Help!! I have noooo idea!!

[Mari]

Ok.. lets see...

We would love to do a combination for our next tri, hopefully next year. Some days at the parks, and then a relaxing cruise , if we can afford it. So we need to start getting quotes and an idea of how much it would be to do both.

The girls will be 3 and 5, which I think, hope, pray hahaha is old enough to have a good time, and possibly spend some time on their own.... possibly??

Anyway, since we do want to visit the parks, we know we would have to leave from Port Canaveral.

Thats all I got!! hahahahahahaha

Oh well.. we dont want 3 nights, I think its not enough time to have fun, so a 4-7 night cruise. Im not sure how many ports of call would suffice, we do want to rest and enjoy the ship, so could either be Bahamas or Caribbean.

We want a room with oceanview,not sure we need a veranda, but DO NEED a real window, I get a bit caustrophobic

We would have to go during the summer, because of school, but are flexible on dates as long as its July/ August or early September at the most.

Now... what would you do? Which cruise? Ship? type of room? activities?

[catrancher]

Mari,

Most of the cruises in that summer time frame you're describing are going to either be 4 or 5 day Bahamas cruises on the Disney Dream or 7 day Eastern or Western Caribbean cruises on the Disney Fantasy. The Magic and Wonder do a few cruises to those destinations but they're not scheduled during the summer months.

Somehow though, I don't see you wanting to do the Western Caribbean cruise since it stops in Mexico. Kind of strange to go on vacation to go back home. But I digress.

I don't know how long a vacation you're looking to take but personally, I'm not happy anymore with cruises of less than 7 days. The last one we did was 5 days to the Bahamas and while it was all right, it still felt too short to us. But again, this all depends on how much time you're allocating to your holiday.

We've always gotten a stateroom with a verandah simply because it's nice to step on onto your own private verandah. If you're concerned about the girls, I wouldn't worry too much about it. The railing outside is such that there's no real way for a child to try to climb over. While from the outside of the ship, it appears that it's just series of railings, on the inside, the ones that appear open are really lined with plexiglass so that little hands and feet can't find anything to stand or climb on. However, there are also staterooms that have strictly a large porthole if that's what you'd really prefer. Actually, the porthole doubles as a seating area. It has a seat on the inside so you can sit and look out at the ocean.

From the perspective of the girls enjoying themselves, don't even worry about it. Between the Oceaneer Club, the Oceaneer Lab, the character meet and greets and the shows, the only problem you'll have with the girls is talking them into going back to the stateroom to go to sleep. Most parents that we've talked with on the cruises can't believe how much fun their kids are having.

If you've got more specific questions, just ask. Or you may want to check out some of the cruise planning videos here.

Tom (... oh boy, cruise planning. What fun! )

[Mari]

Thanks for your answer Tom!

Lets see... I was thinking of skipping the veranda because it get pricier, and I dont think we would be in the ship long enough to actually use it.

We are considering a 4 night cruise, because it will be the girls first time cruising, so we dont want to overdue it in case either of them turns out to be the seasick type, hahahaha... plus, we would love to cruise in the future when they are older and can take part of more activities on board and excursions at ports of call.

So, lets see, I think a 4-5 night? but I checked after you pointed out and yes, there are only 4 or 7 night cruises on that time frame, so Im leaning towards a 4night Bahamas cruise.

What activities are there on board? What about character meet and greets? Which characters are usually on board? Im just lost on how a Disney Cruise works

Weve taken regular cruises, without kids, but Im guessing this one has far more stuff for kids to do, so, what would that stuff be? Would it be suitable for a 3yo? Im crossing my fingers that she will learn enough English during this school year to be able to take directions hahahahaha

[Mari]

oh! one more thing... I know some ships are newer and bigger than others... which ones would you recommend?

Are the Dream and Fantasy nicer?

[disney-fan]

We have been on many cruises the Magic when it was first built The Big Red Boat and an Alaska
cruise. Most of them offer the same type of shows and food .Disney ships do not have gambling
on them. The most important thing to remember is the end of Aug beginning of Sept is storm
season .we did a Aug date the seas were so rough all the shows were canceled because 70%
of the crew was sick. Disney ships will keep your daughters bissey all day long.
Hope some of this helps . o ya got to have a window

Mike W

[catrancher]

Lets see... I was thinking of skipping the veranda because it get pricier, and I dont think we would be in the ship long enough to actually use it.

I understand completely. That makes sense. But also keep in mind that on the Dream and the Fantasy, even the inside staterooms have "portholes". They're what Disney calls "Virtual Portholes". They're actually video screens decorated to look like portholes. They show an actual view outside the ship using cameras. In addition, Disney characters occasionally float by with a bit of a greeting. Here's what they look like:

Of course, the portholes on the outside staterooms are much bigger. But at least they both give you a view.

What activities are there on board? What about character meet and greets? Which characters are usually on board? Im just lost on how a Disney Cruise works a

Check out my post (#2) in an earlier thread. As I said, characters are just about everywhere!

Are the Dream and Fantasy nicer?

All the Disney ships are wonderful. The Dream and the Fantasy are newer. But they're also much larger than the Magic and the Wonder. Oddly enough however, my DW and I prefer the older, smaller Magic over the Dream. The Magic to us just seems more cozy and intimate. On the last cruise we took on the Dream, it just seemed huge! And it was a long way to go to get from the lobby back to the entertainment district. It was extremely nice but we really like the smaller ships better. But that's just our preference.

Hope this helps. If you've got other questions, just ask. But you can't go wrong with a Disney Cruise.
And the girls will have the time of their lives!

Tom (... )

[Mari]

Wow !

Thanks for the link to tha tpost Tom!

Im getting super excited and we are not even in the formal planning stage yet hahahahahaha...

The concept of dining at different restaurants each night but with your same server is wonderful!

How many would a table normally sit? 4? 6? 8?

So right now, the only thing that worries me, apart from coming up with enough money hahahaha is if Natalia will get enough English language skills to have a good time.... phew! I might have to start talking to her more in English

[Slowhand]

The concept of dining at different restaurants each night but with your same server is wonderful!

How many would a table normally sit? 4? 6? 8?

Having the same server throughout the cruise is great because after the first night you become very friendly with them and they tend to remember your likes and dislikes.

There are some tables for 4, but the majority are for 8 folks.
This is a great way to make new friends though....it`s how I met Tom and his DW [and now I can`t get rid of him! ]

[catrancher]

and now I can`t get rid of him!

Tom (... )

[Mari]

Having the same server throughout the cruise is great because after the first night you become very friendly with them and they tend to remember your likes and dislikes.

There are some tables for 4, but the majority are for 8 folks.
This is a great way to make new friends though....it`s how I met Tom and his DW [and now I can`t get rid of him! ]

Apparently neither can we!

Totally kidding Tom