in advance that we are not aware of?
Palo or Remy, if you're interested. Particularly Palo brunch is quite popular.

9. Adult only restaurant
- I see that it is $40. Is this per person? or per couple? Also, if we book it in advance, is this cancellable? Our DD may not want to stay at Oceaneer club for dinner, so we're not too sure. (BTW, she did not like kids club at RCCL. We left her 1 hour and it was a disaster.)
Per person. It must be cancelled 24 hours prior to reservation for no penalty.

10. What are the extra costs?
- other than picture packages, gratuities, alcohols, shore excursions, souvenirs, some activities (bb boutique, etc). Anything are for extra costs?
- If yes, is there a must-do's?
You may find these helpful:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/list-of-possible-tips-please-contribute.3628332/
https://www.disboards.com/threads/extra-costs.3483661/

Thank you so much!!!

My responses in red (in original post).

 

[EmilyS92003]

I can't believe I am going to Disney Dream! It feels like I am Dreaming!
As a first time DCL cruiser and first time leaving from Port Canaveral, we are hoping to get some help from the experts.
- My DD is turning 6 and she has tons of princess dresses and 1 Star Wars costume. She does not want to be a pirate.
Will other children dress up? During pirate night, do other girls are pirates? princesses? Can my DD be Rey from Star Wars?
On pirate night most people on the cruise will dress up including adults, some more than others. Also lots of little girls will wear princess dresses to dinner.
3. What to pack?
- Are there any must pack items that you find that they don't have?
- for example, lotion?
They do provide lotion so that’s not something you need to bring but sometimes we bring glow sticks for pirate night and to put in the bathrooms at night
4. Stateroom decoration
- I saw the posting that people make their own decorations and put them on the stateroom door. Is this common?
A lot of people will decorate their doors and it can be a fun way to find your room.
5. Birthday - whom to tell
- We'd like to celebrate our DD birthday (about 1.5 months earlier!). Who do I tell? Do I put them on DCL app?
I would call dcl and they can add it to your registration or tell guest services once onboard.
6. PAT time
- the earliest PAT I can get is 12:30. Can we get there earlier? We'd like to be there around 11:30. Would that be too much of a wait? I heard there are some characters and etc.
- Shall we check occasionally to see if any earlier PAT becomes available?
Keep in mind even though your pat is 12:30 that isn’t the time you can board. Your boarding groups will be assigned off your pat not when you get there. Getting there at 11:30 would probably be a little early but yes there are occasional characters.
7. Activities - sold out what to do?
- We just booked our cruise and it is less than a month away. Of course, many of the activities - like Frozen and Princesses are showing as sold out. What can we do? Keep on checking every now and then?
You can still get them if you go to guest services as soon as you get on board. You just need to go there as soon as you can. However keep checking they might still come available.
8. Anything needs to be booked in advance
- Is there anything that must be booked in advance that we are not aware of?
Remy, Palo, Palo Brunch, frozen meet and greet and princess meet and greet.
9. Adult only restaurant
- I see that it is $40. Is this per person? or per couple? Also, if we book it in advance, is this cancellable? Our DD may not want to stay at Oceaneer club for dinner, so we're not too sure. (BTW, she did not like kids club at RCCL. We left her 1 hour and it was a disaster.)
It is $40 per person. And it is cancellable up to 24 hours in advance. Another option for you is you could try Palo brunch because it’s shorter and she would just have to play there for a hour or two. If this is not available check guest services once onboard.
10. What are the extra costs?
- other than picture packages, gratuities, alcohols, shore excursions, souvenirs, some activities (bb boutique, etc). Anything are for extra costs?
- If yes, is there a must-do's?
There are some specialty coffees for purchase but that’s about it.
Thank you so much!!!

 

[tee11]

Can't answer all and you got so many good answers already, so I just want to add to the costumes on board for a Star Wars cruise:
Yes, we had princess dresses, pirate wear, AND Star Wars costumes. And yes, most of the children dress up for all of these, and many, many adults as well.
You can keep the pirate "costume" very basic, like a white blouse and black pants... my daughter loved the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique to get "made into a pirate princess".

 

[NAB]

She does not have to be a pirate. I don’t want to be one either....lol They do leave bandanna in the room you can wear for pirate night that people wear many ways. You won’t be the only ones not dressed like one. You will see some awesome ones though.

For Star Wars yes she can dress like Rey. Again you will see some awesome costumes.

Extra costs....Soda in a can at the bars or room service. Snacks at the theatres, and specialty coffees and smoothies. But the desserts and snacks at the coffee cafes are free in the cases just ask.

 

[lklgoodman]

My dd has outgrown the princess stage. She didn't want to dress up like a pirate, so she wore her Descendants costume(Evie). We also saw a lot of Uma's that night. No one will bat an eye if your dd wants to dress up in a SW or any other costume.

 

[auntlynne]

She could dress up everyday, day or night, and I don’t think anyone would blink. Seems like kids wear their princess dresses for the scheduled Atrium photos.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

We just took our first cruise on the Dream a few weeks ago! You have gotten some great answers so far.

We booked 2.5 weeks before sailing and I could not pre-book the princesses or Anna and Elsa either. We boarded the ship around 12:15 and I went right to the port adventures desk where they were taking reservations for these. I was able to book both meet and greets for the next morning - Frozen for 8:15 am and Princesses for 9:15 am. Worked out great. If that’s something that’s important to you to try and get, be sure to stop by right when you board the ship and see if you can book them.

 

[parkbr]

Thank you so much!!
All of your responses come extremely helpful and handy. Thank you thank you thank you!!

We're super excited. (We have kept it a secret from our DD. Hope she is surprised too!)

Our DD had no interest in Starwars when we booked our cruise (we were contemplating between Dream and SWDAS Fantasy and booked Dream. Now she loves SW!! Oh boy!)

I will make sure we go to the Guest Services.
We will bring our costumes too.

 

[brianvdb]

10. What are the extra costs?
- other than picture packages, gratuities, alcohols, shore excursions, souvenirs, some activities (bb boutique, etc). Anything are for extra costs?
[/QUOTE]

- Specialty Coffees (plain brewed coffee is free)
- Smoothies
- Internet Access
- Laundry / Dry Cleaning
- Bingo
- Corkage Fees
- Spa Services / Hair Braiding
- Sodas, when purchased at a bar
- Snacks / Popcorn during movies and shows
- Palo / Remy cover charges
- Alcohol Tasting Events
- Castaway Cay Rentals
- Sundries available from the ship store (suntan lotion, Tylenol, razors, etc)

 

[brianvdb]

1. How do you get to the Port from non-Disney hotels in Orlando?
- We are only 3 of us. and if possible, we'd prefer not renting a car.
- I see there are many shuttles from MCO and private transportation (which is too pricy for 3 people). Is there a shuttle from Orlando hotels? We are staying near SeaWorld. Shall we take Lynx 111 and get to MCO and then shuttle?
- If yes to shuttle, I found "Go Port" and it is about $15/person. Are they reliable? Or shall we do Disney shuttle?
- What about Uber?

Uber/Lyft are options. Plan on about $75-$100 one way. Depending on how much luggage you have, you may want to order a larger Uber/Lyft vehicle (which costs a bit more).

Some people arrange a town car service or limo.

You could take an Uber/Lyft to the airport and use a shuttle or Disney transfers.

Some people do one-way car rentals (pickup at MCO, drop off near the port, with free shuttle service available to the ship)

 

[diznymom]

Palo -- We prefer brunch over dinner.

Suggestion: Go to the Open House on the first day and let your DD get a good feel for the kids' clubs. You will also get a good feel of how she will do. Also, when you do go to Palo, let the kids' club counselors know.

 

[Pinkgurlshubby]

I didn't see this answered yet but mind you today is a zoo in here so I could have skimmed over it. For the door decorations use an ink jet printer if you are using magnetic sheets. This was a hot topic on our first cruise 11 years ago. OMG it's been that long!
Personally I wouldn't go that route again I would just print on thick paper stock and get magnetic strips at the dollar store.

There are a lot of nice hotels near Sea World. We stayed at the Holiday Inn express last year and loved it and would go again in a heart beat.

What to pack. Don't forget sun screen. Pack it and bathing suits in your carry on. The little ones will be happy on embarkation day when they can go swimming right away. I would more worry about overpacking.

Just remember anything you might take for granted. Sunglasses, batteries, phone charger and extra cable, water shoes, and my wife always packs a small first aid kit with any medication you take, polysporin, advil, band aids ect and ginger tea if you get seasick easily, and a small sewing kit. Google things to pack for a cruise. There's a lot of ideas out there you can read on. We had pasted a bunch on a word file years back and then modified it for ourselves then printed it out. You can use it as a checklist. Nothing worse than getting to the port and realizing you forgot sandals or water goggles at home.

 

[Husker Mike]

Just keep in mind that if you are flying, your sunscreen has to be in your checked bag on the flight. (Unless you are planning to buy it after landing in Orlando.) So you'll have to do some minor repacking while you are at your hotel in the Orlando area before leaving for the port.

 

[parkbr]

Uber/Lyft are options. Plan on about $75-$100 one way. Depending on how much luggage you have, you may want to order a larger Uber/Lyft vehicle (which costs a bit more).

Some people arrange a town car service or limo.

You could take an Uber/Lyft to the airport and use a shuttle or Disney transfers.

Some people do one-way car rentals (pickup at MCO, drop off near the port, with free shuttle service available to the ship)

Thank you!
I also read the list of the extra costs and I think we can skip most of them.

 

[parkbr]

Palo -- We prefer brunch over dinner.

Suggestion: Go to the Open House on the first day and let your DD get a good feel for the kids' clubs. You will also get a good feel of how she will do. Also, when you do go to Palo, let the kids' club counselors know.

May I ask why you prefer brunch over dinner?

Yes. That's what we plan to do. I really hope she likes it!!
And why do we need to let club counselor know?

 

[mevelandry]

Hi,

I can't believe I am going to Disney Dream! It feels like I am Dreaming!
As a first time DCL cruiser and first time leaving from Port Canaveral, we are hoping to get some help from the experts.

1. How do you get to the Port from non-Disney hotels in Orlando?
- We are only 3 of us. and if possible, we'd prefer not renting a car.
- I see there are many shuttles from MCO and private transportation (which is too pricy for 3 people). Is there a shuttle from Orlando hotels? We are staying near SeaWorld. Shall we take Lynx 111 and get to MCO and then shuttle?
- If yes to shuttle, I found "Go Port" and it is about $15/person. Are they reliable? Or shall we do Disney shuttle?
- What about Uber?

2. Dress / Star Wars costumes
- My DD is turning 6 and she has tons of princess dresses and 1 Star Wars costume. She does not want to be a pirate.
Will other children dress up? During pirate night, do other girls are pirates? princesses? Can my DD be Rey from Star Wars?

3. What to pack?
- Are there any must pack items that you find that they don't have?
- for example, lotion?

4. Stateroom decoration
- I saw the posting that people make their own decorations and put them on the stateroom door. Is this common?

5. Birthday - whom to tell
- We'd like to celebrate our DD birthday (about 1.5 months earlier!). Who do I tell? Do I put them on DCL app?

6. PAT time
- the earliest PAT I can get is 12:30. Can we get there earlier? We'd like to be there around 11:30. Would that be too much of a wait? I heard there are some characters and etc.
- Shall we check occasionally to see if any earlier PAT becomes available?

7. Activities - sold out what to do?
- We just booked our cruise and it is less than a month away. Of course, many of the activities - like Frozen and Princesses are showing as sold out. What can we do? Keep on checking every now and then?

8. Anything needs to be booked in advance
- Is there anything that must be booked in advance that we are not aware of?

9. Adult only restaurant
- I see that it is $40. Is this per person? or per couple? Also, if we book it in advance, is this cancellable? Our DD may not want to stay at Oceaneer club for dinner, so we're not too sure. (BTW, she did not like kids club at RCCL. We left her 1 hour and it was a disaster.)

10. What are the extra costs?
- other than picture packages, gratuities, alcohols, shore excursions, souvenirs, some activities (bb boutique, etc). Anything are for extra costs?
- If yes, is there a must-do's?

Thank you so much!!!

1. I've tried Go Port during our last cruise and we found them very professional and well organized. We will only travel with them from now on!

3. I would pack a small emergency kit (with Tylenol, etc.) because meds on the ship can be expensive.

 

[parkbr]

I didn't see this answered yet but mind you today is a zoo in here so I could have skimmed over it. For the door decorations use an ink jet printer if you are using magnetic sheets. This was a hot topic on our first cruise 11 years ago. OMG it's been that long!
Personally I wouldn't go that route again I would just print on thick paper stock and get magnetic strips at the dollar store.

There are a lot of nice hotels near Sea World. We stayed at the Holiday Inn express last year and loved it and would go again in a heart beat.

What to pack. Don't forget sun screen. Pack it and bathing suits in your carry on. The little ones will be happy on embarkation day when they can go swimming right away. I would more worry about overpacking.

Just remember anything you might take for granted. Sunglasses, batteries, phone charger and extra cable, water shoes, and my wife always packs a small first aid kit with any medication you take, polysporin, advil, band aids ect and ginger tea if you get seasick easily, and a small sewing kit. Google things to pack for a cruise. There's a lot of ideas out there you can read on. We had pasted a bunch on a word file years back and then modified it for ourselves then printed it out. You can use it as a checklist. Nothing worse than getting to the port and realizing you forgot sandals or water goggles at home.

Got it! A card stock and magnetic strips!

We are debating between Holiday Inn Express and Home wood suites. Home wood suites (right across from SeaWorld) are $65 more for 4 nights, but is a 1 bedroom suite with full kitchen. It also has a shuttle to Disney World for free. Have you stayed at Home Wood suites by any chance?

Yes! We have our 'vacation list' for different vacations - cruise, WDW, backpacking, road trip, all-inclusive, etc. But I was wondering if we need more in DCL - like.. stateroom magnets!! - We also plan to bring DIY Autograph book too. And we always have our 'emergency kit' handy. I love them!

 

[parkbr]

Just keep in mind that if you are flying, your sunscreen has to be in your checked bag on the flight. (Unless you are planning to buy it after landing in Orlando.) So you'll have to do some minor repacking while you are at your hotel in the Orlando area before leaving for the port.

We actually.. might not check any bags. If it's small (less than 100ml), I can still carry them with me, right?

 

[parkbr]

1. I've tried Go Port during our last cruise and we found them very professional and well organized. We will only travel with them from now on!

3. I would pack a small emergency kit (with Tylenol, etc.) because meds on the ship can be expensive.

Thank you!
How did you get to MCO? Were you there already?

Got it! We have our own, but we double check.