If I knew what I know now...

[Be11e]

I am trying to convince a couple of my girl friends to go on a Disney Cruise with me. We recently had a wonderful girls trip to WDW this past summer, and we are looking forward to having another one. We are thinking about going on the Disney Dream (I keep hearing so much about it!) for the 4 night Bahamas cruise Jan. 8-12th, 2012 right after Marathon Weekend in WDW (which I will be running my first 1/2 marathon.)

I was lucky enough to have been on a Disney Cruise before in 2004 on the Magic. I was only 17 and went with my family, and don't really remember much of the planning process. Now that I am going as an adult, and planning the trip on my own, I need some help...

For those of you who have traveled on a Disney Cruise, what are some things that you know now that you wished you knew before you cruised?

I wish I knew that I could get my food sent to my room. I experienced lots of sea sickness and missed a few dinners. Had I known that we can get room service any time, I would have ordered something to eat when I wasn't feeling good and couldn't go to the dining room. Seems obvious now, but I didn't know.

Or that they offered tours of the ship, I would have loved to taken a tour of the theatre and behind the scenes.

[Qmaz246]

Personally, I haven't been on a Cruise, but you can check cruise website. Just type in Disney Cruise.disney.go.com

[cjswitzerland]

I wish I had known how much there was to do on the ship when it comes to activities.

I found I spent far less time in my stateroom than I had expected and therefore the extra money I spent for the Verandah Stateroom was not the best of value for me. This was a short 3 day itinerary though and of course personal preference. I have learned that the longer cruise lengths I find time to sit on the verandah/balcony but if you are a first timer and on a short cruise, there is SO MUCH to do you might find yourself out of the room far more than you are in it.

[Mike Fink]

I've been on three Magic cruises and here are my suggestions:

1. Book excursions well in advance. Many of the good ones fill up early. Same goes for spa treatments.

2. Book Palo (or Remy) in advance. The extra fee for Palo is worth it. The food, service and atmosphere are tops. You don't realize how noisy the other dining rooms are until you eat at Palo. There are NO KIDS ALLOWED, and that's good. A quiet, unhurried, delicious meal at Palo will be a highlight of your trip. Can't speak to Remy, haven't eaten there yet.

3. Be prepared for seasickness. It's unlikely you'll get seasick, but if you're even slightly prone to it, try something in advance of symptoms to prevent it. Those wristbands work for lots of people. Prevention is better than the cure. You don't want to waste any time on the cruise being sick. No refunds.

4. Explore the ship. The ship is the star of this show and it is gorgeous. I enjoyed exploring all the decks, just walking around and checking stuff out. Even the walking track that goes around the engine area.

5. Don't overestimate the destinations. There are lots of cool activities you can do at the ports, but if you're not doing one of those I'd think twice about getting off the ship. Cruise ships flood these towns so there are tourists everywhere crowding shops and restaurants. Unless you're looking for a deal on a watch or t-shirts you're often better off staying onboard.

6. Try lunch at one of the 'formal' ship restaurants. Lots of people eat lunch on the pool deck or at one of the buffet restaurants, so the "formal" restaurant (on the Magic it's Lumiere) are often less crowded. You get attentive service and the food is usually excellent. Nice quiet break in the day.

7. Keep your eyes open. There's Disney art tucked away everywhere, even in the elevator shaft. Take in the details the Imagineers put there for you.

8. Wash you hands a lot. Ships are germy, especially those with lots of kids. Handrails, elevators, etc., get dirty. Disney does a GREAT JOB keeping the ships clean, but they hand out sanitizers before meals for a reason. Again, you don't want to get sick on the ship or after.

9. Spend as much time on Castaway Cay as you can. Go snorkeling, some of things Disney planted out there, some of it is natural. The fish are fun to watch and you may see a barracuda.

10. Tip housekeeping and your wait staff well. They work their tails off for you.

[20K]

What an excellent set of suggestions

[Be11e]

Thanks!

I'm one of those people that got sea sick on my first cruise (and then REALLY sick on the last night.) This time around I'm going to be extra prepared.