Just booked my first DCL cruise!!! (Any tips welcome)

[Sevenwords]

So I will be going on the Dream in Jan 2021 with my wife and 2 year old son (around our anniversary). This will be my first leisure cruise, but I used to be stationed on an Aircraft Carrier, so I know from 2 deployments I am not prone to sea-sickness (my wife MAY have that issue). I live in Florida about 3 and 1/2 hours away from WDW, so I will be driving down and I plan to use my DVC to do a WDW stay before the cruise (home resort Aulani). I have a few ideas how I want this to work, but if any of you have any experience with these ideas, please let me know your experiences:

A) My GOAL will be to stay at Beach Club or Boardwalk in a studio to save points or a 1bd (wish me luck getting those 7 months out). I know with DVC I will have free parking during my stay, but does anyone know if I can leave my car there (preferably free of charge...not holding my breath), then grab magical express to MCO then grab the shuttle to Port Canaveral? I'm wondering if taking the shuttle will be less stressful than driving, or do people have better luck driving? Also, does the Disney shuttle only go out the day of the cruise, or does it also go out the day before so you can stay at a hotel there and hopefully sneak on earlier than your boarding group?
B) If I don't use the shuttle, I will drive to PC after my WDW stay. I plan to drive out the day before the cruise and get a hotel in PC. Any recommendations on Hotel out there? I have also heard some hotels do a stay and park package where you can leave your car and they will shuttle you to the ship. I hear that it is cheaper than parking at the port. That said, I have also heard that it's actually worth paying more at the Port so that on "De-embarkation" day you aren't waiting for a shuttle, you just get in your car and go. Any experience/advice on this?
C) I will have a 2 1/2 year old with us, so my wife and I do not plan to do Palo or Remy (although I am sure we would love them...that is unless my Parents decide to make the trip as well and they can watch their grandson). Do the meals tend to be hectic and stressful (other than on embarkation day)? If they are too hectic, we may end up using room service a bit.
D) Any suggestions for what to do at Nassau?
E) I have watched the DisUnplugged video for first time cruisers (and a few others), but if anyone has a suggestion on what I must/must not do, please feel free to suggest it.
F) I have also heard that while on a cruise, rebooking for other cruises and even DVC membership deals are unbeatable. When they say "unbeatable" how good are these deals?

*Bonus question. As I said I am an Aulani DVC member (which was great when I lived in California), but I keep flirting with the idea of getting more points at another resort. I like the idea of both Boardwalk and Beachclub (but haven't stayed at either yet). I don't like that their contracts end in 2042 though. I also like the idea of Copper Creek (for location and contract termination year). Any opinions on which is the best of those 3?

Disney Cruise is another item off my bucket list and I already have a feeling it won't be my last DCL. After that, then it's onto DL Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So I will be going on the Dream in Jan 2021 with my wife and 2 year old son (around our anniversary). This will be my first leisure cruise, but I used to be stationed on an Aircraft Carrier, so I know from 2 deployments I am not prone to sea-sickness (my wife MAY have that issue). I live in Florida about 3 and 1/2 hours away from WDW, so I will be driving down and I plan to use my DVC to do a WDW stay before the cruise (home resort Aulani). I have a few ideas how I want this to work, but if any of you have any experience with these ideas, please let me know your experiences:

A) My GOAL will be to stay at Beach Club or Boardwalk in a studio to save points or a 1bd (wish me luck getting those 7 months out). I know with DVC I will have free parking during my stay, but does anyone know if I can leave my car there (preferably free of charge...not holding my breath), then grab magical express to MCO then grab the shuttle to Port Canaveral? I'm wondering if taking the shuttle will be less stressful than driving, or do people have better luck driving? Also, does the Disney shuttle only go out the day of the cruise, or does it also go out the day before so you can stay at a hotel there and hopefully sneak on earlier than your boarding group?
B) If I don't use the shuttle, I will drive to PC after my WDW stay. I plan to drive out the day before the cruise and get a hotel in PC. Any recommendations on Hotel out there? I have also heard some hotels do a stay and park package where you can leave your car and they will shuttle you to the ship. I hear that it is cheaper than parking at the port. That said, I have also heard that it's actually worth paying more at the Port so that on "De-embarkation" day you aren't waiting for a shuttle, you just get in your car and go. Any experience/advice on this?
C) I will have a 2 1/2 year old with us, so my wife and I do not plan to do Palo or Remy (although I am sure we would love them...that is unless my Parents decide to make the trip as well and they can watch their grandson). Do the meals tend to be hectic and stressful (other than on embarkation day)? If they are too hectic, we may end up using room service a bit.
D) Any suggestions for what to do at Nassau?
E) I have watched the DisUnplugged video for first time cruisers (and a few others), but if anyone has a suggestion on what I must/must not do, please feel free to suggest it.
F) I have also heard that while on a cruise, rebooking for other cruises and even DVC membership deals are unbeatable. When they say "unbeatable" how good are these deals?

*Bonus question. As I said I am an Aulani DVC member (which was great when I lived in California), but I keep flirting with the idea of getting more points at another resort. I like the idea of both Boardwalk and Beachclub (but haven't stayed at either yet). I don't like that their contracts end in 2042 though. I also like the idea of Copper Creek (for location and contract termination year). Any opinions on which is the best of those 3?

Disney Cruise is another item off my bucket list and I already have a feeling it won't be my last DCL. After that, then it's onto DL Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Thanks in advance for any help.

While it's do-able to take ME to MCO and the the DCL transfers, you're going to double your travel time that way. One hour to MCO and one hour to the port. Or just a one hour trip from WDW to port.

Yes, the DCL transfer bus only runs the day of the cruise.

There's no "sneaking on early". Boarding begins around 11:30 by boarding numbers. Your boarding number is tied to the Port Arrival Time you select during online check in.

C) Dining rooms are just like a restaurant. You go in, sit down, order your meal and are served the food. Not hectic at all. Some people find the MDRs noisy.

E) Biggest tip - don't try to do "everything", as you can't. Just pick some things to do each day and enjoy your VACATION.

F) Onboard booking gets you a 10% discount on the future cruise.

 

[Sevenwords]

While it's do-able to take ME to MCO and the the DCL transfers, you're going to double your travel time that way. One hour to MCO and one hour to the port. Or just a one hour trip from WDW to port.

Yes, the DCL transfer bus only runs the day of the cruise.

There's no "sneaking on early". Boarding begins around 11:30 by boarding numbers. Your boarding number is tied to the Port Arrival Time you select during online check in.

C) Dining rooms are just like a restaurant. You go in, sit down, order your meal and are served the food. Not hectic at all. Some people find the MDRs noisy.

E) Biggest tip - don't try to do "everything", as you can't. Just pick some things to do each day and enjoy your VACATION.

F) Onboard booking gets you a 10% discount on the future cruise.

Thank you so much. This was helpful. Looks like I may wish to drive myself then. I get anxious about things like that and I think the peace of mind of getting to PC the night before will do well for me.

 

[Marc D]

A) If you decide to use the DCL shuttle from MCO, you do not pick a Port Arrival Time. However, you get issued a boarding group number in the terminal and you can’t sneak in before it is called.

B) Driving to port is not complicated. If you stay at WDW, just drive the morning of the cruise and don‘t lose a day moving from WDW to PC. It’s an hour from WDW to port. Plenty of cruisers do the trip the morning of the cruise. Parking at the port is so much easier, especially with a child. No need to wait for a shuttle at either end of the cruise. Once the cruise is over, you grab your bags, get in your car and go.

C) the MDRs are noisy restaurants, but they are certainly not hectic, even when there are shows. On Dream, the only show you’ll have is Crush talk, and that just a bit of audience participation between the courses. Do not miss them. You can use the nursery if you wish to do a Palo meal.

D) We do not like Nassau and use that day as our Palo brunch day on Dream (see C). The only excursion I would do is the Blue Lagoon.

 

[Sevenwords]

A) If you decide to use the DCL shuttle from MCO, you do not pick a Port Arrival Time. However, you get issued a boarding group number in the terminal and you can’t sneak in before it is called.

B) Driving to port is not complicated. If you stay at WDW, just drive the morning of the cruise and don‘t lose a day moving from WDW to PC. It’s an hour from WDW to port. Plenty of cruisers do the trip the morning of the cruise. Parking at the port is so much easier, especially with a child. No need to wait for a shuttle at either end of the cruise. Once the cruise is over, you grab your bags, get in your car and go.

C) the MDRs are noisy restaurants, but they are certainly not hectic, even when there are shows. On Dream, the only show you’ll have is Crush talk, and that just a bit of audience participation between the courses. Do not miss them. You can use the nursery if you wish to do a Palo meal.

D) We do not like Nassau and use that day as our Palo brunch day on Dream (see C). The only excursion I would do is the Blue Lagoon.

Thank you. Yeah I was starting to lean towards what you have suggested. For the record, as far as my "sneaking in early" comment, I know I get assigned a group. The only thing I was basing it on is that I remember Craig saying in a video that if there aren't many people from the previous boarding group getting on, sometimes they will let later groups on earlier than posted time. Admittedly, I am not expecting too much from Nassau....really I am more interested in the day at Sea and Castaway Cay.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

You cannot park for free at a WDW resort while on a cruise. Everything will be cheapee driving to Port of you have the car. Keep in mind DCL transfer is $35pp each way.

As far as F, booking your next cruise on board gets you a discount but you have to cruise within 24 months. DVC on board is basically similar incentives as you get on land, and there are never incentives on sold-out resorts like BCV, BWV or CCV.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thank you. Yeah I was starting to lean towards what you have suggested. For the record, as far as my "sneaking in early" comment, I know I get assigned a group. The only thing I was basing it on is that I remember Craig saying in a video that if there aren't many people from the previous boarding group getting on, sometimes they will let later groups on earlier than posted time. Admittedly, I am not expecting too much from Nassau....really I am more interested in the day at Sea and Castaway Cay.

When you do your online check in, you select a Port Arrival Time. If you've booked DCL transfers, you don't have to.

Your PAT is the time you think you'll be at the port. Boarding numbers are issued based on your PAT.

When boarding begins, they board the Family of the Day, Concierge, Platinum Castaway Club members, and any back to back cruisers first. Then they start announcing boarding numbers. The number rises about every 5-10 minutes, depending on how quickly the boarding line is moving. There's no "group boarding times", only numbers.

 

[Stitch'sCousin]

Just remember that the DCL shuttle to the port will cost you $156.00 ($78 per adult round trip) whether you take it from MCO or your WDW resort so it will definitely be cheaper for you to park right at the port.

 

[Sevenwords]

When you do your online check in, you select a Port Arrival Time. If you've booked DCL transfers, you don't have to.

Your PAT is the time you think you'll be at the port. Boarding numbers are issued based on your PAT.

When boarding begins, they board the Family of the Day, Concierge, Platinum Castaway Club members, and any back to back cruisers first. Then they start announcing boarding numbers. The number rises about every 5-10 minutes, depending on how quickly the boarding line is moving. There's no "group boarding times", only numbers.

Ahhh...thank you very much for the tip. I'm sure I will learn a lot this trip...to prepare me for the future ones

 

[SL6827]

Ya, the sea sickness thing may come into play with your wife. The month of January can have some of the best seas to induce such.

 

[SL6827]

Oh, and thank you for service to this country.

 

[Vernon slusher]

I think they used to do a land and sea package. But I am not sure if they still do. If so I think I will be doing that next year.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

So I will be going on the Dream in Jan 2021 with my wife and 2 year old son (around our anniversary). This will be my first leisure cruise, but I used to be stationed on an Aircraft Carrier, so I know from 2 deployments I am not prone to sea-sickness (my wife MAY have that issue). I live in Florida about 3 and 1/2 hours away from WDW, so I will be driving down and I plan to use my DVC to do a WDW stay before the cruise (home resort Aulani). I have a few ideas how I want this to work, but if any of you have any experience with these ideas, please let me know your experiences:

A) My GOAL will be to stay at Beach Club or Boardwalk in a studio to save points or a 1bd (wish me luck getting those 7 months out). I know with DVC I will have free parking during my stay, but does anyone know if I can leave my car there (preferably free of charge...not holding my breath), then grab magical express to MCO then grab the shuttle to Port Canaveral? I'm wondering if taking the shuttle will be less stressful than driving, or do people have better luck driving? Also, does the Disney shuttle only go out the day of the cruise, or does it also go out the day before so you can stay at a hotel there and hopefully sneak on earlier than your boarding group?
B) If I don't use the shuttle, I will drive to PC after my WDW stay. I plan to drive out the day before the cruise and get a hotel in PC. Any recommendations on Hotel out there? I have also heard some hotels do a stay and park package where you can leave your car and they will shuttle you to the ship. I hear that it is cheaper than parking at the port. That said, I have also heard that it's actually worth paying more at the Port so that on "De-embarkation" day you aren't waiting for a shuttle, you just get in your car and go. Any experience/advice on this?
C) I will have a 2 1/2 year old with us, so my wife and I do not plan to do Palo or Remy (although I am sure we would love them...that is unless my Parents decide to make the trip as well and they can watch their grandson). Do the meals tend to be hectic and stressful (other than on embarkation day)? If they are too hectic, we may end up using room service a bit.
D) Any suggestions for what to do at Nassau?
E) I have watched the DisUnplugged video for first time cruisers (and a few others), but if anyone has a suggestion on what I must/must not do, please feel free to suggest it.
F) I have also heard that while on a cruise, rebooking for other cruises and even DVC membership deals are unbeatable. When they say "unbeatable" how good are these deals?

*Bonus question. As I said I am an Aulani DVC member (which was great when I lived in California), but I keep flirting with the idea of getting more points at another resort. I like the idea of both Boardwalk and Beachclub (but haven't stayed at either yet). I don't like that their contracts end in 2042 though. I also like the idea of Copper Creek (for location and contract termination year). Any opinions on which is the best of those 3?

Disney Cruise is another item off my bucket list and I already have a feeling it won't be my last DCL. After that, then it's onto DL Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Thanks in advance for any help.

You don't need to wait until your Port Arrival Time to enter the port at Port Canaveral. They let everyone in as soon as the port opens. Some other ports might be stricter in that way, but not Port Canaveral.

If you have a later Port Arrival Time, you will also get a later boarding number, so you won't be among the first on the ship. But open boarding (no boarding number required) begins around 12 or 12:30, anyway, so you'll still board earlier if you show up early than if you had waited to show up until, say, 2pm, if you could only get a late Port Arrival Time.

 

[hecmd23]

C) I will have a 2 1/2 year old with us, so my wife and I do not plan to do Palo or Remy (although I am sure we would love them...that is unless my Parents decide to make the trip as well and they can watch their grandson). Do the meals tend to be hectic and stressful (other than on embarkation day)? If they are too hectic, we m

I would highly reconsider. If you can find it in your schedule, try to get a reservation at one of the two restaurants (we prefer Remy, as we are big fans of V&A). On our last cruise with the Dream a few weeks back, we have a 1.5 year old in tow (along with our 7 year old) and we dropped off our younger one at the nursery. Mind you, he has significant allergies (egg, milk and cashews) so my wife was initially worried something might happen while he’s there, but when we dropped him off, they were so attentive to our instructions and we felt comfortable leaving him then. We were able to enjoy about 3 hours at Remy because of that. But I will go with your comfort level, check out the nursery when you get there and if you feel at ease leaving your little one there, I would enjoy at least one night without children

 

[Marc D]

You don't need to wait until your Port Arrival Time to enter the port at Port Canaveral. They let everyone in as soon as the port opens. Some other ports might be stricter in that way, but not Port Canaveral.

We have seen PATs enforced at PC once. They made earlier arrivals wait by the side of the podium where they verify your IDs before heading into the terminal. It was near the start of the process and the terminal was packed when we got in. I think that was before they made everyone wait on the third floor of the parking structure to enter.

 

[Marc D]

I think they used to do a land and sea package. But I am not sure if they still do. If so I think I will be doing that next year.

I would advise against booking the land part through DCL. They limit the resorts you can stay at, charge rack rate for the room, you can only book specific number of days, the only ticket option includes a park hopper (with the added $) and, most important of all, if a promotion is offered later on, you can’t apply it to the land part. If you book separately, you can either add the promotion, like free dining, or rebook the land part without penalty, for example to get a rebate on the room rate.

 

[Sevenwords]

I think they used to do a land and sea package. But I am not sure if they still do. If so I think I will be doing that next year.

I have heard that they do, but I hear it is very restrictive, so I chose to plan my own trip (plus planning trips is fun for me).

 

[dad of 3 addicted to DCL]

I too, was a carrier sailor (and CG, DDG...) the motion on the DCL ships is about the same as the CVN. A little shake rattle and roll when the seas are choppy but nothing significant. My wife was worried but has had no problems.

Enjoy your cruise! It is nice to go to sea without having to work

 

[monkeydawn]

In Nassau there is a public beach that is not too far from the port. A lot of people dont like it but we found it to be fine when we were there. I cant recall the day of the week we were there but I'd say it was about half locals. There were lots of local younger kids. I was collecting tiny shells and they were helping me. No one harassed us for any money for this help, they just enjoyed when I'd tell them how pretty a shell they picked was. There was some natural shade there and at one point I napped. No facilities or chairs though if you need those. It was fine for us for a couple of hours on the beach.

We did this beach after walking to the rum distillery but I dont know if you'd want to do that with a 2.5 year old.

 

[Sevenwords]

In Nassau there is a public beach that is not too far from the port. A lot of people dont like it but we found it to be fine when we were there. I cant recall the day of the week we were there but I'd say it was about half locals. There were lots of local younger kids. I was collecting tiny shells and they were helping me. No one harassed us for any money for this help, they just enjoyed when I'd tell them how pretty a shell they picked was. There was some natural shade there and at one point I napped. No facilities or chairs though if you need those. It was fine for us for a couple of hours on the beach.

We did this beach after walking to the rum distillery but I dont know if you'd want to do that with a 2.5 year old.

Nonsense....he loves Rum.