Advice for Disney Cruise Honeymooners & Romantics

[texaskitty]

We went on the Disney Wonder 4 night Eastern Carribbean on May 23rd and loved it! It was our first cruise ever, and we met several couples without kids that were returning cruisers. Here's some stuff you should know.

 

Why did they return?

The service is great; the ship is beautiful; there is always something going on; the food is great and plentiful; adults only pool, beach, and shows (after 10pm); and Disney is always trying to improve their cruises.

 

We were so glad we packed:

plastic hangars (room doesn't come with many);water shoes (castaway cay adult beach water is rocky on bottom); highlighter (for the daily navigator); bottled water (saves you the hassle of getting ice delivered); tip money in singles (so nice to hand a thick envelope to the servers); 2 bottles of sunscreen (we finished a 12 oz bottle in 4 days--and saw others buying it at the gift shop *ouch* and sunburn victims *double ouch*);

waterproof cameras (to take pics of us snorkeling and swimming with wildlife in the crystal clear ocean).

 

Things you don't need to worry about:

beach towels (towels are provided on the ship and at Castaway Cay); sodas (free with dinner and restaurant lunches); snacks (room service is free and you will eat so much at the meals that you won't get the munchies very often--and I'm a heavy snacker!); too many kids (we thought they were adorable and didn't ruin any of our cruise experiences).

 

We saved money by:

Not doing excursions

Not going to the spa or salon

Not buying any soda, wine, or photo packages

Not booking the Romantic Escape at Sea

**we considered all of this before the cruise**

 

We splurged by:

Ordering a bon voyage stateroom gift prior to leaving ($30); Getting some drinks of the day each day ($3.50 + tips each); Eating at Palos for dinner ($10 each) and Champagne brunch ($12 each); Going to the wine tasting ($12 each); Renting floats and snorkel gear ($25 each); A few beers ($3.75 + tip each); Souvenir pins ($6.50 each) and postcards ($2.00 each).

 

We saved time and frustration when we:

put the seasick patches on four hours before getting onboard; bypassed the buffet to get in line for Palo reservations the moment we were on board (reservations began at 1pm, while the buffet goes on until 3); booked the wine tasting at guest services immediately after (didn't have to wait in line at all); walked around after lunch on the first day (Donald and Goofy came up and hugged me); woke up early each day and went to breakfast as soon as the deck 9 buffet opened to miss the crowd and eat breakfast overlooking the water (room service offers only continental breakfast); were in line to get off the boat for Nassau and Castaway Cay 15 minutes before they opened the doors to leave (were the first group to arrive at the Castaway Cay adult beach and had our pick of loungers w/umbrellas, chairs, or hammocks); walked around Nassau from 8:30am to 10:00am and bought our souvenir shot glass, some Bahamas postcards, and an ID holder/lanyard that said Bahamas for $2.50 (Disney ones were $8 on the ship); mailed out our postcards to friends and family from the main terminal's post office in Nassau (and didn't have to go to the Castaway Cay post office--just stayed on the beach all day--I cared more about a Bahamas postmark than a Castaway Cay stamp and time spent away from my sweetie at the beach). opted for the late dinner seating (very few kids compared to the 6:30); went to dinner at 5 minutes after seating begins (never stood in line--besides the server would wait for everyone to arrive before taking food orders); sat in the Promenade Lounge during the day with some drinks for quiet time looking out those huge portholes and people watching; and packed right after lunch on the last full day so we could skip out of dinner before dessert (handing out servers their tips) and were the only ones in the jacuzzi at the adult pool (everyone was either packing or eating).

 

Honeymooners, be sure to let your server know on your first night that its your honeymoon. They will get you a free cake and some buttons with dessert (ours have donald and daisy duck and say "Disney Wonder" and "Its my Honeymoon!").

 

Only warnings:

*Disney booked our flight for the same day as our cruise, so we were very tired that first night. (Next time, we'll pay for the night before hotel.)

*Its a bit noisy in the dining rooms (be sure to eat in at Palo for at least one night).

*Be sure to bring several pair of comfortable shoes and some loose or stretchy clothing. (by the last day, my cutest shoes and tight clothes wouldn't fit)

*Take a camera everywhere!!! (at least two or some extra film--seems we would run out of film or have a malfunction each time something cute would happen).

*If you're too tired or don't want to dress for dinner and a show, order room service and watch the show on your tv (every nightly show is on your tv each evening--just a previous version of the exact same show).

 

It was a honeymoon to remember because:

we ate so many different foods and desserts, opened our curtains to see the water each morning, watched live shows and musicals, had some tropical drinks, visited the beach and the bahamas, met other couples, spent time swimming and in the jacuzzi, saw some great views, took some great pictures, and did it all together.

 

I know Disney Cruiseline is more expensive than other cruises, but this honeymoon was better than anything else we could have imagined. I'm glad we opted for just the cruise and skipped the parks entirely. I'm glad we made our honeymoon memories on the Disney Wonder. We would love to take a second Honeymoon one day when we can affort it and will definitely use Disney Cruiseline again.

 

Have a great next cruise!

[Fireplug]

Sounds like you had a "Wonder"ful honeymoon! Congrats on your marriage. We have sailed Disney 4 times and love it. I think you are hooked into it too!

 

Squid

 

coral Princess 8-04

Disney Cruises 3 + Sept 14th 4 day

RCCL in Jan '93