What was your worst DCL rookie mistake?

[Dug720]

Benadryl? It's going to make them so sleepy. :/

Not everyone reacts to Benadryl by getting sleepy. Some (myself included) get hyper.

 

[kidshop]

I don't know if you have that in the US but we use Gravol Ginger and normal Gravol.

I have friends who take Bonine and there is another non-drowsy kind that I bought on board but I forgot the name.

I know they sell some on board.

I take the Walmart brand meclizine, and I start 2 nights before the cruise. I take it at bedtime. Also, I continue taking it when I get off the ship a few days. I had the worst land sickness once! This method has worked perfectly for me.

 

[AquaDame]

Well the good news for your DH is that if he fell from the veranda, he would probably die from the impact instead of drowning.

MUN

You seem to be a real negative guy, bet you are a real joy to travel with.

Keep it friendly y'all. No need to traumatize people with images of their husbands dying gruesome deaths and attacking each other. Just report it when someone says something you don't like and we'll handle it!

 

[shoes99]

DCL medical center has complimentary meclizine and sometimes guest services will have some behind the counter.
As recommended you should take it before the ship moves, but if you forget to bring some, go to the med center
or guest services.

 

[diznymom]

1) Getting to the port super early. (I don't do crowds very well)
2) Not taking DCL Bus
3) Not flying with a "participating airline"

The best scenario for us is to fly with a "participating airline", stay on WDW property the night before the cruise, take the DCL bus to and from the cruise.

By using a "participating airline" and staying at a WDW resort we don't have to schlep bags. We take the ME from MCO to the resort and they pick up our bags and deliver them to our room. DCL pick up our luggage the morning of the cruise. We take the DCL bus to the cruise. Yes, we arrive a little later, but there are no big crowds. After the cruise, we set our luggage out the last night and don't see it again until we get home. The DCL buses are waiting for us right outside.

 

[FigmentSpark]

My "rookie" mistake was not booking when there was a 'kids cruise free' sale because I could only get 2nd seating. I didn't know that often the can change that and even if they can't, Cabanas is open for dinner.

 

[Ariel484]

I didn't book a placeholder cruise onboard because I thought my first cruise would be my only cruise...sigh.

 

[Ariel484]

First mistake on husband's cruise - not re-applying sunscreen on Castaway Cay day. We were fried!

 

[Dug720]

First mistake on husband's cruise - not re-applying sunscreen on Castaway Cay day. We were fried!

Yeah, I got that one over with on my family's first cruise. We spent our second day in Nassau (yes, we were overnight there) on Paradise Island (WAAAAAAY before Atlantis existed), and I was in the water a lot more than normal (I AM that picture of "Something touched my foot!!!!" in the regular (read: not-clear) ocean). My mom didn't think about how much I was in the water and how the sun was reflecting off of it, and I was one miserable little girl. Our server offered to bring some vinegar (to which I replied I did NOT want to be a pickle), but we managed with something else. I had to wear the badge of shame (a t-shirt) when in the water the rest of the trip.

I have been all about the sunscreen ever since!

 

[Ariel484]

Yeah, I got that one over with on my family's first cruise. We spent our second day in Nassau (yes, we were overnight there) on Paradise Island (WAAAAAAY before Atlantis existed), and I was in the water a lot more than normal (I AM that picture of "Something touched my foot!!!!" in the regular (read: not-clear) ocean). My mom didn't think about how much I was in the water and how the sun was reflecting off of it, and I was one miserable little girl. Our server offered to bring some vinegar (to which I replied I did NOT want to be a pickle), but we managed with something else. I had to wear the badge of shame (a t-shirt) when in the water the rest of the trip.

I have been all about the sunscreen ever since!

Oh no!! That sounds awful!

We were mostly lying in chairs under umbrellas...we just forgot. Distracted by the perfection of Serenity Bay I guess.

We had Remy reservations that night. I had a sleeveless dress on and felt okay/cool in that but husband was DYING having to wear a suit after being in the sun all day.

 

[MUN]

Not me but my husband. I love this story. you need to know my DH is not very assertive/aggressive. He is very passive and he takes each moment for what it is. I worked with women who have cruised before, so in preparation for our 1st cruise, they would tell me what cruising was like. All you can eat food. drinks are extra, entertainment, etc. I guess I never mentioned any of that to DH.

So, our first cruise ever, we took Disney transportation from the resort (and this was MY mistake, we booked a noon transport) We didn't leave at noon, we got on the ship at 3:30pm. They explained lunch was closed. We went to our stateroom to put our carry bags away and then went to explore the ship. We were up on Deck 9 people watching and poor Dh was drooling as he watched people walk by with plates of hot dogs/hamburgers, fries and the like. I watched him for a while, amused. Then it occurred to me he was probably hungry. I asked him if he was and he said he was all set. Knowing he was hungry I asked if he was sure, he said, yeah he was sure. But I saw the look in his eyes as he was watching those plates of food go by. He knew meals were free, it dawned on me that maybe he was thinking that any food in between meals we had to pay for. That is when is hit me. THAT WAS WHAT HE WAS THINKING. LOL. He is a penny pincher, so he is thinking it is only a couple hours till dinner, a free meal, he wasn't going to spend money on eating a meal now. I said, matter-of-factly "you know all food on the ship is free, even the counter service food." His eyes got huge and he said "it is?" I said yes....he was out of that chair in a shot. In 5 minutes he had his burger and fries.

I guess I don't understand how someone would spend this much money on a cruise and have no idea what would be included and what would not not be included.

 

[Dug720]

Oh no!! That sounds awful!

We were mostly lying in chairs under umbrellas...we just forgot. Distracted by the perfection of Serenity Bay I guess.

We had Remy reservations that night. I had a sleeveless dress on and felt okay/cool in that but husband was DYING having to wear a suit after being in the sun all day.

Luckily I didn't blister...but I was red and hot. And thankfully I had a few sundresses (this was when dressing for dinner AND sharing tables with others was accepted as part of the cruise experience) so I managed for the rest of the trip.

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

I guess I don't understand how someone would spend this much money on a cruise and have no idea what would be included and what would not not be included.

My DH wouldn't know. I'm the planner. We agree on a vacation time and place, but then he steps back and lets me plan the trip. He wants nothing to do with the logistics. He also trusts my level of frugality. And if he wasn't paying close attention to my vacation planning rambling, he could miss it.

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

I think mine was not heeding the advice of others about Nassau. We should have stayed on the ship or booked an excursion. It was our first time and our only port besides CC, so I wanted to check things out. The only nice thing from Nassau were the pictures I took!

 

[adSimba]

I think mine was not heeding the advice of others about Nassau. We should have stayed on the ship or booked an excursion. It was our first time and our only port besides CC, so I wanted to check things out. The only nice thing from Nassau were the pictures I took!

what wasn't nice?

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

what wasn't nice?

We went to the Straw Market, Senor Frogs, and the public beach (Junkanoo). I do not recommend what we did. The streets near the port were dirty and smelled like urine. There were very pushy people outside of the Straw Market that grabbed my girls' arms and tried to put bracelets on them without permission. The whole time they were saying over and over that they were not trying to rob or cheat us. Persistent is one thing and physical touch is another. Senor Frogs service was awful. We barely received our drinks and we had to chase them down to pay our bill. Junkanoo had large glass shards and trash everywhere. Plus a few unmentionables littering the sand.

 

[tvguy]

My rookie mistake was booking our airline travel through Disney. I figured that since it was our first cruise, I'd book everything through Disney so if there were any delays, we'd be covered. We flew out on the day of the cruise which was fine. On the trip home, we had a very short time to reach our flight in Atlanta. We were practically running through the airport to make our connection. We arrived at the gate about 10 minutes before the flight was scheduled to leave but the doors were closed. We ended up waiting a few hours for another flight. Lesson learned: make flight arrangements myself.

I doubt Disney had a thing to do with the routing, I suspect they just tap into the airline computers and use the connections the AIRLINES suggest.

 

[Disney or Nunn]

Great Tips

 

[adSimba]

We went to the Straw Market, Senor Frogs, and the public beach (Junkanoo). I do not recommend what we did. The streets near the port were dirty and smelled like urine. There were very pushy people outside of the Straw Market that grabbed my girls' arms and tried to put bracelets on them without permission. The whole time they were saying over and over that they were not trying to rob or cheat us. Persistent is one thing and physical touch is another. Senor Frogs service was awful. We barely received our drinks and we had to chase them down to pay our bill. Junkanoo had large glass shards and trash everywhere. Plus a few unmentionables littering the sand.

uggh! thats terrible, I've always been wary of Caribbean/Bahamian vacations for that same reason.

 

[ludari]

My worse mistake was overpacking. I've learned from this mistake and subsequent cruises and other trips that now I can pack a months worth of clothing in just a carry-on bag.