ArthurUSCG

The Royal Palace (Dream) and Royal Court (Fantasy) serve escargot

The characters are constantly changing based on who they have on board, if they are sick, the itinerary, ect.

18 hours ago, daydreamer16 said:

You may think that this is a crazy question but do they serve 100% butter on DCL? This is a big topic on the Celebrity & Princess boards since they now serve a butter/oil spread. 

Yes, DCL still serves butter.

There isn't much difference in the Disney characters on the ships, but they will change based on the area the ship is cruising from/to. Alaska has the characters in cold weather clothes.

So,by normal recommendation still applies. Pick the itinerary, not the ship. There's not enough difference to be able to say one is any better then another, unless you want something very specific.

Since this is your first DCL cruise, TBH you don't need to do any adventures at CC, there is a good amount to do that is free. There is a water slide area in the lagoon, sports area, a shaded games area, and just a lot to walk around and see. If you bring your own snorkel gear, you have to borrow for free one of the inflatable vests.

The Dream has a great splash area for little kids. It's in the shade, blocked from the wind and the water temp is just right for keeping the little ones warm/cool enough.

DisneyBand+/MagicBand+ are yours to keep. If you are buying it just for the cruise, I would skip it. The KeyToTheWorld card is still need to leave or get on the ship and if your on the Magic/Wounder/Dream/Fantasy, the readers are setup/designed for the Key card and you'll be constantly removing the MB+/DB+ to scan them. Instead, I would suggest getting a card holder for the back of your phone, since you will need your phone for the Navigator/activities schedule.

The MB+/DB+ are a solution in search of a problem.

19 hours ago, daydreamer16 said:

I'm in the planning stage as first timer. We are a party of 11, I assume we'll have our own table?

Your are most likely to get your own table. We have cruise with around that number a few times an always had our own table.

A few years ago DCL modified the menu, below is the latest menu that I know of.

https://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/menu-viewer/?Menu=153

On 4/7/2024 at 8:40 PM, Sunshine42794 said:

I was just wondering if anyone knows if there are different alcoholic drink menus for the various lounges on board? Just curious to see any type of “speciality” cocktails!  TIA 😊

 

DCL Blog has a lot of the menus
https://disneycruiselineblog.com/menus/

Disney waits to charge, just in case something happens and it has to skip multiple ports, they don't have to process massive refunds.

8 hours ago, Betsynh said:

One staff member we were chatting with seemed surprised we didn’t get pirate bandanas in the cabin… is that a thing? We weren’t in any special cabin or rewards program. We passed the boutique and it looked adorable! All slots were filled well before we traveled. I’ll be better prepared next time. 

5 hours ago, carohs said:

Hmm well I'm reading they don't do this on the Wish. That's disappointing!

Yea, for some reason the Wish isn't getting the bandanas. There has been reports that on some sailings the Wish was giving out bandannas, but not all of the sailings.

Disney is expensive because it can be. There is more demand for the produce then they have supply. This is why DCL can double the size of their fleet while still raising prices.

Depending on what you want to do on Castaway Cay, it can be a decent walk between things. So, you may want the wheel chair on the island. There are sidewalks for the main path between the shops, food, bathroom, and activities. But if you are planning on spending the day at Serenity Beach, the food, beverage, beach area and water are much closer together. There are no shops at Serenity Beach though.

DCL does have beach wheel chairs, if she needs/wants that instead of the long walk from the sidewalk across the family beach area.

The below link is taken from the Stern of the ship looking over the family beaches on Castaway Cay. The sidewalk path is back buy the buildings in the trees. The distance from the sidewalk to the water can be pretty long. The distance from one end to the other is long as well.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iAkwtnBaxPk3J3Ug6

We were at Castaway Cay at the end of Sept beginning of Oct, I would not describe it as run down. The ocean has moved the Serenity Beach (adult area) sand to the water, so there's less dry beach and the lagoon is shallower then the past. TBH, it was nice to sit in the water and enjoy a beverage.

The only general public "sales" that DCL does are for the innitial deposit, the total cost of the cruise isn't cheaper.

DCL does do GT rooms, but the vast majority of the time, the guaranteed rooms are still much higher then when the rooms were first offered.

The difference is mostly a solid white wall instead of the glass below the railing.

There is so much desert and with the mousse desert, a cake isn't needed, especially at dinner time.

You will need to pay for an internet package, but service is not guaranteed.There is free text thru iMessage and What's app.

You'll make it but I would eat light and tell your waiter that you have a 10pm tasting.

yep

The spa area is coed, but you can get a 2 person/couple massage in a private room.

If your traveling as a group, it's nice to book early and get rooms next to each other. For most of the verandas the dividing wall between them folds back so you can have 1 big veranda. We've family cruised and had the verandahs open between 4 rooms on the Dream's Aft Port Quarter (7182 to 7188) and it was nice to sit there in the evenings or during nap time.

I've been on the Fantasy and the noise/vibrations were more then the Dream but not bad unless the ship was near her max speed. Which happened on the Thanksgiving 2021 cruise due to making up time after a medical emergency had us turn back to Key West. But that night the entire ship was vibrating and moving with the waves (going against the gulf stream). It was obvious the captain was trying to make up time for the port call in Cozumel. We were midship at 9570 and while the vibrations were less then the aft area, there was a lot more bow rise. It made for an interesting time watching the show in the Walf Disney Theater (bow)

There's no 1 perfect room or deck, it's all about trade offs and what is important to you.

I've only seen it listed once per cruise. There might be multiple Royal Gatherings (photos and meet/greet) but it's not guaranteed due to how short your cruise is. The 3/4 night cruises don't have multiple opportunities or all of the stuff due to not having the time that the 7 night cruises have. Also, expect the atmosphere to fee very rushed since people are trying to do everything. The 7night are very relaxed by comparison since activities are offered multiple times.

20 hours ago, Rothko1 said:

Isn't it girls in princess costumes and boys in pirate outfits?

On Pirate night, the pirate costume is an option for all kids at the Bibbidi Bobbidy Boutique

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/onboard-activities/bibbidi-bobbidi-boutique/