Cruise secrets that DCL doesn't tell you- Part 2

[Chipmunkmaniac]

They are even not allowed to accept money. If you waznt to thank them for their 'service' you can either take treats they can share in the breakroom or if 1 CM in particular deserves a reward, a starbucks gift card or something like that. (same goes for entertainment cast and I believe guest services as well)

 

[Quellman]

They are even not allowed to accept money. If you waznt to thank them for their 'service' you can either take treats they can share in the breakroom or if 1 CM in particular deserves a reward, a starbucks gift card or something like that. (same goes for entertainment cast and I believe guest services as well)

If you go to guest services, there is an option on the gratuities form that allows you to write in just about any position on the ship and assign a dollar amount to it, just as you would your other tipped positions. I haven't done it, but I did notice it in May this year.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

That might be possible (never heard from cm friends they got tips through that way), but they can't take cash... pretty much to avoid 'hey Mickey here's 10 dollars, can you now spend 10 minutes just with my child?'

 

[belac]

Love their services. We've sent stuff out just to be ironed. Hey -- you're on vacation......

I have gone one further. What I hate beyond anything else is laundry. I (me) will not do it on vacation, so pre-cruise (say 7 day) I only pack 4 outfits per person, not including formal wear. I send it out to be laundered daily and formal clothes dry cleaned, so I only have about 2 days of laundry left to do at home, which can wait.

The worst thing about the end of a vacation for me (besides actually having to leave the boat) is doing 7 days of laundry and having to get to the office the next day. Still figuring out how to never have to go to the office again after a vacation, that's the other story.

Having it done on board comes out to about the same an city tour excursion for 2 and worth it IMHO, not to be stress over 7 days of full laundry to do afterwards. With everything nice and clean I just have to put it away from suitcase.
Yes I pack well and it all gets home fresh. Dirty clothes get zip-locked with shoes.

 

[Starwind]

Question, what is the expected tipping for those that use the kids clubs on a 8-5-night cruise? I saw a You-Tube posting that stated $60 was expected for a four-night cruise.
Thanks

It is my understanding that the kids club CMs are not tipped positions and are not permitted to accept tips.

SW

 

[belac]

For kids club staff, I generally get several $5 phone cards, $5 CVS (check ports to see what's near by) cards or other such store in port that they can easily use. Now if I completely forget I make a quick run to Disney store and get $5 disney gc, they can use on board for stuff they need or souvineers for family when they go on break.

Just be considerate and present the card to the CMs with discretion. I usually ask DS to get his favs to sign his book towards the end of cruise during OH. As they sign I slip them the card with a little thank you note from DS.

 

[rescuetink]

Question, what is the expected tipping for those that use the kids clubs on a 8-5-night cruise? I saw a You-Tube posting that stated $60 was expected for a four-night cruise.
Thanks

As stated it's not customary to tip in the kid's clubs, however, if there is someone who your child always talked about that may have gone above and beyond then you may want to acknowledge that with a tip and a comment to a supervisor. I always told friends that asked me about the kid's clubs that they don;t babysit you kids there, they interact with them while their there!! My kid's LOVE the clubs!!

 

[RedSox68]

I have gone one further. What I hate beyond anything else is laundry. I (me) will not do it on vacation, so pre-cruise (say 7 day) I only pack 4 outfits per person, not including formal wear. I send it out to be laundered daily and formal clothes dry cleaned, so I only have about 2 days of laundry left to do at home, which can wait.

The worst thing about the end of a vacation for me (besides actually having to leave the boat) is doing 7 days of laundry and having to get to the office the next day. Still figuring out how to never have to go to the office again after a vacation, that's the other story.

Having it done on board comes out to about the same an city tour excursion for 2 and worth it IMHO, not to be stress over 7 days of full laundry to do afterwards. With everything nice and clean I just have to put it away from suitcase.
Yes I pack well and it all gets home fresh. Dirty clothes get zip-locked with shoes.

Good theory! That's why I cannot wait to retire -- so all my time will be my own (and no more asking for "permission" to take a vacation)

 

[rescuetink]

I received this email today so I'm sharing this here...


Thank you for choosing a Disney Cruise Line vacation!

I would be happy to assist you.

On the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, there are three laundry
facilities onboard for Guests to wash, dry, and iron clothes.

Guests use their Key to The World cards to charge for washer and dryers
services, as well as to purchase detergent and fabric softener. All
Guest laundry facilities are no longer coin operated.

Each facility has 4 washers, 4 dryers, 1 iron, and a detergent vending
machine.

The cost is $2.00 per wash and $2.00 per dryer. The irons onboard are
regular irons with no steam. The detergent is Tide and Clorox 2 and the
fabric softener is Downy. These are available for $1.00 per box.
Machines are not 'HE' (high efficiency).

Complete laundry, dry-cleaning and pressing services are also available.
Price listings and bags are located within the stateroom in the closet.

-Dry-Cleaning Prices range from $6.00 for shirts to $12 for 3-piece
suits.
-Laundry prices range from $3.50 for T-Shirts to $6.50 for pants.

All pricing is subject to change to without notice.

Disney Magic and Disney Wonder locations:
* Deck 2 - port side midship, opposite stateroom 2096
* Deck 6 - starboard side midship, adjacent to stateroom 6588
* Deck 7 - starboard side midship, opposite stateroom 7590

I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further
assistance with any other inquiries, please feel free to contact us.

 

[RedSox68]

I received this email today so I'm sharing this here...


Thank you for choosing a Disney Cruise Line vacation!

I would be happy to assist you.

On the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, there are three laundry
facilities onboard for Guests to wash, dry, and iron clothes.

Guests use their Key to The World cards to charge for washer and dryers
services, as well as to purchase detergent and fabric softener. All
Guest laundry facilities are no longer coin operated.

Each facility has 4 washers, 4 dryers, 1 iron, and a detergent vending
machine.

The cost is $2.00 per wash and $2.00 per dryer. The irons onboard are
regular irons with no steam. The detergent is Tide and Clorox 2 and the
fabric softener is Downy. These are available for $1.00 per box.
Machines are not 'HE' (high efficiency).

Complete laundry, dry-cleaning and pressing services are also available.
Price listings and bags are located within the stateroom in the closet.

-Dry-Cleaning Prices range from $6.00 for shirts to $12 for 3-piece
suits.
-Laundry prices range from $3.50 for T-Shirts to $6.50 for pants.

All pricing is subject to change to without notice.

Disney Magic and Disney Wonder locations:
* Deck 2 - port side midship, opposite stateroom 2096
* Deck 6 - starboard side midship, adjacent to stateroom 6588
* Deck 7 - starboard side midship, opposite stateroom 7590

I hope this information has been helpful. If you require further
assistance with any other inquiries, please feel free to contact us.

On a 7 day or shorter cruise, we have found this venture is not worth the time. Unless you can get there at 6 a.m. or during dinner time, all the washers and dryers are usually taken -- and sometimes the people don't come back for their items for hours! The last time we did our laundry, we put it in at 6:30 a.m. and went to breakfast. At exactly 7:25 we were back down to wait and transfer it to the dryer, then back when the time was up. I didn't want anyone throwing my clothes on the floor (which we have seen more than once!) I even caught a woman one time taking my wet clothes out before my time was up -- I guess so she could use the rest of the drying time I absolutely hate someone touching my clean clothes!

 

[rescuetink]

I even caught a woman one time taking my wet clothes out before my time was up -- I guess so she could use the rest of the drying time I absolutely hate someone touching my clean clothes!

We had the stateroom directly across from the laundry room so we were able to check on it often while our kids were sleeping!!

 

[shoes99]

I like that the washer doors are locked during cycle. I was in the laundry room watching my washer
and two ladies came in and started tugging on my machine. I guess they didn't pay attention that
their clothes left unattended were in the dryer. Another time I watched a mother and daughter put their clothes
in the washer, I was standing there with my basket waiting for a washer, and they didn't come back for
two hours. She saw me waiting, but I guess her time was more valuable than mine.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I like that the washer doors are locked during cycle. I was in the laundry room watching my washer
and two ladies came in and started tugging on my machine. I guess they didn't pay attention that
their clothes left unattended were in the dryer. Another time I watched a mother and daughter put their clothes
in the washer, I was standing there with my basket waiting for a washer, and they didn't come back for
two hours. She saw me waiting, but I guess her time was more valuable than mine.

I don't think the dryer door lock during the cycle, though. I was sitting in the room waiting for my stuff to dry and someone came in and started opening dryers to see if one was free. I had to jump up and tell her I was using it and it was actually 'in use' when she opened it. If I hadn't been there, I wonder if my clothes would have been a wet mess on the table instead of drying in the dryer?

 

[steves100]

Disagree. For someone who's done a few cruises, going on 7 night cruise and isn't a pool person, this makes a lot of sense. Doesn't make sense for everyone but under the right conditions I agree with this advice.

Im sorry we have done 12 cruises, I stick with worse idea ever. Especially if your platinum. Now if you dont want to wait on line I could agree. But for anyone looking for an upgrade no choice but to show up early.

 

[RedSox68]

I don't think the dryer door lock during the cycle, though. I was sitting in the room waiting for my stuff to dry and someone came in and started opening dryers to see if one was free. I had to jump up and tell her I was using it and it was actually 'in use' when she opened it. If I hadn't been there, I wonder if my clothes would have been a wet mess on the table instead of drying in the dryer?

From my previously mentioned experience -- yes, they would have ended up on the floor! I have seen people remove clothes and instead of being courteous enough to put them on the provided table, they threw them on the floor. Now there just is no need for that at all!

 

[RedSox68]

Im sorry we have done 12 cruises, I stick with worse idea ever. Especially if your platinum. Now if you dont want to wait on line I could agree. But for anyone looking for an upgrade no choice but to show up early.

On the other end of this scenario, depending on what your transportation choice is, we ran late getting to the port in L.A. because of a rental car flub, and ended up boarding at 3 p.m. -- therefore missing out on the embarkation lunch and the boarding excitement -- and were a nervous-wreck the rest of the day. So if you plan on arriving "later", be aware you could hit a snag with pick up, traffic and/or drop off.

I agree that if you want to look for an upgrade, make any changes, etc., the earlier you arrive the better. While I'm not a fan of crowds and mayhem, I find the bussling terminal of people adds to the excitement of the cruise experience.

 

[steves100]

On the other end of this scenario, depending on what your transportation choice is, we ran late getting to the port in L.A. because of a rental car flub, and ended up boarding at 3 p.m. -- therefore missing out on the embarkation lunch and the boarding excitement -- and were a nervous-wreck the rest of the day. So if you plan on arriving "later", be aware you could hit a snag with pick up, traffic and/or drop off.

I agree that if you want to look for an upgrade, make any changes, etc., the earlier you arrive the better. While I'm not a fan of crowds and mayhem, I find the bussling terminal of people adds to the excitement of the cruise experience.

As I said as long as you are platinum or concierge, no lines

 

[RedSox68]

As I said as long as you are platinum or concierge, no lines

And hopefully there will be a day when I can afford to finally use my Platinum status

 

[Steve Dexter]

As I said as long as you are platinum or concierge, no lines

I wish that was true, have been Platinum for some time.

 

[Rabb it]

As I said as long as you are platinum or concierge, no lines

Zero shameless self-promotion going on here... lol