First cruise in a while - first time with a large party

[stardust190]

We'll be sailing on the Disney Wish in August. We've got a large group of 10 - 2 family's in 2 connecting staterooms. My family of 4 has been on the Magic, Fantasy, and Dream, but the last time we sailed was 2019 on the Magic. Anything of note change since we last sailed? Or anything different with the Wish to be aware of? I believe last time we sailed you couldn't pre-book things like princess meet and greets - has that changed? We'll be visiting the parks for 2 days before our 4 night sailing - likely staying at Caribbean Beach (though we haven't booked that yet). Is Disney transportation to the port our best bet for a party of 10?

 

[Mommb]

One main change is that printed Daily Navigators are no longer distributed each night. All daily information can be found on the Disney Cruise Line app. Guest Services may have printed versions of daily activities, but the app is kept up to date.

The Royal Gathering of princesses can be booked online 30 days before the cruise. Other activities are booked online earlier, with the date based on the highest Castaway Club status in each stateroom.

If your group wants to travel together, Disney transportation will work, and will probably get you the earliest port arrival time. However, with 10 people, it would be less expensive to book a private van service -- some can hold 10 or 12 people.

 

[ChipNDale86]

A few things I can think of that have changed:

• iMessage & WhatsApp work for texting people both on the ship & on land. Have to be connected to the ship's WiFi but just the basic Wifi that powers the app, don't have to pay for it.
• speaking of WiFi, packages are based on length of use now rather than purchases a set amount of MBs. Can buy it for length of cruise or individual days. It's not the best WiFi, but it works.
• They've gotten rid of the WavePhones in the room
• DisneyBand+ now works on all the ships. If you have a MagicBand+ from the parks, this will work, but not older magic bands. I used one recently on the Wish. It was fine. Sometimes convenient but not as useful as other other lines' wearable.
• There's currently no "official" Castaway Cay 5K. You can still go and run and then ask a crew member for a medal, but it's completely on your own now.

The layout of the Wish is very different than the other 4. Some people hate it - I think it's fine, just don't expect to walk on and immediately have your bearings. My biggest complaints is the lack of wrap around promenade deck, and a lot of the spaces are very narrow (in particular the main souvenir shop). But she's a beautiful ship so go in with an open mind and you'll love it.

 

[Travel60]

You need to download the Disney Cruise app on your phone before the cruise. It won't do much until you get on board. But then it becomes your day schedule and planner and has your menu for each night's dining. You pretty much have to walk around with it all the time. Sort of handy, sort of a bother.

Link all your reservations so you will all sit together (or next to) at dinner.

 

[lanejudy]

Kids ages 11-12 are no longer allowed at Oceaneers Club/Lab. Their only option is Edge.

 

[stardust190]

One main change is that printed Daily Navigators are no longer distributed each night. All daily information can be found on the Disney Cruise Line app. Guest Services may have printed versions of daily activities, but the app is kept up to date.

The Royal Gathering of princesses can be booked online 30 days before the cruise. Other activities are booked online earlier, with the date based on the highest Castaway Club status in each stateroom.

If your group wants to travel together, Disney transportation will work, and will probably get you the earliest port arrival time. However, with 10 people, it would be less expensive to book a private van service -- some can hold 10 or 12 people.

Thanks for the information. Is the port arrival time associated with how you arrive at the terminal? To get an early PAT will you need to take Disney transportation? We'd like to board early, if possible. My family is Silver Castaway Club status - the other family has never cruised Disney. We have booked our rooms such that I think both will have Silver status as we put my son (Silver member) in one stateroom with the other first timers and we took a few of their kids in our room.

 

[stardust190]

A few things I can think of that have changed:

• iMessage & WhatsApp work for texting people both on the ship & on land. Have to be connected to the ship's WiFi but just the basic Wifi that powers the app, don't have to pay for it.
• speaking of WiFi, packages are based on length of use now rather than purchases a set amount of MBs. Can buy it for length of cruise or individual days. It's not the best WiFi, but it works.
• They've gotten rid of the WavePhones in the room
• DisneyBand+ now works on all the ships. If you have a MagicBand+ from the parks, this will work, but not older magic bands. I used one recently on the Wish. It was fine. Sometimes convenient but not as useful as other other lines' wearable.
• There's currently no "official" Castaway Cay 5K. You can still go and run and then ask a crew member for a medal, but it's completely on your own now.

The layout of the Wish is very different than the other 4. Some people hate it - I think it's fine, just don't expect to walk on and immediately have your bearings. My biggest complaints is the lack of wrap around promenade deck, and a lot of the spaces are very narrow (in particular the main souvenir shop). But she's a beautiful ship so go in with an open mind and you'll love it.

I assume with no wave phones that to communicate on the ship everyone has to have a personal phone with the app - is this true? Has the app been improved at all - I remember it being flaky with messaging when we last sailed. Communication is important to us as we're traveling with 2 12 year old's and a 13 year old and want to give them a bit of freedom.

Currently my family only has older magic bands - we last visited WDW in 2020 and had bands, but didn't get them (or maybe you can't use them) in Disneyland when we went in 2022. I assume that these old bands will not work on the ship. What does the DisneyBand+/MagicBand+ get you on the ships? Is it just a room key/form of payment? We'll be going to MK and Epcot before the cruise and I was considering maybe getting at least one MagicBand+ for our family, but maybe it isn't worth it. If I have to get different ones for the ship/parks then I don't know if I think it would be worth it to me.

I'm a little sad about the wrap around promenade deck. My son and I have done early morning walks around a deck together each cruise and I would love to keep that tradition alive. We would go to watch a sunrise and do a few laps together - great mom/son bonding from our past. Is there anywhere on the wish to do such a thing? I'm sure there will be a lot we will enjoy.

 

[stardust190]

You need to download the Disney Cruise app on your phone before the cruise. It won't do much until you get on board. But then it becomes your day schedule and planner and has your menu for each night's dining. You pretty much have to walk around with it all the time. Sort of handy, sort of a bother.

Link all your reservations so you will all sit together (or next to) at dinner.

Thanks for the info - we already have linked reservations and the same dinner seating. We've actually got connecting rooms.

For the app - do you think teens/tweens will use the app much? Younger kids? We have kids ages 4.5, 6, 8, 11, 12, and 14 in our travel party.

 

[Calantha]

I assume with no wave phones that to communicate on the ship everyone has to have a personal phone with the app - is this true? Has the app been improved at all - I remember it being flaky with messaging when we last sailed. Communication is important to us as we're traveling with 2 12 year old's and a 13 year old and want to give them a bit of freedom.

Meh, it's not the best. People usually recommend imessage or whatsapp over the app. My DS will have a phone for the first time this summer (since he'll be running around with his older cousins) - and I'm still working out the rules.

 

[stardust190]

Kids ages 11-12 are no longer allowed at Oceaneers Club/Lab. Their only option is Edge.

Hum... are 14 year olds allowed in Edge? We've got a few tweens and a 14 year old - I think they will want to hang out together.

 

[lanejudy]

Club/Lab is ages 3-10
Edge is ages 11-14
Vibe is ages 14-17

Yes, the 14-yr-old will still be able to do Edge or Vibe.

 

[sponica]

I assume with no wave phones that to communicate on the ship everyone has to have a personal phone with the app - is this true? Has the app been improved at all - I remember it being flaky with messaging when we last sailed. Communication is important to us as we're traveling with 2 12 year old's and a 13 year old and want to give them a bit of freedom.

It's still a little flaky, the alerts don't always push to the phone. I know some people just bring a white board and say what time to check back in and where.

You might be able to walk around the upper pool deck on deck 12.

Make sure both rooms fill out the paperwork about letting other adults take the kids on or off the boat as you had said there was a mix of kids between both rooms and to check in/out the younger kids to the kids club.

 

[sponica]

For the app - do you think teens/tweens will use the app much? Younger kids? We have kids ages 4.5, 6, 8, 11, 12, and 14 in our travel party.

I know my daughter came back from our cruise saying one of her kids club friends who was 8 had a phone....so I'm thinking her parents used an old phone and put the DCL app on it to use for communication. We actually might do this next time.

ETA: Also the app is where the navigator is stored, so if the 11-14 olds want to see what movie is playing in the theater or what activities are going on, they might want that available to them.

 

[Flossbolna]

I would not get a Magic Band Plus for either WDW or DCL. You can do everything on the app for WDW that the Magic Band Plus can besides the fun feature that the MB+ can light up. You can use the phone to automatically link any ride photo.

The only benefit I can see is that if you are in the pool you don’t need to put your room key down somewhere out of sight. But for that you could always get one of those waterproof phone pouches and take your phone and room key to the pool as well. That’s what we do.

 

[Feen4whooo]

So my family is going on a Disney wish on May 6th 2024 and it is 12 of us going are there any
recommendation for our family? Is there any families who have been on the Disney Wish they could give me any tips

 

[sponica]

I would not get a Magic Band Plus for either WDW or DCL. You can do everything on the app for WDW that the Magic Band Plus can besides the fun feature that the MB+ can light up. You can use the phone to automatically link any ride photo.

The only benefit I can see is that if you are in the pool you don’t need to put your room key down somewhere out of sight. But for that you could always get one of those waterproof phone pouches and take your phone and room key to the pool as well. That’s what we do.

The one thing it did come in handy for was the kids club, we had one from a trip to WDW the year prior and my daughter used that one instead of the one they issue.

 

[Mommb]

Thanks for the information. Is the port arrival time associated with how you arrive at the terminal? To get an early PAT will you need to take Disney transportation? We'd like to board early, if possible. My family is Silver Castaway Club status - the other family has never cruised Disney. We have booked our rooms such that I think both will have Silver status as we put my son (Silver member) in one stateroom with the other first timers and we took a few of their kids in our room.

The port arrival time is when you are permitted to enter the cruise terminal. It is generally linked to the Boarding Group, which indicates when you may board the ship. You'll choose a Port Arrival Time when you do on-line check-in roughly a month before your cruise. Guests with higher Castaway Club status can check in earlier, so the earliest time may no longer be available when Silver is able to choose.

However, if you are arriving in Disney Cruise transportation from WDW, you will be automatically given a port arrival time (since you'll be given a bus time and won't have control over when you arrive). This time is often, but not always, earlier than you'd get by choosing it during check-in.

Once boarding starts, it moves quickly, so a later PAT won't necessarily have a significant effect on when you can start your cruise.

 

[Travel60]

Thanks for the info - we already have linked reservations and the same dinner seating. We've actually got connecting rooms.

For the app - do you think teens/tweens will use the app much? Younger kids? We have kids ages 4.5, 6, 8, 11, 12, and 14 in our travel party.

Depends on if they are used to having a phone and how much autonomy you allow them. My kids didn't have a phone until they started driving to school (so about 17). I know a lot of parents let them have them much younger nowadays.

If they have phones, the older ones might use them to check on what and when events are going on (if you are letting them wander about on their own). They also might lose them.

Until about age 10-11, we accompanied our kids everywhere. After that we let them go together or with a pal as long as we knew where. No random free ranging.

Before the App became a thing, we used to sit down with our kids and the printed schedule the night before and let them pick what they wanted to do or see the next day. Then we used a notepad on the dresser to leave notes about where each was. That might work for your older ones.

 

[ChipNDale86]

I assume with no wave phones that to communicate on the ship everyone has to have a personal phone with the app - is this true? Has the app been improved at all - I remember it being flaky with messaging when we last sailed. Communication is important to us as we're traveling with 2 12 year old's and a 13 year old and want to give them a bit of freedom.

As others have said - I recommend using iMessage (iPhone to iPhone texting) or WhatsApp for communication while onboard. Both work over the ship's general WiFi (without having to pay) and work better than the DCLNavigator App's internal messagining.

Currently my family only has older magic bands - we last visited WDW in 2020 and had bands, but didn't get them (or maybe you can't use them) in Disneyland when we went in 2022. I assume that these old bands will not work on the ship. What does the DisneyBand+/MagicBand+ get you on the ships? Is it just a room key/form of payment? We'll be going to MK and Epcot before the cruise and I was considering maybe getting at least one MagicBand+ for our family, but maybe it isn't worth it. If I have to get different ones for the ship/parks then I don't know if I think it would be worth it to me.

Correct - older MagicBands will not work on the cruise. But if you happen to get a MagicBand+ while at WDW it WILL work on the cruise. DisneyBand+ is just want the cruise line has decided to call MagicBand+ -- I honestly have no idea why they're calling it something different, it's literally the same thing. I will say their really isn't any benefit to buying "one for the family" as only the person who's account the band is attached to can actually use it. The MagicBand+'s can work as the kid's band for the kid's club. But unless you plan to get them for WDW, I really wouldn't bother - they're not quite worth it yet on the cruise line IMO.

I'm a little sad about the wrap around promenade deck. My son and I have done early morning walks around a deck together each cruise and I would love to keep that tradition alive. We would go to watch a sunrise and do a few laps together - great mom/son bonding from our past. Is there anywhere on the wish to do such a thing? I'm sure there will be a lot we will enjoy.

There's no real place to walk complete laps, but Deck 4 still is open air with benches and stuff. You can also walk from there up to Deck 5 and then Deck 6 to get to the VERY front of the ship which is cool and would probably be awesome at sunrise. It just unfortunately doesn't connect to anything in the aft so no way to do a complete loop. Like someone else mentioned, you could possible do laps on the pool decks, but that may get a little convoluted with all the chairs, stairs, people, etc.

 

[CarolynFH]

DisneyBand+ is just want the cruise line has decided to call MagicBand+ -- I honestly have no idea why they're calling it something different, it's literally the same thing.

I've read several times that the name "MagicBand+" was already trademarked by a different company in Europe so couldn't be used by Disney in its European marketing.