Disney Cruise Tips - Lessons Learned from Novice Ship Cruisers

In November 2010, we set off on our very first cruise, aboard the Disney Magic.. We did the 7 night western Caribbean Disney cruise (Castaway Cay, Bahamas, Grand Cayman and Cozumel). We stayed in an inside stateroom (the video to the right shows an outside stateroom with balcony, but same room layout), which was very nice. It was equipped with 2 bathrooms (toilet and sink/vanity in one, and a sink/vanity and shower/tub combo in the other). Lesson learned #1. Having the two bathrooms was huge for our small family. Made the room feel much bigger. Look into the stateroom option for larger parties (4 to a room). It also had a queen size bed and a convertible futon/couch with a stow away bunk above it. More roomy than we imagined, with pretty good storage space for clothes and luggage..

On Disney cruises, each stateroom has a TV with a huge selection of shows and informational channels constantly playing. Feature Disney movies are always playing, including recent releases. Our kids must have watched 'Despicable Me' twenty times during the cruise. Lesson learned #2. Leave your DVDs and portable DVD players home. No need for them here..

Biggest mistake we made.. We brought way too many clothes. Not knowing what to expect, we packed more for a 30 day Disney cruise, than a 7 night Disney cruise. With ample laundry rooms aboard on many floors (full capacity size washer and dryers), it made it easy to re-wash and wear clothes during the trip.. Recommend bringing maybe 3-4 shirts and 3-4 shorts/pants per person. They have dispensers for laundry detergent and on the washer/dryers, you use your 'Key to the World Card' to purchase the wash and dry time and detergent. Makes it very convenient and simple..  Early morning and later in the evening seemed to be good times to easily access available washer and dryers.  Lesson learned #3. Pack light!

Turn on a single light anywhere in the stateroom, and you'll probably wake someone up..  One thing that we did bring with us was push lights.  They provide just enough ambient light to get around the room at night without disturbing anyone's sleep.  They stick to the wall and are easily removable.  They can be found in most stores, but I'd recommend Dollar stores, because they're so much cheaper there (got mine at Dollar Tree, along with the batteries).  Lesson learned #4.  Push lights really help navigate the room at night.

If you have alot of electronic devices that you bring with you on a Disney cruise (phones, ipads, computers, cameras, camcorders, portable players, etc.), I recommend that you pack a power strip, so you can charge all of them in one location (helps you keep track of them). You are limited to the power outlets in the rooms, anyway.. This would have helped us alot on our trip.. Lesson learned #5. Bring a power strip on your Disney cruise.

Believe it or not, Disney allows unopened alcohol to be brought on board the Disney cruise ships.. A friend of mine gave me this tip prior to ours, so we purchase several bottles of wine and beer to bring on board, and we passed through fine.. This is the only food/beverage you are charged for on the cruise, so it saves a bundle when you can have your own supply.. Sodas we thought we'd be charged for, but they were free. I'd recommend getting a wine tote, if you don't have one already, to haul the wine/liquor bottles on board. The staterooms have a small refrigerator in the room to keep the alcohol in. Lesson learned #6. Unopened alcohol is allowed on Disney cruises.

If you don't want to spend an arm and a leg (we spent $13.50 per bottle of the spray sunscreen.. twice..) on sunscreen aboard Disney cruise ships or on Castaway Cay, bring an ample supply of sunscreen with you that will last the trip.. You will save a bundle doing this.. We like Coppertone Sport, with the ease of continuous spraying, and knowing the kids haven't had any sun burn while we've used this product. Waterproof, lasts a long time.. Have to reapply every 4 hours or so, if out all day.. Lesson #7. Buy your sunscreen ahead of time (ample supply).

Obviously, for formal evening dinners, you're going to want to look nice. Ironing on board was a big problem. And because you can't bring your own iron with you aboard Disney cruise ships (fire hazard, Disney policy), you are forced to use their irons in the laundry rooms. These are a popular commodity.. And they're not the best irons.. What I recommend is that you iron very early in the morning, or very late at night, to avoid the lines (yes, there were lines for the iron) on days that the formal dinners are not happening.. Also, bring your own spray bottle to increase the efficiency of the iron. Wish I had done that.. The spray bottle Disney had on my floor was not great (sprayed poorly). Lesson #8. Iron on non-formal days very early or very late in the day.

One thing I wish I did more of prior to our Disney cruise, was research a bit more on general issues concerning cruising. If we had done this, we probably would have avoided the overpacking, the sunscreen issue, and other pitfalls we ran into. There are tons of books and helpful web guides on cruising which I've provided (in part) at right - CAN SAVE YOU A BOATLOAD OF MONEY), and links below to some fellow hubbers. Take advantage of these resources. You'll be a better cruiser and Disney park saver for it.. Lesson #9. Research what's out there and be a smart cruiser and park saver. SAVE MONEY!

Travelling with young children? Then avoid this pitfall we ran into.. Book early, so you can get the early dinner rotation. On Disney cruises (and most other cruise lines), there are typically several dinner rotation times in order to accommodate everyone on board. We were stuck with the 8:15 dinner rotation, because we booked a bit late for the trip. Having a 7, 6 and 3 year old, there was always at least one of them that was sleeping at the table every night! This was a bit problematic, and either my wife or myself would have to leave early to get the kid back to the room to bed.. Lesson #10. Book early and reserve the early dinner rotation if you have young children.

One thing we took care of early, was getting our passports issued (passport book) well in advance of our cruise.  Naively, we thought our young kids wouldn't need them, but a friend of ours said everyone in the cruising party should have a passport.  My understanding is that your children can get by with an original birth certificate and social security card to get around, but if you get stuck somewhere, say you went on an excursion, and don't get back to the boat in time, or have an immediate emergency, having your passport book (not card) will save you in being able to fly out of that country's airports.   Passports typically last 5 years for kids and 10 years for adults.  Lesson #11.  Get your passport book early for everyone in your travel party.

One thing we saw alot of were families playing games, like cards, dominoes, board games, etc. on the cruise ship during our days at sea.  I thought this was a great idea, even though we didn't bring any..  So, if you're family is into the game scene, this is a great way to have fun together, while enjoying the great, warm weather on deck..  Lesson #12.  Bring games to play on your cruise.

Another thing we didn't bring with us was an underwater (waterproof) camera.  These cameras are pretty inexpensive when you go to your neighborhood store, but on ship or excursion, they're much more expensive.  Buy a couple of these, so you have plenty of film to shoot those great underwater shots during snorkeling or scuba trips.  There's alot to photograph in the Caribbean and Bermuda, and other cruise stops.  Lesson #13.  Buy several underwater (waterproof) cameras ahead of your trip.  Save money!

Make sure to fill out your customs form prior to leaving the ship on the final day.  You will need to have this in hand, in order to leave the ship.  It's an easy form to fill out, and they have them available on the ship (ours was in our room) to fill out so you're not having to do it in a rush when you're at the customs exit gate.  Lesson #14.  Fill Out Your Customs Form Ahead of Time Prior to Disembarking the Ship At the End of the Cruise.

If you're staying in the Orlando area, prior to your Disney cruise, you should pre-arrange your shuttle transportation from Orlando to Port Canaveral (if your Disney cruise is leaving from Port Canaveral). There are many shuttle transportation companies available in the Orlando area that can facilitate your short trip to Port Canaveral (about 1 hour and 20 minutes). Just give them a call a couple of weeks in advance to assure your shuttle reservation. Here are some shuttle services to consider:

• http://www.shuttlesinorlando.com/
• http://www.centralfloridashuttle.com/ (this is who we used, Roland was great, definitely recommend them, punctual, friendly service)
• http://www.portcanaveralcruiseshuttleservice.com/
• http://www.cruiseshuttles.com/
• http://www.sirrandolphsclassictransportation.com/ (a bit higher end transportation)

Lesson #15. Pre-arrange your shuttle transportation to Port Canaveral, particularly if you have a large party.

If you arrive early to the check-in, you will spend less time being in line and more time enjoying the cruise. This is one great Disney cruise tip to those who don’t like crowds and don’t like lines. Make sure to have your swimsuit on or carry it with you the day you begin your cruise.. If you get in early enough, you'll find the pool pretty empty for you and your family.. They will love the Mickey's Kid Pool... Also, prepare a lunch before the excursion, so you'll have something to eat next to the pool, before all the amenities open..

Lesson #16. Check in early, wear your swimsuit, and pack a lunch for first day.

Check out CruisesOnly.Com for great deals on cruises.. They offer great advice, and categorize their cruises in a way for both frequent and novice cruisers to understand.. A great resource and they offer terrific deals on cruises.. Check them out!