What Do I Need to Know Prior to my Disney Cruise
If you love cruising, or you plan on heading out on a Disney Cruise, it’s possible you have been Googling things like crazy and maybe you ended up here! My wife and I, along with our three kids, are soon setting off on the somewhat-new Disney Treasure for a 7 Night Western Caribbean sailing. There are a ton of different things to think about, though, before your cruise even leaves! Here are some of the things I believe you shouldn’t forget, and a few key things to remember when you are on the ship!
The Disney Dream continues the Disney Cruise Line tradition of blending the elegant grace of early 20th century transatlantic ocean liners with contemporary design to create one of the most stylish and spectacular cruise ships afloat. The Disney Dream offers modern features, new innovations and unmistakable Disney touches. (David Roark, photographer)
Do Your Check-In!
If you are like us, you prefer to get a Port Arrival Time (PAT) as early as possible. The earlier you can arrive at the port, the earlier you can board the ship, theoretically. That being said, Disney is pretty strict about Port Arrival Times, so arriving to the terminal prior to your scheduled time might leave you standing and waiting. That said, each tier of the Castaway Club (if you’ve sailed before) will get a date to check-in online (Passports, other information, etc.) and then get a Port Arrival Time. First time cruisers will, unfortunately, be the last to do this.
Our Advice: Do your online check-in as soon as possible if you want to get on the ship as soon as possible. Dinning locations will be available when you get on the ship, as well as the pools. You might as well take advantage of the vacation you are paying for!
Pre-Book Things You Want
Not only can you order items to your room to be there when you board – fun packages, food packages, the Disney Cruise Line beer mug, etc. – you can also order other things for your cruise. Most importantly, for our family at least, is ordering the onboard Photo Package.
This allows you to digitally take all the photos Disney Cruise Line photographers have taken of you and your family across your entire cruise. While it’s less of a recommendation on a shorter cruise, having it for a long cruise is great as you don’t need to keep whipping out your own phone for photos, and you can have Disney’s professionals do all the work for you! Plus, if you book something like this BEFORE embarkation, you actually save a little bit of money!
Our Advice: Book the photo package early – you’ll save money, and on a longer cruise you can easily rack up 100s of photos! Also, order all those extras you want to your room so they are there when you board!
Getting Your Phone Ready
There are a few things to consider regarding your cell phone when you get on Disney Cruise Line. If you are buying any of the internet packages, you might consider turning off background data use so that you’re only using data and the bandwidth on your phone for things you need. Having access to Internet on Disney Cruise Line is not cheap, so make sure you decide whether you really need it before investing!
That said, make sure you at least have the Disney Cruise Line app downloaded prior to leaving the shore. As a Canadian, I don’t have a US data plan, so I make sure to have the app downloaded before even leaving my home!
Once on the ship, the free Guest Wifi will allow you to use the Disney Cruise Line app, which will have all the daily activities, floor layouts, and the ability to chat with people around the ship (if approved)! Another neat feature of the free Guest Wifi is the ability to use iMessage while on board. So if you have an iPhone, it’s a great way to stay connected with iPhone users on land while you are away!
Our Advice: Make sure you have the Disney Cruise Line application downloaded prior to embarkation. Take advantage of Guest Wifi to communicate within the application, and to use iMessage while on board!
These are only a few things we suggest looking into, but obviously there are plenty more! Check out those port excursions and book them as soon as possible (make sure you are paid in full). Make sure you pack those essentials you want on a trip: baby wipes if necessary, sunscreen, bug spray, etc. Those items cost so much on a cruise ship, so don’t spend needlessly!
Have you cruised often before? What are your tips!
Article By Adam Roffel
