Questions from new Disney Cruiser

[swmrgrl]

Traded in all my Disney Vacation Club points to get a cabin 4a on the 8th deck for the Panama Canal cruise in May 2016. We have done Panama Canal cruise before and just looking to relax in this one. MThis is our first time on Disney, having cruised many times on NCL, HAL, and Celebrity. I have a couple of questions that haven't shown up in any of the other threads.

 

Do the laundry washers take "pods?" Like Tide, etc. And fleecy sheets?

 

Is there a DVD player in the room? If not can we hook up to the tv from our computer?

 

Is there a microwave guests can use to make popcorn? I found info that Disney has popcorn but you have to buy it at the theatre. Do you know how much?

 

On a 14 night cruise, how many formal and semi formal nights are there?

 

Many thanks for all your help.

[missusp]

Traded in all my Disney Vacation Club points to get a cabin 4a on the 8th deck for the Panama Canal cruise in May 2016. We have done Panama Canal cruise before and just looking to relax in this one. This is our first time on Disney, having cruised many times on NCL, HAL, and Celebrity. I have a couple of questions that haven't shown up in any of the other threads.

Do the laundry washers take "pods?" Like Tide, etc. And fleecy sheets?

Is there a DVD player in the room? If not can we hook up to the tv from our computer?

Is there a microwave guests can use to make popcorn? I found info that Disney has popcorn but you have to buy it at the theatre. Do you know how much?

On a 14 night cruise, how many formal and semi formal nights are there?

Many thanks for all your help.

 

 

Hi there,

 

I can give you some answers.

 

Laundry - its basic powder for the front loading machines, when I last went purchased from a vending machine.

 

DVD player - none in the room, and you can't hook up your computer as this is discouraged / tv not compatible.

 

No microwaves - or any other cooking appliances allowed. Popcorn / candy can be purchased from the shops onboard or as well as the theatre (when shows are on).

 

For schedules or activities, check out the personal navigators from this blog from last years cruise that they have collected from others. It details themes for each night.

 

Hope this is helpful?

[chemistrynerd]

You can use pods in the laundry. There is detergent you can buy for a dollar or two, but lots of people just bring their own pods.

[moki'smommy]

Yes to pods

No DVD

No, you are not supposed to hook up to the TV

No to microwave for guest use

Popcorn for sale outside movies

On 14 night cruises, typically 3 formal/semi-formal nights

[swmrgrl]

Many thanks to everyone for their help. We are looking forward to cruising on the Wonder and taking in all the shows while on board.

[ArthurUSCG]

If i remember correctly, you can watch almost all of the Disney movie catalog on the TV.

[chemistrynerd]

If i remember correctly, you can watch almost all of the Disney movie catalog on the TV.

 

My family's first Disney cruise (or any cruise) was on the Dream a couple years ago. I was left with our youngest in the cabin for naptime, and I was thrilled to find The Apple Dumpling Gang in the movie list. I remember enjoying it as a kid (dating myself a bit). I watched about half of it. It was terrible. Apparently very few people watched it (no surprise) because it is no longer on the Dream playlist.

[Shmoo here]

If i remember correctly, you can watch almost all of the Disney movie catalog on the TV.

 

Not on the Wonder. The Dream & Fantasy have on-demand movies with a large library, but the Wonder only has 6 or so dedicated movie channels, each running one movie continuously each day. Staggered starting times.

[snow4sandtoo]

I have cruised before but I am new to Disney. We are going I a family cruise including our five grandchildren ages 3-8. I've heard there is a pirate night. When would that be on a seven day cruise. What would girls wear? Are there any other costume dress up occasions? Do we need to reserve a covered cabana on the beach day? How is breakfast handled? If the kids are in an activity programme what happens at lunch? Any other tips? Please help this granny out

[Shmoo here]

I have cruised before but I am new to Disney. We are going I a family cruise including our five grandchildren ages 3-8. I've heard there is a pirate night. When would that be on a seven day cruise. What would girls wear? Are there any other costume dress up occasions? Do we need to reserve a covered cabana on the beach day? How is breakfast handled? If the kids are in an activity programme what happens at lunch? Any other tips? Please help this granny out

 

-Pirate night will typically be night 4 or 5 (dependent on your particular cruise itinerary). Pirate-y themed clothes are generally what's worn. But some will only wear the (provided) bandana.

-Halloween cruises have a costume day. I believe the Star Wars cruises have some sort of Star Wars costume day.

-Cabanas are extremely difficult to get for first time cruisers. Mostly because there are only 21 of them (on the family beach) and you may have upwards of 3,000 people trying to reserve them. Also, a bit pricey for me.

-Breakfast is served in the buffet (Cabanas or Beach Blanket), as well as one of the Main Dining rooms (depends on what ship, which one).

-The do serve food at a set time in the kid's club. If your child is there, they make an announcement that the food is there, but they don't make anyone stop what they are doing and sit to eat. Generally along the lines of a sandwich, fruit, chips for lunch.

[moki'smommy]

I have cruised before but I am new to Disney. We are going I a family cruise including our five grandchildren ages 3-8. I've heard there is a pirate night. When would that be on a seven day cruise. What would girls wear? Are there any other costume dress up occasions? Do we need to reserve a covered cabana on the beach day? How is breakfast handled? If the kids are in an activity programme what happens at lunch? Any other tips? Please help this granny out

 

On a 7 night cruise:

 

The girls will wear whatever you or their mother decides that they will wear. Some people wear elaborate pirate costumes, some simple, some a t-shirt and MANY do not dress up at all. There are bandanas provided at dinner. Whatever they wear, they will not be out of place. There is a formal and a semi-formal night...dress up is whatever you choose it to be. Most people dress up a bit, but not really formal. There is a dress up optional night on cruises of less than 7 nights.

 

I've been to Castaway Cay many times before the cabanas were even built. No, you do not NEED to reserve a cabana. If you want one and there is one available at 75 days before embarkation, the cost is about $500 for the first 10 people and an additional charge for each extra person. But you can have a great day without a cabana. There are beach umbrellas and shade trees available at no charge.

 

Lunch and dinner times in the programming are not the same times as you might think--check the schedule on the Navigator. The lunch in the programming is not very good, and kids are not made to eat. They are told it is available, but if they choose to not sit down, they are free to continue to play. Any authorized adult can pick them up and take them to lunch....or they can eat in the programming. Just don't be surprised to get a call an hour later that they are hungry when they played thru lunch time!

 

Are the parents cruising? If so, each parent will be able to authorize whoever they wish to pick up the kids--so one aunt or grandma can claim all 5 if they are all authorized on each other's kids. Or they can limit it to just themselves.

 

Depending on how many are in each family, there are some ways to save money on the bookings. A good TA who specializes in DCL can help. The key is that the "normal" priced cabins hold up to 4 people. Add the 5th, and the price goes up significantly. If one family has 5 people cruising (mom, dad, 3 kids), booking one child in grandma's cabin can save serious money vs. getting a 5 person cabin.

 

Packing for kids....I packed a zip lock bag with shorts, top, undies, socks, etc. for each day. Squish the air out. Transfer bags from suitcase to drawers. Each day, you can get out one bag--it has everything the kid needs. OK, some days they barely wear the clothes (swimsuits all day). At the end of the day, separate what needs to be washed from what can be used again if necessary. Those just became the "extras" for when something gets spilled, etc. There are self serve washers and dryers on the ships, $2 for each machine. Bring your own Tide Pods to save $ on detergent or buy it for $1. If you are paying for luggage on a plane, it is far cheaper to do a little laundry rather than dragging extra suitcases.

 

To get from airport to cruise terminal--for that many people, book a private limo/towncar service. It will save $$$$. DCL transfers are $35 per person each way. Cost of a towncar will depend on number of people, but will be significantly less than the DCL transfer cost.